On March 4th and 5th and again on March 11th and 12th, Fairview High School will be administering the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) tests to all ninth and tenth graders. As the test dates approach, I know that our students are well prepared, extremely conscientious and committed to excellence, and I am positive these qualities will be demonstrated on this year’s CSAP. Traditionally, Fairview has recorded some of the best scores in Colorado, and I have all confidence that we will once again be among the top scoring schools in the state.
Each year, however, some students choose not to participate in these tests for various reasons and I would like to take a few moments to stress the importance of taking the CSAP.
Some students and parents might not understand the value of the CSAP for students and for Fairview. There are three VERY important reasons why the CSAP is important to each and every student and to Fairview High School:
- CSAP not only allows students to demonstrate their knowledge, but it provides an opportunity for students to strengthen the test-taking skills that they will need when they take the ACT, SAT and other standardized tests in the future.
- Students who do not take the test receive a score of “unsatisfactory”. This “unsatisfactory” is averaged into the Fairview overall score. As a result, the overall score does not accurately represent the high caliber of students or education that exists here at Fairview.
- Each year our school accountability report from the state rates our academic performance and the academic growth of students. This past year earned a score of “excellent” for our overall academic performance and a “stable” for academic growth of students. Our accreditation as a school is linked to our scores and the yearly increase of our scores, so it is very important that all students participate and do their best.
As you can plainly see….participating in the CSAP is important to students and to Fairview.
It is my goal and the goal of the faculty to ensure that Fairview not only maintains our tradition of excellence, but that we expand on that tradition. Furthermore, I want to make sure that every one of our students has the opportunity to attend any college or university they want.
I know that as parents, you want the best for your students and the school they attend, so I am asking you to encourage your students to night to do their best on CSAP as it starts tomorrow.
It will make a difference for all of our students here at Fairview.