Well it is almost here, and I don't mean the end of the year! The assessment season is upon us!
Next week will mark the beginning of more than a month of testing using the NJASK or the Oxford testing Program. The NJASK will be administered in grades 3-8 and the OTP will be given to our students in KG-2 grade. The OTP is an end-of-the-year test that analyzes the progress students have made in the KG, first and second grade curricula this year. This will be the third year we are giving this test that we designed to resemble the NJASK in structure and sequence. Please help the students prepare by ensuring that they get to bed earlier, eat as well as they can and remind them of the importance of performing to the best of their ability.
I and a few staff members are in the early stages of reading two books that deal with engaging boys in active literacy: enjoy reading, writing, etc... The books are very interesting and shed some light on how we can continue to address the issue of boys and reading/writing.
One of the early findings I came across is the importance of encouraging our young boys to express their FEELINGS! Not an easy task and one that I struggled to develop in my own son at a young age. However, this is one of the many elements that comes up in literacy development and this is a key step in developing better writing and reading skills in our boys. In fact this year the NJASK asks all students to write an essay describing how they would react or how they would feel if presented with a particular situation. We have been addressing this for the past few weeks here in school.
Till next time...
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