Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Feb. 14, 2002, edition 1 / Page 3
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Parents get crack at EOG tests BY FELEC1A P MCMILLAN COMMUNITY CORRESPt )NI)IM Parents al Easlon Elementary School are gearing up lo cheer their children to victory on the end-of-grade test (EOG). For the third year. Patsy Squire, curricu lum coordinator and president of the Phi Delta Kappa educational sorority, introduced parents to the makeup of the end-of-grade tests for grades three, four, and five. Members of the Phi Delta Kappa sorority served as proctors for the simulated testing experi e n c e . They also provided refresh ments for all partic i p a n t s , and child S"u,re care for the 38 children who cjime with their parents. Thirty-five parents came out to take the test in the Easton cafeteria on Saturday morning. Squire wants to ensure that parents are aware of the chal lenges their students face on this test. She received clearance for this activity from Alice Walker, the director of accountability and testing for Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Students on the traditional school calendar will take the EOG dur ing the May 6-10 testing window and those on the year-round schedule will take the test during the May 13-17 window. Howev er, according to Marty Ward, pro gram evaluation manager, the calendar could change due to snow days. Squire believes that time on task in and out of class is the key to success on the EOG. She expressed this to the parents. "Parents, please make sure that your children do their home work. Actively look for the homework packets. If there is math you do not understand, please work with the teachers." Squire said. "We have to take homework seriously, and we must raise our children's level of respect for their teachers....We also encourage teachers to give quality homework assignments," The actual tests for the EOG contain 80 items in math and 56 68 items in reading. The 80-item tests are administered in mathe matics computation and mathe matics applications. The reading is assessed by having students readq?assages and answer ques tions directly related to the pas sages. .The 10 passages on the test are authentic reading selec tions in content areas (art, sci ence, health, mathematics and social studies), and consumer and practical selections (pam phlets, recipes, and projects). Squire encouraged parents to encourage their children to read from magazines such as "Nation al Geographic," "Highlights." "Sports Illustrated," "Life," "Time" and many others. She also encouraged them to take their children grocery shopping and allow them to weigh pro duce, estimate the price reduc tion percentages for sale items and to model reading in front of the students. The parents expressed con cerns and compliments after tak ing the test. Areatha Williams has a son. Austin, in the fifth grade. She came to take the test so that she can make sure that she reinforces the skills needed at home that the teacher explains in the class room. "This way. the test will he more comprehendible for my son. It will not he something new that he is seeing for the first time." Williams said. "I noticed that there was a lot of converting on the test, from ounces to pounds, from inches to feet, and so on. I also hope that the teach ers are stressing the formulas for volume, perimeter, radius and other math terms." Sherilena Staten said. "I real ly enjoyed taking the pre-test. It was proof of how long it has been since I was in school. I rec ommend that Easton continue with this process. It gives us par ents a guidance tool to show where we can help our children in their weak and strong areas concerning reading and math." Claire Rising has twin boys - Brice and Brandon - who are in fourth grade. This was the first time she has been exposed to the test. "This exposure allows par enls to be better informed about their child, to know what to con centrate on. I am amazed at what fourth-graders have to do these days." Rising said. Martina Coya. mother-of Juana Bentura. a third-grader, said. "That was tough. I did not expect that. It is nothing like it was when I was in school." Sl^was amazed at all of the math concepts - such as angles, exponents, area, volume, median - and other terms that the stu dents were expected to know. Chandra Singleton has a daughter. Charay Davis, in third grade. Singleton received a prize as a parent for getting all of the math problems correct. "I think this is a good test. They should have been doing it years ago," she said. "I have a sixth-grader, and this early test ing would have benefited him as a student." Julius Davis, a grandparent of Keneisha Davis, third-grader, spoke about the reading. "The reading part was very tricky. I thought the math was all right, but the, phrasing of the questions on the reading was confusing," Davis said. "The test makes the students think, but it See EOG on A10 Photo by Felecia McMillan Parents try their hands at the end-of-grade test, which is required of students in North Car olina. Police accepting applications for Citizen's Academy SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE The Police Department is accepting applications for the spring class of the Citizen's Police Academy, which will start March 5, The Citizen's Police Acade my is designed to increase com munity support and awareness about police operations by mak ing citizens aware of the admin istrative philosophy, internal policies and guidelines, princi ples of law and ethical conduct governing the delivery of police services within our community. The Citizen's Police Acade my curriculum is an abbreviated version of recruit training for new police officers. Citizens graduate with a better under standing of police officer'train ing and decision making.'and day-to-day police operations. The Citizen's Police Acade my will provide 36 hours of scheduled classroom instruc tion. Students can supplement their classroom training by rid ing with police officers on patrol. The Citizen's Police Acade my will meet from 6:30- 9:30 on Tuesday evenings for 12 weeks, starting March S and graduating May 21. Classes will be held at the Public Safety Center, 725 N. Cherry Street. Enrollment is open to any citizen 18 years of age or older who resides or works in Win ston-Salem. Anyone interested in attending the Citizen's Police Academy may call the Winston Salem Police Department Recruiting Unit for an applica tion at 773-7925, or e-mail the request for an application to recruit@wspd.org. The class will be limited to 30 applicants. The Winston-Salem Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. State moves to collect on bad support checks SPICI\l Id rHECHRONICLE RALEIGH - Starting last week, those who pay child sup port will want to double-check their bank account before they lick that stamp. If the check bounces, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will give the check writer 15 days to make good before refer ring the matter to the court sys tem for collection. "We've been trying to col lect without resorting to the courts. That hasn't been work ing," said Gary Fuquay, con troller for the department. Parents who receive child support will not see a change, because N.C. Child Support Central Collections sends them their money before the noncus todial parent's check clears the hank. When an insufficient check comes in, it is the state that pays. "This cost saving measure could save the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. While that won't fill the budget hole, it will certainly help." Fuquay said. The state gets 2,50() bad child support checks totaling about $850,000 every year. Cur rently. the state holds $169,509 in bad checks sent from employ ers. and $461,088 sent from individuals. Donna Moye, manager of the Wake County District Attor ney's Worthless Check Deferred Prosecution Program, says they stand ready to help the state col lect these funds. I National Condom Day \ SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE An article in last week's issue of The Chronicle gave the wrong date for National Condom Day. In fact, Feb. 14 is National Condom Day - "Your life is in your hands." Information will be available from 1-6 p.m. inside CVS Drug Store at East Winston Shopping Center. Information will be available on HIV/STD prevention and testing loca tions. Free gifts will be given away. Stop by and see us! The event -is courtesy of POSSE (Prevent Ongoing Spread of STDs Everywhere). Call 722 5774 for more information. www.wschronicle.com Attorney General Roy Cooper is seeking 11 outstanding North Carolina residents to serve on the Board of Directors of the Health Foundation for North Carolina. This Foundation has been created in anticipation of the conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina to a for-profit corporation. The mission of the Foundation will he to promote the health of the people of North Carolina. Board members should he creative, independent thinkers who have the vision to lead the Foundation in fulfilling its purpose. Applicants must he North Carolina residents who have significant experience, education or expertise in one or more of the following areas: > health care; >? public health or social welfare; >? asset management and investment; > corporate securities transactions; ? non-profit organizations or grantmaking foundations; or ? organization development or management. Consideration shall he given to ensuring that the Board represents the diversity of North Carolina's population. The Board of Directors will not he compensated except for a stipend to prepare for and attend meetings. Members will he appointed to two- or four-year terms. Resumes should be accompanied by a one-page letter explaining the applicant's interest and qualifications and submitted no later than MarcH 8, 2002 to the attention of: Attorney General Roy Cooper C/O Board Search - Health Foundation for NC 201 South Tryon St. Suite 130, P.M.B. 141 Charlotte, NC 28202 p| Email: infb0andersonexecsearch.com Fax: 704-347-0064 N<* Paid f >r ar Taxpayer Expense
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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