Austinville Elementary School
February 29 - March 4 News
ACCESS Testing in Progress
ESL students are involved in spring testing and hope to finish soon! The window for the ACCESS test is from February to April. Austinville's ESL teachers, Mrs. Jennifer Fernandez and Mrs. Susan Batchelder are testing 135 ESL students in kindergarten through fifth grade. This sounds like an overwhelming amount of testing when you consider that Austinville is 59% Hispanic. Fortunately, 40% of our Hispanic students do not have to take the test because they are considered fluent in English by the state of Alabama! Austinville is making progress in our students' education!
The English as a Second Language Students (ESL students) are taking the ACCESS for ELLs (English Language Learners). ACCESS for ELLs® stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners. It is a large-scale test that first and foremost addresses the English language development standards that form the core of the WIDA Consortium's approach to instructing and testing English language learners. These standards incorporate a set of model performance indicators (PIs) that describe the expectations educators have of ELL students at four different grade level clusters and in five different content areas.
There are five content areas of the standards. The first is called social and instructional language (SI), which incorporates proficiencies needed to deal with the general language of the classroom and the school. The others are English language arts (LA), math (MA), science (SC), and social studies (SS).
For each grade level, then, the standards specify one or more performance indicators for each content area within each of the four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
The WIDA framework recognizes the continuum of language development within the four domains with six English language proficiency levels. Level 1 is Entering / Level 2 is Beginning / Level 3 is Developing / Level 4 is Expanding / Level 5 is Bridging / Level 6 is Reaching.
These levels describe the spectrum of a learner's progression from knowing little to no English to acquiring the English skills necessary to be successful in an English-only mainstream classroom without extra support. The goal of the ACCESS for ELLs® test is to allow students to demonstrate their level of proficiency through the PIs.
First Priority Continues to Grow its Membership
Extended Learning Classes Ending Prior to April Testing
Consultant Carol Pryse Returns for a Week of Intense Math with Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Students
A Full Week of Celebration for Dr. Seuss' Birthday
Students Celebrated Every Day of the Week!
On Cat in the Hat day, students were excited to wear a hat to school. Half way through the week, Wacky Wednesday arrived allowing students to dress like their favorite Dr. Seuss character! Fox in Socks Day was dedicated to those crazy socks and students enjoyed rolling up their pants to show them off. Then students arrived dressed in attire for what they wanted to be when they grew up. Dr. Seuss himself would have loved Austinville's Oh the Places You'll Go Day. Students and teachers alike celebrated this special Seuss week in style!
Students Participate in Mock Primary Election
Ballots
Students were given ballots and asked to vote for one candidate.
Voter ID's
At the poll, a worker checked their voter identification. They were even asked their address.
I Voted!
Finally, students placed their ballot in the box and received an American flag sticker for voting.
Students Attend a performance of Decatur High's Wizard of Oz
Student Council Delivers Donations from Students to Decatur Animal Shelter During "Have a Heart for the Animals" Drive
Mrs. Williams' Third Graders Attempt the Use of Chopsticks
Robotics Practices for Upcoming Competition and Exhibition
Our Last Two Workweeks
Mark Your Calendars!
- 17 - Report Cards Go Home
- 18 - Club Day
- 21 - Epic Church Workday at Austinville
- 21 - 25 Spring Break
- 1 - Club Day
- 4 - ACT Aspire Reading Testing
- 5 - ACT Aspire Reading Testing
- 6 - ACT Aspire Reading Testing
- 7 - ACT Aspire Reading Testing
- 12 - ACT Aspire Science Testing for 5th Grade
- 14 - ACT Aspire Writing Testing
- 15 - Club Day
- 17 - Lifepoint Church Workday in the Outdoor Classroom
- 18 - ACT Aspire Math Testing
- 19 - ACT Aspire Math Testing
- 20 - ACT Aspire Math Testing
- 21 - ACT Aspire Math Testing