ROCKWOOD GIFTED PROGRAM
How Learning Is Assessed
Student learning is assessed on 17 process skills within five broad performance areas, including Communication, Critical Thinking,
Information Processing, Problem-Solving and Responsibility. There are six possible levels of achievement ranging from beginning to
exceptional. Students move across the continuum during their years in the gifted program. The chart below shows the levels used for each
grade. The gray areas indicate the four levels assessed in each grade. The red boxes show the most common level(s) at which students
perform by the end of the year noted.
Key Levels
Kindergarten
Beginning
Level 1
Emerging
Level 2
Learning
Level 3
Accomplishing
Level 4
Most Common Level
X
Key Levels
Grade 1
Beginning
Level 1
Emerging
Level 2
Learning
Level 3
Accomplishing
Level 4
Learning
Level 3
Accomplishing
Level 4
Excelling
Level 5
Learning
Level 3
Accomplishing
Level 4
Excelling
Level 5
Most Common Levels
X
X
Key Levels
Grade 4
Learning
Level 3
Accomplishing
Level 4
Most Common Level
X
Key Levels
Grade 2
Emerging
Level 2
Most Common Level
Key Levels
Grade 3
X
Emerging
Level 2
Most Common Level
Key Levels
Grade 5
Most Common Levels
Excelling
Level 5
Exceptional
Level 6
Accomplishing
Level 4
Excelling
Level 5
Exceptional
Level 6
X
X
X
Learning
Level 3
Rockwood Gifted Program
Six Levels Assessment
Responsibility
Problem Solving
Information
Processing
Critical Thinking
Communication
Beginning
Level 1
Emerging
Level 2
Learning
Level 3
Accomplishing
Level 4
Excelling
Level 5
Exceptional
Level 6
The student identifies an
intended audience/purpose
and develops an
idea/message working with
the teacher to create a plan.
The student presents a
message that includes many
required components and
demonstrates
communication skills taught
in class.
The student, with teacher
support, uses facts to
address a task and gives
simple, logical reasons for
ideas/conclusions. S/He
identifies and describes
relevant relationships.
The student generates and
follows a plan to develop an
idea/message that takes into
account the target audience
and purpose. S/He presents a
message that engages the
audience, includes all required
components, and
demonstrates communication
skills taught in class.
The student generates and adjusts a
plan to develop an idea/message that
meets the need of a targeted audience.
The student presents a message that
integrates all components and
evidences conviction and/or voice
appropriate to the topic. S/He
consistently and effectively uses
communication skills taught in class to
impact the audience.
The student generates a variety of
plans, and reviews and revises as
needed based on audience/purpose.
S/He develops a message/idea that
sheds new insight on the selected
topic as well as produces a response
from the audience. The student
presents a powerful message in an
original way.
The student determines and
uses facts to address a task
and give clear, logical
evidence of how s/he arrived
at answers/conclusions. The
student identifies and
describes complex
relationships.
The student determines and uses
relevant facts to effectively address a
task. S/He consistently gives clear,
concrete, and logical evidence of how
s/he arrived at answers or formulated
ideas/conclusions. The student
identifies and describes multiple,
relevant, complex relationships.
The student gathers useful
information using a
combination of resources.
S/He selects organizational
strategies to identify and utilize
relevant information. The
student effectively applies
selected information to the
stated task.
The student recognizes and
adequately defines a problem
related to the task. S/He uses
appropriate problem-solving
strategies and justifies criteria
to develop a feasible solution
to a problem. S/He identifies
connections among
ideas/actions and explains
possible positive and negative
interactions.
The student gathers, organizes, and
evaluates relevant and sophisticated
information from multiple resources.
The student consistently applies
selected information to the stated task
and makes connections to other
contexts.
The student consistently determines
and uses relevant, compelling facts
to support and defend ideas. S/He
gives clear and logical evidence of
how s/he formulated
ideas/conclusions that apply to a new
situation. The student insightfully
identifies and describes multiple,
relevant, complex relationships.
The student uses sophisticated tools
to gather and organize information
and generate a novel outcome. S/He
perceptively examines and evaluates
data before choosing compelling
information most relevant to the task.
The student insightfully applies new
learning in multiple and unique
contexts.
The student clearly identifies the key
problem and its diverse components.
S/He skillfully uses a broad range of
problem-solving strategies, flexibly
modifies his/her strategies, and
appropriately justifies decisions. The
student develops innovative solutions
to a challenging problem, selects the
best, and justifies his/her reasoning.
S/He identifies complex and subtle
connections among ideas/actions
based on systems analysis.
The student appropriately
completes assigned tasks.
S/He makes a meaningful
contribution to the group by
expressing his/her own ideas.
The student suggests a
plan/action and encourages
others to help the group
complete the task.
The student asks clarifying questions to
complete tasks of increasing degrees of
difficulty. S/He makes a meaningful
contribution to the group by expressing
his/her own ideas and interacting with
all group members. The student
considers all opinions, works with the
group to determine a course of action,
and encourages others to successfully
accomplish the group goal.
The student uses a
teacher-provided plan
and works with the
teacher to express an
idea/message. The
student presents a
basic message with
teacher prompts.
The student identifies
and develops an
idea/message using a
teacher-provided plan.
The student presents a
message that
demonstrates
communication skills
taught in class.
The student knows
what a fact is. With
teacher support, s/he
gives basic reasons
for ideas/actions and
identifies simple
relationships and/or
conclusions.
The student uses facts
provided by the teacher
to address a task/action.
Using teacher prompts,
s/he gives reasons for
ideas/conclusions and
describes simple
relationships.
The student works
with the teacher to
gather and organize
simple information to
apply to the task.
The student uses simple
research skills, and with
teacher support,
gathers, recognizes, and
organizes information.
S/He can sometimes
apply information to
complete a simple task.
The student uses basic
research skills to recognize,
gather and organize
relevant information. S/He
appropriately applies
sufficient information to
complete a task.
The student selects a
problem from teachergenerated options
and uses teachersuggested problemsolving strategies.
With teacher support,
s/he develops a
solution to a problem
and recognizes how
simple ideas/actions
are connected.
The student recognizes
a problem and uses
problem-solving
strategies with teacher
support. S/He uses
teacher-generated
criteria to develop a
simple solution to a
problem and can explain
how simple
ideas/actions can be
connected.
The student can
complete most
activities with teacher
support. S/He
participates in group
activities and is
responsive to an
identified leader.
The student stays
focused to complete a
simple, teacher-directed
task. S/He participates
in group activities and
shares some ideas with
others. The student
sometimes suggests an
action for the group to
consider.
The student recognizes a
relevant problem and uses a
limited number of problemsolving strategies. S/He
uses teacher-generated
criteria to develop a feasible
solution to a problem. The
student identifies
connections among
ideas/actions and, with
teacher support, explains
possible positive and
negative interactions.
The student completes a
basic task when given a
simple format to follow.
S/He completes his/her part
of the group’s task and
respectfully expresses
his/her own ideas. The
student suggests a plan or
an action to help the group
complete a task.
The student identifies and defines the
key problem and its components. S/He
recognizes multiple ways to solve a
problem and explores alternative
strategies. The student uses and
justifies criteria to develop a feasible,
innovative solution to a challenging
problem. S/He identifies multiple
connections among ideas/actions and
continually evaluates possible positive
and negative interactions.
The student persists in working on
tasks of increasing complexity. S/He
makes meaningful contributions to
the group in multiple ways. The
student respects all opinions,
provides appropriate feedback,
anticipates potential problems, and
proposes plans of action. S/he
encourages all members and
positively guides and encourages the
group to accomplish its goal.
January 2012