On a recent fall morning, several Grade 6 parents met with Middle School administrators to learn more about the three main assessments given to students (ERBs/CTP4, WrAP, Mission Skills Assessment).

 

Josh Cobb, head of Middle School, opened the session with a brief look at the traits that define “intellectual excellence” at Graland:

 

For a fourth way to gain insight into your child’s learning and growth, Josh urged parents to talk to teachers and attend conferences. Classroom assessments by the educators who work directly with the children on a daily basis offer an invaluable perspective on student achievement.

 

In reviewing the data for the Class of 2017, Josh is confident that students are “right on norm” compared to their peers at independent schools nationwide. Of particular interest is the relationship between the class’ aptitude, or ability to achieve, and actual achievement as measure by the tests. Based on data from their 2014 tests as fifth graders, this class consistently demonstrated a strong correlation between aptitude and achievement.

 

Josh noted that this class showed consistent improvement in their writing ability, with consecutively higher scores in the past three years. He also explained that a committee is evaluating whether the ERB subtest Math Achievement is the right assessment for Graland’s Math in Focus curriculum, considering some differences in alignment.

 

 

Finally, Josh explained a bit more about the Western Academic Talent Search (WATS), an extracurricular program offered to students who score at the 90^th percentile or higher on any subtest of the ERB. Eighty-nine percent of the Class of 2017 qualified.

 

WATS gives an extra academic challenge to our top students and allows them to practice taking high stakes tests like the ACT.

 

Otherwise, Josh cautioned parents not to overanalyze test results at this grade level.

 

On December 1 during advisory and assembly time, the Class of 2017 will take Mission Skills Assessment for the first time.

 

Compared to standardized literacy and math assessments, the MSA is a subjective measure of six characteristics:

The assessment returns results for the class as a whole, not individuals. It uses three types of evaluation (self-report, teacher rating and situational judgment test) for a more complete look.

 

“The MSA is a way to assess whether we are meeting the nonacademic parts of our mission,” Josh explains. “The MSA complements our standardized test results and I would suggest that there might be more tests like this in the future. There’s a very good chance that this type of test will someday have as much weight as the SAT because it is aligned with more current educational thinking.”

 

To conclude the discussion, James Foreman, dean of Grades 5/6, gave parents an overview of the MESH curriculum. The theme in Grade 6 is “Embracing Growth” as students manage social dynamics, take healthy risks and further develop a sense of themselves as citizens and learners.