Fine Arts in Your Curriculum

Is your school teaching Fine Arts? If so, what subject areas? If you are the product of a school system that did have classes in Music (chorus, band, music appreciation, musical instrument instruction) and Art (traditional art instruction, art history, art appreciation, graphic arts), etc., please share with us what difference these classes made in your life.

The Homeschooler’s Dilemma: To Test or Not to Test

Because many states now require test results as part of a homeschool student’s portfolio, the question of whether to test or not has caused considerable debate within the homeschool community. Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. offers several assessments that will allow homeschool parents to see their students’ areas of strengths and weakness, determine subject areas that require further instruction time, and to provide tools to verify student accomplishments.

Our Kindergarten Readiness Test assists in determining a student’s readiness for beginning kindergarten, and the School Readiness Test determines readiness for first grade. Both tests allow parents to learn a vast amount of information about their child’s abilities in a short period of time. The Educational Development Series (EDSeries) is our standardized battery of ability and achievement tests, which evaluates a homeschool student’s proficiency and measures learning comprehension against other students at the same age and grade level across the country. EDSeries results may even be used to develop the next grade level’s curriculum while meeting state requirements.

I encourage homeschooling parents to say yes to testing. Testing not only promotes self-confidence and thinking skills, but also stimulates academic progression. Testing is an important skill, which homeschoolers require for their further academic pursuits. Please visit our website www.ststesting.com or contact me at 1.800.642.6787 to assist in choosing the correct instrument for your homeschool assessment needs.

Scott Rich
Assessment Specialist

Reading is Fundamental (RIF)

New opportunities to help get books to deserving kids:
RIF’s summer events.

Now that summer vacation is almost here it’s a great time to encourage the students in your life to read.  Check out the challenge below from Reading is Fundamental and start reading!

Read and Win a Disney Vacation!

For a second year, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and US Airways are working together to help children nationwide discover the joy of reading. Starting in April, adults are invited to join the 2009 Read with Kids Challenge and help collectively log 5 million minutes spent reading with kids. You’ll have the chance of winning a family vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort® and more great prizes. Get on board! Visit www.RIF.org/readwithkids today.

2009 TORRANCE LEGACY CREATIVE WRITING AWARDS

Torrance Legacy Creative Writing Awards
Deadline: August 24, 2009

DESCRIPTION:   Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. (STS), The Center for the Gifted at National-Louis University, The National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC), The National Association of Gifted Children Creativity Division, and the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development invite students to submit their best creative work to help celebrate the great legacy of educator/creativity pioneer Dr. E. Paul Torrance.

ACCEPTED GENRES: Poetry and Short Stories

Poetry submissions must focus on either “The wonder and wisdom of nature” or “What do you see in nature and how do you respond to it”?
Short stories must focus on one of the following creative themes: “Singing in One’s Own Key”, “Shaking Hands with Tomorrow”, “What is Magic” or “The Flying Monkey”. Students are encouraged to freely interpret these themes. Please also note that there is a 1,250 word limit for stories.

ELIGIBILITY: Students in grades 4 through 12 (specify the grade in which the student will be enrolled in as of September 2009). Please note, participants need not be enrolled in gifted programs.

PRIZES:    One grand prize winner from either category will be selected as well as five other genre winners and six runners-up in each genre. The grand prize winner will receive a $50 cash prize, creativity book, publication of his/her submission, NAGC Convention registration for his/her teacher, and NAGC Parent Membership for one of the participant’s parents. First place winners will receive a cash prize of $50 as well as publication of their entries. Second place winners will receive publication of their entries.

DEADLINES: We will begin accepting submissions on May 1, 2009. All submissions must be received by August 24, 2009.
RULES and SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:     Click ‘Download Rules and Entry Form‘ for rules and guidelines for all entries.

For more information or general questions, contact Scott Rich at Scholastic Testing Service, Inc.

The Next Frontier [in Testing?]

We all know that computer based testing has become increasingly popular during the last decade.  School technology programs, computer games, and home PCs have created an entire generation of students who aren’t intimidated by technology.

[Click here to contribute your ideas about online testing in schools.]

Similarly, administrators seeking more cost effective and less labor intensive assessments are turning to computer testing to address the ever increasing demand for data on student progress.

STS is addressing the “next frontier in testing” by offering computer-based versions of several of our most used products.  Our QUIC and HSPT® tests can now be used to test individual students or for group testing on PC.  We are also in the process of developing online assessments for the Illinois Learning Standards Battery (ILSB) and the Interpersonal Intelligence Inventory (III).

To further increase the speed of scoring, several of our testing products provide customers with the ability to receive student reports electronically via PDF.  We are also working to develop computer based technologies to accommodate testing for students with disabilities.

For detailed information about STS’ computer testing products such as QUIC PC or HSPT® E- Score, visit our website or contact me at srich@ststesting.com.

Scott

Gifted Assessment

Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. is pleased to support you in your important role of identification of gifted and talented students. Created by Dr. E. Paul Torrance in 1966, the Torrance® Tests of Creative Thinking are the most widely used tests of creativity. The instruments have been translated into more than 35 languages, and remained the most highly recommended and referenced of all creativity tests. The standard administration and streamlined scoring procedure not only make the TTCT useful for identifying creative potential in children, but also for discovering and encouraging creativity in everyday life.

“For the full development of creativity in children and adults, I am convinced they have a better chance in life if their best abilities are identified and encouraged.”    Dr. E. Paul Torrance

For further details on the Torrance® Tests of Creative Thinking, please contact us at 1.800.642.6787.

Teamwork Skills

Interpersonal Intelligence Inventory (III)

Learning to work in groups is essential for interdependence. Team skills can support cohesion and productivity, as well as help members become successful and self-directed individuals. In the workplace and in the classroom, peer and self-evaluations are a highly effective means to establish accountability and improve team performance.
The III focuses on twenty-five items clustered into these five categories­­—attends to teamwork, seeks and shares information, communicates with teammates, thinks critically and creatively, and gets along with others. The inventory presents formative and summative feedback, monitors progress, and recognizes achievement of an individual in a team setting.

The electronic version of the Interpersonal Intelligence Inventory (III) will also be available as the Teamwork Skills test later in 2009. Watch the STS website (www.ststesting.com) for upcoming news about this product’s development and availability.

The hard copy version of the III is available for purchase online at ststesting.com.

For more information please contact Scott Rich or call us at 1.800.642.6787.

HSPT® SCORE RESULTS’ DISTRIBUTION

With the beginning of a new year, many parents may be wondering on their child’s HSPT® results. While many assume that the HSPT® score distribution system is similar to college entrance exams, like the SAT and ACT, it is actually quite different. There is no national coding system for the HSPT®.

Many high schools test independently, so the results for the students that test there are sent only to that location. In some geographic regions, a cooperative of high schools test collectively, often under the direction of a Catholic diocesan education department. In these cases, students may be presented with the option of sending their scores to several different high schools by coding them on their answer sheet on that test day. In addition, answer sheets need to be correctly coded to ensure that the results are sent to the appropriate school(s).

When testing in a cooperative program, the scoring of test results is often delayed until all schools answer sheets are in. When the scoring center has completed the scoring, results are then sent back to the school where the child tested and the school(s) the child coded. Whether the school tests individually or cooperatively, the act of distributing test results to students and their families are always determined by the school or diocese. Therefore, many times results are not sent directly to their home.

If you have not yet received a copy of your test results and you believe you should have, or if you need to have your scores sent to another high school, the first step is always to contact the school where the child tested. Since the schools and dioceses determine their own score distribution system, we cannot send results to a student or parent.

Happy New Year!

Jeanne Lively
HSPT® Program Coordinator

Cash for Grades: Are you buying it?

Educators have long said that learning is its own reward. But these days, many students are finding that good grades and behavior can bring them cash and gifts. School districts across the country are taking part in controversial incentive programs known as ‘cash for grades’. In these districts, students who earn top marks are receiving much more than gratitude and praise for their hard work, i.e.: $500 for improved test scores, $100 for passing grades, hourly pay for after-school study programs, and even iPods, pre-paid cell phones and flat screen televisions for good behavior. But critics of these programs, many of which are privately funded through corporate or philanthropic donors, believe the payments amount to little more than bribes.

Does using money and lavish gifts as a motivator send the wrong message to students about their responsibility to learn, and what happens to a child’s motivation to do quality work when they are not being paid? Paying students for performance may show short-term improvement, but the long-term effects are unknown. The argument has been made that ‘cash for grades’ teaches real life lessons, just as students will some day work for a paycheck. Many supporters feel that the efficacy of ‘cash for grades’ programs should not be judged if students learn that through hard work they can accomplish something they didn’t believe was possible, regardless if the initial motivation was a monetary reward.

Only further research will show if paying for performance is effective or destructive. Do you think it is better to reward cash or compliments?

Related links: Washington Schools offers ‘cash for grades’

New York Times video: Blogginheads: Cash for Grades

Chicago Tribune: Earn an A? Here’s $50

How to Prepare for the HSPT®

With the new school year under way, many students are being tested, including standardized tests from Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. Testing can be a rather anxious, but also, exciting experience for students and their parents. For many children it is a time to see how much knowledge has been learned/remembered from the previous year. For the junior/senior high school student, it is a time to see which high school/college will be right for them.

As the new HSPT® (High School Placement Test) Program Coordinator and Customer Service person here at STS, I receive many phone calls throughout the day from schools who have questions about our various tests. In addition, I regularly receive phone calls from parents inquiring on how to prepare for the HSPT®. While there are options for the high schools (practice tests and/or Pre-HSPT® test available), I explain another option to parents. Besides “do your best”, “take your time”, “take your best guess when you don’t know”, and any other cliché you can think of, there are books available at your local bookstore. Research & Education Association, along with Barron’s, have the “COOP/HSPT” or “COOP & HSPT” test preparation book, which is available for them to purchase for a review.

Testing more than likely will always be a part of our educational system. The more adults encourage children to perform to the best of their ability, the more relaxed and confident the students will become when it comes to taking tests or even taking the next step in whatever undertaking is available/required. The continued support of schools and parents will help ensure that STS is providing the best we can for our students which also enables all of us to live better lives, have better tomorrows, and look forward to a great future.

Jeanne Lively
HSPT® Program Coordinator