Home Cafeteria Classrooms School Information Weekly Newsletter
Dear Parents:
It has come to my attention that there has been some confusion regarding computer grades and the grading scale in grades 4-8. I would like to take this time to clarify the grading process in computers. At this time, the computer grade that is listed on the report card under "Computers" is a Keyboarding grade. Grades that students receive on projects completed using the computer are integrated with the core subject grade and is left up to the assigning teacher to determine the process that is used.
In December 2005 I received the new High School recommendation forms. The schools have added a technology section on the second page of the form. The first part of this section is Keyboarding. There are four levels to choose from. Novice, Apprentice, Proficient, Advanced. To be considered at the Proficient level, a student must be typing at least 30 words per minute by 8th grade. Below is a copy of the grading scale that I currently use in class. It is listed on the back of each student’s paper. Because of the new recommendations from the high schools this year we will have to look at revising the grading scale for the next school year.
As each student progresses through the lessons I must sign each lesson that has been completed. Since keyboarding is one of the most important technology concepts that I hear the high schools want from every elementary school, I very rarely sign a grade that is below a B. Each lesson is based and builds on the previous lesson. If an early foundation and habit is not formed early, I find it nearly impossible to break a student’s bad typing method in the later grades.
It is important that you let you child know that keyboarding is just as important as any other piece of homework. If at all possible, have your son or daughter practice regularly on some form of keyboarding program. We use a program called FasType here at St. Martha. This program is available for download at www.trendtech.com. If your son or daughter wants to complete the lesson at home, I need to have the parent initial after the lesson is completed. Please make sure he/she is doing the lesson without looking at the keyboard.
All students in grades 4-8 were informed what lessons needed to be completed by the last day of the second quarter. They were given up to the last day of the quarter to complete these lessons. If your son or daughter received a grade that was below a B, then I feel that the student needs to be doing some outside work on keyboarding. Any grade below a B in computers should signify that there is a problem that should be addressed as soon as possible. Since I see these classes only once a week and always give them until the very last day of the quarter to turn in any lessons, I do not send home mid-quarter reports. These reports do not show a good indication of where the student is on his/her keyboarding lessons. Therefore, please keep up with your child’s lesson by occasionally looking at his/her completed papers. Each should have a teacher’s initial on each lesson and if the paper is completed have an average for all the lessons. This is the grade that will go into the grade book for each paper.
If you have any further concerns or questions please feel free to contact me at school at 491-3171.
I also want to take this opportunity to update you on what has been going on recently in the computer lab.
A couple of weeks ago, we completely updated the software on the computers in the computer lab. We had to erase everything off the computers and reinstall all programs onto the computers with the latest updated software. By performing this update, it has allowed us to bring up to date the current software we use and add some additional programs for use by the St. Martha community.
We will continue to run Windows XP as our operating system at this time. We also use the Microsoft Office 2003 suite of programs that include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher. We have updated our Online Encyclopedia to Microsoft Encarta & Student 2007. There is a DVD version that has been installed on the school’s computers, and there is a new online version that is also installed and available to students on their home computers. All students (4-8) have copied to their flash drive the special link and shortcut so they can access this service at home. The Encarta suite gives students access to an encyclopedia, dictionary, thesaurus, translator, atlas, online graphing calculator, quizzes and a whole lot more. The Encarta service also contains a service called Hotmath.com. Normally the Encarta is $30.00 a year and the Hotmath service is $50.00 per year. The Hotmath service is an online math helper that is aligned with your son or daughter’s math book. One of the features includes step-by-step tutorial on each odd numbered exercise problem in the math book. This is an excellent math homework resource.
I should take a moment and mention that by now all students (4-8) should have a flash drive, and have it with them at all time while at school. We will be (have been) using the flash drive heavily and it is important that students be prepared for class each day. The Encarta link that is saved on the flash drive is for the sole use of St. Martha. It contains a username and password, and is NOT to be distributed to anyone not associated with St. Martha. All files on the flash drive should be kept in neatly organized folders.
Another service that we are in the process of implementing is a service called Nettrekker. It is an online educational search engine and more. To access this service, students must have a username and password. The link is: http://school.nettrekker.com. This link has also been saved to your child’s flash drive. Before you can use this service, a username and password must be created for each student. We are in the process of doing this, and you can do this at home as well. The Nettrekker service has a student, teacher, and parent section. Parents, you are encouraged to set up your own username and password to give you access to the parent sections.
One other service that I want to mention is a service that has been advertised by The Discovery Channel. It is called Cosmeo. It is an Internet-based homework help resource designed for home use to enhance student achievement. St. Martha will retain only one account on one computer for the convenience of the students. Discovery offers a thirty day (30) free trial. You can sign up at http://www.cosmeo.com/lau or http://learningaddsup.com Take a look at this service. If it does not seem like something you might use, then do not forget to cancel after thirty days.
If anyone still has any questions about your son/daughter’s computer grade and how it is determined, please see my letter from last year on St. Martha’s website. We still use a program called FasType. I have had all students (4-8) copy a trial version to their flash drive for your convenience.
When you have a chance, take a look at some of these new services provided. They are loaded with features too many to list here. The classroom teachers will be integrating these new programs into their curriculum. Direct links to these services will eventually be placed on St. Martha School’s website. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.
Thanks,
Tony Chaudhri
Technology Coordinator
St. Martha School
