Terms and Definitions

Assessment - Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering a body of evidence to demonstrate the student’s application of learned knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts. Assessment includes a wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document progress towards the learning targets and competencies. Forms of assessments include, but are not limited to, projects, presentations, essays, debates, discussion based questions, tests, or other means for students to demonstrate their learning.

KRMS uses two categories of assessment, formative and summative. Formative assessments are opportunities for students to receive ongoing feedback during the learning process. Summative assessments are generally comprehensive assessments for students to demonstrate what they have learned and how they can apply their learning in more complex and authentic ways. 

Competency - Competencies describe interrelated knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are relevant, measurable, and transferable in each content area. Competencies are informed by the appropriate local, state, and/or national academic standards for the content area.

Learning Targets - A competency consists of multiple learning targets.  Learning targets describe key skills or understandings that are necessary to meet the competency statement or an intermediate goal on the way to demonstrating competency.

Performance Scale - Performance scales are used to describe the progression of learning within a learning target on a student’s path to competency. It details what a student should know or be able to do at each stage of their learning.

Practice or Homework - Practice and homework are used to reinforce content and skills taught in the class.  They may be completed in class or at home, as appropriate.  Practice and homework are an important part of the learning process.  As such, students will be given feedback on their practice and homework and their completion is recorded in PowerSchool as evidence of their Habits of Mind and to identify work that may be a part of the remediation plan.  Homework is not computed in the student's grade.

Rubrics - Rubrics are assessment specific tools used by teachers to provide feedback on how a student has performed on a specific learning target within that assessment. Rubrics describe the extent to which a student has acquired the knowledge and applied the skill(s) learned. Rubrics provide specific feedback students can use to grow, improve, or expand their learning.

Remediation - Relearning and reassessment are an integral part of the learning process as students use feedback to clarify and deepen their understanding. Remediation is an opportunity for students to use feedback to improve their understanding and application of essential knowledge and skills.  Remediation may include completion of missed work, additional instruction and practice, and reassessment.

Unit Overview -  For transparency, students and parents should know the content, learning targets, and how they will be assessed at the start of each unit. Using their knowledge of the learning targets, we (teachers in the school) will work with students to build a path to success, with opportunities for self-reflection throughout, which is articulated unit development and communicated in the Unit Overview. If students know the targets and how they will demonstrate their learning they are more likely to succeed.