WHAT IS MAP TESTING FOR?
MAP was held in September for students in Kindergarten to Grade 10. We reminded students to work slowly and to take breaks as needed to be able to stay focused. It was impressive to see their improved effort! Well done ISO!
Parents should know that we administer MAP testing for three reasons:
to track individual student growth -- Is every child improving their skills?
to assess the effectiveness of ISO's educational program against external norms -- Is our educational program effective at helping students improve? Are there weak spots in any grades or subjects?
to assess how well ISO teacher assessments of student achievement match external norms-- Do our assessments of this child's abiity match external assessments?
The data we gain from MAP testing is primarily for teachers and the school. So we can make sure we are supporting every learner. We share them with students and parents so that you and your child can follow his/her progress and growth. The goal is to help students understand that effort will lead to growth over time.
PARENT PRESSURE vs HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Sadly, some parents (even at ISO) get caught up in the achievement scores and in what I call "the Comparison Trap". Parents may ask other parents to share scores in order to celebrate if their child scored higher or to scold their child if they scored lower. Please do not compare the achievement of children -- not even siblings! This is detrimental to the well-being of your child (and maybe you, too), and it is not the purpose of MAP. I had two to four students burst into tears at the end of MAP for not doing as well as they felt their parents would want. Ironically, taking tests under such pressure can impede a child from performing optimally!
Comparing your child's achievement to other students (even other siblings) places pressure on your child in subtle or not-so-subtle ways, and sends your child the message that s/he is not okay as they are. This can lead to breakdowns in the parent-child relationship and a lifetime of low self confidence in your child. It increases your child's fear of meeting your expectations and results in stress which minimizes learning.
As educators we know parents want to push your children and it is good for them to hold high expectations. Yet, we sometimes see children with strong ability who have no confidence in themselves or their ability -- often this is a direct result of too much pressure from home. Just like teachers, parents work to find just the right balance of push and support.
MAP Scores will be shared with parents at the end of Quarter 1. All parents are welcome to meet with me to get a clear picture of what the results indicate. I am also taking time to meet with students individually this year to be sure each of them can read and understand their results. When you go through results with the students, I know you will ensure your children feel loved and accepted for giving their best efforts!
FACILITES PROJECTS
The ISO Campus is wonderful, but it is an aging campus. The GSO staff have been working hard to clean up and repair many small items around campus: cracked walls, garden borders, leaking ceilings and much, much more! One of our parents is also planning to generously donate sand and installation support for our Pre-K to G1 playground!
With Board support, I am planning a few renovation projects including swimming pool refurbishment, remodeled/renovated toilets, painting of all window frames and outdoor bulletin boards, leveling of walkways, security installations, etc. Though the swimming pool is currently open for use (and I use it often), we will not hold swimming lessons in PE classes until the pool is remodeled.
Thank you for your patience in this regard, and please share your ideas!
