Chambers Hill Elementary School

CentralDauphinSchool District

ChambersHillElementary School

Steven Epstein - Principal

From the Principal’s Desk

May 1st, 2010

Dr. Luis Gonzalez – SuperintendentMr. Richard Miller – Assistant Superintendent

PSSA

PA System of School Assessment Test (PSSA)

The PA's System of School Assessment test (PSSA) is administered to determine whether standards set by the government are being met by students in PA classrooms. Read on to learn more.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, public schools in every state are subject to governmental scrutiny. As a result, most states make extensive use of standardized testing to evaluate the progress of students, teachers, and schools. PA has adopted academic standards for reading, speaking and listening, writing, and mathematics in order to identify what students should know and accomplish at each grade level. School districts must design curriculums and instructions to prepare students to meet or exceed these standards.

PA's System of School Assessment test (PSSA) determines whether the government-mandated standards are being met. Based on the PSSA results, state officials can evaluate the progress of PA students, as well as the extent to which school programs are enabling students to achieve academic proficiency. Individual student scores are provided only to the schools so they can be used to help teachers identify students in need of additional help.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires all schools to make what is known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). AYP is supposed to ensure that all students have the necessary reading and math skills to prepare them for the future. All students are required to reach the at least the Proficient level in Reading or Language Arts and in Mathematics by the year 2014. AYP requirements measure whether schools or districts are making sufficient progress towards this goal of 100% proficiency.

The test scores of the students taking the PSSA can factor heavily into the AYP status of a given school. Good scores are obviously very important. Since reading and math are the only two tests that count towards a school's Adequate Yearly Progress status, every PA student in grades 3-8 and in grade 11 is assessed in both subjects. Students in 5th, 8th and 11th grades are also assessed in writing, while students in 4th, 8th and 11th are assessed in science in addition to the math and reading assessments.

May/June Activities

May 6th – PTO Meeting
May 6th – School Store (During lunch)
May 7th – 8:15-8:45 Mom’s and Muffins (Mom’s must remain with students until 8:45)
May 11th – 7:00 Spring Concert
May 14th – 6:30-8:30 Family Picnic and Laser Show
May 18th – No School for students
May 31st– Holiday Break (No School)
June 10th – End of the 4th marking period
June 10th – 6:30 5th Grade Promotion
June 11th – Last day of school

Vocabulary Words of the Month

One major item which impacts all other areas of learning is knowledge of vocabulary. One way Chambers Hill Elementary is addressing this issue is with our Vocabulary Word for the Week. The word is introduced to the school during morning announcements, along with its synonyms, antonyms, examples, and activities for teachers and students to do in the classroom. Teachers and students are encouraged to utilize the word throughout the day. It is not expected that all students will learn all words. However, by exposing students to the words, and with the constant repetition and reinforcement, knowledge is gained. The following is a list of words that will be addressed via morning announcements. We encourage you to reinforce these words at home, too.

Week of May 3rd through 7th – Adaptation

Monday, May 3rd. Cycle day 4