Assessments

Unfortunately, the term assessment often generates negative feelings and emotions based on personal experience.  When used properly –

• Assessments are more valuable to the teacher than the student because they use that information to guide their instruction
• Assessments shouldn’t be evaluative, or about right or wrong or good or bad, but only represent where the student is at a specific point in time
• Assessments should be motivational for the student allowing them to celebrate their accomplishments and establish their next round of learning goals

At Gateway we use Renaissance STAR assessments in Reading and Math to monitor student progress.  STAR assessments are administered three times per year.  The first administration is in the fall to establish a student’s baseline or starting point.  The second assessment is done midway through the year in December as a checkpoint for growth.  The last assessment is administered at the end of the year and is summative and reflects the student’s annual growth.

In monitoring student progress, STAR assessments are one part of the picture for several reasons.  In monitoring student growth, student work samples, teacher observations, parent feedback, and other appropriate data sources are also used in measuring a student’s progress.  Through the ongoing review of these sources, parents, working with their consulting teacher, are kept informed on their child’s progress and can make timely adjustments in their instruction to ensure learning targets are met.