February 27, 2013

Dear Parents: From March 4 to March 15, students in grades 3 to 7 will take the Iowa Assessments. The purpose of this letter is to inform you about the tests and with your support and encouragement your child will do his or her best on the tests. About the Iowa Assessments The Iowa Assessments help determine how students are performing on nationwide standards. These assessments measure achievement in several important content areas including Vocabulary, Word Analysis, Reading, Listening, Language, Mathematics, Computation, Social Studies and Science. The exact tests that your child takes will depend on his or her grade levels. Children in grades 3, 4 and 7 will be taking the Reading, Language and Math tests. Grade 5 students will take the core battery test that includes tests in all subject areas. Grades 4 and 7 will also take the Cognitive Abilities Test. The Iowa Assessments help teachers identify your child's strengths and areas that may need additional emphasis. The Iowa Assessments also measure student growth and progress in the content areas assessed from year to year. The assessments produce information that enables sound decision making and provides a focus for teachers to evaluate instruction. Each test includes sample questions to help students become familiar with the content and format for the tests. Samples help inexperienced test takers understand what to do - how to mark answers and move from question to question. Most questions are read aloud, and students mark their choices in their test booklets by filling in a circle for each question. All test questions are multiple choice. This year, Iowa Assessment practice tests were administered to your child a week in advance of the Iowa Assessments. These practice tests exposed your child to the format of the tests and gave him or her an opportunity to answer questions that are similar to the tests they will be taking. How your child can prepare for test taking and what you can do to help. A child who is well rested, well fed and has a positive attitude about testing is best prepared for testing. You can help your child do his or her best by considering these tips: 1. Make sure your child is in school and on time on test days. Reschedule dentist appointments and other out-of-school time on non-testing days. 2. Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing. 3. Remind your child to listen carefully to the directions and to each question as it is read aloud during testing. Encourage your child to ask the teacher for help if he or she does not understand the directions.

Score Reporting St. Mary School will receive test scores in about 6-8 weeks. These scores will indicate how your child performed on the tests compared with other students across the nation in the same grade. Discuss the test results with your child, and if you have any questions, contact Mr. Hogan at 6928537 or principal@smrschool.org. Thank you very much for encouraging and supporting your student during testing. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Hogan. Sincerely, Mr. Steven P. Hogan Principal St. Mary School