Program Components
STANDARDS-BASED REPORT CARDS (ETK-5th)
Standards-based grading measures your student’s mastery of the essential standards for a class, or how well your student understands the material in class. The goal of this approach is to provide the teacher, student, and parent as accurate a picture as possible of the student’s learning and to encourage a dialogue about how the student can master the material for the class. In particular, because learning is a process that takes place over time, each assessment will provide feedback for the student about what to focus on next.
Your student’s learning will be assessed using a variety of formative and summative assessments. These tools will include formal assessments such as traditional unit and benchmark tests, projects, written papers, classroom assignments, or verbal assessments, but they may also include informal assessments such as classroom discussions or teacher observations. Essentially, everything that a student does in a standards-based class provides the teacher with evidence of the student’s learning.
The scores on the 4-grading scale each have a very specific meaning. They are:
- 4-Exceeded. The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the material by completing advanced applications of the material.
- 3-Met. The student has mastered the complex, targeted knowledge, and skills for the class.
- 2-Nearly Met. The student understands the foundational material that supports the targeted learning but is still working to master the complex material for the class.
- 1-Not Met. The student is able to demonstrate an understanding of the foundational material for the class with help from the teacher, but still struggles when working independently.
English Language Proficiency Assessments For California (ELPAC)
State law requires school districts to assess the English language development of all English Learners (ELs) and of new enrollees in California public schools who may be ELs in order to determine each student‘s level of English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
The ELPAC must be administered to new enrollees in the school with a home language other than English, unless they have been assessed at another California Public School. Students who have previously been identified as being English Learners must also be administered the ELAPC annually to determine annual English language development progress until the EL student has been reclassified.
The ELPAC is administered to students who are already identified as English Learners in the fall semester between July 1 and October 31. For new enrollees who have a home language other than English, the ELPAC must be administered within 30 days of enrollment in a California public school.
To find more information about the ELPAC, please contact your child‘s teachers or contact the school office.
Transitional Kindergarten
Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is year one of a two-year kindergarten program, as outlined in Education Code (EC) Section 48000. Children enrolled in TK are participating in a prekindergarten program specifically designed to build a bridge between the preschool years and traditional kindergarten. For the 2024-25 school year TK serves children born between September 2, 2019 and June 2, 2020 while Early Transitional Kindergarten (ETK) serves children who will turn 4 years old by September 1 of the 2024-2025 school year.
Funded by the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010, which adjusted the kindergarten entry age to September 1 starting in the 2014-2015 school year, TK programs are intended to be aligned with the California Preschool Learning Foundations developed by the California Department of Education (CDE), rather than the mastery of kindergarten Common Core standards.
TK offers these children the opportunity to socialize, become familiar with the school environment, and develop as students while learning to work in a classroom setting. The program is particularly beneficial for “young” five-year-olds, building a solid foundation for future school success.
The TK program supports children in:
- Develop a positive self-image
- Establish productive social and working relationships with their peers through cooperative play
- Enhancing vocabulary, listening, speaking, and memory skills, as well as the ability to follow directions
- Cultivating overall readiness and enthusiasm for learning
Substitutes
In the event that a teacher is absent, every effort will be made to find a substitute teacher. If a substitute teacher is not available, the students will be disbursed to other classrooms for the day.
Service Learning
Each year students partake in a minimum of two service-learning opportunities. The activities are designed to be student-driven to heighten the engagement level of the students. The Lashon faculty will work closely with the Lashon Parent Organization to execute these service-learning projects.
Homework Policy ETK-5th
Lashon believes it is important for the family to support and encourage the learning process. Students will be required to read at home and will be sent home with concepts to review with their parents. The staff of Lashon Academy believes that homework is a valuable extension of our classroom teaching and should reinforce, extend, or enrich the concepts that students have been taught in class.
Reading And Math
Students are expected to read at home each week to promote literacy skills and encourage the learning process at home. Lashon encourages nightly reading, but as the school understands that may not always be possible, we have instituted a weekly reading requirement.
Students are encouraged to practice math concepts, facts, and review previously learned material via ThinkCentral as a way to reinforce grade level standards.
General Review
Students are expected to complete one project-based learning assignment per trimester. This project will comprise both work completed in class in addition to the aspects that will be completed at home. This project will be a culminating assessment of the students’ knowledge towards mastery of the common core standards taught throughout the trimester.
In some individual circumstances if a student does need additional home-review to increase student success, it will be brought to the parents’ attention. If you are unable to assist your child with homework, please make sure to seek out alternative support for your child through after school or tutorial programs.
Code Of Conduct
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP- Digital Citizenship is a concept implored by our school to help students understand how to appropriately and effectively make use of their access to technology. Digital citizenship is important for 21st century skills, because it means that students can collaborate and communicate in a safe and responsible manner. Being a best digital citizen in the community includes having email etiquette, reporting and preventing cyber bullying, learning how to protect private information, and knowing how to navigate the digital world through the use of our school’s technology.
Behavior In Classrooms
Lashon promotes a culture of respect. The school will design and implement a school-wide classroom management system that upholds the values of respecting one another. Students must adhere to this system. Students are expected to be courteous to one another, respect, and tolerate one another and to work together to promote a successful learning environment. Students’ actions may not cause a distraction to the education of their peers.
Animal Dissections
Students at the Charter School may perform animal dissections as part of the science curriculum. Any student who provides their teacher with a written statement, signed by their parent/guardian, specifying the student’s moral objection to dissecting or otherwise harming or destroying animals, or any parts thereof, may be excused from such activities if the teacher believes that an adequate alternative education project is possible. The alternative education project shall require a comparable time and effort investment by the student. It shall not, as a means of penalizing the student, be more arduous than the original education project. The student shall not be discriminated against based upon their moral objection to dissecting or otherwise harming or destroying animals, or any parts thereof.
California Healthy Kids Survey
The Charter School will administer the California Healthy Kids Survey (“CHKS”) to students at grades five, seven, nine, and eleven whose parent or guardian provides written permission. The CHKS is an anonymous, confidential survey of school climate and safety, student wellness, and youth resiliency that enables the Charter School to collect and analyze data regarding local youth health risks and behaviors, school connectedness, school climate, protective factors, and school violence.
State Testing
The Charter School shall annually administer required state testing to the applicable grades (e.g., the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress [“CAASPP”].) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a parent’s or guardian’s written request to Charter School officials to excuse their child from any or all parts of the CAASPP shall be granted. Upon request, parents have a right to information on the level of achievement of their student on every State academic assessment administered to the student.
