teachers in action
The Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP) is Colorado’s standards-based assessment designed to provide a picture of student performance to schools, districts, educators, parents and the community. The primary purpose of the assessment program is to determine the level at which Colorado students meet the Colorado Model Content Standards in the content areas assessed. The data should be used to inform us of individual student, school, and district progress toward attaining higher student achievement levels. Haskin Elementary teachers have worked tirelessly preparing our students for this year's TCAP tests. The week spent administering the assessments seemed endless and exhausting. Thank you to all of the staff and teachers who were proctors for the long week of test administration. Now that the the children have taken the tests, all we have to do is wait in anxious anticipation for the results!! Great work Haskin staff and students!
students in action
Kindergarten students are working hard to learn their math facts. Ms. Pearson has a display entitled "Shoot for the Stars!" and she is recognizing students for the progress they are making. Each student has a rocket labeled with a number assigned to him/her. As students master sets of math facts, their rocket is moved to the next level. The board has stirred up a great deal of excitement among kindergarteners and they are keeping a close eye on their progress. Ms. Pearson reports that it has had a very positive effect on her students who are now engaging in a little friendly competition. They are challenging themselves to do better every day. Students watch excitedly when Ms. Pearson updates the board, moving the rocket ships of students who have improved their skills.
Essentially what Jaton is doing is sharing data with her students and giving ownership of their work over to them. This is a powerful practice and one that can truly help students make the connection between hard work and school success. Great job, Ms. Pearson, and kindergarten students!
Essentially what Jaton is doing is sharing data with her students and giving ownership of their work over to them. This is a powerful practice and one that can truly help students make the connection between hard work and school success. Great job, Ms. Pearson, and kindergarten students!
Another example of student work can be found in Mrs. Gallegos' first-grade writing class. Students have been learning about persuasive writing and have produced some very interesting paragraphs. Mrs. Gallegos read them a story about a boy who was considering stepping on an ant while the ant gave reasons why he shouldn't do it. Students were asked to state their opinion in a well-developed paragraph. Miranda's opinion is that the boy should not step on the ant: "There are three reasons why I think the boys shouldn't squish the ant. First, ants are part of nature so nobody should squish them. Second, I think the boy shouldn't squish the ant because the ant is so, so, so little. Third, I think the ant is so cute. Clearly, I think the boy shouldn't squish the ant." Xaria had a different opinion: "There are three reasons I think the little boy should squish the ant. First of all, I think he should squish the ant because the ant steals our picnic food. Second, I think he should squish the ant because they even get our crumbs of chips. Third, I think he should squish the ant because he is so little he won't feel a thing. Clearly, these are the reasons why the boy should squish the little ant." "Clearly", these first graders have strong opinions about what the boy should do. What's yours?
Did you know that exercise releases chemicals in the brain that sharpen one’s ability to learn and think quickly? Also, exercising to increase mental processing is more effective if it is done immediately before taking a test. This week, teachers got students up and moving to alleviate some of the pressure that TCAP causes. Thanks to the Health and Wellness website, whose purpose is to increase movement in the classroom, to promote healthier eating habits and to give the brain a break in order for more knowledge to be absorbed, our students were able to dance off some stress prior to taking the test!