Student Assessment
Assessment of student learning is a critical component of the
educational program. Assessment is ongoing and integrated into the
teaching and learning process. In archdiocesan schools, assessment goals
may be met through standardized testing, together with curriculum-based
assessment.
Roles of Principals and Teachers
Teachers will utilize diagnostic, formative, summative, and self-assessment tools to monitor the academic progress of students. The principal will review curriculum-based assessment data to monitor student progress. The
principal and teachers will use the curriculum-based assessment data
and standardized test scores as criteria to select the most effective
instructional strategies and resources, and to communicate to
parents/guardians key information about student progress in meeting
curriculum content standards and grade-level expectations.
Role of Parents/Guardians
Parents/guardians
will be expected to communicate with teachers and the administration
regarding the children's overall progress.
Standardized Testing
All schools are required to participate in an archdiocese-wide standardized testing program.
School personnel must be appropriately trained to work
effectively and responsibly with the archdiocesan assessment instruments
and data. Standardized test results are only one indicator of
the students' overall academic achievement. Teachers use standardized
test results to identify students' relative academic strengths and
weaknesses, design curriculum, and plan for instruction, and principals
use the results to evaluate curriculum in order to set instructional
priorities and plan appropriate
professional development.
Principals are expected to instruct parents/guardians on how to
interpret their children's test scores and evaluate these in light of
the overall school program. The
Department of Catholic Schools
will analyze test scores to identify achievement trends and will assist
principals and testing coordinators to analyze and use test scores to
improve learning.
Curriculum-Based Assessment
Assessment
of student learning is an integral part of the instructional process.
The purpose of assessment is to guide instructional decisions in meeting
goals and to report student progress toward meeting content standards.
Assessment should be frequent, ongoing, varied, multifaceted, and integrated into the teaching/learning process.
The usefulness of assessment is dictated by the quality of the
assessment in measuring student progress; therefore, teachers must
carefully design appropriate, high-quality measures of student progress.
National Catholic Educational Association Assessment of Children/Youth Religious Education
The
National Catholic Educational Association Assessment of Children/Youth Religious Education (NCEA ACRE) is administered annually to students in fifth grade (Level 1) and eighth grade (Level 2) in archdiocesan schools.
NCEA ACRE is a tool for assessing the effectiveness of
catechetical programs in Catholic schools and
parish-based religious education programs.
NCEA ACRE includes questions about faith knowledge and religious
beliefs, attitudes, practices, and perceptions. It provides information
about a catechetical program's strengths and areas that may need
additional attention or improvement. To preserve the integrity of the
testing program, testing materials must be kept private and stored in a
locked cabinet until the time of testing. Under no circumstances should
specific test items be reviewed with students before or after the
testing dates.