HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 11-22 WA Amending the GK-G6 Grade Reporting and Assesment Policy WESTLAKE ACADEMY
RESOLUTION NO. 11-22
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WESTLAKE ACADEMY
AMENDING THE BOT POLICY MANUAL PERTAINING PRIMARY (K-G6)
ASSESSMENT AND GRADE REPORTING.
WHEREAS, the Westlake Academy Board of Trustees has considered the proposed
policy amendment on September 12, 2011, pertaining to Primary Assessment and Reporting; and
WHEREAS, the Westlake Academy Board of Trustees finds that this policy will
enhance student achievement by assisting all members of the school community to understand
and use educational assessment in a consistent and successful way; and
WHEREAS, the Westlake Academy Board of Trustees finds that the passage of this
Resolution is in the best interests of the Academy.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
WESTLAKE ACADEMY:
SECTION 1: That, all matters stated in the recitals hereinabove are found to be true and
correct and are incorporated herein by reference as if copied in their entirety.
SECTION 2: That the Board of Trustees of Westlake Academy hereby adopts the
proposed policy related to Primary (K-G6) Assessment and Grade Reporting I0-05 which is
attached as Exhibit A to this resolution.
SECTION 3: If any portion of this Resolution shall, for any reason, be declared invalid
by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions
hereof and the Board hereby determines that it would have adopted this Resolution without the
invalid provision.
Resolution 11-22
Pagel of 8
SECTION 4: That this resolution shall become effective from and after its date of
passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WESTLAKE
ACADEMY, A CHARTER SCHOOL OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, ON THE 3rd DAY OF
OCTOBER 2011.
zur h �
Laura Wheat, President
ATTEST:
Kelly Edwarhs, Board Secretary Thomas E. B u endent
APPROV `iA
f
L. Manton L wry Janet'S. Bubert,
School Attorney
Resolution 11-22
Page 2of8
Exhibit A
TOWN OF WESTLAKE
WESTLAKE ACADEMY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES POLICY
Policy No. 10-05:
Date Board Adopted: April 5, 2010
Date Board Amended: October 3, 2011
Effective Date: October 3, 2011
Policy Category: Student Achievement
Policy Name: Primary (K-G6) Assessment and Grade Reporting
Policy Goal: Definition and Transparency in the Primary (K-G6) Student Assessment
and Grading Policy
Policy Description:
The purpose of this assessment policy is to help all members of the school community
understand and use educational assessment in a consistent and successful way. Our
goal is to create a community that embraces assessment as a valuable and essential
part of the learning cycle.
1) Our Purposes for Using Assessment
a) For learners, assessment does the following:
i) Promotes efficient learning by focusing the student's attention on what is
important
ii) Promotes understanding and life-long learning
iii) Promotes self-evaluation and self-monitoring by the use of well-defined
expectations and criteria
iv) Motivates learning by communicating progress concerning what a
student
knows and is able to do
v) Helps understand how school learning relates to present world and
future goals.
b) For teachers, assessment does the following:
i) Provides formative and summative data about student learning
ii) Provides diagnostic data to improve learning
Resolution 11-22
Page 3 of 9
iii) Assists instructional planning by providing informed feedback
iv) Helps to determine teaching effectiveness - what approaches and
methods work
v) Helps to determine whether the program is achieving desired goals
(program accountability)
vi) Is a tool for communicating to others
c) For administrators, assessment does the following:
i) Assists in determining the effectiveness of programs
ii) Assists in determining school and grade-level learning goals
Iii) Assists in allocation of resources, including professional development
iv) Monitors student achievement and supports student learning
d) For parents, assessment does the following:
i) Provides formative and summative data about student learning and
attainment.
ii) Provides information about the child's learning experience in school.
iii) Provides information about future educational opportunities.
iv) Helps provide information of the strengths and weaknesses of both the
instructional program and the individual learner.
In consideration of the need to establish relevant and comprehensive grade reporting
and assessment policies for the student body of Westlake Academy, the following
numerical grades will be utilized by the Staff to indicate academic performance with
regard to critical concepts, content and skills on primary report cards.
Grade 4 Meets with Excellence
Grade 3 Meets with Proficiency
Grade 2 Developing Proficiency Independently
Grade 1 Requires Support to Meet Proficiency
In addition to the abovementioned, the following descriptors and rubric will be utilized by
the Staff to indicate academic performance with regard to higher order, conceptual
understanding. These descriptors and rubric will be used to indicate the level of
understanding for each of the six grade level units of inquiry that are implemented each
academic year.
Primary Report Unit of Inquiry Descriptors for Understanding K-3
Accomplished.
■ Interprets information (data, ideas, or concepts) accurately, appropriately, and
in-depth in a variety of contexts
Resolution It-22
Page 4 of 8
• Applies formulas, procedures, principles, or themes accurately, appropriately,
and/or creatively in a variety of contexts
• Explains—accurately and thoroughly—possibly using multiple solutions,
positions, or perspectives that balance opposing points of view
• Creates a detailed conclusion or complete solution that is well-supported,
logically consistent, and often unique
■ Integrates ideas or develops solutions that are clear, coherent, and cohesive
■ Reflects independently and thoughtfully by using supporting details and
examples. Uses the reflective process to set goals and targets.
■ Perceives and approaches problems in a number of different ways, often
exhibiting clever, unique or unusual ideas.
Competent/Consolidating:
• Presents information (data, ideas, or concepts) accurately and appropriately
in familiar contexts
• Applies formulas, procedures, principles, or themes accurately and
appropriately in familiar contexts
■ Describes a solution, position, or perspective accurately
■ Organizes a conclusion or solution that is complete, logical, and consistent
with evidence presented
■ Connects ideas or develops solutions in a clear and coherent order
■ Reflects thoughtfully by using some supporting details and examples. Uses
the reflective process to set general goals.
Developing:
• Reports information (data, ideas, or concepts) in familiar contexts with minor
inaccuracies, irrelevancies, or omissions
• Uses appropriate formulas, procedures, principles, or themes in familiar
contexts with only minor inaccuracies
■ Identifies a simple solution or a perspective with only minor inaccuracies
■ Offers an abbreviated conclusion or simple solution that is mostly consistent
with the evidence presented, with minor inconsistencies or omissions
■ Arranges ideas or solutions into a simple pattern
■ Reflects thoughtfully with some assistance.
Beginning/Novice:
■ Copies information (data, ideas, or concepts)
■ Labels formulas, procedures, principles, or themes
■ Names a single solution, position, or perspective
■ Attempts a conclusion or solution that is consistent with evidence presented
■ Lists ideas or expresses solutions in a fragmentary/random manner
■ Reflects with support and assistance
Primary Report Unit of Inquiry Descriptors for Understanding Grades 4-6
Resolution 11-22
Page 5 of 8
Accomplished:
• Interprets information (data, ideas, or concepts) accurately, appropriately, and
in-depth in a variety of contexts
• Applies formulas, procedures, principles, or themes accurately, appropriately,
and/or creatively in a variety of contexts
• Explains—accurately and thoroughly—multiple solutions, positions, or
perspectives that balance opposing points of view
• Creates a detailed conclusion or complex solution that is complete, well-
supported, logically consistent, and often unique
• Integrates ideas or develops solutions that are exceptionally clear, coherent,
and cohesive
• Reflects independently and thoughtfully by using supporting details and
examples. Uses the reflective process to set goals and targets.
• Perceives and approaches problems in a number of different ways, often
exhibiting clever, unique or unusual ideas.
Competent/Consolidating:
• Presents information (data, ideas, or concepts) accurately and appropriately
in familiar contexts
• Applies formulas, procedures, principles, or themes accurately and
appropriately in familiar contexts
■ Describes two or more solutions, positions, or perspectives accurately
■ Organizes a conclusion or solution that is complete, logical, and consistent
with evidence presented
■ Connects ideas or develops solutions in a clear and coherent order
■ Reflects thoughtfully by using some supporting details and examples. Uses
the reflective process to set general goal
Developing:
• Reports information (data, ideas, or concepts) in familiar contexts with minor
inaccuracies, irrelevancies, or omissions
• Uses appropriate formulas, procedures, principles, or themes in familiar
contexts with only minor inaccuracies
• Identifies simple solutions, over-simplified positions, or perspectives with only
minor inaccuracies
• Offers an abbreviated conclusion or simple solution that is mostly consistent
with the evidence presented, with minor inconsistencies or omissions
■ Arranges ideas or solutions into a simple pattern
■ Reflects thoughtfully with some assistance
Beginning/Novice:
■ Copies information (data, ideas, or concepts)
■ Labels formulas, procedures, principles, or themes
■ Names a single solution, position, or perspective
Resolution 11-22
Page 6 of 8
■ Attempts a conclusion or solution that is consistent with evidence presented
■ Lists ideas or expresses solutions in a fragmentary/random manner
■ Reflects with support and assistance
Staff will administer a variety of authentic assessments to measure student
understanding and progress throughout the year
IBPYP Attitudes — Students, in collaboration with teachers, will assign a letter indicator
to at least six (6) IBPYP Attitudes per quarter to communicate the following:
C = I practice consistently the following attitudes
W = I am working on the following attitudes
The IBPYP Attitudes are as follows:
• Appreciation: appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people
• Commitment: being committed to their learning, preserving and showing self-
discipline and responsibility
• Confidence: feeling confident in their ability as learners, having the courage to
take risks, applying what they have learned and making appropriate decisions
• Cooperation: cooperating, collaborating and leading or following as the situation
demands
• Creativity: being creative and imaginative in their thinking and in their approach
to problems and dilemmas
• Curiosity: being curious about the nature of learning and the world, its people and
cultures
• Empathy: imaginatively projecting themselves into another's situation, in order to
understand his/her thoughts, reasoning and emotions
• Enthusiasm: enjoying learning
• Independence: thinking and acting independently, making their own judgments
based on reasoned principles and being able to defend their judgments
• Integrity: having integrity and a firm sense of fairness and honesty
• Respect: respecting themselves, others and the world around them
• Tolerance: feeling sensitivity towards differences and diversity in the world and
being responsive to the needs of others
Resolution 11-22
Page 7 of 8
Specialist Grades — Specialist Teachers (Ark, Strings, P.E., Music, and Spanish) will
grade according to discipline specific criteria.
Each of the aforementioned categories will be graded utilizing the following indicators:
Grade 4 Meets with Excellence
Grade 3 Meets with Proficiency
Grade 2 Developing Proficiency Independently
Grade 1 Requires Support to Meet Proficiency
Report Cards - Westlake Academy will send home two (2) primary report cards each
year. The report cards will be sent home in December and May of each year.
Parent-Student-Teacher-Meetings — Staff will conduct two (2) parent/student/teacher
conferences per year. One (1) will be a goal-setting conference and one will be a
student-led conference - in semester two (2). This will allow parents/students to meet
with teachers to discuss their child's progress, and, in the case of student-led
conferences, witness the demonstration of understanding firsthand. Additional concerns
will be addressed at individually scheduled conferences available at any time during the
school year.
In addition to the above meetings parents and students will be invited to attend
conferences at the beginning of October to know how their son or daughter has settled
into their new class.
Conferences reporting student achievements will be held at anytime throughout the year
and will be on a needs basis. Conferences are requested by parents and teachers.
Resolution 11-22
Page 8 of 8