Assessment & Testing

Testing is often considered the primary means of assessment, but that is far from true at The Raleigh School.

Assessment

Assessment is an ongoing, daily process at The Raleigh School. Students' skills are assessed through a variety of methods such as:

Observation
One-on-one skills assessment
Review of class work and homework
Rubrics created for each project
All-School Writing Day (reviewed by teachers)
Peer review
Self-assessment by students
Teacher-made tests

Teachers compile all this information and create detailed progress reports that are a a combination of grade-based skills' assessment and narrative. Progress reports are reviewed with parents twice a year at parent-teacher conferences, and a final progress report is mailed home at the end of the year. In fifth grade, the student leads the second conference by reviewing goals and showing achievement relative to the goals.

The progress reports are used instead of traditional grades.

Testing

The Raleigh School is free from the constraints of EOGs, EOCs, grade-level testing and other types of tests that detract from the mission at hand. The state requires the school to give a nationally normed test, and that is the only standardized test we administer. We administer the Stanford Achievement Test in third-fifth grades, with minimal class time spent in preparation for the test.

Results

Results

The Raleigh School mean scores from Spring 2019:

Fourth grade

Total Reading: National percentile—93
Total Mathematics: National percentile—96
Language: National percentile—88
Spelling: National percentile—80

Fifth grade

Total Reading: National percentile—93
Total Math: National percentile—95
Language: National percentile—86
Spelling: National percentile—91

We are always proud of our test scores, but we recognize that standardized achievement tests are not the only or even the best outcome measure for our educational objectives. While scores can be helpful in planning curriculum and understanding children’s strengths and areas for improvement, they do not take into consideration more intangible skills such as work ethic and effort, empathy, and perseverance. At The Raleigh School we believe that these intangible qualities are equally as important as performance on any given test.