A better and deeper understanding of your child’s progress and needs. No mandatory standardized tests.

At Carolina Friends School, our evaluation and assessment is rooted in our view of nurturing and educating the whole child, including social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth. We think that students and parents are crucial partners in this learning process.

As one of the tenets of our philosophy states, "the truth is continually revealed." In line with this, we believe that assessment should be ongoing, and that it should not rely on any single set of measurements and standards. In each unit, a developmentally appropriate understanding of a child's growth captures proficiency in areas of study, mastery of information, and skills and abilities. We know that this is essential for setting benchmarks in a student's progress. Means of assessment include focused observations, research-based tools, teacher-developed assessments, and criteria-based rubrics.

Our teachers write thoughtful narrative evaluations that are shared with parents and discussed in conference. Students are asked to self-evaluate, setting goals and identifying "growing edges" for themselves.

Our staff are here to be your child's best advocate, and to help navigate developmental expectations and aspirations. Our choice to use narrative assessment is, as with all aspects of our curriculum, mission-driven and informed by current studies and acknowledged best practices. It is animated by our teachers' experiences in the classroom and their expertise in how best to challenge, inspire, and create lifelong learners and critical thinkers. The assessment partnership grows with the student, and more specific information is available by unit.