Reading Test This Week

Evaluation and Placement Process for This Year’s Second Graders Under Way; Reading Test This Week

The parents and guardians of all second-graders in Wicomico County Public Schools received a letter last week updating them on the placement process for grade 3, including the process for invitation to participate in the Magnet Program.

The process of evaluating all second graders for appropriate placement for the 2010-11 school year will continue through June, and parents and guardians will receive a letter July 9 either inviting their child to participate in the Magnet Program, or stating that the child will attend the regularly assigned school.

As part of the evaluation and placement process, all second-graders will take the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test for Word Decoding, Word Knowledge and Comprehension on May 18 and 19. Second-grade students in private and parochial schools may also take these tests; parents and guardians should call the Division of Instruction at 410-677-4559 to determine the school at which their child would be tested. Math skills and knowledge will be assessed through the Second Grade Cumulative Assessment, to be administered in late May.

Meeting the needs of high performing learners has been discussed in detail for the past several months by the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on Addressing the Needs of High Performing Learners in Wicomico County Elementary Schools. The committee’s work is ongoing, but has already yielded the revised set of criteria for identifying high performing learners that will be used in determining grade 3 student placement for next year in both the Magnet Program and other schools. (No changes are planned in the Grade 4 and 5 Magnet Program for next year.)

Current second graders will be considered for the Magnet Program for the 2010-11 school year based on multiple measures including grades, scores on Reading and Mathematics assessments, teacher ratings, and other factors. Between now and the end of the school year, a team at each school will evaluate each child’s educational qualifications for third grade. A district-level High Performing Learners Placement Committee will review the evaluation of each second grader to determine which students would be best suited for the Magnet Program.

Parents and guardians of second graders have also been invited to fill out and return to the school a Student Profile Form listing awards, achievements and activities that help provide a fuller picture of the student. The Student Profile Form (also available at www.wcboe.org under Parents) must be returned to the child’s current school by May 28. This form will be forwarded to the committee that will recommend students for the Magnet Program. The form will also be forwarded to either the student’s regularly assigned school for third grade, or the Magnet Program in which the child enrolls. Parents and guardians of second-grade students in private and parochial schools who wish their child to be evaluated for grade 3 placement in Wicomico County Public Schools should fill out and return the Student Profile Form to Mrs. Susan Jones, Director of Elementary Education, Wicomico County Public Schools, PO Box 1538, Salisbury, MD 21802, by May 28.

Many frequently asked questions about the student placement process for grade 3 and the Magnet Program are answered below. Anyone with additional questions should contact the student’s current principal or, if the student currently attends a private or parochial school, the Division of Instruction at 410-677-4559.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MAGNET PROGRAM

What is the Magnet Program?

GO HERE to read more.