Assessment
HomeworkThe Honors Academy of Literature believes that homework is a valuable tool for providing authentic practice of concepts outside of the learning environment. We also acknowledge that parents and families have obligations outside of school including the need for family time. As a result, our homework policy strives to create a balanced and family friendly approach to homework.
We have determined that a good goal for homework is about 10 minutes a day per grade level. For instance:
The above times should be a combined nightly total of homework from all subjects and classes throughout the day. We have also agreed as a staff to send home weekly homework plans where scholars will complete multiple assignments throughout the week with the completed homework due the following Monday. This allows for scholars and families to practice their own time management when completing the homework so that they can work around heavily scheduled days. At times, there will still be need to send home periodic assignments that are not mentioned in the weekly homework plan and are due the following day. But, this should not be a majority of homework assignments. The Honors Academy of Literature also recognizes our responsibility to prepare 7th and 8th grade scholars for the academic rigors of high school. As a result, 7th and 8th grade scholars should expect homework expectations to get harder throughout the school year in order to build stamina for high school. If you require additional copies of homework, please email the teacher and request a scanned copy. National Assessment of Educational Progress
The Honors Academy of Literature 8th grade class has been selected to participate in the NAEP testing for the 2015 testing season. NAEP provides a helpful parents' guide that can be accessed here.
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Standards Based Report CardsAt the Academy we use standards based report cards at all grade-levels for core content classes. Scholars in 7th and 8th grade and elective classes will also receive traditional letter grades to meet the state transcript requirements.
Scholar-led Parent Conferences - Scholar Showcase!At the Academy, we encourage our scholars to take ownership of their learning. To promote this among our scholars, we hold Scholar-led Parent Conferences at the end of each academic quarter. It is important to note that this is not a traditional Parent/Teacher Conference, where teachers and parents meet to discuss grades together. Instead, this is a time for scholars to present their learning portfolio, a collection of work they are most proud of that has been gathered throughout the quarter. This model not only promotes ownership of their learning, it has real-world application, and is much more aligned with what happens in a cooperate setting than the traditional Parent/Teacher Conference. It is hugely important that all scholars and parents participate in the Scholar-led Parent Conferences, and we will work to have 100% attendance each quarter.
If you are interested in meeting with your scholar’s teachers about progress and grading, please schedule a time to do so at the beginning of the quarter or when progress reports go home between the 4th and 5th week of each quarter. The Scholar-led Parent Conference is not the appropriate venue for such conversations, as it should be scholar focused and all grading is complete. Testing ScheduleACT (8) - TBD by SPCSA
ELPA - 1/26 through 2/5 Middle School ELA, Math, Science (8) - 5/11 through 5/15, Make-up 5/18 through 5/22 Elementary School ELA, Math, Science (8) - 5/18 through 5/22, Make-up 5/26-5/29 |