M-W school officials offer an assessment of student assessments
Central Valley. Among the goals of these assessments is to increase the number of students who participate, but also to expand the avenues the district uses to communicate with students and families.
| 15 Feb 2023 | 11:38
School officials offered a slide-slow update on the Grade 3-8 ELA and Math student assessments at the Feb. 8 Monroe-Woodbury School Board meeting. Photo by MJ Hanley-Goff.
At the Feb. 8 Monroe-Woodbury School Board meeting, Monroe Village Mayor Neil Dwyer spoke of his appreciation for the M-W student musicians who took part of in community events, specifically the 911 Ceremony in September and a holiday caroling event where the students visited Monroe businesses with their holiday cheer. “We all come from different places, different places, differing politics,” the mayor said, “ but these young people bring me hope.” By MJ Hanley-Goff.
School officials offered a slide-slow update on the Grade 3-8 ELA and Math student assessments at the Feb. 8 Monroe-Woodbury School Board meeting.
The student assessment presentation was the work of Assistant Superintendents of Curriculum and Instruction Eric Hassler and Matthew Kravatz and principals Bryan Giudice (Pine Tree), Joseph Coto (Central Valley), Christine Arlt (Central Valley) and Christopher Berger (Middle School).
Kravatz described how the assessments were given, what the results were, and how to work through the differences in assessments being given on paper to those using computer-based testing.
Considerations discussed included how to improve the gaps in proficiency between those who are economically advantaged versus those who are economically disadvantaged, and to coordinate the assessment-taking when students are moving from classroom to classroom.
Among the goals of these assessments is to increase the number of students who participate, but also to expand the avenues the district uses to communicate with students and families.
Online Crusader Chat
The following day, Feb. 9, the district held a daytime online Crusader Chat on the Elementary level, with a second one scheduled for Feb. 28 for Middle School families and a newsletter from Superintendent Elsie Rodriguez.
Coto discussed the surprise at the recent low turnout at the open house now that the school was fully open, and hope that parents and teachers will collaborate virtually for the upcoming Spring parent teacher conferences. Interesting to note that the district is going back to paper report cards because a very small percentage of families on the elementary level were checking their student’s report cards. It was decided that the paper card will go home with the student in an envelope for the parent to review and sign and then returned to the teacher by the student.
The meeting moved quickly through the rest of the agenda which included the approval for Monroe-Woodbury to take part in the Minisink Valley’s High School Trap-Shooting League (a nationally sponsored target-shooting league); approval of the revised 2022-2023 student calendar; and personal retirements, resignations and certified appointments, etc.
Board of Trustee Donald Beeler announced his retirement and upcoming move out of state.
Essentials
The Feb. 8, Crusader Chat is available for viewing on the M-W School District website.
Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education meetings are live streamed on the district’s website and available for reviewing, usually the next day. The next board meeting will be Wednesday, March 1, at 6 p.m., at the Education Center, 278 Route 32 in Central Valley.