FROM THE DESK OF:  Sue Casetta, Director of Learning 

This spring, Arrowhead will be conducting several state-required assessments.

The first test administered this spring is the ACT on March 8 for Juniors.

The ACT is a curriculum and standards-based tool that assesses students’ academic readiness for college. The state administration of the ACT is a free ACT for all juniors who will receive college reportable scores.  

In addition to the learning students do every day in rigorous and challenging classes, students can prepare for the ACT using resources in METHOD TEST PREP.  They can access this prep through their XELLO accounts.  Students are encouraged to use those and other free ACT resources to prepare for the ACT.  

Very often, students are stressed out about taking the ACT.  To reduce stress and anxiety, most experts recommend a few simple things:

1.  Review items on test prep resources so you know the styles and types of questions you will be asked in each core subject area. If you can, take the full ACT proctored by a parent or friend.  The ACT is timed a test, so managing your time is important.  

2.  Review specific items and focus on a few areas where you can review some more.  Practice for the assessment helps, but do not dwell on what you got wrong or do not know.  Identify a few key areas to continue to review.

3. BREATHE! Many students have anxiety around their performance on the ACT. Develop strategies to keep you calm when you get nervous. Being nervous is normal-- but being overly anxious will not help you.  Relaxation techniques will help you focus better.   

4.  Get a good night's sleep ahead of the ACT and make sure to eat a good breakfast.  

5. Review the procedures and information that is given to you on the registration day.  Have pencils, calculator and Photo I.D  ready so you do not feel rushed! 

Parents can support their students by encouraging them to use the next few weeks to prepare and practice. Try not to add more pressure or set unrealistic goals on the ACT.  Parents should talk with the child about how they are feeling about the assessment and encourage them to do their best.  Having a calm mindset helps students to remain calm as well. 

Additional tests administered this spring include :

ACT ASPIRE ASSESSMENT:  

 Wisconsin requires the ACT Aspire test to be taken by all Freshmen and Sophomores.   ACT Aspire is a summative assessment that measures what students have learned in the areas of  English, Reading, Math, Science, and Writing. 

WISCONSIN FORWARD EXAM is a state-mandated test taken by Sophomores only.  The Forward Exam is a computer-based assessment that assesses social studies knowledge, skills, and standards. Arrowhead will be administering the test to Sophomores in their social studies classes.  Individual teachers will let students know which days they are testing.  

TESTING OPT-OUT:

Arrowhead remains committed to preparing all of our students for their futures. These tests can serve as one of many indicators we can use to assess student readiness for college and career.  Tests can corroborate what you see on a daily basis or show an area of strength or weakness. Results help you see how your children are doing compared to other children in the state or on the national level.  School scores can help educators see gaps in curriculum and enable us to make improvements for everyone. 

If parents determine they will not have their students test and therefore are choosing to “Opt-Out," they must contact the school assessment coordinator for the respective test and include the Director of Learning in the message (Sue Casetta, casetta@arrowheadschools.org). Title the message in the subject line- Testing OPT-OUT 

1. ACT - Kelly Matthias - matthias@arrowheadschools.org

2. ASPIRE - Thomas Stuber - stuber@arrowheadschools.org

3. FORWARD - Molly Sroka - Sroka@arrowheadschools.org 

If you have any questions, please contact Sue Casetta

262-369-3611 x4204 or casetta@arrowheadschools.org

It is my pleasure to inform you that your school’s literary magazine, The Arrowhead Literary Magazine: A Collection of Creativity, has been selected to receive the rank of Excellent in the 2021 NCTE Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program. From all of us at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), congratulations to you and your students on this exceptional publication. We commend you for inspiring a love of writing that your students will remember for the rest of their lives.

The mission of NCTE’s REALM program is to publicly recognize excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing. Your magazine is a fine example of this mission in action, and the REALM committee looks forward to seeing future publications from your school. We hope that you will widely share this accolade with your local community, personally and through social media, to increase the impact of your accomplishments. Please be sure to tag NCTE on any social media! 

The listing of all ranked Wisconsin magazines is available here. 

Congratulations on your school’s achievement! We hope you will participate again when the 2021 contest opens later this spring.

A huge congratulations to junior Ella Forsterling and senior Carly Hytinen for earning a runners-up distinction in the second annual Wisijo Competition (hosted by The Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Sejong Cultural Society).

Each student received a cash award. You can read their winning poems (and their accompanying biographies) here. I hope you find their poems as moving and compelling as we do!