Student Evaluations

Inner reflection and self-feedback are at the core of what it means to be Jewish. The Hebrew word t’filah (to pray) literally means “to judge oneself”. Our assessment philosophy stems from the idea that self-evaluation is a powerful tool for growth and development. HMJDS parents, students, and educators work in partnership to understand and value constructive feedback and assessment results. Ultimately, individual and community learning stem from a process that is both internal and shared with those around us.

HMJDS assessment is multi-faceted. Input from professional staff and national best practices inform the different types of assessments we use. We hope it will serve as our ongoing guide as we continue to develop new and varied assessment strategies to inspire students and our entire learning community to achieve success. 

We believe that our graduates should be strong problem solvers, deep thinkers, and good people who will apply their enduring Jewish values to becoming leaders in the community. Well-designed assessment provides information which allows a feedback system – among students, parents, and the school – that creates an environment best suited to these goals.

As we look at the whole child, assessments can take the form of qualitative scores, descriptive observations, and the processing of student work. The following list describes a variety of assessment tools and supports we use at HMJDS:

Advisory – Small, single-gender student groups for 7th and 8th graders provide an opportunity for a meaningful connection with an advisor, who is also a member of the Day School staff. Advisors guide students and parents in areas of social, emotional, and academic development.

Child Study – Child study meetings are an opportunity for teachers and support staff to evaluate student progress and look closely at individual students’ goals.

Fall Goal Setting Conferences – Goal-setting conferences are held early (approximately six weeks) into the academic year. They are designed for parents, students, and teachers to create goals for the coming year and communicate progress updates to that point in the year. Student portfolios are available.

Spring Conferences – Spring conferences are held in March. Teachers discuss progress towards goals set in the fall and make final plans for the last quarter of the year.

Student Portfolios – Student portfolios, a self-selected collection of work samples, provide students an opportunity to evaluate their own work and reflect upon their accomplishments as well as share their progress with their parents.

“Our oldest child has attention issues. Thanks to kind and consistent encouragement of her HMJDS teachers, she’s learned to focus and organize. Now she’s a motivated, engaged and proud student.” – HMJDS Parent

Individual Plan – A document indicating specific strategies, accommodations, and tools to support a student with identified need for enhancement or enrichment.

Informal Observation – Informal observations by professional staff provide a valuable tool in assessing student performance. 

Performance-Based Evaluation – Teacher evaluation of student work can include assessment and feedback on writing, projects, math, reading strategies, presentations, tests, and other work. This response is individualized and immediate and regards the child’s understanding of new material and ability to apply what has been learned.

Progress Reports – Progress reports communicating a child’s achievements will be available twice a year for grades K-4 and three times a year for grades 5- 8. They describe where a child is on a developmental continuum as well as measure against age-appropriate benchmarks specific to each grade level. 

Reading Assessment – Teacher’s College, Columbia University Assessments given several times a year to track and measure a variety of reading skills using a common assessment tool.

School Programs – Many school programs which grow organically out of the curriculum provide ongoing opportunities for students to gain confidence and demonstrate what they know through increasing proficiency in public speaking skills and expression through a variety of modalities including music and art. 

Self Evaluation – Students’ reflection about strategies for studying, approaching projects, and knowing how they learn is an important part of assessment. Self-evaluation allows students the opportunity to evaluate their awareness of where they are in the learning process.

Standardized Tests – Standardized tests are administered to students in grades 3-8.  Results are communicated to families with a home report that includes explanations to help parents and students interpret the outcomes and put them in context. Standardized tests provide a means to measure a student’s abilities and how their achievements compare to other student populations.

Student Work Exhibitions – Displays of student work (including but not limited to portfolios) occur frequently during the school year.  These exhibitions offer the children an opportunity to share, reflect on, and evaluate the quality of their own work on a regular basis. 

Age-Based Developmental Benchmarks – The Day School takes a developmental approach to education.  Each student is nurtured and challenged according to his or her own individual academic, social, emotional, and physical maturation. What follows is a sampling of the developmental needs associated with elementary and middle school children. Age 5, Ages 6-7, Age 8