january / february 2016
w w w. h i g h l a n d v i e w a c a d e m y. c o m
Students Score High on Standardized Tests
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his past fall, Highland View Academy (HVA) students took the Iowa Assessment Test to measure their retained knowledge in the core subject areas of English, reading, math, science and social studies. The test measures a student’s ability to decode and assimilate the formal education deemed important in today’s society. When the results returned, 98 percent of HVA students met or exceeded grade-level expectations. Even better, 28 percent of the students ranked in the 85th percentile or higher, and 17 percent of the students ranked in the top 5 percentile nationally. Riverside Publishing compares HVA with other Seventh-day Adventist and nonpublic schools, as the expectations, norms and test result outcomes for private and parochial high schools are typically higher than public schools. In 18 of the 24 normed areas tested, HVA students’ test results were one full standard deviation above expectations. “This outcome indicates that the students come from supportive homes, have developed into willing learners and benefit from quality and
Seventeen percent of the student population scored in the top 5 percentile on the Iowa Assessment Test.
effective teaching,” says Mick Hutchinson, principal. “National testing is just one small way to assess our overall program, and HVA’s faculty and staff always remember that each student is priceless in the eyes of God. We are ever mindful that ‘higher than the highest human thought can reach is God’s ideal for His children’” (Education, p. 18).
Class of 2016 Hosts Annual Spelling Bee
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he HVA freshman class sponsors had an idea for a fundraiser three years ago that has become a tradition for the Class of 2016. Every year the class hosts a spelling bee for students in grades 4-12. Students from
Seniors Kaitlin Tiller and Andelena Jackson assist Jackie Benton, a teacher at Mt. Aetna Adventist School in Hagerstown, Md., as she gives a student a word to spell.
as far away as Maryland’s Eastern Shore travel to HVA to test their spelling skills against peers from around the region. The best spellers in three age categories earn prizes. The most exciting of these prizes is a scholarship to HVA for seventh- and eighth-graders. Educators and writers from the community, along with members of the Class of 2016, judge the contestants. Elijah Nacchio (’17), winner of the ninth- through 12th-grade category, entered the competition only because his friend joined. “I was so nervous that my stomach hurt,” he says. “I was surprised that I won.” Class sponsor Lori Zerne adds, “Everyone who attends, competes and runs the event enjoys the blend of fun entertainment and academic skill that the evening provides.” As the Class of 2016 moves on to college next year, a new class will host the spelling bee, which has become a highly anticipated annual event for participants and student hosts alike.
Highlander is published in the Visitor by the Highland View Academy n 10100 Academy Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740 Phone: (301) 739-8480 n Fax: (301) 733-4770 n highlandviewacademy.com n Principal, Malcolm Hutchinson n Editor, Lori Zerne
32 | VISITOR January/February 2016