Parents are essential partners with teachers in education. Parents are their children's FIRST teacher, they know their child BETTER than anyone else and they are the MOST IMPORTANT advocate for their child. No one knows your child as well as you do. You should understand what information is available to the school system and how it can be used.

At certain milestones, your child will take standardized tests which evaluate the student as well as the school system. These are the end of grade tests in reading, writing, math and science as well as end of course tests. The results are used to evaluate how well the school is doing in educating students. Is the school a School of Excellence or School of Distinction (the two highest levels of achievement) or is it in need of improvement?

In addition, the results are used to evaluate how well an INDIVIDUAL student is doing and predict their future achievement. Student achievement is a measure of how well your child did on a particular test at a particular point in time. Student progress is the measure of how much they have gained from year to year. Anyone can have a bad day taking a test, so it's important to gather information over a period of time in order to see how a student is doing.

In 2007 the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction chose EVAAS (Educational Value Added Assessment System) as the software system to evaluate the educational experience for each student. It helps the school system identify opportunities for growth for YOUR child. Because the software looks at an individual student's progress over a period of time, EVAAS reports are not available until there are at least three test results. These results can be used to determine the best math placement for your child in middle school and high school. The results can be used to project how well your child will do in future standardized tests. And the results can  be used to identify students that are struggling and most at risk for dropping out of high school. These reports do not predict the future. But they can be used as an early indicator of which students are on a track for success OR in need of help.

EVAAS reports give parents and teachers the opportunity to OBJECTIVELY evaluate how a student is doing and construct the BEST plan for your child. Wake County lagged behind other areas of the state adopting EVAAS, but now the reports are available to all schools in our county. This flyer from Person County (http://www.person.k12.nc.us/PDF%20FILES/EVAAS%20Reports%20for%20Parents.pdf) contains examples of EVAAS reports, so you can see what information is available to you and your child's teacher. Here are questions every parent should ask:

What are the projected scores for my child?
What can I do to help my child be successful at school?
How does the school system monitor my child's success?
 
The EVAAS reports help answer these questions by using data about YOUR INDIVIDUAL child. With this information and by working together with teachers, you can ensure the best possible educational experience for your child!