Sipley School Weekly Newsletter
Week of Monday, April 27, 2015
When parents were asked to describe what they want from a school, they said that "they wanted their children to learn how to take care of themselves, to make responsible decisions, and to get along with others. They wanted their children to be tolerant of people's differences, to be problem solvers, to be safe, and to use time well. They wanted their children to grow up to make positive contributions to society."
2013 Nationwide Gallup Poll and Grading Practices
Four out of five adults responded "strongly agree" that K-12 schools should teach critical thinking and communication skills to children. 64% strongly agreed that goal setting should be taught, while a majority strongly agreed that creativity and collaboration are meaningful topics. The study concluded, "While student success may depend on mastery of content in core subject areas such as math and reading, it also depends on more than knowledge of core content. Critical thinking, creativity, communication, and other soft skills, as well as student physical and social well-being, are also necessary for future success in higher education and in the workplace." - The Leader in Me, pg. 28.
Why do I share this along with the opening quote? As a parent and school leader, I agree with the information acquired from parents by one school principal and shared in The Leader in Me. I also agree with what others strongly agree on regarding what K-12 schools should teach. I wonder if our current grading practices lend themselves to these desires for our children or do they restrict teachers and students from truly working in conditions that achieve the ends shared in the opening quote and found in the Gallup Poll. With that said, I wonder how open parents are to changes made to current grading practices? If you wouldn't mind sharing your thoughts on this, I would appreciate it. Do current grading practices afford students and staff with the opportunities to teach in these suggested ways or are current grading practices preventing us from this sort of advancement? Send your thoughts to mrozikd@woodridge68.org
Dr. Don Mrozik
As many of you know, I have been working on doctoral studies. What you may not know is that I began coursework six years ago, when I started as John L. Sipley School principal. I completed three years of coursework, passed and defended my qualifying exam, wrote and defended a dissertation proposal, completed field research, and wrote and defended a 174 page dissertation. You can read more about my dissertation topic by following the link here - http://www.woodridge68.org/pages/Woodridge68/News/Mrozik_EdD
This is a huge accomplishment for me from a personal perspective. Your children have been so cute as they congratulated me. I can't get use to being called Dr. Mrozik. It is odd.
No School on Friday
LRC Redesign
Testing Schedule Update
- PARCC testing for grades 3 - 6 is scheduled the week of May 11.
- STAR Reading and Early Literacy assessment for grades 1-2 is scheduled for the week of May 11.
- STAR Reading and Math for grades 3-6, Kdg. Star Early Literacy, and Grades 1-2 STAR Math is scheduled for the week of May 18.
- AIMSweb testing for grades K-6 is scheduled for the week of May 25.