There is an array of instruments and approaches to assess
and chart a student's progress. All students and parents
receive detailed grade reports at the end of each semester,
while mid-semester or progress reports are routinely sent
to parents of students in grades eight through ten. Progress
reports are also sent home for students in grades ten
through twelve who have earned a grade of C- or below.
Grades
are only one way of assessing students' learning. Throughout
each semester, teams of teachers at each grade level
meet to discuss the progress of each student in the
grade. The team meetings are among the most important
events in the school calendar. Teachers convene in the
boardroom and review the performance and learning style
of each student, seeking to identify academic habits
and patterns that may not be easily discernible to a
single instructor. Frequently the teams formulate recommendations
designed to help an individual student improve, and
their proposals may include advice on study skills,
additional tutoring, supervised study with a teacher,
or sessions with a learning specialist.
Recommendations
from the team meetings are conveyed to students by their
faculty advisors. A faculty advisor is a student's advocate
and is customarily one of the teachers they see on a
daily basis. Faculty advisors take a special interest
in their advisees, representing them at team meetings
and helping them understand and master the special challenges
of moving through Indian Springs accelerated curriculum.
They are also the first point of contact at the school
for parents who may have questions about any phase of
the Indian Springs experience, from the academic requirements
to the organization of student clubs and the sports
programs.
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