Kitchen Table Blogs
Name: Victoria Sanchez
Kids: two sons, ages 15 and 13
Works: Milwaukee Public Library Education Specialist
Favorite part about being a mom: Watching my children become young adults.
Least favorite part about being a mom: Letting go.
Famous for: Coordinating carpool, summer camps, music lessons and soccer practice with military precision.
This week marks the start of the “testing window” as Wisconsin students will take the Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Examination (WKCE). The WKCE was implemented as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act which requires all states to test all students in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in high school—grade 10. Student performance on the WKCE is used to determine the adequate yearly progress (AYP) of students at the school, district, and state levels.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website the WKCE tests are intended to measure state academic standards. The WKCE measures achievement in reading, language applications, mathematics, science, and social studies using multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Students also provide a rough draft writing sample. WKCE test time varies by content area and grade.
How the results are used varies from district to district. As a parent I look at the results as a “snapshot” of my child—it gives me a glimpse of their academic ability, but certainly not the entire picture of who they are as students and learners. What can parents do to make sure their children do well on the tests? My advice is that at this point children know what they know—there is no point in cramming for the WKCE. There are several things you can do, however, to help your children prepare to do well on the tests.
The DPI website offers this advice to parents:
General Preparation:
Tags: testing : WKCE
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