Reporting Progress
Thanks to the Co-op’s small size and dedicated teaching staff, the school is able to track a student’s progress carefully without assigning letter grades through sixth grade. Letter grades are assigned in grades 7 and 8 as children prepare for the world of high school. Teachers are available to discuss a student’s development with parents on an ongoing, as-needed basis. In addition, parents receive official feedback about their children four times a year. Formal parent-teacher conferences are scheduled twice a year, in the fall and late spring. During the fall conference the teacher discusses the child’s work in the context of his/her cognitive, social and emotional, and aesthetic development. Parents and teacher discuss goals for the student and strategies to help the child achieve them. In the spring conference, parents are invited to review the student’s portfolio, which is a collection of student’s works and receive feedback from the teacher about progress. In early winter parents receive a detailed written report which evaluates the child’s progress in all areas. At the end of the school year, parents receive a final progress report.

Standardized Testing
All children in our kindergarten and 1st grade are evaluated to determine basic achievement levels in reading, language arts, and math, and to evaluate visual and auditory processing skills. These evaluations provide useful baseline indications of a child’s skill and ability. The results are discussed with the student’s teacher and a letter is sent home to parents explaining the results and suggesting follow-up if necessary. From 3rd grade on, children sit for standardized tests in the spring. Third graders take these exams as a way to practice their test-taking skills. Beginning in 4th grade, test results become official.