Q.  How are SNOW DAYS called in APS? (Answer adapted from Superintendent Beth Everitt’s message).

A. First and foremost, the safety of the students and APS employees is the reason to alter a schedule. With 407 buses and 32,221 miles of road to navigate each day, there are a series of events that occur before a snow day is called. Calling a snow day and/or any other emergency is a team approach. When there is a report of potential bad weather, various local and national weather services are contacted for up-to date information. The school bus contractors are in contact with APS officials to share safety information. By 5:00 am, a decision is made and by 5:30 am the media is contacted by Rigo Chavez, Director of Community Relations. With severe weather, a decision is made the previous night.

This is the ideal sequence, but sometimes the weather changes after this time frame, which occurred last week. The snow became more intense after the students arrived at school. Since it takes at least an hour to arrange for buses to pick up students, the decision for an early release had to be made while weather was still being monitored. Some weather reports showed continued snow periodically through the afternoon. Road conditions vary across APS , so streets may be dry in one part of town while icy in another. Buses are tiered and serve several areas, so calling a delay day for only one school is not feasible.


Q. I keep hearing from my child’s teacher that Oñate uses a Balanced Literacy program. I would appreciate more information.

A. There is a district wide goal in APS to implement a research-based literacy model at every school. The Oñate staff, in conjunction with the Instructional Council, considered several different models and decided that Balanced Literacy provided solid instruction in the reading area. Essential elements include:
     • APS Literacy Standards and District Core Curriculum are aligned         with the NM State Standards and Benchmarks;
     • Instructional time and resources dedicated to literacy;
     • On-going assessment that drives instruction and determines appropriate interventions;
     • A variety of instructional approaches used to meet learning needs;
     • Instruction organized around a variety of groupings;
     • A range of reading materials appropriately matched to student needs and;
     • Administrative knowledge of the instructional model and support for implementation.


Q. I am confused about some vocabulary used by my child’s teacher. Could you explain what standards are?

A. Academic Content Standards describe what students should know and be able to do at certain grade levels. These are generally very broad statements.
 

Performance Standards are levels of performance of tasks that students must reach to demonstrate that they have met the Academic Content Standards. Performance Standards are specific learning expectations for particular grade levels.
 

Power Standards represent the essential and enduring core knowledge and skills that students must have to move to the next level of instruction. A district or school (through consensus) determines Power Standards. They are much more specific and are the most important aspects of the Standards framework. They represent the absolute essentials for student success.

Performance Assessments are evaluations used to determine a student’s progress toward meeting academic standards.

Rubrics (Scoring Guides) are documents used to determine whether the work is exemplary, proficient, progressing toward the standard, or not yet meeting the standard.

There are NO letter grades in a pure standards system. The Oñate staff has worked hard to identify the essential Power Standards at their grade levels. This takes time, communication and a shift in thinking. Eventually all of our report cards will look very different and will utilize the standards based terminology.

 

Q. I am curious about why schools have Inservice Days? Shouldn’t our children be in school?

A. Educating children is an on-going challenge and requires a great deal of commitment, hard work and on-going professional development. Onate staff and faculty prides itself in its efforts to explore new teaching methods and strategies and analyze the most current educational research. That requires more concentrated time than just a few minutes a day, which explains how important those inservice days are. While we appreciate the fact that child care during those times may cause families some concern, we cannot emphasize enough how that time continues to improve our education practices. Hopefully, Campfire services available during those times accommodate your needs.

Topics highlighted during those days have focused on Curriculum Mapping, Technology, Standards Based Education, Data Analysis, Balanced Literacy, Math, Assessment, Fine Arts, and reviewing the Onate EPSS (Educational Plan for Student Success).

Q. What is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?

A.  AYP stands for adequate yearly progress. It represents the annual academic performance targets in reading and math that the state, school districts and schools must reach to be considered on track with the federally mandated goal of 100% proficiency by school year 2013-2014.

Q.  Who has to make Adequate Yearly Progress?

A. The state, school districts, schools, subgroups within schools.  The subgroups include the following categories:  Ethnicity/race

                                 Economically disadvantaged

                                  Students with disabilities who have IEP's (individual education plan)

                                  English language learners

Standards Based Assessment for 2004-2005

                            The charts below display the results of the 2004-2005 Standards Based Assessment our Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade students took.  This is the same test they will be taking now March 6- 17, 2006. 

*****This will be a continuing feature of our website. If you have any questions or concerns please submit them to mailto:chavez_ani@aps.edu.