Scarborough Middle School News
October 15, 2020
i-Ready Parent Fall Notification 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The purpose of this letter is to share information regarding the i-Ready Diagnostic assessment that we will be using this year. Below, you will find information about the assessment and how we will be using it this fall.
What is i-Ready?
i-Ready is an online program for reading and mathematics that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. It is not a placement test. Our teachers use the information to help them identify where to target their instruction. We plan to implement the assessment at least twice this year to monitor student progress. This assessment can be taken at school or at home. Cohort A and B students will be taking it at school and Cohort C students will be taking it at home.
When will students be taking this assessment?
The testing window is from October 19th through November 6th. Sometime during this window students will be taking these assessments during their regularly scheduled Math and ELA classes. Each test takes approximately 60 minutes and will be completed over 1-2 class periods.
What can I do to help with the i-Ready Diagnostic?
No matter where your child will take the i-Ready Diagnostic, you can help prepare your child by encouraging them to:
Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will get only about half of the questions correct
Use paper and pencil to show work for math questions.
For Cohort C who will be taking the i-Ready Diagnostic at home, here is some important information:
Your child’s teacher will inform you and your child regarding the testing schedule that will take place during Math and ELA classes. Please find a quiet and distraction free place and gather paper and pencil for when your child will be taking the Math portion.
Watch the Introducing i-Ready at Home video to learn more about i-Ready
Help is not always helpful. Remember it is not an achievement test. Learning what your child cannot answer is as important as what they can answer. The purpose is to identify an accurate instructional level. Please do not answer questions for your child.
How to help your child with this assessment.
While the teacher will be proctoring, this checklist might be helpful in supporting your child. Checklist for Administering the Diagnostic at Home.
Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! You can learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter.
Sincerely,
Kathy Tirrell, Principal