Assessment in Cerrito is differentiated, frequent, and sensitive to the many ways of demonstrating understanding. Students set goals on rubrics, receive feedback from peers and teachers, and often write about their experiences. They compile portfolios throughout the school year that act as documentation of their school year (and fit nicely on a bedroom shelf!).

Here’s a rubric we use for portfolios. Students and teachers reflect together on these specific learning areas, set goals, and check in often. Students must know the way forward.

Students also take MAP adaptive tests on computers, two to three times per year to measure progress across the curriculum and give us specific, quantitative data with accompanying qualitative suggestions on next steps for the student.

This is when students begin to build homework habits. To call upon Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, think about habits as the result of a cycle of cues, routines, and rewards. Cues can be spaces, times of day, nagging from a parent (!), and the like. Help create healthy cues. Routines have to do with how the homework gets done–with classical music playing in the background? At the kitchen table? In front of the TV? And let us not forget that rewards are important for our psychology, and they can be more subtle than you might think. Students enjoy putting a checkmark in a box, zipping up their binder, putting an “x” on a chart, for small accomplishments. Choices is the big reward on Fridays, and we try to make it really fun.