March 26, 2012
Important MSP Information for 3rd-6th grade Meridian Park Parents/ Guardians
Dear Parents:
As you know, all of our students are working hard to master core skills in the area of reading, writing and mathematical thinking. Soon, students in grades 3rd-6th will take the Measure of Student Progress (MSP), formerly known as the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) to check their progress. All 3rd – 6th grade students will take reading and mathematics tests, 4th graders will also take writing tests and 5th graders will take an additional science test. The testing window for elementary schools in our school district begins on May 2nd and ends on May 19th (with online testing ending on June 4). All elementary schools in Shoreline are doing at least two tests online – the 6th grade mathematics and the 5th grade science tests. We are working hard to train our teachers on this new system and will also give our students lots of preparation time to practice this before the actual test dates.
At Meridian Park, we plan to test students on the following schedule:
- May 2 – Grades 4 – Math and 5 – Reading
- May 3 – Grade 4 – Writing I
- May 4 – Grade 5 – Math/ Grade 6 – Reading
- May 8– Grade 3 – Math/ Grade 6 – Math online
- May 9 – Grade 4 – Writing II
- May 10 – Grade 3 and Grade 4 – Reading
- May 16 – Grade 5 – Science online
Testing will occur from approximately 9:30am to 11:30am with the exception of the writing tests that can take longer. We will also have some alternate times assigned for student make up tests. The MSP asks your child to read, write, think and solve problems – skills your child needs to be successful in the 21st century. However, it is important to remember that the MSP is just one tool to check your child’s progress toward state learning goals. Classroom grades, homework, work samples and teacher conferences will continue to be excellent sources of information for your family.
As always, we want all students to be able to do their very best every day at school, not just on test days. However, during this testing period, as a parent, you can do a lot to help your child be successful. It is good to ask how the testing went each day but avoid dwelling on test answers. It is also important that children have plenty of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast during the testing period. Of course we will also provide them with MSP snacks as well – thanks to our wonderful PTSA!
Please help us out by planning necessary appointments outside the testing days/ times so students do not have to make up sections of the test. Making up tests is stressful for everybody and we typically have over 100 students testing on one day. Scheduling make-up test times is challenging and hard work for everyone involved. We thank you in advance for helping us to avoid as many make-ups as we can.
If you have more questions about the MSP, there is a great deal of helpful information at The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/MSP./ At Meridian Park, we appreciate all you do to help your child and our school. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Amy Jessee
