Building confidence

Adventure, challenges, laughter, friendship: Camp Chingachgook has it all.  This is the 18th year Parker  students have gone off at the start of the school year to gain self-understanding and a good group dynamic.  It is a milestone to get to 4th grade and go on the trip - and each year holds a signature challenge.  The 8th graders climbed Buck mountain and camped out overnight.  It's a long hike - and everyone made it! 

Children gain so much confidence from trying something that is new - and a little bit hard.  Hmmm, I think we all do!

Assessing discovery

Discovering a caterpillar or a milkweed pod in the meadow - eating lunch outside with friends - families working  together on Work Days -  these are school experiences that make Parker a special place in the lives of students and families. 

At our opening faculty days we talked about assessment.  We know that Parker students are learning - but how do we know?  We use a variety of assessments at Parker - just not the standardized kind.  There are far more authentic and nourishing ways to find out what students know how to do. 

"When students are challenged with authentic questions that demand reflection and thought, they are happier, healthier, and better prepared for the rigors of college, work, and citizenship."  writes John Austin in the latest Independent School magazine.

To measure for 21C skills, we want to know that students can think skeptically about numbers; that they can make a persuasive and supported argument; and that they can interpret, compare, and analyze material.  These call for assessments that are creative and dynamic.

Of course, at the basic level, we need to know that students can add, spell, and read, and these can be measured simply.  But assessing for the more complex skills that Parker is geared for, requires much more of teachers.  This year teachers will be sharing with each other all the ways they assess students - and how they comunicate their findings to students and parents, and to the outside world. 

I will be holding a coffee for parents on this topic on October 26 from 8:30 - 9:15.  I hope you will be able to join me in a discussion about what good assessment looks like!

First day - new year!

The excitement of the first day of a new school year - smiles all around!