Wilson District Newsletter
April 2024
A message from Mr. Rose
Hello Wilson Wildcats!!!
IT IS TESTING SEASON!!! We are excited about our student’s opportunity to highlight their learning this school year. Standardized tests are a significant part of a student's academic journey, often influencing college admissions, scholarship opportunities, and educational pathways. As a parent, you play a crucial role in helping your child navigate these assessments with confidence and success. Here are some valuable tips to assist your student in preparing for standardized tests:
- Understand the Test: Familiarize yourself with the format, content, and expectations of the specific standardized test your child will be taking. This could be AASA, AZELLA, or any other state-mandated assessments. Understanding the test structure will enable you to provide targeted support.
- Encourage Regular Study Habits: Help your child establish a consistent study schedule leading up to the test. Encourage them to allocate time each day for focused study sessions, reviewing key concepts, and practicing sample questions. Consistency is key to building confidence and retention.
- Provide Resources: Invest in study materials such as prep books, online courses, and practice tests. Many resources are available both online and in print to help students familiarize themselves with the test format, question types, and time constraints. These resources can also offer valuable tips and strategies for approaching different sections of the test.
- Create a Supportive Environment: Ensure that your child has a quiet and organized study space free from distractions. A conducive environment can enhance concentration and productivity during study sessions. Offer encouragement and positive reinforcement to boost their confidence and motivation.
- Focus on Strengths and Weaknesses: Identify your child's strengths and weaknesses in relation to the test content. Encourage them to build on their strengths while dedicating extra time and effort to improve areas of weakness. Tailoring study plans to address specific needs can lead to more effective preparation.
- Emphasize Practice and Review: Encourage your child to engage in regular practice sessions and review their performance. Practice tests are particularly valuable for simulating the test-taking experience and identifying areas that require further improvement. Reviewing mistakes and understanding the reasoning behind correct answers can lead to valuable insights and learning.
- Promote Healthy Habits: Encourage your child to prioritize their well-being during the preparation phase. Ensure they get adequate sleep, maintain a balanced diet, and engage in regular physical activity. A healthy lifestyle can contribute to improved focus, cognitive function, and overall well-being, which are essential for optimal test performance.
- Manage Test Anxiety: Help your child manage test anxiety by teaching relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises and positive visualization. Encourage them to maintain a positive mindset, focus on their preparation efforts, and approach the test as an opportunity to showcase their skills and knowledge.
- Stay Involved and Supportive: Stay actively involved in your child's test preparation journey by monitoring their progress, offering guidance, and providing emotional support. Be attentive to any challenges or concerns they may have and work together to address them constructively.
- Celebrate Efforts and Progress: Recognize and celebrate your child's efforts and progress throughout the test preparation process. Acknowledge their hard work, dedication, and improvements, regardless of the test outcomes. Positive reinforcement can boost confidence and motivation, fostering a positive attitude towards future academic challenges.
By following these tips and actively supporting your child in standardized test preparation, you can help them approach these assessments with confidence, competence, and a positive mindset, ultimately contributing to their academic success and future opportunities.
Wilson Neighborhood Clean-up
Saturday, Apr 13, 2024, 08:00 AM
2929 East Fillmore Street, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Wilson Primary School
We know that taking tests can be stressful and students can experience a range of emotions from panic to apathy. It is important your child is mentally and physically prepared and there are simple ways to alleviate anxiety and stress.
1. Talk to Your Child's Teacher
Teachers are an excellence resource for details about the skills your child has been working on this school year and what support you can give your child at home to help them prepare for the test.
2. Reinforce Critical Thinking Skills
Your child has been preparing for the new test since the school year began. All of the projects, assignments and discussions have reinforced critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, you can reinforce those skills at home by reading with your child and asking them to talk about the central idea or theme of book or article. Ask them to explain something they written. Have them explain the steps they took to solve a math problem.
3. Practice at Home
You can support your child by learning about the skills being assessed on the test, as well as what sample questions might look like and talking with them about it. If your child will be taking the test on a computer, it would be useful to go through some sample questions, so they are familiar with the platform. You can also take a practice AASA test at home to help your child prepare.
4. Keep Track of Test Days
If you know when the tests are coming, you can make sure other activities are kept to a minimum. Ensure school takes priority over practices, appointments, and trips.
5. Serve a Healthy Breakfast or Have Your Child Eat a Healthy School Breakfast
Research has shown the impact eating breakfast has on academic performance. Focus on foods that are healthy and a source of energy, like eggs and whole grain toast, or oatmeal packed with fruit and nuts. Less healthy choices such as donuts and sugary drinks can leave your student feeling tired and hungry just an hour or two later. A nutritious breakfast will help your child stay focused and alert.
6. Safeguard Sleep
Make sure your student gets enough sleep the night before exams and in the days leading up to tests. Enforce a "tech curfew" — no phones, tablets, video games or TV for 30 minutes prior to bedtime. This will help your child wind down and prepare to get a good night's rest.
7. Don't Stress
Your stress can carry over to your student. By keeping your own stress levels down, you can help your child succeed. Try to emphasize to your child that they do not have to be perfect, and that you'll support them no matter what.
8. Stay Positive
Your child can be influenced by your reaction to testing time. Give them a positive send-off in the morning and tell them they have the needed skills; they just need to relax and pace themselves. Remember, AASA and other standardized tests are not the finish line. They simply serve as check points along every child's educational journey. Testing results should be used to determine areas of strength and weakness so students can monitor and adjust. Set goals for any skills that need work and celebrate when your child reaches each goal.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s teacher or the front office. We want the testing experience to be positive for all students.
Have a wonderful month!
Mrs. Wojcicki
Wilson Elementary School
Hello WES Families,
Yes, Spring is in the air.
I hope that everyone enjoyed a wonderful Spring Break. April is a very busy month for us at Wilson Elementary School as we are preparing for the AASA and AZSCI Assessments. A calendar of the days each grade will have assessments will be posted on the website. We will also celebrate our scholars academic and attendance and character accomplishments during our 3rd Quarter Awards Program.
You can help support us on test days by:
- Ensuring your children are at school every day and are on time.
- Ensuring that your child get a good night’s sleep.
- Provide your child with a nutritious breakfast or make sure they arrive on time to have breakfast at school.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter is probably the most significant quarter of each school year for numerous reasons. I want to take the opportunity to address some of the significances.
As to be expected, the fourth quarter of the school year is crucial in determining the level of success that will be enjoyed by each scholar. This is the last full marking period that scholars have to raise their grades. Depending on what was happening over the last three quarters, some scholars will need to use this quarter to secure a passing average in some of their classes. Others will use it to raise their final average. Either way, the fourth quarter is and always will be an academic sprint to the end of the school year. Please be extra vigilant in monitoring your child’s grades. Please keep in touch with his or her teachers, and most important, please give your child the motivation and encouragement that might be needed for him or her to finish the year strong.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude for our teachers and staff at Wilson Elementary, thank you for the job that you do! Happy Spring everyone!
Business Services
Talise Berry
Human Resources
Standardized Tests: The Benefits and Impacts of Implementing Standardized Tests
February 24th, 2022
A standardized test is any type of test in which all test takers must address the same questions or subset of questions from a shared pool. Standardized testing creates a baseline for measuring student performance among districts, maintains teacher responsibility, and aids educators while developing their curriculum.
The Need for Standardized Tests
When assessing student comprehension or competency in a particular subject area, a given teacher may use a variety of methods. Given the subjective nature of individual teacher and district assessments, standardized tests allow for less probability of subjective bias when scoring responses. To complete exam questions for these types of tests, the time allotment is the same for each student, and the use of multiple-choice or true-false problems increases the chance of neutral and accurate outcomes.
In the United States, standardized testing begins in elementary (primary) school. For roughly half of the nation, a Kindergarten competency test is mandatory. Students frequently take the ACT or SAT while applying to universities. Individuals take the LSAT when applying to law school and the MCAT if they are applying to medical school.
The following are reasons why standardized tests are prevalent in United States school systems:
- Assessing data and performing quantitative analysis of that data are both design goals for standardized assessment exams. This enables schools to benchmark and evaluate their students' performance against the representative sample used in the standardization process using the final published assessments.
- A child’s standardized test scores could help teachers decide how to address knowledge gaps in a particular subject.
- School administrators can also use test scores to figure out if specific teachers need more training. If some classes are underperforming relative to state standards, more teacher training may need to be completed.
Benefits of Standardized Tests
Since the middle of the nineteenth century, standardized examinations have been used in the United States to measure student achievement.
Standardized testing can:
1. Establish a universal educational standard.
The objective of standardized is to set a baseline for comparison. Any form of assessment outside of school curricula, which might vary considerably within different education departments, can help a school system compare students from varied backgrounds because all the students took the same test. It becomes easier to evaluate and score individuals when they are measured against a common standard.
2. Demonstrate student progress.
Standardized exams can show student improvement over time by taking the same tests over time. In addition, student test scores can also be easily compared to each other to show changes in progress.
3. Ensure that all educational stakeholders are held accountable.
Ideally, standardized exams assist in defining bigger academic standards for schools across states and the nation. By measuring student achievement, standardized exams can also inform educational policies. School principals and governments are aware that if students in a specific school or district are struggling to achieve at a grade level, the school administration and community stakeholders should intervene and offer help.
Negative Impacts of Standardized Testing
1. Standardized testing can be predictable.
Students who are mindful of patterns can guess answers on a standardized exam based on questions where they definitely know the answers. Thus, high exam results aren't always indicative of student comprehension. According to Brookings, up to 80% of test score gains might have little to do with long-term learning improvements.
2. Standardized testing doesn’t measure intelligence.
While advocates claim that standardized examinations give an objective assessment of student success, the facts are more nuanced. Evidence reveals that socioeconomic class, rather than schooling or grade level, is the biggest predictor of SAT achievement. Opponents of the SAT contend that injustice emerges because wealthier families have the money and effort to invest in test practice tools and services.
3. Standardized testing may have a negative impact on a student's self-esteem.
Another allegation is that standardized testing could make previously successful students doubt themselves and their abilities. Many students suffer from test anxiety, which means they don't perform at their best while taking an exam since the experience of taking a test is so upsetting to them.
4. The curriculum is narrowed through standardized testing.
Between 2001 and 2007, school systems in the United States cut the average time spent on social studies, creative subjects, and science by more than 40%, according to the Center for Education Policy. Consequently, the average student lost more than 2 hours of teaching time in these disciplines to focus on standardized exam topics like reading and arithmetic.
In Conclusion
Standardized testing has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Nevertheless, these assessments allow educators to compare student knowledge to identify learning gaps. It is important to note that even if a student has an in-depth understanding of a particular course, not every student may perform well on a test. However, knowing a lot about a subject can help anyone be a more knowledgeable and prepared exam taker.
Community Center
As we step into the month of April, we are filled with enthusiasm for the opportunities it brings to strengthen our sense of community and prioritize wellness within our district. This April, we have an exciting lineup of events at the Wilson Community Center, all aimed at fostering connections, enhancing our neighborhood, and promoting health and well-being.
Understanding Temperament Class Date: April 10 Time: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM Location: Wilson Community Center Hosted by: Child Crisis Arizona
Parents and caregivers, mark your calendars for a special session on understanding temperament, presented by Child Crisis Arizona. Gain valuable insights into your child's unique temperament and learn effective strategies for supporting their development.
Wilson Neighborhood Cleanup Date: April 13 9AM-12 PM
Let's come together as a community to beautify our neighborhood! Join your fellow community members for the Wilson Neighborhood Cleanup event. Together, we can make a positive impact on the cleanliness and appeal of our streets.
Wilson Health Fair Date: April 27 Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Location: Wilson Elementary Gym
Your health matters to us! Join us at the Wilson Health Fair for a morning dedicated to wellness. Explore a variety of health resources, participate in interactive activities, and take advantage of free health screenings and consultations.
But that's not all! We're excited to announce that Phoenix Children's Hospital will be holding two on-site health clinics at Wilson School District next week. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.
April is a time for growth, connection, and well-being. Let's seize the opportunities this month offers to come together, support one another, and prioritize our health and happiness as a school district community.
For more information about these events or to get involved, please contact us at [contact information].
Together, let's make April a month of community, wellness, and joy in the Wilson School District!
Dina Cutler
Director of Community Engagement- Wilson School District Community Center
602-390-8008
Health Fair
Saturday, Apr 27, 2024, 09:00 AM
2929 East Fillmore Street, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Child Find
McKinney-Vento
Wilson School District No. 7
Website: https://www.wsd7.org
Location: 3025 East Fillmore Street, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: (602) 681-2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WilsonSchoolDistrictNo7