RIDGEFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
Newsletter
Standardized Testing: Learn more about the Value of Testing
Website: http://www.ridgefieldschools.com/domain/112
Location: 555 Chestnut Street, Ridgefield, NJ
Phone: 201-945-7747
Where We've Been
Up until two years ago, the students in grades 3 - 8 participated in the NJASK test for ELA and math. Students in grades 4 and 8 took an additional test in the area of science. The test provided the school district with data on the performance of their students in comparison to similar social/economic districts and other schools across the state. The data was used to measure the success of school districts throughout the state based upon target scores for the students within that district. The test was based upon curricular standards as developed by the New Jersey Department of Education.
At the secondary level, students participated in the High School Proficiency Assessment or HSPA. The test was given to the students in grade 11 in the areas of ELA and math. The data from the HSPA was used to determine the success of education at the secondary level as well as a criteria for graduation. Students who did not pass the test were required to have remediation in order to meet the requirements for graduation in grade 12. This data was also compared to that of similar social/economic districts and the state. The students who enrolled in Biology were required to participate in the Biology Competency Test to determine their skills in this area as well as the way in which the district was meeting the Biology curricular standards.
The Ridgefield Public Schools also shared information with our Board of Education and the public regarding our students performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT for college acceptance and the scores of students who participated in Advanced Placement classes. Advanced Placement classes are college level classes in which a student can enroll in high school and receive college credit.
The students in grades K - 2 did not receive any state standardized testing to determine their progress. The district measured their progress through curricular and teacher made assessments, as well as the alignment to learning standards.
Spotlight on our Special Services: Reading Across the Ages
On February 28th, speech therapists, Mrs. Kristi McHale and Mrs. Donna Abene coordinated a Reading Across the Ages event between some of the RMHS Learning Center students and Mrs. Gina D’Amore’s Pre-School class. Each high school student read a short story to a group of two to three students. They all shared in the reading activity together. Afterwards the older students assisted the preschoolers in creating a “Cat in the Hat" mask, as a remembrance of the event. The high school students also brought theme related snacks to share with the preschoolers.
This was a rewarding experience for both the high school students, who hope to work with children after they graduate, and for the preschoolers who love listening to stories. This event helps our students to see the Ridgefield Public Schools as a true learning community.
Where we are now
Dear Parents and Guardians:
As you know, the Ridgefield Public Schools will again be administering the Partnership for Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test for students in grades 3 through 11 in the area of English Language Arts, and in grades 3 through 8, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry in the area of Math. The PARCC assessments serve as an “educational GPS system,” assessing students’ current performance and pointing the way to what students needs to learn in order to be ready for the next grade level and, by high school graduation, for college and/or a career.
The schedule for the PARCC testing for Spring 2017 is as follows:
Slocum Skewes School
Grades 3 – 5 April 20 – May 1
Grades 6 – 8 May 3 - 11
Ridgefield Memorial High School
English April 18 – 20 and 28*
Math April 21 – 25
*Ridgefield Memorial High School has been selected for an English field test on April 28. This test does not count toward district performance.
Parents and Guardians play critical roles in preparing children and adolescents for this important test. During testing, please ensure that your children get a good night’s sleep, consume a healthy breakfast, and arrive to school early each day. Through these basics, you can make a world of difference in their testing experience. In addition, your support and encouragement will go a long way in setting a positive tone for this test-taking
situation.
On behalf of our district administration, faculty, and staff, I thank you for your continued support in making this a positive experience for our students.
Sincerely,
Janet Seabold
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Business and Finance Focus: The 2017/2018 Budget Process
The budget process began in November of 2016 with a budget kick-off meeting to establish the parameters of the School Year (SY) 2017-2018 budget. Programmed budget spreadsheets were created and distributed to building Principals, Directors and Supervisors. The spreadsheets were itemized and reviewed for consistency with the educational programs in place and trend lines over the past five years.
The District’s budget was substantially completed by February 15th, awaiting the Governor’s Budget address on February 28th and the release of state aid numbers on March 2nd. Ridgefield's state aid number remained flat from SY 2016-17.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Frank Romano, Business Administrator, Floro M. Villanueva Jr., and Assistant BA, Julyana Ortiz met with the Finance Committee of our Board of Education: Kathy Payerle and Rosemary Huzovic with Andrew Grippa as Committee Chair. The Committee met on four dates -- January 26th, February 23rd, February 28th and March 9th -- in order to develop and share the budget.
On its March 9th Board of Education Meeting, the Ridgefield Board of Education approved the $38,810,182 Preliminary Budget for SY 2017-2018. The Public Hearing for our parents and stakeholders to better understand the budget is scheduled for the Board of Education meeting on April 27, 2017 at 8:00 P.M. in the RMHS cafeteria.
where we are going: The future of Testing
- Maintain the STEM and Humanities Chairperson in their current role. The continuation and expansion of these vital staff members to provide expertise to the teachers in all grade levels from K - 12 will strengthen vertical alignment of the math and ELA programs and thereby student success on standardized testing.
- Provide the funding for curriculum resources to continue to invest and implement in the programs that have begun their implementation over the past two years. Continue to invest in programs that are aligned to the latest standards and require students to apply the skills that they have learned.
- Maintain library media, technology, and information literacy by adding specialists. Currently, the Ridgefield School District has no operating library media centers. It has only one Library Media Specialist for all students in Grades K-12 who delivers part of a newly developed information literacy program. The district is striving to maintain these vital programs in order to provide students with the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century.
- Continue the use of both standardized test and classroom data. The district will continue to use both the data generated from standardized testing and quarterly benchmark assessments to ensure that our students are meeting goals and performing well according to state academic standards.
District test scores are no longer compared to other districts that are considered to be similar socioeconomically and demographically. Data from the standardized testing is used to measure student progress rather than simply the number of students passing the test. Student progress is measured versus a peer group who scored in the similar range the year before. This type of data measurement provides districts with a more accurate picture of their progress toward meeting the academic standards as set by the state of New Jersey.
Why Standardized Testing? - The Huffington Post
The standardized test is an objective and critical measure of achievement in skills, knowledge, and abilities, and must pass the criteria of measurement validity, reliability, and bias.
Standardized testing provides educators with data on a student's ability to transfer what they have learned. One measure for that transfer is the standardized test. Such testing gives the school district information about what each child is learning in relation to what he or she has been taught. In this way, the teacher can know if the student needs intervention and remediation; if the curriculum matches the course requirements; or if the teaching methods require adjustment.
Student growth can be a very significant outcome of standardized tests, though a child may return a low score he or she may show a growth pattern that is positive. These tests are one tool that a teacher uses to diagnose her students’ teaching needs, so that an individual and child-centered curriculum can be developed.
The key to good standardized testing is to prepare children and to communicate to them that this is just one method to help assess their achievement. It is valuable to get the students’ feedback, so that they can have a voice in the process and be invested — not only in the remediation phase, but also in future test outcomes. Then there are alternative assessment models such as classroom performance, teacher observation, subject testing and communication, which offer a balanced and equal evaluation in the assessment of student progress.
For more information from this article on standardized testing, please see the link below.