Assessment
Desert Flower assesses to understand a child fully, not to rank her.
Assessment at Desert Flower is not a lack of standards. It means progress is reported in a way that holds more than a mark can.
Portfolios collect a child’s own work across a term, chosen partly by the child herself. They show how she has grown, not only her best pieces.
Narrative reports are written in full sentences by a teacher who knows the child.
Exhibitions and performance tasks make a child’s learning public. They are judged on depth of understanding and honest reflection, not polish alone.
Self and peer assessment are taught directly, so a child learns early to say what she does and does not yet understand.
Parent-Teacher Conferences cover the whole child: independence, relationships, communication, physical development, interests, concentration and emotional wellbeing, alongside academic progress. Never instead of it.
A child who needs extra support with language, movement, attention or social and emotional development is never treated as “behind”. We are not trying to hurry any child. We are trying to understand what will help her flourish.