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Let's talk TAKS
By Monte Pritchett, Principal
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Mar 2, 2009 - 10:18:18 AM - Hey, it is that time of the season when all eyes focus on the way
we assess how our students are doing and that is by the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge tests that are administered each spring.
Coming
up very soon, March 3 to be exact, is the day that all levels test, and
at CHS we test the freshmen in reading, the sophomores and juniors in
English language arts and seniors for retests in ELA.
Needless to say it is a big day, and preparations have been going on all year preparing the students to do well.
I
would like to take this time to make you aware of some guidelines we
have to follow to make sure that on the day of testing everything runs
smoothly. Hang on and I will try to hit the high points.
Your help and support on some of these things will truly help our students do well.
The first thing that I want to make you aware of is that all students at CHS will have to sign an honor statement.
This is a requirement by the Texas Education Agency and will be the second year it has been required.
They
will sign this honor statement before taking the test, and we are going
to send home a letter explaining it, so be on the lookout for it when
your children come home.
Here is main idea of what this honor
statement says: “By signing my name, I agree that I will not give or
receive unauthorized assistance during the test. I understand that
giving or receiving unauthorized assistance during the test is cheating
and may result in the invalidation of my test results.”
I think you can understand that the TEA, as well as all of us, wants students to understand testing integrity.
Secondly
I want the parents to know that students need to leave their cell
phones, iPods, MP-3 players, cameras and any electrical devices at home
that day.
If they bring them they will have to declare the
apparatus, and it be taken up while the test is being administered and
not returned until the students are making preparations to go home for
that day.
Again TEA is concerned about testing integrity, and these devices going off during the test and causing a disruption.
If
a student chooses to bring one of these items, or any thing that could
cause a disturbance during the test, some type of discipline will be
applied.
So it would be best if they just left them at home
during testing procedures. Students can not bring backpacks, large bags
or purses into the testing rooms. Everything the students need to take
the test will be provided for on that day.
Let’s talk about lunch on the days that we test.
We have restrictions on how lunch is to be handled.
Students
are to be monitored and they cannot talk about the test, if they are
still testing at that time. Usually on the day we take the ELA test, it
takes all day.
The cafeteria will have a limited lunch selection. It will be a hamburger, chips and a drink.
Students will take it back to the room and eat there. The key is that while we are testing the students have to be monitored.
The
students will remain in the same testing area until all students are
done testing. That pretty much means they will be in one classroom all
day as the ELA test is pretty time consuming.
Please do not
make doctor’s appointments, dentist appointments, or schedule things
that will require students to be taken out of class that day.
Taking
students out of a testing area is disruptive and has an impact on other
students taking the test. I think you can appreciate that.
Seniors
on that day will have a late arrival and will report at 10 a.m. in the
gym. We will want them to enter the gym through the entrances as if
they were going to a game.
They will have a required senior
meeting and at the conclusion of that meeting will be released for the
day. Let me say that again, they will have a required senior meeting in
the gym and at the conclusion of the meeting be released.
Students
who are testing on that day who are in the work program and who
normally get released early to go to their jobs will not be released on
testing days if we are still in the process of taking the TAKS test. So
they will need to make arrangements with their employers.
Underclassmen who go to Hill College on testing days will not be released while we are still testing.
If
all students are done then they can be released but not until all
students are done testing. Those students will need to let their Hill
College professors know also.
Does it seem like a lot of things
have to happen on the days of testing? Yes, there are a lot of things
that go on just to get prepared for the logistics of taking a
state-mandated test.
One more thing then I will move on to some accomplishments of our students.
On
the days of testing it is mandatory that all students come to school. I
know that sounds kind of silly because they need to come to school
every day. But on these days we need all students there to take their
tests.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of watching our swim team compete at the state 4A regional swim meet in Conroe.
They
had 22 swimmers advance to the regional swim meet and many of them
qualified for the finals and placed in the top eight positions in their
events.
The relay teams just missed going to the state meet and were in the mix of it until the very end.
Zach
Interrante qualified for the state meet in the individual medley and
100 butterfly and set two state records in those respective races.
The state swim meet is the last weekend of February in Austin. Outstanding.
Yearbooks
can now be purchased on line at jostensyearbook.com for $65. Parents of
seniors need to purchase baby ads by the end of February.
The
counseling center at CHS is working with all CHS students regarding
graduation and career plans in conjunction with choosing courses for
next year for underclassmen. The counselors will visit the middle
schools in March.
All CHS seniors have been given a
scholarship packet by the counseling center. Last year scholarships at
CHS reached $1.8 million. Encourage your senior student to contact
their counselor with any questions regarding scholarships.
Jeff
Cotton had five students who went to Greenville to compete in the
construction challenge and got second place and qualified for the
national competition in May. The five students were Brad Lee, Steven
Brown, Brian Hughes, Luis Saldivar and Joey Giminiani. Good luck to you
all.
Matt Morris, CHS class of ’08, was recently awarded the
Corps Scholar in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M. Congratulations
to Matt and his family as this is an outstanding honor bestowed upon
students who maintain a high GPA while taking at least 12 hours and
taking on the demands of the Corps.
Last but not least, the
Yellow Jacket basketball team made the state playoffs. Be sure to
support the Jackets as they make their annual run to the state
tournament.
That about does it.
Pemember March 3 is a big test day.
Help
your students be prepared, make sure they get plenty of rest, give them
a good breakfast before they go school, and wish them well.
© Copyright 2009 by Cleburne
High School
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