Language Arts and Testing: What Your Child Will ExperienceDo you ever wonder what kindergarten testing is all about? Do you wonder what we test? How we test? Let me explain.
Napa Unified tests kindergarten students to assure they are meeting state standards. State standards are those things that the state of California has determined are important for every kindergarten child in the state to know before they move on to first grade. Your child will be tested using DIBLS, which measures a child's knowledge of letter recognition, letter sounds, and their ability to read nonsense words. The three tests are given three times during the school year, normally once per trimester. Every test is administered one on one. Testing is submitted to the district office for overall class and school performance levels. Individual results are reflected on student report cards. In addition, students are given a district writing assessment once during the school year. The writing assessment measures student progress in both mechanics, and content. The writing assessment is not given until the spring of the kindergarten year, in order allow all students to receive optimum time for instruction and practice. Results from the writing assessment are also reflected on the report card. http://www.teachingfirst.net/standardskinder.htm http://dibels.org/dibels.html |
Math Testing: BenchmarksBlock building and math? You bet! Kindergarten is where children learn the building blocks of math, the very foundation of numbers, counting, graphing, sorting, estimating, and problem-solving.
What might happen if they are not given a solid foundation?
Students are tested periodically throughout the school year using benchmark tests. A benchmark is intended to make sure students know essential math before moving on to more sophisticated concepts. Most benchmark tests contain content from more than one math unit, and most tests are between eight and ten pages. Tests are given orally in a one to one format. Results are submitted to the district office for evaluation, and are reflected on the report card. |
Resources for Remembering...By using a music and movement approach to learning, children can remember more information more quickly and for a longer period of time. Here are a few of my favorite resources for helping children remember language arts and math content standards:
Language Arts sight word songs: http://www.youtube.com/user/gbutkus?feature=results_main Math Songs: http://www.youtube.com/user/JackHartmann http://www.mathwire.com/music/music.html Integrated Language arts and Math: http://www.happalmer.com/ The Padded RoomOur new app this month reinforces a variety of skills, many math related. Check out Bugs and Buttons. The kids adore the bugs, and I adore the variety of content. Kids can practice counting, graphing, patterning, sorting, and critical thinking.
|