State-mandated testing begins this week for several of the local school districts.
How the students perform on the ACT Aspire will determine their school’s grade issued by the state in the fall.
In the past, local schools’ letter grades have ranged from A-F, with Armorel, Manila, Gosnell, BIC, Riverside and Rivercrest typically fairing best, followed by Blytheville, KIPP and Osceola.
The order changes year to year, of course, but some have more success than others when it comes to standardized tests.
These ratings affect big decisions made locally and sometimes at the state level, with this year’s scores possibly impacting whether Blytheville continues to be a New Tech school.
Back in January, Blytheville School District Superintendent Bobby Ashley, high school principal Matthew Swenson, curriculum director Sally Cooke, New Tech director Robin Sneed, instructional advisor Casey DeFord and school board president Tobey Johnson all went before the Arkansas State Charter Authorizing Panel to address last spring’s scores.
They are expected to go back before the board in December; scores from this week’s testing should be available at that time.
It’s critical that students take these tests seriously and do their absolute best because the scores will have implications for the district, even if the results have no affect on whether they move on to the next grade. Hopefully, the students don’t simply click through the tests, they give their best effort, and avoid test fatigue to provide an accurate assessment of growth.
Parents can play a role as well by ensuring their child has a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast. When testing for several straight hours at a time, one needs to be his or her sharpest and take every measure possible to ensure they can concentrate until the end.
Fairly or unfairly, schools will be judged based on how well their students perform on the test. The teachers have done all they can do at this point. It’s up to the students to show what they’ve learned these last eight months.
Best of luck to all of the local students this week; you’ve got this.