SHHHH! Testing in Progress

Dear Lower School Parents,

Next week our Fourth Grade students will take the ERB (Educational Record Bureau) tests. These are achievement tests not to be confused with those requested by admissions offices. They have two parts – reading and math. We ask this of our Fourth Graders for a range of reasons, primary among them are the following:

Mastery of process: For students to be and feel successful during this process, they need to achieve confidence within a new context – one with time constraints, #2 pencils and answer bubbles. Students will work entirely on their own, without discussion or teacher support of any kind. They need to harness their stamina and control their nerves so they can pace the work efficiently. They need to be calm and maintain their focus so they can weigh possible answers and hazard reasonable guesses.

New learning: "Save is to waste as accumulate is to disperse." While much of the preparation for this test sequence is tightly curriculum-based, some is broader, aimed at students’ abilities to think logically and critically. Analogies are a good example of this and reflect a way of thinking and writing that underpin our students’ future Middle School endeavors. As students grapple with expository and narrative pieces hunting for salient ideas, on the lookout for misleading phrases and descriptions, they are utilizing and strengthening their critical thinking skills.

Consolidation: Students are asked to combine, mix and match, aspects of their year’s study in order to arrive at more complex solutions. In preparation, they receive intensive support from their classroom teachers, Erin, Carin, Suzanne and Patricia, as well as Tina (literacy) and Margaret (math). Practice sheets come home. Work is reviewed and presented in different formats. Previous knowledge is consolidated and expanded upon.

Practice and product: Not unlike sports events, the standardized test-taking experience is a one-shot challenge. It can’t be taken back or done over. And the results have no shades of grey; they’re strictly objective. At the moment of the test, students have an opportunity (one most of us recall only too well) to assess the effectiveness of their study habits and practice; to gauge their preparedness and pocket this assessment for future reference.

Rite of passage: The taking of a timed standardized test, # 2 pencils and all, is an important step for this age group, and they’re ready for it. It’s a move toward greater independence, a small distancing from adult guidance and reassurance. The ERBs represent a new form of intellectual challenge. Students can feel proud of their efforts and own them completely.

So, if you walk through the halls next Wednesday through Friday, you may see a sign on a second floor door alerting you to the fact that testing is in progress. We acknowledge all that our Fourth Graders commit to this process – from a good night’s sleep and hearty breakfast to the actual event – and we cheer them on from the wings.
Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Fours

Early Kindergarten

Brooke and Charle's Kindergarten

Tasha and Caroline's Second Grade

Chap and Michael's Third Grade

Spanish Resource List

Announcements:

TONIGHT! - Life in Independent Schools for LGBT Families - Parent Panel Discussion and Q&A, 6:00PM, Auditorium

Monday night! - VISIBILITY Photo Exhibit Opening Reception - 6:00PM, Auditorium

The LREI PA Community Service Committee will collect donations for Room to Grow from Monday, February 13 through Friday February 17 in the Sixth Avenue lobby. For more information on the organization and a detailed list of accepted donations, visit www.roomtogrow.com


In the next few weeks...

2/13 - 6:00PM - VISIBILITY Photo Exhibit Opening Reception

2/14 - 8:45AM - Parents of Children of Color Meeting

2/15 - 8:45AM - Families Assembly (students only)

2/15-2/17 - Fourth Grade ERB testing

2/16 - 8:45AM - Parent Rep Meeting

2/20-2/21 - School Closed for Presidents' Weekend

2/23 - 2/24 - Lower School Art Show

3/1 - Kindergarten Assembly

3/2 - 8:00AM - LGSA Meeting

Click here for the full calendar.