In regard to questions many of you have concerning placement testing, please be assured there is nothing secretive about the testing. We do want the testing to be non-rehearsed so the selections the students read are cold reads or not practiced. Each student will be asked to read a grade level selection. The selection will be timed and errors will be counted. Testing up or testing down will be determined based upon the objective data.
The math test is oral for the first sections asking students to count orally and then a written test with the problems becoming increasingly more difficult. The language test is oral for the first three levels and then becomes a written test.
Each placement test will give the academy a beginning point for student placement rather than students who are old enough for first grade being placed in that grade without their personal level taken into consideration. Our objective with the placement test is two-fold;
1. We would like to order the appropriate texts for the school, and
2. A beginning point for instruction is required for planning on both the part of the staff and students.
The series has built in assessment every five lessons which will quickly allow teachers to reassess any student that has been misplaced in the initial placement testing.
In regards to parents being present during assessment, Direct Instruction trainers have informed us that based on 4 decades of research, parents being present during assessments creates more stress (and time) for the tester and for the child. Pressure to perform is HUGE when parents are present. Therefore, parents will not be allowed to sit with or be in the same room as their child during their assessment. For the early grades, this time is very brief. For those children who are not ready for this separation, if they are not able to complete the assessments, he or she will be placed in the lowest level for their grade and reassessed two weeks after school begins. (All students are reassessed two weeks after school begins.) Please understand, this is the way Direct Instruction works, and NCA is not going to deviate from their proven program. In fact our charter prevents this.
With that said we would like to add a few more comments. For those children who may be nervous about the testing, we can offer a little tidbit to help ease their (and parents) minds.
1. Accuracy is the most important thing in all the tests. We will be timing some things, but remind your children not to worry about their timing. They need to just relax, listen carefully to the directions and do their best. I know a lot of public schooled kids will be used to rushing through things because of timers. This is not the case here. Timers are just a reference point for the Direct Instruction evaluators and the teachers to place the children correctly.
2. Remind them to think before they answer questions. Again, accuracy is the most important. They don't need to worry about saying anything "wrong," just remind them that we are only testing to see what they know.
3. They may be tested with other children in different grades. Remind them to only worry about themselves, and not what is going on around them. This is not a race.
We hope this calms some of your concerns. Proctors are trained to follow a proven script. They are not allowed to deviate from it. As the academy year begins you'll be able to see the logic in the way things are done. You'll be grateful your children were given tests and curriculum tailored to their abilities and weaknesses. The focus is mastery (85% not 60% like some districts), and being able to learn at the child's pace. We think we'll all have a much clearer picture on what our children know and need work on through all of this.
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