Assessment
We believe that teaching the whole child cannot completely be measured by data. Academic and social goals are set by everyone involved: teachers, parents, and by the child as he or she gets older. We do not collect data to compare children. Part of our ongoing assessment is our commitment to mastery learning. Although not based on grades, mastery learning (that is, working on a task, worksheet, or project until there are no errors) demonstrates that the individual child understands and comprehends the information and/or skill. Mastery is valid because it can be verified daily by the child, teacher, and parent.
At Rivendell, written assessments replace traditional report cards. We never teach to any type of test and are proud of that fact. We communicate the results of student performance and school effectiveness at mid-semester conferences, through end of year reports, and weekly and monthly newsletters.
Performance
Rivendell measures student achievement using the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills® (ITBS). The Iowa Tests offer educators a diagnostic look at how their students are progressing in key academic areas, and offers diagnostic data that can be used to create intervention groups and to drive curricular decisions. ITBS covers vocabulary, word analysis, listening, reading comprehension, language, math, science, social studies and use of informational resources. Learn more about ITBS.
The results of our recent Iowa Tests are below (Adobe Reader required). These scores are an excellent indicator of the attention paid to individual academic excellence at Rivendell.
Rivendell ITBS Scores
Rivendell 2007 Iowa Test Scores 
Rivendell 2008 Iowa Test Scores
Rivendell 2009 Iowa Test Scores
Rivendell 2010 Iowa Test Scores
Rivendell 2011 Iowa Test Scores
