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Diocese of Sacramento |
Student
Assessments Across The Diocese
Learning is measured through periodic comparison of students' demonstrated knowledge and skills with Diocesan grade level content area standards and Schoolwide Learning Expectations (SLEs). Parental feedback is a component of the assessment process.
The purposes of academic and Catholic identity assessments and some commonly used assessment instruments are outlined below. A listing of assessments specific to school sites can be found on file in the school office, in annual reports of curriculum In-Depth Studies.
PURPOSE
Initial diagnostic assessments:
individual learning style inventories, analysis of daily work and homework, quizzes, publisher's pre-tests, teacher-made tests and individual assessment instruments, teacher observation, confidential exchanges of professional information with former teachers, analysis of longitudinal standardized test scores
Instruments:
- diagnostic tests
- unit/chapter pretests
- oral and written pretests
- standardized tests
- alternative assessments: In Religion class, teachers monitor student work and discussion as well as observe student response to SLEs
- Rubrics: detailed outcomes summary charts which identify proficiency levels
PURPOSE
Ongoing assessment of strengths and weaknesses:
by teachers
- traditional assessments
- student performance based instructional tasks
by students
- analyze and assess their own learning.
- examine their responses, explaining how they understand and apply concepts, sharing why a particular concept is difficult, and use cumulative reviews
- engage in informal conferences with teachers
Instruments (auditory, kinesthetic, and visual):
- weekly, unit, and chapter tests
- essays, logs of progress, and journal writing
- reports, oral and group presentations
- portfolios
- projects
- role playing
- rubrics
- homework and family activities
- questions to stimulate critical thinking
- student reflection - In Religion class, students regularly reflect upon their faith, behavior and character.
- peer observation and feedback
- ungraded reviews
- student self-correcting/editing
- teacher observation checklists and anecdotal notes: In Religion, observation of attitudes of reverence during prayer, at Mass, and evidence of respect for worth and dignity of each person in student interactions.
"The
integration of religious truth and values with the rest of
life, which is possible in (Catholic) schools, distinguishes
them from others. ... The integration is expressed above all
in the lives of the teachers in Catholic schools whose daily
witness to the meaning of mature faith and Christian living
has a profound impact upon the education and formation of
their pupils." Teach Them A Statement of the Catholic
Bishops, p3, USCC, 1976