Our motto, “whatever it takes”

At Community Outreach Academy Elementary School, everything we do is motivated by student achievement. Our motto, “whatever it takes” asks all staff members to do whatever is necessary to ensure that our students can succeed.
Every spring our school, together with all California schools, administers California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests to all students in grades 3–6. These tests are administered in a controlled environment to ensure that our students have all the tools necessary for success.

Every year, when the California Department of Education publishes the CAASPP test scores, educational leaders throughout the state pay close attention to the results to see how their schools and districts rate in relation to the previous year. Every school is unique and has its own strong points and weak points. The administration of the school is responsible for drawing attention to the strong points while also working on improving the weak ones. Every day requires a balance of improving certain areas and maintaining standards in positive areas.

Educational leaders understand that a variety of measures are needed to reach certain goals. They use summative assessments and formative assessments to address accountability, instructional and learning needs. Summative assessments are administered at the end of a unit, semester, or year. Their results are useful in helping schools adjust the instructional program to future needs. Formative assessment is a test or series of tests that teachers use to learn what their students know. These tests are administered frequently by teachers during instructional units to asses student learning as it happens. Formative assessments provide information that helps each teacher adjust instruction so as to improve learning. Teachers use different types of assessment, including private conferences, projects, portfolios, essays, and presentations. The research is clear: formative assessments increase student achievement.

What can you, as parents, do to ensure that your children are getting the best education possible? The California Department of Education website (https://www.caschooldashboard.org) allows parents to access information about test scores, suspension and graduation rates, and other important factors that allow parents to monitor their child’s progression toward college and careerreadiness. All parents are welcome to visit this page and see where the school they have chosen for their children ranks in the California education system.

Larissa Gonchar, Principal