Principal's Message |
||||
|
A message from the Principal’s office Out with the old, in with the DCAS! As many of you have heard, this year marks the end of the Delaware Student Testing Program, otherwise known as DSTP. While some applaud the exit of the DSTP, it is important to note that your students will continue to engage in a standardized assessment. Under the policies set forth by No Child Left Behind, individual states are responsible for provide an academic measure of achievement. Henceforth, DCAS! Very similar to the current MAP testing model, DCAS is a computer based program that will customize questions based on your student’s response. Increasing in rigor when questions are answered correctly and becoming easier when they are not. Students will be given a norm-referenced scoring range, or average, and the end of each test session; fall, winter and spring. At the conclusion of the spring DCAS assessment a student’s overall growth will be known. In the eye’s of many, this was a major flaw with the DSTP; the inability to measure annual growth. In the next few weeks AIHS, along with every school in the state, will begin to pilot the new DCAS model. Unfortunately, we will be spending a great deal of time preparing for the final roll-out (September 2010). Modified schedules will be created as needed as we try to minimize the impact on classroom instruction. The following subject areas will test-pilot the DCAS assessment: English 9 and 10, Algebra 1, and Biology. For additional information or questions feel free to contact the guidance department or a member of the administrative team here at AIHS. You can also view information on the web at: http://de.portal.airast.org/default.html Sincerely, Kevin Palladinetti
|
||||
