Here we go…it has now been a long stretch leading up to this first round of ISTEP. You have assessed kids on Star. You have assessed kids on Acuity A…and B…and C. You have given countless informal assessments and have asked your students to rate themselves on confidence scales ad naseum. You have given formative assessments and used it to inform our instruction. You have looked at a whole bunch of data along the way. You have made adjustments to your instruction. You have sat down with each student and developed an ISTEP goal for them to achieve. We have done daily announcements since we returned from Christmas. We have phoned home. We have provided weekly messages to parents. We have made a video. We are providing breakfast. We have team rallies. I have met with about 135 individual students. We have the t-shirts. We do things that other schools just don’t do.
Don’t lose sight of the goals – individual, team, and school. We want at least 94% of our kids to pass this sucker. Each team has a team goal (see below). The key in reaching these two goals is for each student to reach his/her goal. Push that. Instill confidence in them. Give them the best pep talk that you have ever given. Be their cheerleader(without the uniform, please). We have worked far too hard to let this thing slip away due to attitude. Pump them up! Inspire them! Make no mistake – WE CAN DO THIS!
I don’t believe in traditional luck. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Well, we have prepared and here comes the opportunity.
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