EUSD Transition to Common Core State Standards

As you may know, the State of California has joined 45 other states and the District of Columbia in approving national K-12 academic standards for math and language arts called Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  The new standards are designed to prepare every student for success in college and their careers. Our district is well on our way with our transition to the CCSS.  To learn more about the CCSS and what you can expect for your child in the future, click here.

EXCELSIOR SCHOOL API SCORE INCREASES BY 9 POINTS!

Excelsior School is proud of the continuous academic growth demonstrated by our students.  Our school API score increased by 9 points to a score of 898 for the 2011-2012 school year.  This growth is the result of a school-wide focus on the state standards, and strong relationships among students, families, and school staff.  The EUSD vision can be seen in action each day at Excelsior.  Not only do our students exceed traditional standards, they are also provided with a dynamic education that focuses on important
21^st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and character development. As part of our district’s Challenge 21 initiative, the Excelsior staff has focused on providing students with meaningful, authentic opportunities to apply these important skills.

Once again, the Eureka Union School District ranks first when compared to districts thoroughout the region with an impressive district-wide API of 918!

EXCELSIOR PROBLEM SOLVING CHALLENGE

We are excited about the transition to the new California Common Core standards and have set a school-wide goal this year, with a focus on the standards for mathematical practice related to problem solving. Click the link below to learn more about our school-wide Problem Solving Challenge.  

EXCELSIOR STUDENT WINS SPELLING BEE!

Over 200 students in grades four through eight competed in the Placer County written examination in January, with the top 100 spellers moving on the Oral Finals at the county level.  As the Grand Finals winner, Aditya Mishra will represent Placer County at the California State Elementary Spelling Bee on April 20, 2013.

Aditya also recently defeated 61 competitors from six counties to win the California Central Valley Spelling Bee, which qualifies Aditya to represent the Sacramento Region at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C. at the end of May.  Click here to read more about Aditya’s successes in a recent article in the Sacramento Bee.  And access the Placer County press release below. 

We are very proud of Aditya's successes and wish him luck!

SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT PILOT

Our school is one of a liminted number of schools in the country selected to pilot the Smarter Balanced Assessment this spring!  This is a very exciting opportunity for our school, as our students and teachers will be able to try out the new, online testing software and innovative test items that will be used in the future to assess the Common Core Standards.  To learn more about the pilot, please read the letter below, and click on the link below to access the practice test.  (Click on link, then "Student", then "Training Test".)

http://sbac.portal.airast.org/Training_Test/default.html