Partnering for the Future
The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds it hard to answer.
-Alice Wellington Rollins
As a parent it is important that you know how your child is doing in school both academically and socially. Here at GRS we strive to communicate this to you in multiple ways. One way that academic progress is communicated is through the results of standardized test scores.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test is the state academic progress assessment and it started today. Illinois adopted this to assess end-of-year achievement towards the Illinois Learning Standards. Below are a plethora of links to help answer your questions and inform you about the learning standards and the PARCC assessment.
You may be wondering how we prepare students for these rigorous assessments. In District 47 we utilize ELA (English/Language Arts) Units of Study aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards in our classrooms. Along with the units, our highly qualified teachers deliver instruction based on student need in a Reading and Writing Workshop Model. In math we use the Math Expressions curriculum. This curriculum was piloted last year and adopted for its rigor and alignment with the state math standards.
We love how the parents at GRS are so supportive of all we do. Even though you are not present during testing there are a lot of things you can do to help your child.
What can I do each day?
Encourage your child to read every day! Monitor their choice so that there is a balance with fiction and nonfiction. Reading aloud or discussing what is read together is a fun way to help increase vocabulary and work on comprehension.
Help your child stay positive at school by working together on homework completion.
Play games together. Board games that involve language and/or math are a perfect way to develop higher level thinking skills and develop a sense of following directions and rules.
What can you do during the testing week?
Ensure that your child gets plenty of sleep and eats a hearty breakfast.
Encourage your child to do there best, take their time and stay relaxed.
Talk about how the test(s) are going and help them stay positive.
Here in District 47, the curriculum is best practice and it is challenging. Our GRS teachers deliver it based on the needs of each and every student. By working together our students will succeed. Thank you for all you do!
J&S
English/Language Arts information for District 47
Illinois English/Language Arts Standards
Illinois Math Standards
Math Expressions Parent Information
Illinois Science Standards
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Resources