The Lambkin

A call for balance, as we consider the snapshot provided by the ERB

We administered the ERB (Educational Records Bureau) once again this year to our Grades 3, 4 and 5 students, completing this process in our second year after a long hiatus due to COVID. Last week, I led a Lower School Coffee and Conversation for our Grades 3, 4 and 5 parents. This blog post helps to share some of the discussion highlights during our talk and serves as a reference for those who were not able to attend. 

We all agree that there is not one assessment that will tell parents about their child as a learner. As a school, we are partners in your child’s education. This complex puzzle comprises teachers’ feedback, report cards with narratives, subject matter tests, evaluated pieces of sample work, and personal observations.

This past Coffee and Conversation, we continued with the theme that we started the school year with and focused our talk on Grit and Resilience. We deconstructed and amplified concepts from Angela Duckworth’s book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.  Parents took a moment to complete a short Parent Questionnaire, and I introduced the survey by stating: “These are a number of statements that may or may not apply to you. There are no right or wrong answers. Please complete all 10 prompts and we’ll debrief at the end of our talk.”