Mastery levels are appropriate. The Nebraska Department of Education will contract with assessment experts to review the quality of the assessments used in every district in the state. A District Assessment Quality Rating will be assigned to the local school district. Four model assessments will be identified and every district must either adopt one of the four models or adapt their assessment system to be as high of quality as one of the four models. According to research, student-led conferences are a dynamic way to involve parents and students in the evaluation process.
Students maintain a portfolio of their work in each subject.
During scheduled parent-teacher conferences, the student facilitates the dialogue with their parents and teachers by interpreting the contents of their portfolio. The portfolio items are selected for a purpose and reflection of each item is an integral part of the portfolio. One interdisciplinary team at Lewis and Clark Middle School experimented with this process for spring conferences this year. Their team attendance rate for parents was 82 percent far above the normal attendance. Parents also enjoyed having the opportunity to dialogue with their child about school achievement.