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Shalom Harlem Hebrew Families, 

I hope your weeks have been off to wonderful starts. I write you with very important news. 

New York State recently announced that the math and English Language Arts (ELA) state assessments will take place this April and May for students in grades 3-8 attending hybrid classes. The ELA assessment will take place the week of April 19, and the math assessment will take place the week of May 3. Students who are in our remote only program will not participate in this year’s assessment.

We know this may come as a surprise and is very short notice! As we prepare for the state assessments, we are keeping our OLAM values front and center. To that end, and in acknowledgment of the unique circumstances this year, we will be encouraging all students to try their best, while keeping the state test in their appropriate context. There are two important updates we want to share with you.

  1. To ensure students are familiar with the bubble sheets and the longer format of the state assessments, there will be an ELA “dress rehearsal” the week of April 12, where students will take a practice assessment in a similar setting as the following week’s exam. The Dress Rehearsal will be for Cohort A on 4/13 and on 4/16 for Cohort B. Remote students will not take the Dress Rehearsal.
  2. As you recall, the week of 4/5 is a Remote week for all students. On 4/9 we will have a half day, with our class schedule ending at noon, so our teachers can participate in a professional development session on State Exam Logistics.
  • ALL HYBRID STUDENTS PK-8: Your school day will end at 12pm on 4/9. All school staff will be needed at our staff training to ensure that the plan for the state exam is entirely ready. This includes our PreK-2 teachers and leaders who will need to be aware of the plan for testing in the upper grades and be ready to support. 
  • ALL REMOTE STUDENTS PK-8: Your school day will end at 12pm on 4/9. All school staff will be needed at our staff training to ensure that the plan for the state exam is entirely ready. While our Remote teachers may not be directly involved in the exam since their students are not taking it, they still need to be trained in the school-wide systems that will be in place for the exams.   

Some questions you may have, and their answers, are below in our FAQ section. 

Finally, the state assessments reflect grade level content standards, and so does our year round curriculum! In both ELA and math, students have been learning deeply and broadly about things like finding a main idea in a passage, parsing word problems, math fluency, and so much more. We are incredibly proud of our students’ growth in this unprecedented year.

In partnership and Harlem Hebrew Together,
Emily Carson, Head of School
Emily Fernandez, Chief Schools Officer
Jon Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don’t want my child to take this test? 
We understand that some families may not want their child to take the state exams. SCHOOL NAME is committed to doing everything in our power to set your children up for success and create a calm and productive testing experience. 

If you decide you want to opt out your student from the state exam, please complete this form no later than 4/9. If you have multiple students in grades 3-8 who will opt out of the exam, please complete the survey multiple times, once for each student.

In the event that your child opts out, they will be provided with a work packet that they can complete remotely at home or in school. This will count for their attendance that day. 

My child is remote. Will they be expected or able to participate in state tests?
No, only hybrid students will participate in the state tests this year. The tests can only be administered in person, and students who would not otherwise be attending school in person ARE NOT expected to return for state testing.

How will Hebrew Public use my child’s state test results?
Hebrew Public will not use state test results to make promotional decisions. It will simply be one piece of information that we share with you and your child’s teachers to support their academic growth. It will not count as a grade in our gradebook in any way. 

How will the test results be used for DOE middle school and high school admissions?
We do not yet know how the DOE will use the 2021-2022 test scores for middle and high school admission, but we will update you with guidance as soon as we receive it. We do not expect it to be used to make any admissions decisions based on current guidance we’ve been given. 

My child receives accommodations in their IEP. Will those be provided?
Yes, all accommodations will be provided during the state assessment and during the dress rehearsal.

When will I receive my child’s test results?
We do not know an exact date yet. Based on prior years we would expect to receive the results from the state mid to late summer. We will share it with you as soon as we have it. 

What are the exact dates of the test?

Cohort A (students who come to school in person on Mondays/Tuesdays)
ELA
Dress Rehearsal: Tuesday, April 13
State Assessment: Tuesday, April 20
Makeup State Assessment: Tuesday, April 27
Math
State Assessment: Tuesday, May 4
Makeup State Assessment: Tuesday, May 11

Cohort B (students who come to school in person on Thursdays/Fridays)
ELA
Dress Rehearsal: Friday, April 16
State Assessment: Thursday, April 22
Makeup State Assessment: Thursday, April 29
Math
State Assessment: Thursday, May 6
Makeup State Assessment: Friday, May 14

As a reminder, fully remote students WILL NOT participate in this year’s state assessments.

Will this year’s state assessment be different from other years?
Typically, the assessments were multiple days and consisted of a mix of multiple choice and short answer questions. This year, each assessment will be one day and will only include multiple choice questions.

What can I do at home to help my child prepare for the state assessments?
Academically, there’s nothing special that needs to be done at home! The best practices year round, like reading lots of books and actively participating in class, are the best way to prepare for the state assessments. 

Logistically, we expect students to arrive at school on time for both the dress rehearsal and state assessment days. Students should eat breakfast, and we will also have school breakfast available. 

If your child is nervous about the state assessments, you can talk about strategies for staying calm (deep breathing, silent stretching in the seat) and remind them of the skills and strategies they have been practicing all year, such as using the Strategic Reading Plan and the Mathematician’s Plan.

 I have additional questions, who can I ask?
Please reach out to opsteam@harlemhebrewcharter.org or you can reach out to your child’s teacher!
Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School
147 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York, NY 10026
Harlem Hebrew is part of the Hebrew Public network of schools

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