Standardized Testing
Each student in the St. Mary's Middle School will be taking a standardized test over the next two weeks. These tests provide an opportunity for your son to demonstrate their skills in specific academic areas and to allow them to measure their skills against other students taking the same test all around the world. This information can also provide an opportunity for the school to better understand your child and to help them with areas that may need strengthening.
It is important that we keep a balanced perspective on what these tests mean for your son. They certainly don't tell the whole story about academic performance and they aren't particularly good predictors about how your son is going to do academically in the future or about how successful they might be as a person. I am a firm believer that the most important attributes in life (honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion, kindness.....St. Mary's Core Values) are the most difficult to measure and certainly aren't measured on a standardized test.
I am increasingly convinced that hard work, delayed gratification, giving of one's best effort, resilience, passion, creativity, flexibility, humility initiative, and a spirit of cooperation are all some of the other attributes that will take your son much farther in life than mere high standardized test scores. I do believe, however, that whenever a task is set before your son it is important that their best effort provides an opportunity for us, as adults, to use these results to better help your son grow as a student. Without a good night's rest, a serious attitude, a good breakfast in preparation for the tests and a confident attitude the results will not be a measure by which we can be confident that they are a reflection of your son's abilities. Please help us make these tests as meaningful as possible.
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