For the first three quarters, students take a checkpoint assessment each quarter in language arts and mathematics to determine their level of preparedness for the end-of-year summative ILEARN assessments in language arts and mathematics. Each checkpoint assessment measures different topics and standards. We know these assessments can be tedious and lack meaning for middle school students, so we choose to recognize students for their efforts in four different ways (see image). For checkpoint 1, we recognized a total of 390 students! We encourage you to communicate with your student's language arts or math teacher if you have any questions pertaining to your student's data.

When students return to school next week, they will receive a new set of Panther Passes to tape onto the front cover of their student planner. These 20 passes can be used for student emergencies that require a student to step out of the classroom during class throughout the semester, with teacher permission. Students are responsible for their planner, which includes their Panther Passes, and for tracking how many passes they have used weekly in their homeroom folder. Students needing to use a Panther Pass without any left may be subject to a referral for being unprepared for class, as we believe 20 passes allows students plenty of opportunity to tend to any needs that may arise during their day.

We appreciate your support as we believe Panther Passes increase responsibility and time management skills in our middle school students and reduce unnecessary disruptions to the learning environment.