Class Lists

How does the school determine the placement of a student for the upcoming school year? This is a question we hear every once in a while, especially after the class letters are sent home. There are many factors that go into this decision and it is not taken lightly or made with just a stroke of the pen. Clearly as students get older the amount of information we have about their learning styles and performance allows us to make decisions based on a wider range of criteria. However, in the early primary grades, where a child is just embarking on their educational experience, the teachers who associate with a student gather together and share their yearlong observations, anecdotal evidence, student grades, test scores(when available), reading levels and special needs the child may have. The teachers then spend a good deal of time and energy matching the students' learning styles, abilities and needs to the teachers at the next grade level. The choices are made with great care and empathy for the students and in most situations the placements are the correct placements--resulting in students who thrive academically, socially and emotionally.