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OVERVIEW
The Lighthouse Community Charter School provides authentic, rigorous,
and diverse assessment opportunities for students to communicate
and demonstrate understanding and individual growth. Because of
our commitment to meeting the needs whole child, our assessment
methods incorporate opportunities for students to demonstrate
social and emotional learning, in addition to academic learning.
All assessment tools are designed to assess the core competencies
delineated in LCCS Graduation "Exit" Outcomes. Assessment
data is collected over time and used formally several times throughout
the year to engage teachers in reflection on student achievement
and to inform professional development opportunities for teachers
that may be necessary to meet the needs of all students. The assessment
systems utilized at Lighthouse include:
- Performance Tasks
- Ongoing Content Area Assessments
- State Assessments and/or other Standardized Tests
- Individualized Learning Plans
- Exhibitions of Student Work
- Portfolios
- Passages
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Performance Tasks
In order to measure students’ academic growth toward the
Passage Outcomes of the school, LCCS will conduct several performance
tasks each year in each of the core competencies of mathematics,
science, language arts, and social sciences/history. Lighthouse
teachers develop Performance Tasks by merging excellent examples
of existing assessments from the New Standards Reference Exams
(see http://www.ncee.org/OurProducts/assess.html) with the Lighthouse
curriculum standards in the Passage Outcomes. All performance
tasks are assessed using a tested rubric and scores are averaged
to attain an overall score. The level of success on performance
tasks is one measure of a student’s promotion or retention
in a looped level. More importantly, performance task data serves
as concrete feedback for teachers when evaluating the effectiveness
of different instructional strategies, lessons, and Learning Expeditions.
Ongoing Content Area Assessments
Teachers of the core and non-core classes measure student progress
toward content and performance standards through teacher-created
assessments on a regular and on-going basis. This on-going work
(i.e. essays, labs, journals, tests, reports, projects) is assessed
using rubrics and all scores are averaged to attain an overall
content assessment score. The level of success with content assessments
will be one measure of a student’s promotion or retention
in a grade level.
State Assessments and/or other Standardized Tests (as required
by Education Code 47605c(2))
Individualized Learning Plans
Each Lighthouse student has an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP)
that delineates specific goals and strategies for academic, social,
and emotional areas specific to the needs of each child. Parents,
students, and teachers come together at least three times a year,
once to develop the ILP and a second and third time to reflect
on progress toward the goals, in addition to setting new goals
and/or developing new strategies to reach student goals, if necessary.
Growth toward attaining ILP goals is one holistic method of assessment
at Lighthouse.
Exhibitions of Student Work
Students have multiple opportunities throughout the school year
to showcase their best work during Exhibitions. Exhibitions are
planned to occur at least twice a year. Student work (both individual
and class projects) is displayed, viewed, evaluated using rubrics,
and viewed by peers, teachers, families, and community members.
This process adds a layer of accountability for students as they
work to publicly communicate their understanding of specific content
and performance standards while connecting the Oakland community
to their work.
Portfolios
Each year, students, with the aid of their teachers, maintain
a compendium of work in portfolios. Portfolios serve two purposes
at the LCCS. One, they are utilized by teachers, students, and
parents to reflect on a student’s academic growth over time.
Two, portfolios are also a record of on-going work. Lighthouse
teachers will use The New Standards Portfolio System (see http://www.ncee.org/OurProducts/assess.html)
because they reflect the criteria set forth in the Passage and
Graduation "Exit" Outcomes. Student Portfolios may hold
a variety of materials such as journals, videos, content and performance
assessments, cooperative and individualized class work, and final
projects. But each piece of work included in student Portfolios
are submitted to demonstrate student progress toward or achievement
of the Passage Outcomes. Academic progress in the portfolio is
one measure of a student’s promotion or retention in a grade
level.
Passages
LCCS students spend at least two years looping with their teacher.
Before students can "pass" to the next loop, they must
demonstrate and communicate their understanding and mastery of
the Passage Outcomes, or looped level standards. Students demonstrate
this at a Passage. During Passages, students present pieces of
work and artifacts that reflect the standards set forth in the
Passage Outcomes. Students make these presentations in front of
a group of peers, family members, and teachers. Passage expectations
are developmentally appropriate for each grade level. For example,
Passages begin as celebrations (K/1 Loop) and culminate as a dissertation
(11/12 Loop) where LCCS students must publicly defend their readiness
to graduate.
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How Assessment Systems enhance our Mission:
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Tenet 1 - Articulated High Expectations
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- Performance Tasks provide a standard assessment of student
achievement of the most important aspects of the Passage
and Exit Outcomes.
- Student work is published in Portfolios developed by
the New Standards™, which align with the Passage
and Exit Outcomes.
- Student achievement is displayed in biannual Exhibitions
of Work where the Oakland Community is encouraged to evaluate
the quality of Lighthouse projects.
- Annual student goals are set, measured, and revised
during Individualized Learning Plans meetings that connect
families, students and teachers.
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Tenet 2 – Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child
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- Student goals extend to include social, emotional, and
physical goals during the creation of the Individualized
Learning Plan.
- Through varied assessment, students are provided multiple
and varied methods to demonstrate their understanding.
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Tenet 3 – Teachers as Learners
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- Teachers use Performance Task data to measure the efficacy
of their practice.
- Teachers use Portfolios to measure the efficacy of different
Learning Expeditions.
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