Assessment

Consistent with best practices in high performing schools, BVP teachers routinely use assessments to gauge mastery of skills and knowledge, as well as to determine effectiveness in implementing the written curriculum. On a daily basis, teachers use a number of formative assessments in their classroom to monitor learning – including exit tickets at the conclusion of virtually every lesson in order to measure individual and whole class mastery of the daily objective.

To ensure that BVP maximizes opportunities for teachers to learn from assessment results across all schools, the network provides standards-based interim assessments, as well as a system for analyzing and using data for all grade levels in all schools. In grades K-2, this includes the STEP literacy benchmark assessment, as well as Fountas & Pinnell literacy benchmarks. For grades 2-8, BVP utilizes the tools of the Achievement Network that provide interim assessments for mathematics and reading every six weeks. In grades 5-7, scholars take the STAR reading and mathematics assessments as both a universal screening tool and to monitor growth through the year.

In addition to the abovementioned interim assessments, the network ensures that teachers come together to create common assessments; unit tests and trimester exams are used as summative measures of student mastery of specific content knowledge and skill application. These assessments are aligned to both the Common Core and NECAP-released assessments. In grades K-4, these assessments are focused on mathematics and literacy and branch out in all core content areas for grades 5-12.