In anticipation of the serve weather tomorrow and the possibility of school closings and delayed openings the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has postponed the administration of the Grade 4 MCAS ELA Long Composition test until Monday, March 25th. All schools must administer the test on this new date.
The long composition is when students are required to write a narrative, persuasive or informative essay depending on the writing prompt presented on the exam. The long composition requires a big invest in time from our fourth graders. Teachers and staff have worked diligently to prepare students for this assessment.
This change will result in an additional change to the previous MCAS Administration Schedule. The Grade 5 ELA MCAS Session 1 which was scheduled for March 25th will now be administered on Friday, March 22nd.
Parents can help in many ways to prepare their children for not only the long composition but other MCAS Exams by being present in school everyday unless they are sick. Also, arriving at school on time reduces stress and gives students an opportunity to connect with their friends and teacher prior to instruction and testing. A good night sleep is also critical to not only success on MCAS but, a typical school day. Most pediatricians recommend between 10-12 hours of sleep per day for 3-6 year olds and 10 to 11 hours per day for 7-12 year olds. In addition, providing children with time to play and a healthy diet are also fundamental to success.
Several students find that MCAS testing requires a substantial amount of energy and they are usually hungrier than on a typical school day. Parents might want to consider sending in an additional snack on a MCAS testing day.
Best of luck to everyone with the weather tomorrow!
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