Dear Families,

Welcome to second grade with Miss Allen! I am looking forward to a year full of fun,
learning, and growth. As your child progresses in their learning throughout the year, they will be
assessed and evaluated in a variety of ways in order to ensure they reach their full potential. All
grades can be accessed via Canvas and are frequently updated throughout the school week.
Students in second grade will not be taking any SOL standardized testing, but some may take the
PALS test if they are a new student to Virginia or received intervention during the summer.
Additionally, students may take the PALS test during the Fall depending on benchmark scores
(University of Virginia, 2017). These tests are not to show how much your student does not
know, but rather to see where they need help to grow.

Your student will be evaluated through various uses of assessment including, but not
limited to: formative assessment (provide information to students and teachers to determine what
learning comes next, but are not used to report academic progress), summative assessment (used
to report academic progress at various points throughout a term), and personal goal setting. Your
child will be required to set attainable academic goals at the beginning of each month. This
serves as motivation to reach high expectations and increases the child’s motivation to learn.

For example, this year your students will be learning about famous Americans in History
and English class (History & Social Science Standards of Learning, 2015). They will be tasked
with creating a poster board explaining the life, achievements, and contributions of their selected
historical figure. They will learn about these figures through various modes of instruction
including literature, primary sources, and direct instruction. The teacher will use formative
assessment when teaching about these figures and throughout the construction of the poster
boards to determine where the student is at on their learning journey and if they require any
additional direction or assistance.

This is important because “literature can develop and expand multicultural

understandings by depicting experiences that are common to all and by relating the things that
make each cultural group special.” (Mark, 1998). This may also serve as a review of what the
student has learned in previous grade levels. This lesson will assist students in making,
confirming, or revising predictions, comparing and contrasting settings, characters, and events,
using vocabulary from other content areas, setting a purpose for reading, and making
connections between previous experiences and reading selections.

Educational research suggests that a student’s academic performance is optimized when

teachers establish and communicate clearly defined instructional objectives, use a variety of
instructional approaches, provide “second chance” opportunities for students to demonstrate
learning and establish a grading system that reports academic achievement.( Sorcinelli, M.D.,
1991). All objectives will be closely aligned with the SOL standards for second grade to ensure
all students are at or above grade level.

Student performance on formative assessments, including practice work and in-class

assignments will continually be entered into the grade book on Canvas and shared with families
throughout the school year. Students will also receive ongoing feedback about their learning
based on the results of these formative assessments. If you have any questions or concerns
regarding your students grades, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am looking forward to an
exciting year and cannot wait to watch your student grow. Welcome to second grade!

Warmly,

Miss Allen

Sources

Sorcinelli, M.D. (1991). Research findings on the seven principles. In A.W. Chickering
& Z.F. Gamson (Eds.) Applying the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate
education (pp. 13-25). New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 47. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass

Jordan, Mark, "The Use of African American Children’s Literature in the Classroom"
(1998). Education and Human Development Master's Theses. 888.
https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/ehd_theses/888

Board of Education, Commonwealth of Virginia. (2015). Virginia Standards of Learning

For History & Social Science: Second Grade. Retrieved from
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/frameworks/english_framewks/2010/framework_englis
h_k-5.pdf

U. (n.d.). Pals. Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://pals.virginia.edu/parents-child.html