SCHOOL NEWS - SUPPORTING HIGH ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS
By Chantelle Luarca, Interim School Principal
Our Lady of Good Counsel School- OLGCS uses assessment processes to collect data. The teachers analyze student performance data and use the analysis as a basis for instructional and curricular improvement. The Terra Nova, the Assessment of Catechesis/Religious Education (ACRE) standardized tests, and the Educational Consultants and Research Associates Writing Tests (ECRA), and are administered to our students annually to measure student content knowledge in relation to National Standards. The Terra Nova test is administered to grades 2 through 8 annually in the month of October and is currently being used today in the assessment of student achievement of Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science. To help analyze data, teachers dedicate faculty meetings to help interpret data from the Terra Nova report. Administration and teachers meet as a collective team and within the subject departments to determine areas of strengths and areas of improvement within the curriculum. Classroom performance is compared to the Terra Nova scores to help troubleshoot areas of improvement and growth in student learning. This year’s test results reveal the large majority of our students are achieving standards and are skilled in the subjects. Areas of improvement have been identified and teachers create fit plans to support high achievement of those students. This success is due largely to the decisions made by teachers after discussion and analysis of past findings. Adjustments of curriculum and teaching methods are made throughout the year to assist with growth.
Each year, the fifth and eighth graders take the Assessment of Catechesis/Religious Education (ACRE) standardized test. This test is mandatory in the Diocese of Honolulu and it allows the school to assess growth in the religious program. Students in fourth, sixth, and eighth grades take the ECRA writing Assessment in September of each year. The ECRA results presents a holistic score which is the over-all effectiveness of the writing and how well it accomplishes the Common Core Writing Standards for a particular grade level in a specific modality- Narrative, Informative/ Explanatory, and Opinion. This year’s grade-level holistic scores reflect a level of meeting standards. The school is proud of this writing achievement. It is attributed to the lessons and comprehensive writing programs that are currently in place.
Additional formal assessments are part of the instructional process at OLGCS. Teachers are expected to incorporate it into daily classroom practices and it should provide information needed to adjust teaching and learning as they are happening. Examples of some of the formative assessments used are oral/written assignments, journals, pretest, running records, reading logs, quizzes, peer editing, small group activities, class participation, group and individual projects, reflections, portfolios, white board practices, active expressions, and interactive smart board technology. Teachers continue to collaborate and participate in individual professional development in order to maintain the school’s reputation to serve every student appropriately.