There are big yellow Xs painted on the north side of the street in the 200 block of East Sixth Avenue. Are those really “no parking” indicators?
“Yes,” said Ron Childers, street department supervisor.
Childers said that when parking stalls are marked off, some areas are not large enough to adequately accommodate another full parking space.
“We take up that void space with an X,” Childers said.
How many tests do Emporia students in grades one through four take each year in reading and mathematics that are required by the state and/or USD 253? Please list and state the purpose of each.
“Teachers in the Emporia public schools use a variety of formal and informal assessments to determine if students are learning what is being taught,” said George Abel, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning.
Students in kindergarten spend about three hours per school year on assessments. Time decreases in first and second grades, and increases in third grade when State Reading and Math Assessments are given, he said.
Abel provided the following information about testing in grades kindergarten through fourth. The first seven tests are used district-wide; the remainder are required by the state.
1. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) test measures early literacy development and are given three times a year to children in kindergarten through fourth grades. They take about one minute and monitor development of pre-reading and early reading skills.
2. Running Record assesses reading level by examining accuracy and the types of errors made. It indicates whether the difficulty level is appropriate for the child and shows areas where reading can be improved. The test is given individually to every student every quarter in grades one through three, as well as students in grades four through six who have been identified as struggling in reading.
3. Concepts of Print is an individual assessment done by observation of kindergartners and first graders to determine whether students understand reading concepts such as opening a book, turning pages, reading from left to right and from top of page to the bottom.
4. Dolch Words testing involves 220 frequently used words that need to be easily recognized to achieve reading fluency. Many of them cannot be “sounded out” and need to be learned by sight. Dolch Words usually involves using flash cards.
5. Local Math Assessments are common assessment questions written by district teachers and based on the district’s math curriculum. They can be given quarterly to students in all five grades and are being used for the first time this year.
6. Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) tests in math are given three times a year in third and fourth grades to determine whether students have learned the material. Results allow teachers to make adjustments in instruction for the class or for individual students. Elementary schools also have the option to give MAP tests in reading.
7. Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) reading and math assessments comes from the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation, the contractor for the Kansas Department of Education.
8. Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment (KELPA) is for kindergarten through 12h grades for children who are English Language Learners (ELLs) or Limited English Proficient (LEP). It assesses proficiency levels in speaking, listening, reading, and writing English. The No Child Left Behind act mandates annual assessment of ELLs to measure growth in English skills.
9. Kansas Reading Assessment is state-required test given annually beginning in third grade and continuing through eighth grade. It also is given in one high-school grade not specified. This test is required by NCLB and results determine whether the school makes Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
10. The Kansas Mathematics Assessment test also is state-required and given to the same grades as the reading assessment above. It also is required through NCLB act and determines whether schools make AYP.
- Because You Asked is published occasionally, as questions and space allow. Readers who have questions on local topics may send them to The Emporia Gazette, Drawer C, Emporia KS 66801, or e-mail them to newsroom@emporiagazette.com. Names and telephone numbers need to be included, though that information will not be revealed.