STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT/EVALUATION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 

Effective evaluation of student achievement is essential to the instructional process, the certification of student progress towards meeting the content standards of the system of Learning Results, the tracking of progress toward individual and district learning goals, and communication between schools and parents. 

Evaluation of student achievement provides staff with information important to assessing students’ individual educational needs, providing appropriate instruction, and identifying learning problems and areas in which remediation is required. Sharing of information among parents, staff and students is an integral part of the evaluation process. 

The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor School District will use multiple assessments, both informal and formal, at the classroom, school, and district levels to evaluate each student’s performance and to monitor his/her progress toward meeting the content standards and the Guiding Principles of the Learning Results. 

Assessments over the course of each school year shall include formats that allow students to demonstrate in different ways what they know and are able to do. 

Students shall have multiple opportunities to practice, apply, and demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Individual classroom assessments may include but are not limited to student tests, quizzes, reports, demonstrations, products, presentations, laboratory work, writing samples, teacher observations, portfolio constructions, and student self-assessments. 

School and district assessments may include “common assessments” designed to provide consistent evaluation and reporting of student knowledge and skills in the same content areas across same-grade classrooms within the school and same-grade classrooms and grade spans within the district. Large-scale assessments will include those required as part of Maine’s Comprehensive Assessment System (MeCAS) and any others that may be required for federal and/or state reporting purposes. 

The school unit may administer other nationally normed standardized achievement tests such as the Northwestern Educational Assessment, Terra Nova, Iowa Test of Basic Skills, or California Test of Basic Skills. 

COMMUNICATING INFORMATION CONCERNING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Teachers should provide students and parents with timely information concerning student performance and, if applicable, the need for the student to participate in remediation and/or additional instruction.  Parents shall be informed at regular intervals of their child’s academic progress through report cards or other written or digital means. The teacher will provide written notification to the principal, guidance department, students and parents by the end of the third quarter if the student may not advance to the next grade because he/she has not met the content standards of the Learning Results for the student’s grade span and/or other reasons, or if the student may not qualify for a high school diploma because he/she has not met the required standards. 

Legal Reference: 20-A M.R.S.A. § 6209 Ch. 127 (Me. Dept. of Ed. Rule) 

Cross Reference: 

ADF – School System Commitment to Learning Results 

IKAB – Report Cards/Progress Reports IKE – Promotion and Retention of Students 

IKF – Graduation Requirements 

ILA – Student Assessment/Local Assessment System 

Adopted: 8-17-94 

Revised: 6-14-17