FSA Testing Dates, Protocols, AND More!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

 The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your child will take the paper-based Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) in reading, writing, math, and science (5^th grade only). These summative assessments provide crucial information to you, your child’s teacher, and your child’s school about how he/she is progressing within the state standards. Please see the projected timeline for on-campus administration.

Your child  has had an opportunity to participate in a practice session to become familiar with the item types and response formats that he/she will see on the FSA assessments. If you or your child would like to review the materials, paper-based practice tests and answer keys reading, writing, and mathematics are available at http://www.fsassessments.org/students-and-families/practice-tests/paper-based-practice-test-materials/.

 The Statewide Science Assessment measures Grades 5 and 8 student achievement of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards in Science. For more information, please visit the FDOE website at http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/science.stml. 

Prior to testing, please review the testing procedures and policies on the back of this page. **Note the special policy related to eStudents. **

If you have any questions related to this test administration, you may contact Kenneth Gay, Assistant Principal @ 744-8000.

For more information about the use and implementation of the FSA, please visit the FSA Portal at www.fsassessments.org.

Thank you for supporting your child and encouraging him/her to do his/her best during this assessment.

Sincerely,

Michael Engle, Principal

Lopez Elementary

 Testing Protocols

• Electronic Devices—Students are not permitted to have any electronic devices, including but not limited to cell phones, smartphones, and smartwatches, at any time during testing OR during breaks (e.g., restroom), even if they are turned off or students do not use them. If your student is found with an electronic device, his or her test will be invalidated.
• Testing Rules Acknowledgment—All FSA tests include a Testing Rules Acknowledgment that reads, “I understand the testing rules that were just read to me. If I do not follow these rules, my test score may be invalidated.” Prior to testing, test administrators read the rules to students, and students acknowledge that they understand the testing rules by signing below the statement on their planning sheets, worksheets, or work folders.
• Discussing Test Content after Testing—The last portion of the testing rules read to students before they sign below the Testing Rules Acknowledgment states, “Because the content in all statewide assessments is secure, you may not discuss or reveal details about the passages or items after the test. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, or posting online, for example, on websites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.” Please make sure your student understands that “discussing” test content includes any kind of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, or posting to blogs or social media websites. While students may not share information about secure test content after testing, this policy is not intended to prevent students from discussing their testing experiences with their parents/families.
• Working Independently—Students are responsible for doing their own work during the test and for protecting their answers from being seen by others. If students are caught cheating during testing, their tests will be invalidated. FDOE employs a test security company, Caveon Test Security, to analyze student test results to detect unusually similar answer Student tests within a school that are found to have extremely similar answer patterns will have their results invalidated.
• Leaving Campus—If your student begins a test session and leaves campus before completing it (for lunch, an appointment or illness, etc.), he or she WILL NOT be allowed to complete that test session. If your student does not feel well on the day of testing, it may be best for him or her to wait and be tested on a make-up day. Please remember not to schedule appointments on testing days.
• Testing Accommodations—If your student has an IEP or Section 504 plan, please contact the school to discuss the testing accommodations that will be provided for your student.

• eLearning Students will report each day prior to 8 AM, during the assigned test date, to the office and sign in. eStudents will be escorted to their assigned classroom for the given test.  eStudents will have their assigned eTeacher administer the given test. Covid precautions will be adhered to with children expected to wear masks and maintain social distancing within the building and classroom. The classroom will be sanitized daily prior to and after administration of test. eStudents are welcome to bring a sealed container of water. No snacks are allowed for use/distribution. In an attempt to keep your child as socially distanced as possible, please plan to provide breakfast to your child prior to arriving, as well as lunch after the testing is completed. At the end of the day’s testing, the eTeacher will escort the students to a designated space in the car rider line where students can still maintain social distance.  Please see the chart below for expected drop off and pick up times for eLearners only.

September 15, 2020 marks the 70^th anniversary of the heroic action by a 1943 Hillsborough High School alumni, our school namesake, whom went on to graduate from the U. S. Naval Academy. 

Lt. Baldomero Lopez, USMC, received the Medal of Honor posthumously, by President Truman, for his heroic action taken against the enemy aggressors during the Inchon invasion in Korea on September 15, 1950.

Baldomero Lopez, born August 23, 1925, here in Tampa, FL.  He was affectionally called "Baldy" and is remembered in many ways throughout the community.  The 25-year-old has been honored by alumni at Hillsborough High School each year...and by the many community memorials/markers including Lopez Elementary School in Seffner, a historical marker on Marion and Madison downtown; a trophy case next to the Principal’s office at Hillsborough High School; the Lopez Veterans Administration Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes; a shrine in the main lobby of his childhood club, the Centro Asturiano Clubhouse at Palm and Nebraska; a naval Pre Position Ship named the Lt. Baldomero Lopez; a memorial monument at the Ed Radice Sports Complex; and his gravesite at the Centro Asturiano Memorial Cemetery on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. just east of 50^th Street.

View the following for an additional historical perspective. Lt. Baldomero Lopez History Link

Florida Health Information

 Per FL Statue 1012.42 when a teacher is assigned teaching duties out of the field in which the teacher is certified, the parents of all students require notification.  Please Read the Following:    Out of Field Notification updated 021821

Congratulations to our 2020 Notables.  Gretchen Wenger, Teacher of the Year; Jean Farshid, Ida Baker; Alma Pascual, Non-Instructional Employee