Dear parents, this information which was sent out Friday had an incorrect date in February, please see the corrected date of March 4th for Hixson below. Sorry for the inconvenience, thank you!
NAEP 2015 PARENT/GUARDIAN NOTIFICATION
LETTER
Grades 4, 8, and 12: Mathematics, reading,
and science assessments
January 27, 2015
Dear Parent or Guardian:
We are pleased to notify you that Hixson Middle School has been
selected to represent schools across the nation by participating in the
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). First administered in 1969,
NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what
students know and can do in various subject areas. It is administered by the
National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of
Education. NAEP is different from state assessments because it provides a
common measure of student achievement across the country. The results of NAEP
are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about
student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.
In our school,
the NAEP assessment will be given on MARCH
4, 2015. Your child has been
selected to take a mathematics, reading, or science assessment. In addition to
answering questions in one of these subjects, students will be asked questions
about themselves and their educational experiences, such as the amount of reading
they do and the types of classes they take. These questions provide contextual
information for the assessment, as well as information that may be related to
students’ learning. If you would like to view sample subject area and
contextual questions, please visit http://nationsreportcard.gov/parents.asp.
It will take about 90 minutes for most students to participate in
the assessment. The results are completely confidential (in accordance with the
Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public
Law 107-347), and the information provided will be used for statistical
purposes only. Your child’s grades will not be affected. Your child may be
excused from participation for any reason, is not required to complete the
assessment, and may skip any question. While NAEP is voluntary, we depend on
student participation to provide an accurate measure of student achievement
that will inform improvements in education. Your child will represent many
other students, so participation is very important. However, if you do not want your child to participate, please notify me
in writing by February 28th, 2015.
There is no
need to study in preparation for NAEP. We do ask, however, that you encourage
your child to do their best and get plenty of rest the night before the
assessment. A brochure that explains what participation in NAEP means for you
and your child is available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/parents/2012469.pdf. Should
you have questions, or if you would like a copy of the brochure, please contact
me at 314-963-6450 or at smith.stacie@wgmail.org.
We are excited that our school will be participating in NAEP and
pleased that your child has been selected. We know that Hixson Middle School
students will help us show what our nation’s students know and can do.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stacie Smith
Hixson Middle School Principal