Internet and Computer Acceptable Use Policy 

Students are expected to follow these guidelines when using computers at school:

1. School computers may only be used to help perform academic work, to explore educational topics, to conduct research projects, or to contact others for educational purposes.

2. When using school computers students will be expected to take reasonable care of school equipment and materials.

3. Students are expected to act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner while using school computers and the Internet. They should be polite to other Internet users, and they should act within the laws of New York State and the United States.

4. Users are responsible for the use of their network account and should safeguard their account from being accessed by others.

5. No purchases may be made through a computer owned by the school, or through one of the school’s Internet accounts.

6. Students will be supervised when they access the Internet. The schools will take every reasonable precaution to ensure that a student will not access objectionable materials. Students will be instructed to notify a teacher if they accidentally access something objectionable from a school computer and should do so immediately.

7. Students will be instructed that they should not provide personal information or agree to meet with strangers that they meet on the Internet. Students should notify a teacher if someone on the Internet requests personal information or asks to meet with them.

8. In accordance with the district’s “opt-out” policy for the use of student directory information, website documents on the Internet may include a student’s full name, grade level, photograph, artwork, academic interest, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, terms of school attendance and graduation, awards received, etc. unless the district has been notified in writing not to publish this information in any given school year.

9. Information stored on school computer equipment is not private and may be viewed or traced by authorized personnel.

10.  All student internet and computer use is also governed by the MCSD student code of conduct found here: link.  Any reported violations to the student code of conduct by means of internet/device usage will be researched and responded to appropriately.

Assessments

All About i-Ready

i-Ready is an online program that helps us understand your child’s skills and areas for growth in mathematics and reading. i-Ready assessments are a part of our district’s academic screening process and are an important tool teachers use to adjust i-Ready instruction to meet every child’s varying skills. For parents, the i-Ready assessment is also a way to monitor and support their student’s progress. With i-Ready, parents will receive regular reports about student growth throughout the year. Students will also receive real-time progress data on their skills. Additionally, your child can access i-Ready instruction at home to supplement, reinforce and enrich his/her classroom
learning. i-Ready provides data and resources to parents and teachers so they may support their students’ academic progress.

Why is MCSD using i-Ready?
* Teachers can adjust student groupings and lessons based on students’ needs as outlined in the i-Ready assessment results. i-Ready provides detailed and timely information about how their students are progressing academically.
* Parents now have regular reports in addition to NYS assessments about their
students’ academic progress. These reports will be sent home after the January and May assessments.
* All students have access to i-Ready lessons that can be done at home. These
lessons are to support and enrich students’ learning. These lessons are tailored to individual students, based on information from their i-Ready assessments.

Frequently Asked Questions
When is the next diagnostic?
i-Ready diagnostic assessments will be administered three times a year in September, January, and May. Reports will be shared with parents soon after each administration. Why is my student’s i-Ready performance data important?

Throughout the year, it’s important we measure students’ growth in order to inform instruction. Teachers assess what students know and need to learn in both the classroom and during small group instruction. i-Ready is one of the assessments teachers give in order to determine Academic Intervention Services and small group instruction.

What will the parent reports look like?
For Families Report
The “For Families Report” is sent to families after each diagnostic assessment to show overall performance, level by domain, and growth from the previous assessment.
* your student’s overall score and growth since August (math)
* your student’s overall score and growth since August (language arts)
* detailed report of how your student performed on each grade-level standard (math)
* detailed report of how your student performed on each grade-level standard (language
arts).
“Diagnostic Growth Report”
The Diagnostic Growth Report visually represents students’ growth in an academic year and progress toward two growth targets; Typical Growth and Stretch Growth. When we report the percent of students who have made one years worth of growth, we are referring to the typical Growth that you see on your child’s report. Thus, if a student meets 100% of their annual typical growth, they have met their year’s growth target. Stretch Growth shows how a student is progressing toward an ambitious but achievable target intended to put the student on a path to proficiency or advanced placements over
time. Diagnostic Growth Reports are available after Diagnostic 2 and Diagnostic 3.

Is i-Ready the only Assessment the District uses?
i-Ready is only one measure of your child’s academic progress. To best support each child, teachers use this assessment in conjunction with other District screenings and assessments, unit tests and teacher-designed quizzes to check for understanding.

What should parents do with the i-Ready report?

The data in these reports provides parents insight into their students’ academic growth. The data empowers you to have meaningful conversations with teachers and helps you know what additional practice and/or challenge work your child may need at home. The school-parent partnership is essential for students’ success. In addition to classroom instruction, talk to your teacher about what activities you can do at home to best support your child. Your child can access i-Ready at home to supplement, reinforce and enrich
his/her classroom learning. Where can I address specific questions about my student’s performance? Your child’s teacher is the best resource for information about your child’s progress What will the school do to help my child in areas where he/she is struggling or excelling? i-Ready data will be used to tailor instruction to what students need during core instruction and small group instruction. Teachers will work with students in small groups to increase or enhance their understanding of academic skills. i-Ready data helps to inform enrichment and intervention for every student.

How can I help my child?
In addition to talking with your teacher, you can use i-Ready at home with your student. Schools will be communicating how students can access the lessons tailored to their individual skill level and needs, so children can learn at a pace that is just right for them. Your child may do some of these lessons at school. Others may be assigned to your child as classwork, or students can simply login and learn at their own pace. i-Ready lessons supplement what is taught in the classroom and reinforces skills students need to progress with their classroom’s core curriculum. Check with your teacher about how and when to access i-Ready lessons. i-Ready is just one of the tools that you can use to enrich your child’s learning. Reading with your children, asking questions about what they learned at school, and family outings are all learning experiences for children.

Can I advance the level of i-Ready that my child is working on?
i-Ready data allows teachers to tailor instruction to what students need during core instruction and small group instruction. Teachers will work with students in small groups to increase or enhance their understanding of material. i-Ready data helps to inform enrichment and intervention for every student. The path your child is on in i-Ready is continually adjusted through the computer adaptive environment to provide him or her with just the right amount of challenge.

Can I see my child’s i-Ready test?
i-Ready is computer-adaptive, meaning the questions your child gets are based on his/her performance on the assessment in the moment. While the questions are not available for viewing, the detailed reports parents receive will show them students’ progress on certain skills and how those skills relate to grade-level standards. Parents also can logon to i-Ready with their students at home to view the lesson material that supplements and reinforces their classroom learning.

If I have questions regarding i-Ready who do I contact?
Chris Turcio – Director of Curriculum & Instruction cturcio@mechanicville.org