Kujawa Elementary Open House Informs Parents About IB Program and STAAR Testing

Kujawa Elementary School recently held its Open House. More than 400 parents attended the event.

Parents who attended Open House had the opportunity to learn more about the campus’ International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program curriculum and the upcoming STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) for third and fourth grade students. They also got to hear from their children during student-led conferences.

The IB Primary Years Program (PYP) is a curriculum framework designed for students aged three to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is defined by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance:

1) Who we are
2) Where we are in place and time
3) How we express ourselves
4) How the world works
5) How we organize ourselves
6) Sharing the planet

By utilizing inquiry-based learning, the PYP gives students a strong foundation in various subject areas: language, mathematics, social sciences, science, art, and physical, social and personal education. The themes include and transcend all subject areas allowing students to make connections that give meaning to what they have learned and thereby making learning more relevant. [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Aldine ISD offers the whole IB continuum — Primary Years Program, Middle Years Program and Diploma.

In the student-led conferences, students shared their strengths and weaknesses to their parents and discussed how parents could get involved in their education. Parents could view student assessments, interactive journals and products set out on the students’ desks. Students also had the opportunity to explain to their parents what they had learned from doing the work.

“Student-led conferences are a way to promote students to take responsibility and ownership in how they learn best,” said Kim Corrick, assistant principal at the campus. “Parents enjoyed having conversations with their children about the classroom work. And it was great to see parents work with their children. For example, one parent helped his child solve a math word problem.”

During Open House, the campus staff discussed with third and fourth grade parents about the upcoming STAAR. They gave parents questions to answer, information about the exam and how they could help their children at home prepare for the assessments.