NATIONAL TESTING Jan. 25th & 26th

Dear Parent or Guardian:

I am pleased to announce that our school has been selected to participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card.  NAEP is a program of the U.S. Department of Education, and is an ongoing assessment of what our elementary, middle, and high school students know and can do in various academic subjects.  From NAEP we will be able to see how students in our state perform compared to students in other states and across the country.

The NAEP assessment will take place on Jan. 25th for the 4^th grade and Jan.26^th for the 8^th grade.  Our students have been selected to take the reading, mathematics or science assessments.  The reading and mathematics assessments will only take 90 minutes, and science will take slightly longer.  Students do not need to study in preparation for NAEP; however, we do ask parents to encourage their children to do their best on this important assessment.

Participation in NAEP is voluntary and confidential.  This means that the names of students who take part in the assessment are not recorded on any of the materials that leave the school, and your child’s grades or progress in school will not be affected in any way by participating.  No results will be reported to or about individual students or schools.  Students may omit any question or part of the assessment that they do not wish to answer.

NAEP appreciates the participation of each child who is selected; each child is important to provide an accurate picture of what children in our state and across our country are learning in school.  However, if you do not want your child to participate in the assessment, please notify me in writing by Jan 21st.  If you have questions, please contact me at 265-8417 or via email at jolyn.greenwood@sendit.nodak.edu.

For more information about NAEP, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.  A demonstration booklet that contains student background questions and examples of test questions similar to those asked in this year’s assessment is available both at the web site and at the school office.