Student Evaluations
During the 2008/09 academic year, Slovak schools underwent a revisional period of the student assessment system. Prior to January 2009, teachers evaluated students in Narnia in the form of written reports, containing both encouraging words and critiques. In January 2009, the Ministry of Education Guidelines produced a report that abbreviated written reports to express classification (4 grades – very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory), making us re-evaluate and adjust the system in use at Narnia. Since 2012/13 the evaluation on the report will be more simple – expressed by 5 grades.
The verbal assessment is present at Narnia in the form of a Pointbook. All students (except the first graders) have a special grade book, internally called a Pointbook. In this system, students earn credit through a series of Points and Steps. Ultimately, it is a simplified, age appropriate credit system, where throughout the semester, points are awarded by the teacher in individual subjects. The students’ final evaluations depend on the number of points obtained.
In an effort to motivate the children, each child is rewarded with a Golden Key when he or she reaches his or her individual limit. An individual limit is set by the teacher based on each child’s academic abilities. The number of keys the child receives determines the number of locks the child may open in the Narnia treasure chest. The student can choose the reward which may include a toy, a candy, a walk with the teacher to get ice cream, a pajama party, or a trip to the theater.
Aside from the academic points, students can also receive Special Points. These points are rewarded to students for voluntary acts or as a reward for exceptional participation in a lesson.
Part of the students’ evaluation is a self-evaluation of their classroom behavior. Through simple questionnaires and discussions with their teachers, children learn to evaluate their behavior while simultaneously receiving feedback from their teacher.
