Students in this class will be participating in weekly Learning Checks to assess their acquisition and retention of the content knowledge required in this course. Learning Checks are designed to overcome the traditional "teach, test and forget" paradigm that is common at all levels education and to allow your child's intrinsic motivation for learning to blossom through personal growth and accomplishment.

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Learning Checks will be given each Wednesday and they are not a traditional test or a quiz - they something entirely different. Learning Checks are formative assessments of learning progress not a means of giving a grade. They are given by selecting random numbers from the Knowledge Map (See page 6 in your child's notebook) and having students answer questions relating to those numbers. Random selection of questions allows students a preview of material we have not yet covered, and review material previously learned. These checks are never graded. It would be unfair to assign a grade when items that randomly appear may not have been covered in class yet. Since the numbers are chosen randomly, in the beginning students will not score well - they are not supposed to. The focus is on the continuous improvement in content knowledge over time, rather than the score each week. In time all students improve.

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Students will score their own Learning Check and then graph their own personal results. (See page 7  in their notebook) Their mission each week is to try and out do themselves and contribute to the overall learning of the class. We will add all of the individual scores together for a class score and post the results on a graph on the wall, so we can see how the class's learning is progressing over time.

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Learning Checks are used solely to track class/individual learning progress. They are not the method we will use to teach and are definitely not intended to cause more stress. This method provides a full year's preparation for a final at the end of the year when they are expected to know it. Most students find them incredibly valuable and helpful to their learning.

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I developed this process, have been using it and teaching it to others around the country to improve student learning for 20 years. I am convinced of its effectiveness in helping students learn as well as its ability to spark student's interest in learning. If you or your child is feeling more stress as a result of this process, please call to get more information.