In our classrooms at the Waldorf School of DuPage, assessment is an ongoing process. Throughout a block, teachers observe students' work, listen to their questions and explanations, review their main lesson books, and notice how they approach challenges and apply new ideas. At the end of a block, we bring together these observations and other forms of assessment to understand what each child has learned, what they can demonstrate independently, and where further practice or support may be needed.
Our goal is not simply to determine whether every child has mastered every aspect of a topic by the end of a set number of weeks. We recognize that learning is developmental. Children grow in their understanding at different rates, and meaningful learning does not always follow a perfectly predictable timeline.
This does not mean that academic knowledge, accuracy, or skill development are unimportant. We have learning goals, and we want children to develop strong foundations in the subjects they study. We also want to understand how they think, how they approach problems, whether they can explain their ideas, and how they apply what they have learned. For younger students, assessment is more subtle--through conversation, bookwork and even observations in their play. For older students we also use block projects, presentations and block tests as well. We know that students learn in a variety of ways, so assessment should follow suit.
We also recognize that the end of a block is not the end of learning. Ideas return in later lessons and grades, where students revisit them with greater experience and understanding. Our responsibility is to assess what children know and can do now, recognize their growth, identify gaps that need attention, and help them continue to develop.
We are not lowering our expectations by looking beyond mastery. We are broadening our understanding of what meaningful learning looks like. We want children to gain knowledge and skills while also developing the confidence, curiosity, perseverance, and independent thinking that will help them continue learning throughout their lives.
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