Catholic Schools Week is just about here! We look forward to seeing you at the 10:30 Mass on Sunday, January 29, at which we will celebrate not only the Eucharist but also Catholic education and schools across the nation. At Mass, we want to take pride in our ethnicity and highlight our many cultural backgrounds. If you and your children have traditional costumes, hats, sweaters that display your heritage, please wear them proudly! Be sure to come also to the Cultural Fair (Egan Hall) and All School Open House after Mass. I extend a huge thank you to the teachers and students who give of their time and talent and participate in the many activities during this busy week.
The Accreditation team members spoke very positively about their short pre-visit to St. John School on Monday. They left with the Self Study document and will spend the next six weeks studying it in preparation for their return at the beginning of March when they will spend three days at the school. Your children have already told you about the important visitors! They made the team feel very welcome!
Students in grades three through eight are bringing progress reports home today. Students in grade Kindergarten through eight are also bringing their Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) test results for our winter testing period. These tests determine your child’s instructional level and measure academic growth throughout the school year. This winter we tested in the areas of Math and Reading.
MAP tests are unique in that they are adaptive tests your child took online. That means that the test became more difficult the more questions your child answered correctly. When your child incorrectly answered a question, the test became easier. Therefore, your child took a test specifically created for his or her learning level. Students who already scored in the high range may have slower growth rates as the test becomes increasingly more difficult. All students will continue to have the opportunity to learn the information presented on the tests because the assessments are aligned with the Common Core State Standards.
Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT scores. This is a different type of score than a typical test that provides a percentage correct. It is also different from many tests that provide results based on your child’s score compared to others in his or her grade. Instead, the RIT score is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level. As a result, we can easily measure growth in learning. This type of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus attention on for your child’s learning. As you review the score, please keep in mind that these tests give us just a glimpse of a child’s ability and do not tell the complete story of their learning progress.
I hope you find the reports informative. If you have questions, please contact your child’s teacher. For more information on resources for parents, download A Parent’s Guide to the MAP. Thank you for taking an active interest in your child’s education.
God bless,
See you Sunday!
Bernadette O’Leary
