Student Assessments: Getting to Know Your Student’s Needs

Every child learns differently. You’ve likely experienced this yourself or watched your own child either struggle or excel in school while other students experienced the opposite fates. The fact is, every student processes information in their own way. Some only need to hear a concept once to have it down pat; others may need weeks of study to grasp that same concept. Some students may thrive in a lecture-driven environment; others may fall asleep at the mere notion of a lecture and prefer to get their hands on the subject matter to learn it.

Unfortunately, many brick-and-mortar schools today still subscribe to the theory that one size fits all when it comes to learning. State education standards dictate the curriculum and the lesson pace, and if a child does not adhere to that pace, he or she suffers. The students who may need more time to digest the information given to them are often left behind, which can severely damage their confidence and motivation toward school. Conversely, those students who master concepts quickly are left bored and waiting for their classmates to catch up, leading them to disengage with school. Neither of these scenarios is ideal.

So, what’s the solution? Meeting students where they are. And how can educators figure out where their students are? Through student assessments.

What is a student assessment?

Student assessments involve the collection and analysis of information about where students are academically. These assessments provide valuable insights into your child’s unique strengths and learning needs. By leveraging these assessments, parents, students, and teachers can better understand how the student learns best and tailor support accordingly. 

Student assessments also help to address learning gaps by explaining the reasons for student inconsistencies. These assessments go a long way toward creating an academic profile that outlines areas needing support, areas to watch, and strengths to nurture.

Holston Academy partners with NWEA and MindPrint to assess potential students and create the perfect education plan based on the results. Upon completion of the student assessments, Holston’s Education Team receives an integrated report that includes the MindPrint assessment results and NWEA MAP Growth scores. MindPrint’s integrated reporting of academic and cognitive data and data-informed recommendations–which include the cognitive skills that are contributing to student underperformance–enable teachers and our Academic Coaches to address challenges and accelerate student growth across grades and subject areas.

Our Academic Coaches then use the strategies provided in the student’s MindPrint reports to offer insights into effective time management, goal setting, and problem-solving. As a whole, these reports allow our Education Team to seamlessly determine the best ways to support each student on their academic journey at Holston Academy.

The Benefits of Student Assessments

The benefits of student assessments are plentiful from both a granular and broader perspective.  Using MindPrint as an example, student assessments help identify each child’s academic and emotional strengths as well as areas for growth across subjects, plus actionable next steps. The academic reports that result from these assessments are valuable tools in illustrating to teachers how each student learns best and connects them to the most effective type of instruction for each student.

This strengths-based approach helps foster a lifelong love of learning in each student by meeting students where they are so they grow more confident, motivated, and engaged with school. Additionally, when students are familiar with their own strengths and areas of opportunity, their levels of frustration may subside when they’re struggling…because they know why they’re struggling and how they can use certain strategies to learn in a different way.

For parents and educators, knowing the specifics of a student’s strengths and weaknesses helps clearly define a more effective approach to supporting the student through alternative strategies that play to their strengths. For example, if a student struggles to learn by reading lengthy texts, a teacher can pivot their instruction to incorporate more visual and activity-based learning for this particular student.

A significant benefit of student assessments is that they can put to rest the notion that they don’t possess the necessary skills to excel in a particular subject. No child, regardless of age, should ever think “I’m no good at math” or “I just can’t understand the rules of grammar.” The results of student assessments could very well reveal that it’s not the subject matter that’s difficult to comprehend; rather, it’s the way the concepts are being instructed that are not resonating. Having this knowledge, lessons can be adjusted to better suit the learning needs of each student, resulting in improved student understanding, which ultimately leads to better outcomes and higher levels of confidence in the classroom.

Holston Academy’s Student Assessment

Through Holston Academy’s student assessment package, you can gain a very clear understanding of your child’s academic strengths, areas of improvement, and specific action items that bolster their strengths and address their areas of improvement. We utilize NWEA MAP GROWTH assessments, MindPrint assessments, and an Interest Inventory and Future Goals questionnaire to gain a 360-degree perspective on each student.

Once the assessments are complete, our Education Team and Academic Coaches receive that information so they can get to know your student and create a Personalized Learning Plan that is tailored to your child’s strengths, opportunity areas, and goals. This immediately sets your student up for success and opens the doors to an engaging, productive, and positive school experience. To learn more about Holston’s student assessments, please click here. You can also purchase our student assessment by contacting our Admissions department at (833) 782-6922.