Dear Parent/Guardian:
This spring, your student will participate in the Missouri Assessment Program Grade-Level Assessments. Designed to measure academic progress and proficiency, these standardized assessments are administered to students in grades 3-8. Students in grades 3-8 participate in assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in 5th and 8th grade will be assessed in Science.
The Grade-Level Assessments evaluate student progress toward the Missouri Learning Standards. Missouri Learning Standards define the knowledge and skills students need in each grade level and course for success in college, careers, and other post-secondary training. These expectations are aligned to the Show-Me Standards, which define what all Missouri high school graduates should know and be able to do. Find more information about the standards at https://dese.mo.gov/college-career-readiness/curriculum/mls-for-parents .
The results of the Grade-Level Assessments are used to identify areas of strength and growth for each student, and provide information to help guide the instruction and curriculum in classrooms. In addition, the results are used to create a school and district accountability report published by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
At Humansville R-IV Schools, we strive to provide our students with the best possible educational experience. The Grade-Level Assessments provide an important snapshot of each student's academic progress and can help inform our instruction.
To help your student prepare for state assessments:
● Read! Read a variety of books and magazines. Build your child's reading stamina. Help your student to read like a writer. Reading takes skill and practice. One of the best and easiest steps to improve the reading ability for students is to provide sustained periods for kids to read. Even in the early grades, kids can begin to "get into the head" of the author. To build reading stamina, you may wish to encourage your student to increase gradually the amount of time they read at one sitting. Reading improves students' writing, and writing improves reading. Assessments contain a variety of text including short stories, poems, dialogues, magazine articles, charts, and tables. Students need to be able to read a wide variety of texts ranging from road signs to restaurant menus, comic books to classics.
● Teach your student that visuals are part of the text. Students are often required to gather information from photos, captions, drawings, charts, and graphs. You can help by teaching your student to look at all of these materials as part of the total text.
● Help your student know how to use text-based support in written responses. Some items on the assessments have multiple parts, or require students to explain or show how they arrived at their answers. Students may receive partial credit for answers to items that are not supported with specific details or that do not contain an explanation.
● Teach your student to identify all parts of a question. Teach your child to identify exactly what each question is asking. Some questions have multiple parts. Not answering all parts of a multi-part question is a common error.
● Teach your student to paraphrase test items, turning questions into statements. For example, the question, "Why did the main character play with the ball?" could be rephrased as "The main character played with the ball because..." This practice allows the student to phrase the question in a way that makes the most sense to them. They are then ready to read the passage and look for answers.
● Prepare students for the testing day. Be aware of the testing schedule and be certain that your student has had adequate rest – this may mean getting them used to an earlier bedtime before the week of testing. Avoid scheduling appointments during days your student is scheduled to test. [If your school allows it, make sure your child has a book to read when the testing session is complete.]
If you have any questions about the assessments, please do not hesitate to contact your student’s teacher or our school office.
Thank you for your continued support of Humansville R-IV Schools and our students.