11/18/22
Brrrrr. 10 days ago, I was hitting a golf ball on a lovely fall afternoon. Today and this weekend will be a harsh reminder of our midwestern reality. Things were good this week with a Dessert Day, band and orchestra concerts, an awesome assembly, the 8th graders going over to SHS for a musical and a couple of basketball games. There are a few 8th grade items related to placement procedures for SHS.
Woodlawn and D96 schools will be closed from Wednesday, November 23rd through November 27th. I know this is heartbreaking, but there will not be a Principal's Message next Friday, November 25th.
School resumes on Monday, November 28th.
8th Grade World Languages Information
Dear Families -
In the month of December, 8th-grade students will participate in the AAPPL (The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) assessment to assess their communicative competency with the Spanish language. The purpose of this assessment is three-fold:
D96 will collect valuable data that will inform our instruction to continue to enhance our Spanish curriculum and instruction.
Stevenson High School will use this proficiency data to make initial recommendations for Spanish coursework when your student is in high school.
Students will have the opportunity to have experience with an assessment that can lead them to earn the Seal of Biliteracy on their High School diploma when they are in high school.
Tell me more about the assessment.
Your child’s Spanish Teacher will share the specific assessment schedule. The tasks included in this assessment are similar to tasks we use during our regular instruction and assessment cycle in Spanish classes. The students are asked to engage in interpretive listening and reading tasks. This includes listening or reading authentic Spanish pieces and answering questions, in English, about those pieces based on the language the students already know or the context given. Additionally, the students will respond to writing prompts in Spanish utilizing learned language skills. The final piece of the assessment is an interpersonal speaking opportunity in which your child will perform for the classroom teacher and will be scored based on a rubric co-constructed with all Spanish teachers across the consortium (D96, D102, D103, and D125) for consistency of expectations.
When will the test be administered?
Listening and Reading- December 8th from 1:06-2:30
Writing- December 9th from 1:06-2:30
What do students need?
Please make sure your student has headphones.
How will this information be used to make course recommendations?
Your student’s level of proficiency (interpretive listening and reading as well as writing) as indicated by this assessment combined with an analysis of their interpersonal speaking skills and teacher input will be used to make an initial course recommendation that is optimal for your student. You will receive this information in the mail in late January/early February prior to needing to select courses at Stevenson. You can find the specific course sequence in this course book. In general, recommendations will be made for the following courses based on this assessment:
Spanish 2
Spanish 2-3 Accelerated
Spanish 3-4 Accelerated
As this is a recommendation, your family will have the opportunity to provide input as you make the final selection for a course should your child choose to continue studying the Spanish language.
What is the Seal of Biliteracy?
The Seal of Biliteracy is intended to recognize students for multilingual skills and is indicated on a student’s high school diploma. Additionally, Illinois universities are obligated to offer college credit to students that have earned the Seal of Biliteracy by meeting the requirements.
For more information about this opportunity, use this link and click on the Seal of Biliteracy Tab.
CURRENT PATRIOT CONSORTIUM WORLD LANGUAGE PLACEMENT PROCESS
2023-2024 incoming Sender school students with prior coursework or experience, Heritage, or Native speakers interested in taking Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, or Latin must register for the benchmark exam scheduled for Saturday, December 17. Please visit the Stevenson website for more information and to register for the exam via this link. The deadline to register is Monday, December 12.
The purpose of the benchmark exam is two-fold:
As indicated by this assessment, your student's level of proficiency will be used to determine the appropriate level for course recommendation. This information will be mailed in mid-January prior to Stevenson's Course Selection evenings.
Course selection data collected is crucial to determining appropriate staffing, the number of seats, fiscal decisions, and building the master schedule for the following school year.
For more information, please visit the Stevenson website and Benchmark FAQ document. For additional questions, please email [email protected].
Current Patriot Consortium Mathematics Placement Process
The consortium has created criteria that defines the four strands of mathematical proficiency to highlight the attributes of a proficient mathematical thinker. The criteria are grouped into three categories (See chart on second page):
- Procedural Skills & Fluency (How well you can correctly use mathematics.)
- Conceptual Understanding (How well you utilize mathematical ideas, transfer your knowledge into new situations, and apply it to new contexts.)
- Problem Solving with Adaptive Reasoning and Strategic Competence (How well you can apply strategies and sound reasoning.)
Over the course of the year, the mathematics teachers will be discussing these criteria with the students in class to create a portrait of each student. This portrait will be used to recommend the students into the mathematics course at Stevenson High School that matches their content knowledge as well as level of mathematics proficiency at this time.
As a district and consortium, it is our vision that each student moves on to the next course in the sequence providing that there are no significant gaps in content knowledge. If there are significant gaps in content knowledge and a change in recommendation occurs, we will contact you. We feel that this process allows a mathematical picture of the student to develop over time, which will provide a more informed recommendation.
Course Sequence for Bridge Algebra 1 Students
-Algebra 1 with Mentor math or Algebra 1 with Math Guided Study will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-4
-Algebra 1 will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-4
Course Sequence for Algebra 1 Students
-Geometry will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-4
-Geometry Accelerated will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-4
Course Sequence for Geometry Students
-Algebra 2 will be recommended if students need to reinforce and refresh targets in Units 1-3
-Algebra 2 Accelerated will be recommended if students have mastered targets in Units 1-3
PORTRAIT OF A MATHEMATICALLY PROFICIENT STUDENT
Procedural Skills & Fluency
How well you can correctly use mathematics.
(skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately)
I can identify and use the most efficient method for the problem. (MP7)
I can use mathematical computations, terms, symbols, formulas, and language appropriately. (MP5, 6)
I can recognize the algebraic structure in problems and use rules or procedures to solve or simplify. (MP7)
I can solve problems with accuracy. (MP6)
Conceptual Understanding
How well you utilize mathematical ideas, transfer your knowledge into new situations, and apply it to new contexts.
(comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations, and relations)
I can use diagrams, pictures, and symbols to justify my work. (MP4)
I can understand and justify the “why” of the procedure. (MP3)
I can justify solutions algebraically, graphically, and numerically. (MP3)
I can explain my solution with sound mathematical reasoning using precise mathematics vocabulary and terminology. (MP3, 8)
I can determine the reasonableness of my answer. (MP2)
Problem Solving with Adaptive Reasoning and Strategic Competence
How well you can apply strategies and sound reasoning.
(capacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation, and justification and ability to formulate, represent, and solve mathematical problems)
I can select and use all the pertinent information to solve the problem. (MP2)
I can determine a solving strategy by forming logical relationships among concepts and situations. (MP7, 8)
I can represent a situation mathematically using modeling. (MP4)
I can retain and apply information and skills from previous units to solve problems alongside new concepts. (MP7,8)
I can make connections between multiple mathematical concepts to solve problems in unfamiliar situations. (MP7,8)
I can persevere when encountering new and difficult concepts.(MP1)
Aquí está la información matemática traducida al español.
Dance 1 Master Class at Stevenson High School - 8th Grade Students
Please join the Dance Teachers at Stevenson for a Dance 1 Master Class on Saturday, December 3 from 10am to 11:30am.
This class requires no experience and is for either those coming into the Dance program and those who may be interested but just aren't sure. Grab a friend and come to this casual, fun, free activity! You must sign up in advance so Register here."
Assembly
The students and staff enjoyed an assembly this week, learning about Brazilian culture and the African influences in some of the different dances and capoeira, a mixture of martial arts, dance, music, etc. The students were engaged, asked questions, and our 7th graders even participated in some capoeira moves.
Thank you to our PTO who sponsored this Cultural Arts event!
Visit the PTO Monthly Blog
Click here for the Woodlawn Daily Announcements
Finally, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Food, football, story telling, family and laughs. Tell me what could be better? I also love the days that follow. On Black Friday, I used to get up early with the other crazies and hunt down bargains from store to store. I would then come home and have my wife stash gifts while I took the kids to “the wilderness” (Home DePot) and hunt down a tree. The amazing part of this is all through their college years and even up to today, this has been our tradition. I love that my kids now drive this tradition and that they insist on going to “the wilderness” and choosing our tree. They criticize each other and the choices that are presented and laugh the whole time. Ultimately, we throw a tree on top of the SUV and get home to set it up. Saturday is decoration day and Sunday is breakfast and ornaments. Again, the great part here is that the kids drive all of these things and insist upon doing them together. What can I possibly be more thankful for?
On a side note, I am thankful for the staff, this community and all that you do to make Woodlawn a great place for your child to learn.
I hope that you and your family have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and just an amazing weekend.