I hope you enjoyed your break, got some rest and were able to spend quality time with family. I had the opportunity to spend time with my granddaughter, and it was a lot of fun. She is 19 months old now and kept pointing at me saying, “Vacation?” As I watch her grow, it just reinforces for me that all kids can learn at high levels. It’s important for all of us to erase achievement gaps before preschool ever starts.

Well, with spring break now behind us, we have one quarter left in our school year. It is so important to keep our momentum going forward as we round that final turn. As you know, our focus this year is to “Go for the gold,” and it is critical as we hit this time of year that we remember the school year is more like a marathon or decathlon rather than a sprint or a swimming event. While the swimming and gymnastics meets are wonderful to watch and full of exciting endings, it is the endurance and strength required for the marathon or decathlon that we call upon at this point in the school year to drive us on. It is very important that we maximize the learning for these remaining days because once they pass, they will be gone forever.

With the changes that have been made to the state assessments, we will continue to work to ensure that all of our kids reach proficiency. It is so important that we stay focused on doing what is best for our kids. I believe that the new assessment that will begin in 2011 will address concerns that many have had for a long time with the current system. An example of a good change is that the testing will take place during the last 14 days of the school year. The biggest concern we have, and one that is shared in school districts across the state, is what happens during the interim period while the new test is being developed. We continue to be committed to help all of our kids reach proficiency by answering the following four questions: 1. What is it that we expect our students to learn? 2. How will we know if they learned it? 3. What will we do if they don’t learn it? and 4. What will we do if they already know it? These have been the guiding questions for us, and no matter what test is developed, they are still very pertinent and must be answered. I am optimistic about the future!

We are now beginning to receive more information on the parameters for funding we will receive via the stimulus package. This is a one-time opportunity for us to put some things in place to impact student achievement. Please know that the funding we receive will not be recurring, so it must be treated on a year-to-year, one-time basis. With that in mind, we are asking staff to develop and submit ideas on how to best maximize these one-time dollars. If you have ideas, please be sure to share them with your school principal, your director or me directly. We value your input and want to make sure that we maximize this effort.

We’re down to the last 42 days of the school year – so let’s make every minute count!