Did you know that CDS uses assessment tools to foster the development of both academic skills and character qualities?

 The MAP Test for Academics

 Our MAP testing results indicate that our students score competitively in Math and Reading. Our Math scores for Fall 2014 show that 55% of CDS students score in the top 10% nationally and our reading scores show that 58% of CDS students score in the top 20%. Our academic programs in elementary and middle school prepare students for success in testing without giving in to the constant assessment craze plaguing American education.

The Measure of Academic Progress test (MAP test), the same one used by the local school district (district 30), is dynamic, flexible, and helps CDS teachers get ongoing feedback on each student’s learning. It is a computer-adaptive test, supplying harder or easier questions based on the test’s measure of each student’s skill level (as each students scores correctly or incorrectly on questions).

 

Though the MAP test is the same used by the local school district (district 30), CDS uses the test results in a more effective way than conventional education allows. Individual results from the MAP tests allow teachers to adjust their teaching for the 4th through 8th graders who take it. They use it to tailor their teaching to each individual student in a way that other programs don’t have the luxury to do. The test is administered three times per year; so CDS teachers can monitor the progress of each student in areas needing more attention and track how each student grows academically throughout the course of the year.

The MSA Test for Non-Cognitive Skills

In keeping with our mission to develop students’ character, CDS is also excited to begin participating in the Mission Skills Assessment (MSA), which measures the character qualities of Teamwork, Creativity, Ethics, Resilience, Curiosity, and Time Management. This assessment was administered to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Results from this assessment are given at the school level only. No individual results are reported to the school.