Teaching & Learning

Season of SBA

Next month, all 3rd-6th grade students will be participating in the Washington State required tests, known as the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), in math and English language arts. Students in grades 5 and 8 will also take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS). 

This is the fifth year our state will administer the Smarter Balanced tests and the second year for the WCAS. The results from these tests will give a more accurate picture of whether students are on track to be ready for college or career.

Most students will take the tests online. Our school is scheduled to take the tests in May. (Please see schedule on "Calendar of Events" page.)  

Though our teachers have spent all year preparing your child for the upcoming testing season, parents play a vital role in preparing their children for successful testing. Please be sure:

• your child gets an ample, normal amount of sleep the night before the test.
• to mark testing days on your calendar to help remind you and your child when the testing will take place and plan your preparations.
• your child eats a nutritious and filling breakfast. Avoid high sugar cereals which can make the him/her agitated and/or unfocused.
• to set aside time each night prior to the test for several weeks to review the concepts that will be covered.
• your child is present and on time especially on testing day! Please do not schedule regular appointments, such as dentist, on the days your child tests. Though testing will begin during the morning hours, often times students need additional time in the afternoon to complete the exam.

Thank you for continuing to work with us to make sure your child is successful. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to better support him/her. We want our students to transition into next year with a solid foundation of skills and a future full of opportunities.

"How was school today?"

Get a sense of your child's life at school by asking questions that elicit more than a one-word response.

The trick is to ask about things that are specific, but still open-ended. Move beyond "fine" and "nothing" by asking your child to describe his/her world. It's also great to start the conversation with an anecdote from your own day.  According to Scholastic.com, try one of these conversation-starters:

1. Tell me about the best part of your day.
2. What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
3. Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
4. Tell me about what you read in class.
5. Who did you play with today? What did you play?
6. Do you think math [or any subject] is too easy or too hard?
7. What's the biggest difference between this year and last year?
8. What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they're fair?
9. Who did you sit with at lunch?
10. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?

  “More than just finding out how their day was, we want to help kids become problems solvers and independent learners," states  Diane Levin, Ph.D., professor of education at Wheelock College.  "Good conversations help kids see we care about their lives, that we are there to support them, and to help them develop strategies for solving problems themselves.”