Assessment by Teachers

Teachers are constantly assessing whether students understand current material and have retained past information. There is ongoing teacher observation and evaluation of student work, and teachers confer with each other about students' progress. In the lower grades there are no formal grades, although student progress is monitored by cumulative reviews and quizzes. In Fourth and Fifth Grade a rubric system, defined in a letter sent to parents of those students, is utilized and tests are introduced. Starting with Sixth Grade, students take formal tests created by their teachers to assess their understanding of the subject matter. In addition to academic grades, students are given effort grades to encourage positive work habits.

In Kindergarten through Fifth Grade, students' work is kept in folders, so ongoing assessment can be undertaken by teachers and students alike. The school maintains these portfolios for each student throughout the grades. In this way, progress can be monitored, and an ongoing record of assignments can be kept. In Kindergarten through Fourth Grade, student assessments are mailed home in December, March and June. At all grade levels, parent conferences regarding student performance are held throughout the year.

Nursery, Transition and Pre-Kindergarten have two formal student assessment conferences per school year, and teachers send home assessment reports in December and June. Parent/Teacher conferences can be arranged as needed anytime during the school year.

• classroom evaluation in all grades
   
• informal and formal assessment in lower grades
   
• varied types of testing in lower and upper grades
   
• student profile assessments
   
• rubric system in Fourth and Fifth Grade
   
• portfolio assessment of work in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade

Assessment by Standardized Testing - Individually Administered

The philosophy at East Woods is to utilize tests to help obtain information about individual learning styles and academic progress. Thus, individually administered tests are given throughout the grades. The first individualized testing is part of the admissions process. Early Childhood candidates are given screening testing to assess readiness skills. Achievement testing is included for older applicants. Once admitted to East Woods, Early Childhood and Kindergarten students’ language development is monitored by a communication survey, which is completed by their teachers. At the end of Kindergarten, the "Slingerland Pre-Reading Screening Procedures" are used to screen for possible learning difficulties and to clarify learning styles such as auditory, visual or kinesthetic learners.

• Early Childhood and Kindergarten communication survey
• informal reading and math assessments in the early fall and late spring in First through Fifth Grade
• screening testing in The Learning Center as needed for individual students in First through Ninth Grade

Assessment by Standardized Testing - Group Administered

The purpose of all standardized testing is to identify both strengths and weaknesses in the performance of individual students; revise curriculum to meet students needs and report results to parents and faculty.

East Woods administers the Educational Records Bureau’s Comprehensive Testing Program IV in May of each year to Third through Eighth Grade. This battery gives teachers and parents a graph which shows subtest scores with national, suburban and independent school percentiles, as well as a graph which describes the student's performance. In the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Grade, students also take the Secondary School Aptitude Tests (SSAT's), which provides one measure of verbal and quantitative aptitudes and reading comprehension ability. These scores are reported to parents using independent school norms. An extrapolated national norm is also provided as a comparative figure for the private school. These results are part of each student’s record when applying to secondary schools. The Seventh Grade takes the lower level SSAT's in April for practice, whereas Eighth and Ninth graders take the upper level SSAT's in December. East Woods arranges to have a review course for the upper level students to teach them test-taking strategies and provide practice with actual sample tests. This testing also provides exposure to an experience that is similar to taking the PSAT's and SAT's in future years.

Foreign Language Proficiency Tests are administered in the spring at the Eighth Grade level. The objective is to evaluate our Foreign Language program and our students’ ability to achieve at the presecondary level.

• CTP Testing for Third through Eighth Grade
• SSAT’s for Seventh through Ninth Grade
• WRAP (Writing Assessment Program) is administered in May for Third through Ninth Grade