MAP Testing, Differentiated Instruction & Schedule Changes

Beginning in January of 2011, Avicenna Academy will be utilizing Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing to provide us with quantitative, long-term data regarding your child's academic growth.  This data can be used not only to determine actual academic progress over the course of several years, but new data can be used to place your child according to his or her ability in any given subject area.  MAP is given three times throughout the academic year, so we can track progress during the school year instead of waiting for the annual ISTEP+ scores to tell us whether or not our teaching methods are working for our students. 

Specifically, with the MAP tests, we will be using results to place your students into ability groups according to subject areas so that advanced students are not bored and students who may be struggling with a particular subject are not frustrated.  For next semester, we will be using this information to place according to ability groups within classrooms.  All students in K and up will be tested.

Example: Students A and B are both in fourth grade.  They are both 9-year old, male students.  Student A tested at a third grade level for Math, while Student B tested at a 6th grade level for Math.  The teacher will look at the students' reports and place them into a grouping within their fourth grade classroom so that she may differentiate instruction according to their ability.  Specifically, she will teach a topic to all students, but she will alter something about the lesson so that Student A does not feel as if he is lost and not as smart as other students and so that Student B does not get bored and begin to "check out" mentally.

Differentiated instruction is a key phrase in education that implies that the teacher is going to alter her teaching method to fit the students' needs.  We no longer live in a world where we expect students to sit silently in their seats and listen while we stand up front and talk at them.  Instead, through countless studies over several decades, educators have found out, to nobody's surprise, that we all learn differently.  Our current culture is one where children are exposed to things like television and video games which flash thousands of images at them within a minute.  Students of today do not learn the same way their parents did even 20 years ago.  Because of this, professional educators have created teaching methods to reach students where they are so that they may lead them to where they need to be and beyond, if their ability allows. 



In order for our teachers to differentiate instruction in an appropriate way, we must first know where our students are, hence the use of MAP.

MAP is given at the beginning, middle and end of the year so that we can not only track student progress, but if a student's ability changes, he or she may be placed in a different group with instruction that's appropriate for that child. 

To accomodate for the long-term goals of the school as they pertain to our students' growth, the school day will be elongated from the current 7 hour day to a 7.5 hour day.  We will be dismissing at 3:30pm instead of 3pm.  This schedule change allows for a few important modifications to our school day:

1) We can organize the day so that classes that require utilization of particular "parts" of the brain are consolidated, lessening the transition time required for focus between subject areas.

2) We can allow our students a small break in the morning for them to eat their snack and socialize instead of eating snack while working.  This provides them with an opportunity to take a break and not become overwhelmed with their studies. 

3) We can add time to Arabic, Quran and Islamic Studies, the three classes that parents have specifically requested be elongated. 

4) We will add formal computer courses and a more appropriate PE curriculum to our school week.  Technology is especially important today as we are a global society, competing for jobs anywhere in the world.  And, increasing our physical dexterity and skill will not only provide opportunity for our students to be more active and healthy, but will allow their minds another break from strict academic courses.

I realize that there are many changes coming up, but I assure you that I've worked hard to assess the needs of our students and of the school itself and truly believe that the changes we are making this coming semester will lead Avicenna in the right direction.  Our children have an amazing ability level and I want to make sure they are challenged appropriately.

If you have any questions, as always, please feel free to contact me.  I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my ideas with you and to get your feedback.