Monroe Memo 9/13/2020
Mrs. Reingruber's Weekly Update
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Principal's Post
We made it! Our first week back to school was filled with smiling eyes, safe practices, engaged students, and most of all...a return to learning! We are so thankful for all the work our families put in to ensure their children were prepared for their safe return to school.
As a clarification - our instructional times for school are as follows:
Hybrid AM Session - 8:40-11:10 a.m.
Hybrid PM Session - 12:40-3:10 p.m.
Staff supervision and student arrival will begin daily at 8:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m..
Instruction begins promptly at 8:40 a.m. or 12:40 p.m. Please plan accordingly to ensure your child is here and ready to learn, seated in their classroom, by 8:40 a.m. or 12:40 p.m.
Going forward, we will continue to implement our health and safety protocols to provide a safe and effective learning environment. For your reference, I have included various videos below that you can use to review our safety practices with your child. We will continue to reflect upon and refine our practices to ensure the safest and most effective learning environment possible.
Additionally, we ask that parents do not bring pets on to Monroe School property, as it poses a safety risk for other students and families. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we work to keep all of our Mustangs safe and healthy!
I have enjoyed having conversations with families during arrival and dismissal, as well as via email, phone, and Google Meet. Thank you to all the families who took the time to provide us with feedback during our transition back to school. While we had a great week, there is always growth to make! I look forward to meeting each of you soon and wish you a safe and healthy weekend.
Your partner in education,
Mrs. Kristin Reingruber
Monroe School Principal
Upcoming Events
Thursday, September 17th
- TENTATIVE start to MAP testing at Monroe School (pending BOE approval)
Tuesday, September 22nd
- VIRTUAL Curriculum Night - 6-8pm. See below for more details
Wednesday, September 30th
- School picture day for hybrid AND remote learners. Photos will be taken OUTDOORS, implementing a safe and socially distant photo experience. Additional information will be sent home with your child and included in next week's Monroe Memo.
MAP Assessment Update
NWEA's MAP assessment is administered multiple times per year at Monroe to students in grades 1-5. The collection of purpose-built measures from NWEA illuminates every student’s learning needs, helping teachers to target instruction and administrators to make well-informed system-wide decisions.
The assessments in the MAP Suite give you a thorough picture of student learning: how much they’ve grown, what they’re ready to learn, and the specific skill gaps they need to master.
The MAP Suite measures exactly what’s needed to give you valuable data with maximum efficiency: no more and no less testing than required.
To learn more about MAP, please visit the family toolkit section of their website: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/family-toolkit/
Updated Assessment Calendar
On Thursday evening, the Academic Success Committee (ASC) met at Hinsdale Middle School to review an updated assessment calendar for the 2020-2021 school year. This calendar reflects modified assessment windows for nearly all of our fall assessments. Using feedback from the ASC, the updated assessment calendar will be presented to the full Board for review and approval on Monday, September 14, 2020. For further information, please view the Assessment Calendar presentation and attachments, available on BoardDocs.
MAP for Hybrid Students
Pending Board approval, Monroe School will administer MAP to all hybrid students between Thursday, September 17 - Friday, September 25, 2020 during students’ assigned in-person instructional time. A makeup window of time has been set aside for students who are absent during the in-person assessment. Makeups will be held Monday, September 28 - Wednesday, September 30, 2020.
MAP for Parallel Remote Students
While NWEA has established procedures for remote administration of the assessment, the test developers are clear that remote administrations should not be utilized for high-stakes decisions such as teacher evaluations and/or student course placement. As MAP has historically been a key component of our placement process, the Department of Learning will be offering a number of opportunities for remote learning students to participate in the assessment in-person on the following dates:
Friday, September 25, 2020
Saturday, September 26, 2020
We will provide specifics regarding testing next week; please note that we will utilize a “first-come-first serve” procedure for time-slot assignments.
While we hope that the above options will meet the needs of all families, please email Tracey Miller, D181's Director of Assessment, Instruction, & Evaluation, if a medical or personal condition necessitates a one-on-one or small group testing environment for your child.
Course Placement for 2021-22
Specific recommendations for math placement at grades 3-8 for 2021-22 have not yet been defined. Historically, MAP scores have been included in the requirements for students to move into advanced courses. As D181 is currently offering in-person instruction and has the ability to offer an in-person administration of the MAP assessment, the fall data point will be utilized for 2021-22 placement decisions. A determination regarding additional placement data points will depend on the status of in-person instruction at the time of the winter and spring assessment windows.
2020 Updates to MAP
In July 2020, NWEA released updated norms for the MAP assessment. Thus, percentile ranks will be defined using these updated data. The assessment structure remains consistent; only how students compare to their same-age peers is impacted by the updated norms. An in-depth description of the norming process and trends observed in the 2020 norms will be included when results are communicated to families and will also be included in future ASC and Board of Education presentations.
Use of MAP Results
Our District uses the data from this assessment in a variety of ways. In the classroom, it provides teachers with a means for monitoring student growth in reading and mathematics over time. At the District and building levels, MAP data help us set goals and evaluate initiatives. Finally, in light of the past 6 months, MAP will be one of several indicators used to identify the impact of the pandemic on our students’ achievement and learning.
Preparing for MAP
A student who is well-rested, well-fed, and has a positive attitude about assessment is best prepared for testing. You can help your child do his or her best by considering these tips:
Make sure that your child is in school and on time on test days.
Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.
Remind your child that this assessment is only one measure. Emphasize that you have confidence in his or her ability to do the best job possible.
Remind your child to listen to the directions and read each question carefully during testing.
Communication of Student Scores
Your child’s score report will be sent home after administration is complete and all reports are printed. We appreciate your ongoing support.
Virtual Curriculum Night
Monroe School will be hosting a virtual curriculum night on Tuesday, September 22nd from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.
You will have an opportunity to virtually “visit” your child’s classroom and attend a live-stream question and answer session with the teacher. Please note, the live-stream question and answer sessions will be reserved for general curriculum or programming questions. Specific questions regarding your child should be directed to your child’s teacher via phone or email.
Detailed information for accessing our virtual curriculum night will be shared with families in next week's Monroe Memo.
We hope you enjoy this unique opportunity to learn more about your child’s class and we are excited for a wonderful year ahead at Monroe School!
Safety Videos
Preschool- 2nd Grade
3rd-5th Grade
Other D181 Resources
Monroe School Mustangs
Email: kreingruber@d181.org
Website: https://www.d181.org/monroe
Location: 210 North Madison, Hinsdale, IL
Phone: (630) 861-4200
Twitter: @monroelearns