State tests scheduled for May

Throughout Washington state in May, students will be taking some very important tests, called the “Measures of Student Progress” (MSP). Henkle Middle School will test its students May 9 through May 20. These tests are very important.

Once they reach high school, all students must pass the state’s 10th grade reading and writing tests, as well as “end-of-course” tests in mathematics. Passing the tests is one requirement for obtaining a diploma. Thus, it’s important for students to take the tests seriously and to do their best in order to be prepared by the time they reach 10th grade. Please do all that you can to make sure that your child is at school on time and prepared during the testing schedule.

If you’d like to learn more about the MSP tests and you have internet access, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has a fine website. Here’s the site address:
http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/default.aspx. Also, this year our students will take the reading test online. Parents can see what that test is like by accessing the following site:
http://wa-online.caltesting.org/. Click on “Demos” and then click on “Student Demos.”

Students and staff have been working hard all year long to be prepared for the tests, as well as with all the other learning that they do. In April, all students and staff have practiced the online reading test by doing the same "demo" referred to above and also by doing a short practice test designed to help them master the online features of the reading assessment. We're excited to see how our students will fare. The state will send assessment results to schools in August, and then they'll send parent/student individual reports in September. Henkle Middle School plans to provide those individual reports to parents during parent conferences in October.

We appreciate all that our parents do, too, to help our students come to school ready to learn, and we thank you in advance for helping your students come to school prepared to do their best on these state assessments.

Below are our test dates and the tests for each of those dates:

May 10
Grade 5: Math
Grade 6: Reading (Kermani, Wells, Sprague)
Grade 7: Writing
Grade 8: Math

May 12
Grade 5: Science
Grade 6: Reading (Gintz, Pfister, Hernandez)
Grade 7: Math
Grade 8: Science

May 13
Grade 5: Reading (Moss, Ortega, Sprague)
Grade 6: Math
Grade 7: Writing
Grade 8: No testing

May 16
Grade 5: Reading (Gintz, Hernandez, Whidden)

May 17
Grade 7: Reading (Hernandez, Kingsford-Smith, Lyons, MacNeil)

May 19
Grade 7: Reading (Hurd)
Grade 8: Reading (Mayberry & Owen)

May 20
Grade 8: Reading (Graves, Hernandez, Lindstrom)

The teachers named in grades 7 and 8 are testing groups. Many students will be with their first period teacher for testing, but others will be with a different teacher and not their first period teacher. Students did their practice tests in the same testing groups in which they'll be for the actual test, so if you have a seventh or eighth grader, he or she should be able to tell you his/her testing group.