Each May, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students take a state test. Tests, like SBAC/CAASPP, don’t tell us everything about students, but they can have value…if students try their best on the test.
At Rio del Norte, each 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade student knows their test scores. Each student met or will meet one on one with myself or our school counselor to set specific goals.
Why did we set goals?
A wide range of research, summarized by Locke et al, tells us that, “Goals affect performance by directing attention, mobilizing effort, increasing persistence, and motivating strategy development.”
Put simply, students that set goals outperform students that do not.
During our one on one goal setting sessions and during our classroom presentations, Mr. Napoles, our school counselor, and I helped students understand what to expect on the Smarter Balanced test and realize that effort will be the key. With almost any task, and certainly with assessments, sustained effort will bring out the best in our students…really, effort brings out the best in all of us. While the upcoming statewide test is a one time per year summative test, simply engaging wholeheartedly in the process will do two things:
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It will tell us what student know. Teachers, principals, and parents will only know what students are capable of when they give 100% effort
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If 100% effort is given, then teachers and principals can design specific supports for students
We want our students to clearly understand that it is through goal setting and sustained effort that growth will be achieved.
One way parents can help their children attain growth by is reinforcing effort and by communicating that school, including statewide testing, it important.
~Jake Waltrip