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NJ-ASK-TESTING 2009-2010 SCHOOL YEAR
GRADE THREE TESTING
GRADE FOUR TESTING
GRADES FIVE AND SIX TESTING
Three Year Technology Plan SUMMARY The three-year technology plan was developed and approved
by both the Stafford Township Board of Education and the County Board of
Education. Goals and objectives
have been established from the district’s mission statement. A careful review of
these goals helped to determine how technology could support their
implementation. Each of the five
district goals was investigated and coordinating technology goals evolved.
In addition, the district technology goals were aligned with the National
Educational Technology Goals: ü
In order to promote life-long learning, it is imperative that we
teach students to cope effectively with change and to become prudent
risk-takers. In order to do this; students must have the skills necessary to
compete successfully in a complicated technological world. We believe that
technology can enrich and expand instruction and enhance learning opportunities
beyond the classroom. ü
In order to improve student achievement so that ALL students can
meet high-level standards and achieve individual potential, technology can help
students acquire necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes. In order to do so we must be sure that we incorporate
technology into all areas of the curriculum at all grade levels to enhance the
acquisition of core curriculum content standards. It is imperative then to also
ensure that we improve the preparation of both new and veteran teachers to
include the use of technology for effective teaching and learning. ü
To ensure a safe environment we must also ensure that students use
technology appropriately and judiciously. ü
To enhance partnerships we must continue working with the
community and businesses to identify future workplace needs. ü To promote technological literacy, we must ensure the ability to use networked applications and technology-based services to improve teaching and learning. In addition, we must maintain and improve equipment and instructional support to teachers who do use technology.
ASSESSMENT WHY DO WE
"TEST"? No one really
likes a test. So why do we have to take so many? Most of us would admit that
one of the most effective ways to get feedback on what we have learned is to
test it. Often the test is to demonstrate whether we can do a task or a job.
In schools, the most common form of assessment is done with paper and pencil
and lots of questions. As the Core
Curriculum Content Standards were adopted in 1996, the state needed a uniform
system to determine whether all students are making satisfactory
progress toward learning the required knowledge and skills defined in the Core
Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS).
If assessments are not done often enough, a student can be lagging far behind
without anyone knowing it. If assessments are not done early enough, it will
be too late to remedy the deficiencies in his or her education by the time a
student reaches high school. The state
currently administers tests at grades three, four, five, six, seven, eight and eleven.
In 2003, the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) was replaced by a
new test entitled NJ ASK (New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge) and it measures
Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics (plus a Science component in Grade 4.)
In grade eight, the
department administers the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) in
language arts literacy, mathematics, and science.
In grade eleven, students must take the High School Proficiency
Assessment (HSPA) that tests language arts literacy and mathematics.
Students have three chances to pass all sections of the HSPA in order
to obtain a High School diploma. Some districts
ask why their commercial testing programs are not as good as the state
assessments. For the purpose of determining progress of students on achieving New Jersey’s
own rigorous standards, it
is essential to have tests that are directly aligned with our own state
standards. Commercial tests are not aligned with our standards nor are
national assessments. There is a new federal requirement to test students
under the No Child Left Behind
Act (NCLB) in language arts and math in grades 3-8.
In the spring of 2005, The elementary (NJ-ASK) and grade-eight (NJ-ASK-8) assessments are intended to give students and parents
individual feedback on the student’s progress in achieving the State standards.
The other valuable use of the test scores is to enable the schools to
determine strengths and weaknesses of the programs that have been designed to
allow your children to reach the standards. When all of the districts’
scores are reported together in the NJ School Report Card, the Department of
Education has an annual picture of the state’s progress toward meeting the
goals of achieving the standards. Performance on the state assessments is not
intended to determine whether a student is promoted or retained in school, nor
should it have an impact on a student's report card grades. More
information on state assessments is available at:
assessment, NCLB,
and Title I. |
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