Assessment

One of the most important questions parents ask of themselves and of their children's school is "How is my child doing?" For educators, this means holistically assessing: a) the process of learning - how students learn, think about learning, and communicate this to others; b) the content of learning - what students have learned, are learning, and need to learn; and c) the demonstration of learning - students' products and behaviors. Bixby's academic environment is one where children compete only with themselves, not with their peers. Achievement is based on individual development leading to mastery of concepts, skills, and content, as well as the habits of a learner.

To best reflect students' learning at Bixby, instead of grades or report cards, we have several ways for parents to learn about their child's progress:

• Communicate Directly with your Child's Teachers
  You can do this a few ways: 1) informally, 2) by setting up a personal appointment, or 3) by scheduling a class visit. (See Scheduling a Conference, Teacher Appointments, or Class Visits in the Parent Handbook for details.)
  
• Plan to Atend Portfolio Presentation Night in May
  Student portfolios are designed to capture learning processes (for example, following a project from idea stage to completion, or a handwriting workbook from the beginning to the end of a year) and discrete work (a poem, a painting, a report). Creating a portfolio is a learning process in and of itself. The items in the portfolio are student and teacher chosen; there may be some description of the project/product that follows, perhaps photos, and some reflection (such as “During this project I learned…” Or, “I am most proud of how I…”). The portfolio serves several purposes that can be summed up: “Look at what I've learned!”
  
• Read Your Child's End-of-the-Year Reports
  The End-of-the-Year Reports are a set of detailed, skills focused reports written by each teacher and mailed in June. The style of the reports is meant to balance depth with breadth across a content area and to then show where on a continuum a particular child stands at the time the report is completed. A pattern of “developing” to “mastery” emerges both within and between content areas, which creates a rich picture of the knowledge and skills of each individual student. Teachers and directors are available at any time during the year to answer questions, discuss problems, or informally report on progress.