Assessment of Standards and benchmarks for Students

As a continuation of work that we are doing in Storm Lake District to determine if students are mastering the curriculum as we have planned for them, this week students in grades 5, 8, 9 and 11 will be taking assessments in math and science.  These assessments are called MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) and are based on the standards and benchmarks that we say that all students should know and be able to do in the Storm Lake School District.  These tests are given online and are what are considered "smart" tests which measure where students are in overall achievement and don't just compare them to what is expected of their current grade level.    The results of these tests will allow teachers to see at a glance which students are struggling and need more support and which students may need acceleration in their acquisition of skills.   We are excited to be looking at this with these beginning grades and hope to move to include all grades during 2011-12 school year.

Just another way that our educators are working to know more about students and give them all the support and encouragement they need to achieve at high levels in Storm Lake Community Schools!

Thinking for Students Needs in Future

As we continue to  talk about what is best for students in the Storm Lake District, it is good for us to be in touch with other educators in the field and what they are thinking regarding best practices.  Tony Wagoner spoke to the Iowa Association of School Boards two weeks ago and told attendees that in education we are between a rock and a hard place for practices in education.  The "rock" is that there are new skills that have not been taught that are necessary for developing skills in a knowledge society for all students.  The "hard place" is that the students of today who have been dubbed the "net generation" are differently motived to learn and need different resources in classrooms than before.

He outlined 7 Survival Skills that research says will be needed for Career, College and Citizenship in future:

1. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
2. Collaboration across organization networks of people
3. Agility and adaptability to new situations
4. Initiative and Entrpreneurialism
5. Effective oral and written communication skills
6. Accessing and analyzing information
7. Economy and Innovation in work practices

Not all of these skills are apparent in our course requirements in schools and schools need to look at substantially changing practices in memorization of content and focus on digital capabilities to prepare students for what the world will be --not what we know today.