At Hockinson Heights Elementary School, preparing for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is an ongoing part of how students learn and build academic confidence throughout the year. Third-grade classrooms at Hockinson Heights Elementary School have been incorporating SBAC preparation into their daily routine since the beginning of the school year.
Third-grade teachers recognize how unfamiliar and dense some of the associated academic vocabulary can be, since this is the first year these students will be tested. “We tackle that head-on by weaving those terms into our everyday lessons throughout the year,” shares Natalia Christofferson, third-grade teacher at HHES. “It's amazing how naturally the kids pick it up this way!”
Christofferson also uses SBAC questions from previous years that have been released to educators to help students become familiar with the types of questions asked. To keep writing lessons engaging, students began writing about topics that interest them. Then, students tailor their work to align with a writing style they have learned about, such as informational, narrative, or opinion writing. Students use SBAC rubrics to score their own writing pieces and set goals for improvement.
“It’s like training wheels - we start with what’s comfortable and build from there,” she explains. We're building these skills naturally through our regular classroom activities, which makes it so much more meaningful!
The Wonders curriculum also plays a big role in strengthening students’ reading comprehension skills. Since the fall, Christofferson’s students have been practicing how to take quality notes, extract relevant information, and support their ideas with evidence from the text.
The entire HHES community is working together to ensure students feel confident and prepared for testing. This month, all students in third, fourth, and fifth grade are taking the Interim Comprehensive Assessment (ICA) to practice navigating the online platform, experience different question types, and build test-taking stamina. Teachers are simulating testing conditions and reviewing frequently missed questions to tailor subsequent classroom lessons.
This year’s video game-centric testing theme is “Hornets are ready to LEVEL up on the test!” Students are receiving notes of encouragement from those in their buddy classrooms and Super Mario-themed stickers. Next month, students will watch a fun video featuring staff members to get excited for testing, dress up for Friday Spirit Days, and enjoy a spirit assembly.
Principal Meredith Gannon and Associate Principal Michael Olson are visiting classrooms to offer encouragement and review testing expectations, and the Parent Volunteer Team (PWT) is providing snacks during state testing. Families will receive tips in their email and in the school newsletter on how to support students at home.
Way to go, Hockinson Heights Elementary! We are confident that the hard work and preparation poured into preparing our students will shine through in their performance.