March 17, 2022
Dear UE Parent/Guardian(s),
Over the course of the next few months, the New York State Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests will be administered to students. Each test will take place over the course of two days. Additionally, like the 2018, 2019 & 2021 tests, the 2022 Grades 3-8 ELA and Math Tests will continue to be untimed, allowing students adequate time to complete the tests without stress or anxiety.
English Language Arts Assessment
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Math Assessment
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Over the past several years, parents have allowed students to refuse taking the NYS 3-8 assessments. This movement was evident all across NYS. Many parents were responding this way to voice opposition to the haphazard way the Common Core curriculum and assessments were rolled out. Over the past few years, the State Education Department (SED) has made significant changes to the conditions of testing and the tests themselves. These changes are summarized for you here.
Below you will find a summary of the changes that were made to the 2021 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests.
● Two-day testing per subject. The 2022 3-8 ELA and Math Tests have been reduced from three test sessions to only two testing sessions per subject this year, meaning each subject will have two days of testing instead of three. With fewer test sessions, each test will have fewer questions than in recent years, lessening test fatigue for students and better enabling them to demonstrate what they know and are able to do.
● The tests continue to be untimed so students who are still working on their exams will be allowed to continue to work, within the confines of the regular school day. Students will be permitted to submit their assessment on their Chromebooks when finished as all grade levels will be participating in computer-based testing.
● Test questions reviewed and written by New York State Teachers. Hundreds of New York State educators were involved in creating and reviewing questions for the 2022 Grade 3-8 ELA and Math tests and selecting the questions for the test forms. This year, the assessments will also feature many test questions written by New York State teachers specifically for the annual New York State tests. The future goal is for all test questions to be written by NYS educators.
Computer-Based Testing
● Computer-based State Assessments. All students at the Upper Elementary will be participating in Computer Based Testing for the NYS ELA & Math exams. Students will be provided with scrap paper to write notes and work on problems as they take the assessment.
● Stronger instructional tools. The SED is helping districts begin to transition to computer-based testing (CBT), which has potential to make the assessments stronger instructional tools and will make it possible to receive feedback quicker.
● The move to CBT. The long-term plan is to have all districts across the state using CBT for annual state tests. All students at Westmoreland in grades 3-8 will be participating in computer-based testing.
The 2022 NYS ELA & Math assessments will be one of many various points of data we use to plan future instruction as we try to bridge academic gaps that have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The individual scores from the 2022 assessments will be used for our district's purpose only. Therefore, I am strongly encouraging parents to expect their child to participate in the two-day assessment process. This effort on your part to support student participation will reflect the partnership between home and school, similar to the one between the NYS Education Department and the Westmoreland Central School District.
I have all the confidence in our students and staff. They work very diligently every day. Your support in this effort to have all students participating in the assessment process is greatly appreciated. Please make sure that your child’s(ren) Chromebooks are charging the night before the assessment as they will be using them to take the test. Should you have questions about the schedule or process, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Trevor Haskel
Principal, Westmoreland Upper Elementary School
To view a PDF version of this letter, click here.