Benchmark Assessments
Three times a year, our teachers administer benchmark assessments to gain detailed information on where your child’s strengths and areas of growth are. You will often hear this referred to as BOY, MOY and EOY which stands for beginning, middle, and end of year. This information is paramount to our teachers’ ability to differentiate instruction by flexibly grouping students and tailoring whole group lessons. You will receive the system-generated report of how your child did on each assessment and we encourage teachers to answer any questions families may have about these scores on Parent Teacher Conference days.
We following benchmark assessments:
DC CAPE
Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, DC has implemented a new name for its general statewide assessment system, which includes assessments in English language arts/literacy (ELA), mathematics and science. The District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education (DC CAPE) include the DC ELA assessment (DC ELA), the DC Math assessment (DC Math) and the DC Science assessment (DC Science). Together, these assessments create a comprehensive system that provides important information on students’ progress and proficiency relative to DC’s educational standards. The assessment is provided to all students in grades 3-5 in the Spring. The purpose of this assessment is to measure students’ career and college readiness based on grade level Math, Literacy and Science standards for grades 3-5.
Schools do not receive the individual or school CAPE scores until the following fall. Student reports are mailed home to families, once received by the school.
Report Cards
Report cards are distributed at the end of each quarter. In each area, teachers will communicate the expectations of each standard on the report card, and will show your child’s progress in each concept. Parents will have opportunities to discuss students’ progress and work at parent-teacher conferences, which are scheduled twice a year. If there are specific questions, families are encouraged to email their child’s teacher.
ASPEN Parent Portal
The goal of the District’s Parent Portal is to create an open portal of communication between teachers and families to more easily work as a team in supporting each student’s learning. The portal provides families more insight into what occurs in the classroom, helping them become better equipped to support their child’s strengths and areas of growth.
How to Log On
Your initial log-in information for the Parent Portal will come via email. If you haven’t received your username and password, please reach out to your school’s registrar to make sure they have your correct email address and have granted you Parent Portal access in the system.
User Guides
Instructional Videos
These instructional videos will guide you through the ins and outs of the Aspen Parent Portal.