March 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians of Students in Grades 3-8:
The New York State assessments in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics and science are scheduled over the next few months. The ELA exams will be given from April 8th through April 16th; the mathematics exams will be given from May 2nd through May 14th; the Science 5 exam will be given from April 17th through April 19th and the Science 8 exam will be given from May 6th through May 14th.
Please review the detailed schedule here: https://bit.ly/3vWk2Ef. Your child’s building principal will provide more information regarding testing procedures as we get closer to the testing administrations.
How are the results used?
The results of the assessments are one of many points of data our teachers and principals use to help monitor your child’s progress in mathematics and ELA, including reading, writing and numeric fluency. The results help to inform you, your child and our professional staff regarding how well your child is mastering the New York State learning standards in these subjects. Additionally, these assessment scores can help determine which students are eligible for Academic Intervention Services (AIS). These assessments are not the only way in which we monitor your child’s progress, however.
Please note that the results of the ELA and mathematics assessments can play a factor in a child’s ability to get into the district’s PEP program under appeal. There are, however, other factors that can be used in lieu of the NYS Assessment scores. For more information, please review Slide 27 in our recent PEP Review presentation: https://bit.ly/3ZzCpce
What if I do not want my child to take the assessments?
Parents have the right to refuse the 3-8 assessments on behalf of their child. To do so, we ask that parents complete the following form: https://bit.ly/4bGoibe. This is the same form shared last week in an email; there is no need to complete the form twice. The building principals will be monitoring this form. If you have already sent an email or letter to your child’s school, please complete the linked form as well.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Warmly,
Sean C. Feeney
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
