Leverett

APRIL 8, 2016
Monday, April 11
            School Committee Meeting- 6:00pm
Tuesday, April 12-Wednesday, April 13
            Parent/Teacher Conferences- 1:05 Dismissal
Thursday, April 14
            Story Festival- 6:30pm
Monday, April 18- Friday, April 22
            Spring Recess- NO SCHOOL
Friday, April 29
            Assembly, featuring Grade 1- 2:15pm

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IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE 

PARCC: No PARCCing??

I had a great morning today, right up until dismissal time, when the FedEx truck arrived, full of boxes labeled ‘Pearson.’ Instantly, I knew what the boxes contained and, not wanting a great day to be diminished in any way, I quickly moved them to the closet.

Those boxes, full of PARCC assessments, represent a real dilemma for us as educators. As I mentioned in my Friday Post article last week, I recognize the history of standardized assessments and the forces behind them. And I freely admit to flip-flopping on my opinion of testing, depending on the lens through which I happen to be peering. Yes, I would be a lousy politician on this score.

The Swift River School Committee has had a strong response against PARCC testing for this year, and the Leverett School Committee is also developing their own reasoned response. The School Committee has looked to the teachers for feedback about the PARCC test, and I was very appreciative of the LES teachers’ decision to meet and discuss it together.

In the spirit of honest and transparent communication, I’d like to share some of the highlights of that conversation.

•   We recognize that there must be mechanisms to demonstrate progress, achievement, and skills. Some staff members also voiced the need for students to begin to develop the capacity for taking tests, as this will be a requirement as they progress through high school, college, and beyond.

•  The PARCC, as it was formulated for 2015, had limited value in providing feedback to teachers and was stressful for some students. The PARCC assessment for 2016 has been made considerably shorter, and may provide better information, however, it may still not be valuable as a point of comparison, given that Massachusetts is abandoning PARCC in favor of a new form of MCAS that has not yet been created.

•  When the PARCC assessment is given, we will encourage students who take the tests to do their best, and will present the tests as a challenge and an opportunity for practice.

•  We will engage in honest conversations with parents about the choice to not take the PARCC assessment. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not have an ‘opt out’ provision. DESE has stated that students who refuse to test (when presented the test) will not be forced to take the assessment, but that parents may not choose that option for their children. Given that very young students do not have the developmental capacity for these kinds of decisions, we will respect the choice of parents if they indicate a desire that their child should not be tested.

• Ramifications: If we have fewer than 90% of our eligible students participating in PARCC, we will automatically be assigned a Level 3 rating as a school. Ten percent at LES is only a handful of students. We will prepare ourselves to be publicly acknowledged as being at that rating, should that be the case. For the past several years, Leverett has gone back and forth between Level 1 and Level 2.

• If students opt out of testing, what will they do? Testing weeks strain our limited resources and personnel, but we are committed to providing meaningful tasks for students that will provide us feedback on their learning over the past year. All students will be expected to come to school prepared to engage in purposeful learning experiences.

We often find that adults have much more anxiety about these tests than children do. It is important that home conversations about these tests take place among the adults, away from kids. Just as we may question the developmental appropriateness of some of the test content, most young children are not able to make reasoned decisions about this kind of testing, given their limited experience.

We encourage any parent who has questions about the PARCC assessment and its potential impact on an individual child to contact the child’s teacher. We would also appreciate knowing, as soon as possible, of any decisions regarding a child’s non-participation.

When you have those conversations, please keep in mind that individual teachers have their own unique experiences and beliefs about standardizing testing, but that the well-being of students will always be foremost in any conversation.

                                    -Margot Lacey

What’s Happening at LES?

Visit the school website leverettschool.org  and check out all the updated blogs!  You’ll find amazing kids’ projects and details about what each class is working on.  Just click on Leverett Blogs in the dropdown under News. 

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

(Items listed here are not school sponsored)

My name is Willa Hartl and I have been babysitting for 5 years. I am a freshman in high school and I have experience babysitting ages 4 mos to 10 year olds. I love playing with kids inside or outside.  I am looking for jobs after school or on the weekends. I am free every day except Thur. I charge $10 an hour. My phone number is (413)801-4585  and my email is [email protected] ,but texting or calling me is best! References available.  I would love to hear from you.

Amherst Together presents

The SPRING FESTIVAL of FILMS for HUMANITY

Contemplating our humanity through film.

April 5-27, 2016.

All films begin at 6:30pm at ARMS or ARHS auditoriums.  Discussions immediately following.  All screenings are FREE and open to the public.

For a schedule and more information, go to www.amhersttogether.org

Multi-Arts

Our children are our world's future scientists, leaders, researchers, artists, engineers and much more.  Through the arts, children develop their own critical view of the world around them in a fun and joyful environment.   We have done it for 16 years and we are proud to continue! 

Registration for our SUMMER CAMP is open. 

Please, check the dates and select the weeks of your choice. 

http://www.multi-arts.org/summer-camp-2016.html

Also, you are welcome to sign up for our APRIL BREAK CAMP:

http://bit.ly/1V2eihK

Check our Counselor in Training program for your TEENS!

Tax deductible:  Multi-Arts camps may count as an expense towards the childcare credit.   Our tax ID is 201-356-307

Help needed with spring cleanup in South Leverett on Juggler Meadow Road.   Jobs include leaf and yard raking, pick up & carting brush and apple tree prunings, spreading mulch, weeding and edging projects, setting up summer furniture,  and other outdoor chores.  I'm looking for a responsible, hard worker who I will train and assist with the work.  The pay rate will start at $8.00/hour usually in 2-4 hour periods on the weekends.  The pay rate will increase to $10.00/hour  based on level of ability and need for oversight.

Call Mary Jo at 413-218-3289 and leave contact information.