Assessments
Trinity School understands that while instruction may take place in large or small groups, learning is individual.
To stay attuned to student needs, teachers use continuous assessment of student progress to guide their teaching as well as the pacing of skills and content.
Observation: Teachers use informal and formal observations to track elements of learning such as, how the child and group feel about the learning experience, skill/concept acquisition, pacing, and depth of understanding.
Student Products: Whether a single assignment or an extended project composed of multiple guided sub-tasks, teachers provide student feedback, while learning what the child or the group needs next. Every spring Trinity School showcases student achievement through Celebration of Learning. Parents, personnel, friends, and other students provide authentic audiences for students to share their accomplishments with. Here is the 2011 schedule for Celebration of Learning.
In-Class Assessments: These may be brief, informal check-ins, individual progress assessments, or a class quiz or test for which students have prepared. Teachers use student performance to know what to review, what to extend, and when to progress to new skills and concepts.
Trinity School also uses standardized assessments to calibrate teaching and learning as well as to benchmark the school against other independent schools in California and the nation.
- The Comprehensive Testing Program (ERB) is the School's standardized testing program. Children in Grades 2-5 take the ERB assessments in late October/early November so that information from testing can be applied to current teaching and learning.
- ECP 4 through Grade 2 students work with the Children's Progress Academic Assessment several times a year. This adaptive activity provides teachers with information on how to fine tune instruction.