Star

 Zinash in her 5th grade classroom last spring

Last April, Zinash, like all California public school students, took the California Standards Test.  Today in the mail we received her STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) Results. (I know...4 months later...that's California for you!).  Of course I was curious to see how she did so I tore into the envelope between the mail box and our front door.

You see, she had scored in the "basic" category on both math and English/language arts at the end of 4th grade, and to be honest I was really pleased with that.  They also had categories for "below basic" and "far below basic" so I figured "basic" was two steps up from where she started when she came to the US. 

Her 5th grade teacher wanted to see Zinash break into the "proficient" category - at least in math and maybe even in English.  I thought she might score in the "proficient" category in math but it was unlikely in English; seriously, the child had only been in the US for a little over 2 years by April of her 5th grade year.  5th grade also included a science test and based on the practice tests Zinash kept bringing home, I was hoping that she would make it to the "basic" category on that test.

So anyway, I opened the envelope and saw three long bars on the bar chart.  And at the bottom of the page were those magic words: "Your child is at the Proficient level in English/Language Arts; Your child is at the Proficient level in Mathematics; Your child is at the Proficient level in Science." 

Amazing.  This girl simply amazes me. 

Thank You, God, for gifting Zinash with a strong mind, the willingness to work hard, and great teachers!