Submitted by Lane School Principal Rob Ackerman
There are many unknowns for the PARCC tests, since this is the first time they have been administered. We have been told the tests are aligned to the Common Core, which heavily influenced the new Massachusetts Standards for Math and English Language Arts. Bedford took the Massachusets Standards and created our own Bedford Learning Expectations (what students should know and be able to do). Click here to view Bedford’s Learning Expectations
One of the more challenging Learning Expectations for our students is to use information from several texts to write an essay. In Grade 5, the English Language Arts Expectation states: “Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
This month Lane School is focusing on these skills in all three grades. All our students wrote an essay after reading more than one text so we could gauge their understanding and skill level. Afterwards, we took a half- day for teachers to collaboratively score the writing to make sure there was common agreement on what we would define as ‘proficient.’
One of the Grade 5 examples that Lane School teachers are scoring:
You have read three articles about penguin rescue efforts after an oil spill from “The Amazing Penguin Rescue” by Lauren Tarshis, “The Amazing Penguin Rescue” by Dyan deNapoli, and “Update on Penguin Rescue Efforts from Oil Spill in South Atlantic.”
Write an essay explaining the similarities and differences in each article’s point of view about penguin rescue efforts after an oil spill. Support your essay with information from all three sources
Personally, I think this is a very challenging assignment for students, but at the same time I am impressed with what our Grade 5 students are demonstrating at this point in the year.
It will be interesting to see what the PARCC tests ask our students to do. We’ll need to wait a few more months to find out.
In the meanwhile, here’s a video with 10 slides to share the flavor of a typical day at Lane School.
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I was surprised and pleased to come across this article, and discover that the 5th grade students at the Lane School are learning about the Treasure oil spill rescue from reading articles by me and Lauren Tarshis (both of which are based on my book about this historic event, The Great Penguin Rescue.) This is the first that I’ve heard about the PARCC tests. Would you happen to know if these tests are now mandatory in all Massachusetts schools, or if it’s an optional test that the Lane School has chosen to use? Thank you! Dyan deNapoli – The Penguin Lady