Lee Pulaski lpulaski@shawanoleader.com
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Wyatt Braun, a fifth-grade student at Olga Brener Intermediate School, tosses a pie at a teacher as the entire school watches Friday afternoon in the school’s gymnasium.
By the time the assembly was finished at Olga Brener Intermediate School, many children were enjoying their spoils — and several teachers were getting whipped cream out of their hair.
Olga Brener students gathered Friday afternoon for a celebration in honor of the end of the testing period for the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam, a state test given to grades 3-8 and high school sophomores.
Test results will not be known for several months, but Olga Brener started a tradition last year where the staff amped up encouragement before and after the school’s WKCE testing period to get students to try their best on the test. Because the test is not a requirement for overall class scores and promotion to the next grade, students previously did not do their best to get a high score, according to principal Karen Smith.
“In years’ past, they would draw bubbles and just quit,” she said.
However, the test is a key factor in determining whether schools and school districts make the grade via state report cards. With that in mind, Olga Brener came up with its rewards and encouragement program, starting with classroom visits by Smith as her alter ego, Captain Smartypants.
Smith’s efforts before the exam focused on giving tips about how to be a good test taker — getting a good night’s sleep, not getting bogged down by one question, double checking work if there is still time and not rushing through the exam. Her tips included distributing Smarties candies to students who provided answers on good test taking.
During the WKCE, teachers kept watch over their students and filled out tickets for the ones who appeared to be trying their hardest on the test. Those tickets were put into bins for Friday’s assembly, where select students were picked for prizes.
The school purchased tablets, MP3 players, board games, candy and miniature footballs with money raised through its Knowledge-A-Thon last year. Some students also were selected to throw pies at certain teachers, and one got the ultimate prize — throwing a pie at Smith herself.
“From our test results (in 2012), it looked like we had a positive effect,” Smith said. “We don’t know if it was the teachers’ prep in getting the kids ready or if it was the incentives, but we definitely saw an increase in our test scores, and we’re very pleased with that.”