End of Year Notes
With great anticipation, I look forward to the rapidly approaching 2008-2009 school year. As I proudly wish our rising ninth graders well in their high school experience, I enthusiastically welcome our rising sixth grade class. On June 25 I will have the privilege of meeting many of our new sixth grade students at our summer orientation day. I can say with confidence that these boys and girls will make a positive contribution to the successful tradition of achievement at Dodgen.
On a somewhat less enthusiastic note, have you heard much about the Critereon Referenced Compentency Test (CRCT)? Of course you have. The results that have been reported from around the state appear dismal. I believe that most educators find it frustrating that so much emphasis is placed on a single standardized test. "U.S. students are over-tested but under-assessed," charges Douglas Reeves, director of the Denver-based Center for Performance Assessment. Believing this to be the case, I also fear that too often the scores from these tests fail to capture the true measure of an individual student's learning. Oh well; so much for my soap box. I must defer to the wisdom of those who make the decisions that effect the lives of educators and the students they teach. So how did Dodgen students fare on these high-stakes tests? Reading and math are the two subject areas of greatest accountability for schools. Our percentage of students who meet or exceed standards are as follows:
Reading: 6th/99%; 7th/99%; 8th/99%
Math: 6th/93%; 7th/96%; 8th/88%
Not bad, huh? My comments from the preceding paragraph probably suggested that I was preparing you for the worst? Attempting perhaps to justify a poor showing on the CRCT. Just trying to make the case for a better system for determining accountability for students and teachers. Thank goodness for the influence of our outstanding teachers and staff. Thanks also to the involvement of parents/guardians.
Enjoy your summer vacation!
