Manassas School Board member Sara Brescia is asking for a public discussion about public schools' grading policy.
Teachers cannot grade an assignment or test less than 50% even if a student never attempts it or hands it in.
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Manassas City Schools: “The Academic Calendar for the 2023-2024 school year is available. Check them out below for the upcoming holidays, early release days, teacher workdays, and more.”
Calendars are available on the Manassas City Public Schools website, mcpsva.org
The first day of school for students is set for Aug. 15, 2023.
Sara Brescia, Member, Manassas City School Board: “While we await the past school year’s SOL test scores for grades 3-12, the PALS assessment results are in for grades K-2. PALS is a statewide early literacy assessment that is administered in both the fall and spring to track progress over the year.
“As seen below, our grades K-2 saw large improvements over the course of the year in the share of students meeting or exceeding benchmarks, catching up to the state average in many cases.”
“Two specific things I was very happy to see:
1. The Kindergarten cohort, the first class to have not been school-aged during the pandemic, saw 83 percent of students meeting or exceeding benchmarks, a full 8 percentage points higher than the last pre-pandemic class!
2. Also, while our share of second graders hitting proficiency continues to lag the state average, this cohort experienced a year of virtual Kindergarten and a stunted first grade with masking and mandatory 10-day quarantines. Despite this, the share of students meeting spring benchmarks improved greatly from the fall and now slightly exceeds where our 2018-19 cohort of second graders was before the pandemic.”
“We’re going to have to make sure that these gains follow through into higher grades, but this is a very encouraging trend.”
In 2022, Virginia Standards of Learning test scores for Manassas City Public Schools students were up. Reading scores improved by 10 points to 57%, history and social science by 22 points to 56%, math by 22 points to 49%, and science by eight points to 45%.
For economically disadvantaged students, scores were up 10 points to 49% in reading, 25 points to 50% in history, and 23 points to 44% in math.
Writing scores dropped four points to 61%. The school division has about 7,200 children.
Manassas City Public Schools: “Three of Manassas City Public Schools’ Business Honor Roll partners were recognized during the School Board of the City of Manassas meeting on Tuesday, June 27. The board unanimously voted to name “Virginia Tire & Auto, Professionals By Design, and Peden Accounting Services to the 2023 Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Business Honor Roll, showing appreciation for their ongoing support of this community’s public schools” at a previous meeting.”
“Each year, the VSBA invites school divisions to pass a resolution recognizing up to three businesses for the Business Honor Roll. This recognition program enables local school divisions to express gratitude towards companies that support schools and the community. Businesses offer valuable contributions to schools in various ways, such as providing financial or in-kind aid, donating to scholarship programs, supporting extracurricular activities, offering internships, volunteering, and sponsoring field trips.”
“During the Superintendent Announcements and Spotlights, Eric Godwin, the Work-based Learning Specialist for MCPS, presented the local recipients for this year’s honor roll.”
Manassas City School Board member Sara Brescia “Next year MCPS will be piloting a public preschool program for 3-year-olds out of Round Elementary (but open to students in all geographies), which is targeted towards students who otherwise would not have access to private preschool. The pilot program will not require any additional staff as there is already resource capacity available from our existing 4-year-old program.”
“Preschool is an important piece of the student achievement puzzle to get students introduced to academic concepts and behavioral expectations and can quicken the pace of English language acquisition for ESOL students. However, while there is a body of research showing the benefits of preschool, there is also some disturbing evidence that at least some public preschool programs are counter-productive.”
“Upon my questioning, the staff was able to produce data regarding gains in literacy benchmarks for the children that participate in our existing program, and anecdotal evidence from staff members in our elementary schools note the improved English language skills and behavioral skills of our preschool alumni. I am hopeful that this investment will help our division goals long term, although, as with any program, I plan to monitor its cost and effectiveness.”
Manassas City School Board member Sara Brescia: “I have been working with the Superintendent and the administration to increase recess and playtime in our earlier grades to go beyond the current 20 minutes per day (the state minimum).”
“I am happy to report that next school year the minimum for unstructured playtime for each school will be expanded by an additional ten minutes to a total of 30 minutes. This is a move in the right direction, and I want to thank the administration for working with me on this change.”
Brescia explained in a previous email: “Currently, most of our elementary students have a single 20-minute recess (the legal minimum), and I’m working on how we can expand time for free play in our early grades. There is a wide body of research showing that there are academic benefits of recess for young students as it helps them digest what they have learned in class and enhances focus. Research also shows that increased free play opportunities in the early years pay behavioral and disciplinary dividends as kids get older with increased confidence and an increased ability to self-regulate. Given that many of our students live in apartments or other housing situations not conducive of outside free play, recess may be the only time for them to do so safely.”
“Our area private schools and Prince William County Public Schools both offer greater recess time. Making a change here would help make our schools more attractive to young families.”
Andrew Wilson, principal at Round Elementary School in Manassas, swam in a dunk tank on Thursday, May 25.
Manassas City Public Schools: "After students met their schoolwide literacy challenge, [Round Elementary School] Principal Mr. Wilson agreed to give teachers the opportunity to dunk him during field day."
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Editor's note: Lynn Forkell Greene documented this public meeting. Click here to learn more about PLN's Community Documenter program and how you can help report the news for our community.
Manassas taxpayers are now the proud owners of the Olde Towne Inn, a dilapidated motor inn built in 1964, sitting in the heart of downtown.
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On the nights of April 20, 21, and 22, 2023, Osbourn High School's theater department performed their 2023 spring musical, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." They were originally published in 2005 by Rachel Sheinkin. The music and lyrics were written by William Finn.
The comedic show follows a group of young but determined middle schoolers, each eager to win the champion title. Though the show had no clear lead, Olive Ostrovsky and William Barfee were finalists and closest to the title.
