Assessing Student Progress

Reports and Conferences
Families begin every school year with a one-on-one conference with their child’s teacher, prior to the beginning of school. This gives the student a chance for a personal introduction, while at the same time affording parents and student the opportunity to ask questions, discuss concerns and understand expectations. Parents have individual conferences with their child’s cluster advisor, and if necessary with subject teachers, at least two times a year and more often if requested by either teachers or parents. At mid-year, a comprehensive report is sent home. This report includes a checklist completed by subject teachers summarizing the child’s academic and personal development. A summary progress letter written by the cluster advisor is sent home at the end of the year along with detailed, comprehensive reports for each subject.

September: Initial parent/Cluster Advisor/student conference
November: Written Interim reports from each subject teacher; parent/teacher conferences
January-February: Written mid-year progress reports; parent/advisor/student conferences for all students
April: Written Interim reports, as needed; parent/advisor/student conferences as needed
June: Written End-of-Year progress reports; parent/teacher conferences as needed

Assessment
In-class work and homework includes group and individual projects, research papers, essays and oral presentations. In 5th through 7th grades, students receive comments on homework, tests, essays, projects and in-class work. A narrative approach to assessment enables students to focus on areas that need improvement, challenges them to deepen their thinking, and develops their self-confidence as thinkers, writers and learners. In 8th grade, comments are accompanied by letter grades, as students master content areas and prepare for Upper School. Interim and final grades are based on evaluations of course work as well as in-class participation, quizzes and exams. Twice yearly, in-depth written reports from subject teachers evaluate students in terms of both affective performance and cognitive development, covering an extensive range of skills and behavior in the classroom.