Academic Assessment
The academic assessment used within the Waldorf inspired program includes a wide array of assessment tools to evaluate capacities according to the goals of the charter to educate the Head, Heart, and Hands. The teachers observe the children in a variety of situations in order to evaluate their progress in these areas and in accordance with the expected student outcomes. Since non-academic and more qualitative outcomes (such as attentiveness, enthusiasm, involvement in class discussions, initiative, effort, judgment, goodwill, commitment, etc.) are as integral to our mission as objective outcomes, the portfolio method of evaluation will be a most important method of assessment.
Included in the portfolios will be a sample of the child’s main lesson books, various pieces of art, practice papers, and evaluation rubrics. Examples of other reliable methods that are used are oral recitations, performances, demonstrations, curriculum based assessments, teacher observation, and student self-evaluation.
Teacher evaluations become the essential ingredients in a bi-annual written report/evaluation in narrative format, based on the portfolio of student work, performance assessments, enumeration of subjects adequately completed, and a mention of areas needing additional focus. The report will reference study habits, attitudes, and social abilities.
Student progress and development are carefully monitored and formally reported to the parents in the parent-teacher conferences in November and March. Additionally, a parent or teacher may request a conference at any time. Parents will receive a block rotation for the year at the first Teacher-Parent Evening meeting.
In addition to the above academic assessments, students in Kindergarten, & Second Grades are assessed near the end of the year for overall readiness to advance at these critical stages by developmental specialists who are employed by the school for this purpose.