Middle School

Assessment and Communication

The faculty strives to foster a sense of responsibility in middle school students. We encourage students to seek help as often as necessary and to communicate their successes as well as their frustrations.

It is also important that parents feel able to communicate with the teachers. Parents may send an email or a written note to teachers with any questions or concerns.

We hold parent-teacher conferences in February. In January, we send home information about the conference schedule. We will always contact parents if we feel that a conference is necessary prior to February. We also make an effort to call parents when we can share good news about a child’s successes.

The middle school year is divided into two semesters for core curriculum and three trimesters for elective and rotation classes. Parents receive written evaluations from teachers at the close of each academic semester - at the end of December and June. Each evaluation is comprised of a short descriptive narrative as well as students' class average in each subject. If a child has difficulty in any class, the teacher will contact parents directly. Here's a sample of the written evaluation form:

The Willows Community School           Student’s Name Student Evaluation                                              Class: 8A Middle School                                      Term: Spring, 2008

Core with Brian Tousey Course Description 8th graders completed their year-long study of U.S. History with an examination of the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. Students focused on how the contributions of individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy affected the lives of many people. Students read the novels Night and A Separate Peace to enrich their understanding of this era. Students also completed their independent ”I-Search” projects by writing a research paper and completing a visual presentation. Continued emphasis on written expression, vocabulary development, and literary analysis were incorporated into this unit of study.     Comments:Core instructor’s specific comments regarding student here...     Course Average: __%