How We Measure Success

Pioneer Springs Community School's charter specifies that in lieu of traditional grading systems (A-F), we'll use different methods and instruments to create a picture of how a student is growing over time.  To that end, PSCS employs various methods of assessment to talk about what a student knows and can do, from performance on state testing, to benchmarking data, to the inclusion of the digital portfolio slated for 2018-19:

• as a public school, PSCS participates in all state standardized testing, including M Class for K-2 reading, Read to Achieve beginning-of-year testing, for 3rd graders, and math, English, and science (5th, 8th only) end-of-grade tests for 3rd and older students.  Results are shared through formal reports mailed home to parents or through parent conferences. 
• Pioneer Springs also incorporates MAP (Measuring Adequate Progress) benchmarking three times a year for 3rd and older students in an effort to mark how they have grown and, more importantly, their readiness for learning new material.  Results are shared through parents conferences.
• The Personalized Education Plan is a document created by teacher and parent to target the most immediate needs of students, whether they be social, emotional, academic, or physical.  Teachers and parents set short term goals and determine the interventions they will each commit to in an effort to address that need.  The PEP also serves as a place to document data, like MAP benchmarking, which contributes to the our understanding of the student. 
• Pioneer Springs was one of only 8 districts which received a Digital Teaching and Learning Grant from NC DPI for the coming year to conduct readiness planning for the implementation of digital portfolios in the 2018-19 school year.  The portfolio is a multi-media record through which teachers and students can collect exemplars of their mastery of various concepts.  Whether it be a recording of a presentation, a picture of a project, the inclusion of written material, or a combination of input, every aspect of a student's journey at Pioneer Springs can be represented in the portfolio which will follow them throughout the grades and serve as evidence of their work when they exit high school and prepare for new adventures.