Individual student MEAP letters will be mailed to parents this week. In anticipation of this, I wanted to share some thoughts on the MEAP and standardized testing in general to help provide some perspective of how this affects all of us. First and foremost, we are a Reggio-inspired school, dedicated to the education, growth, development and well-being of over 200 students. At the same time, we have been, since our founding a public school, open and accessible to all who seek a progressive, child-centered learning experience. In order to remain as a Reggio-inspired school, we must satisfy the mandates and requirements that all other public schools must recognize, which are many, but the most significant is standardized testing, and for our school, this is the Michigan Education Assessment Program - also known as the MEAP. The test really is not the great evil many have made it out to be. It assesses the standards and criteria that students are expected to learn, and teachers are expected to teach – Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies. All of which are necessary to have a successful and productive life regardless of the path one chooses. While I accept the MEAP, and the other requirements the MDE and Federal government place upon us, I do NOT for one moment feel our test scores define us, our mission, or our programs. Yes, we are much more than test scores. The trouble is, our approach and practice is best described in qualitative [descriptive] terms. We can tell and share all about the Reggio-Emilia Approach, and the amazing work our children engage in and create, but our government, the entity that provides us with funding to carry out our vision and implement our principles, will only do so with quantitative measures [e.g. test scores, balance sheets] that show evidence of student achievement and fiscal responsibility. Yes, at the end of the day, as parents and as educators, we just want our children to be happy, but we also want the best for them, and this cannot be obtained without education. Education is the one thing that can never be taken away, and if we have a choice in how our children are to be educated, we know a Reggio-inspired education is the best choice, especially in Grand Rapids. It is encouraging however, to share with our community the achievements of the last three years, when we have seen steady improvement in many areas, especially the language arts and science. As we complete our transition to the Common Core and work to grow our school, we have no doubts these upward trends will continue. We are planning strategically to meet the challenges and goals. It is ironic that these two distinctions [public and Reggio-inspired] are sometimes difficult to reconcile when one thinks of the origin of the schools in Reggio-Emilia. There, the schools have always been public, supported by the local community, free and open for the last 50 years. There is however, an important point to remember;-the Approach was developed for use with infants and toddlers. In Italy the infant and toddler centers continue to be the predominant model. Only in the last few years have the leaders of the Approach been piloting implementation of their practice in the elementary school system. While in Italy, we visited elementary schools in which the Approach was being implemented, and just as we discovered in Arizona, I found great validation for the work we are doing right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is unique, it is amazing, and it is successful. Thank you for helping make it even more so.