Ankeny Schools Snapshot
A monthly district newsletter
November 2022
Advancing the Vision
with Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Erick Pruitt
Teachers use a variety of formal and informal assessments to gather data to adjust lesson planning and identify additional tasks to enhance student learning throughout the school year.
The district recently administered the FAST assessments, which screen and monitor student progress in literacy and math. I wanted to review the purpose of these assessments and how we use the data so that students and parents can better comprehend why the FAST assessments are administered. The information collected will help teachers identify student strengths and growth areas to support their students' learning. Benchmark Standards (i.e., "cut scores" or "targets") are built into the system to assist in determining which students are at-risk and in need of additional support, on-target for success, or in possible need of enrichment or extensions regarding literacy or math instruction. The FAST assessments allow teachers to make real-time decisions to intervene without losing instructional time.
One way to think about the FAST assessments is like visiting the doctor. Every time you go, they check your weight, temperature, blood pressure, etc. FAST assessments check similar educational vitals. When one of those numbers is off, your doctor will do more screening to diagnose the issue. Similarly, if a student is not meeting a benchmark, teachers will design methods to collect more data to diagnose the instructional support needed for the student. These supports take place during whole group, small group, or individual instructional time.
Teachers also use formative and summative assessments throughout their literacy and math instruction in addition to the FAST screening assessments. Formative assessments are brief check-ins given throughout a unit for teachers to collect data, monitor student learning, and adjust instruction in real time instead of waiting until the end of the unit. Teachers use summative assessments at the end of a unit to assess the effectiveness of instructional practice and student mastery of the content according to the identified grade-level standards taught in the unit.
Every teacher's goal is to ensure instructional practices have a positive impact on learning outcomes and grade-level standards. Through screening, formative and summative assessments, teachers can adjust planning and monitor every student's growth toward mastery of standards while meeting individual student needs.
Thank you,
Dr. Erick D. Pruitt
Superintendent of Schools
Naviance is a college and career readiness tool that all Ankeny middle and high school students use to explore and develop their post-secondary plans. It helps students explore paths after high school that lead to fulfilling and meaningful careers.
The Home page has upcoming college representative visits, announcements, important to-do tasks, and shortcuts to Favorite Careers and Favorite Colleges.
The Self-Discovery tab contains various career exploration assessments, some of which are assigned as a task annually (i.e., all 9th graders take the Strengths Explorer, 10th graders take the Career Interest Profiler, etc.).
The Careers tab provides a way to learn about careers, career pathways, and career clusters. It also has Roadtrip Nation videos to learn more about different careers, a place to save career favorites, and upcoming opportunities for Work-Based Learning.
The Colleges tab is where students can "find their fit" using SuperMatch, research colleges, save favorite colleges, request transcripts and letters of recommendation, search for scholarships, and more!
Giving Tuesday
There are several ways to support your community schools this holiday season. If you want to donate or volunteer on Giving Tuesday, take a look at these opportunities with ACSD!
Do you want to volunteer in schools by reading to students, chaperoning or providing behind the scenes support for teachers? Check out our Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) program!
If you want to donate your expertise, time, or resources to your community, please consider partnering with ACSD this holiday season!
Are you doing some online shopping on Cyber Monday? You can get great deals and give back to your community by going to smile.amazon.com and listing ACSD as your organization of choice.
As Iowans, we have a long history of helping our neighbors in times of need. If you’d like to do something #IowaNice this Giving Tuesday, please consider donating to the FUEL Fund to help pay off negative lunch balances.
ISASP Student Reports Now in Campus Parent Portal
To improve the ease of accessing your student’s results on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), we have recently added ISASP reports to your Campus Parent portal. Please follow the directions below to download results from the Spring 2022 state assessment for students in grades 3-11. Future reports will be available each year when results are finalized.
- Step 1. Log into your account on the Campus Parent app or website.
- Step 2. From the menu on the left, select “More” and then “Student Reports.”
- Step 3. In the next screen, select your student and the “ISASP Spring 2022 Report.”
- Step 4. Click the “Generate Report” button. The report will download to your computer or mobile device.
To keep up on ACSD events, please visit our Events Calendar.
Ankeny Community School District
It is the policy of the Ankeny Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact Ken Morris, Jr., Equity Director at 306 SW School Street, Ankeny, IA 50023, 515/965-9600 or kenneth.morris@ankenyschools.org. The grievance will then be directed to the appropriate administrator charged with managing the program or department specified in the grievance.
Website: www.ankenyschools.org
Location: 306 SW School St, Ankeny, IA, USA
Phone: 515-965-9600
Facebook: Facebook.com/AnkenySchools
Twitter: @AnkenySchools