SOLON & BEYOND: Solon elementary students to take assessment exams

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

This is a continuation of the school Maine Education Assessment Takes on a New Form. Last spring Maine students did not take the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) because of the pandemic. This spring the test will resume, but it has a new form.

The Maine Department of Education has contracted with the Northwest Educational Association (NWEA) to use their test as the state assessment. Students in grades 3-8, and 11 will take tests in reading, language use, and 11th graders will take tests in reading, language use, and math, and students in grades 5,8, and 11 will also take a science test. All of these tests will be taken online.

We are fortunate that the NWEA has been our district test for a number of years so our students and staff are familiar with it. Our K-5 students currently take the NWEA three times a year (fall, winter, and spring) so that we can measure their academic growth across the year. The state will collect students scores for the first time this spring, but going forward they will require both fall and spring scores.

Our students will take these tests during the month of May. Teachers are preparing students by reviewing multiples choice test taking strategies as well as reviewing content concepts. K-2 students will take the tests for the district, but their scores will not be collected by the state.

If you have any questions about this new state assessment, please contact your child’s teacher or the principal. Please encourage your child or children to do their best!

That is all the recent news I have. Thanks to the school for sharing all the things going on with our students, it is very interesting.

As you know, since I don’t receive very much recent news lately, I have been going through old papers, etc., to find things to write about to give you a laugh or share love.

The following is some things I shared when I was writing for the Somerset Reporter and my by-line was SOLON the friendliest town in the state. The issue was from an issue on February 24, 1987 and it starts: Good morning my friends, as I have often written in the past, us reporters must experience life in order to be able to write about it. I can report to you as a definite fact that there are many people going to Job Service and the unemployment office because I’ve been there several times, lately (didn’t get any calls on that course I told you about!) It would be a miracle if I got a job through Job Service because on the form I filled out it asked what school you graduated from, and I put Flagstaff High School, then it wanted the address of this school and I put , “Under the Flagstaff Lake” – there is no ZIP code there.

Had a wonderful visit with my mother last Saturday and I found out that she also collects poems, sayings, etc. This one is so true- – Money will buy a bed but not sleep, books but not brains, food but not appetite, finery but not beauty, a house but not a home, medicine but not health, luxuries but not culture, amusement but not happiness, religion but not salvation, a passport to everywhere but heaven.

Just remember you read it in the Summerset Reporter! There was also a picture I had taken of five girls and under it said, “The Solon Elementary Knitting Class on Graduation day!” but it didn’t tell their names.

Have a wonderful day. Love many things for therein lies the true strength and whoever loves much performs much and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well. Author unknown.