Grading and Report Cards
Ongoing Self-Assessment of Learning
In our pursuit of more authentic forms of assessment, at Open, we do not assign letter grades at any level, including high school.
There is no grading system of any kind and our students do not receive report cards.
As part of our commitment to experiential learning as a means to more clearly understand oneself, we support students to honestly self evaluate their performance and experiences through narrative self-evaluation, portfolios that represent a body of evidence of their learning, and authentic experiences, such as the opportunity to present one’s learning to a panel of interested and more experienced observers.
Students regularly demonstrate, work toward, and evaluate their individual progress through the Open School by creating and incorporating Personal, Social, and Intellectual (PSI) goals. These PSI goals are created in collaboration between students, parents/guardians, and Advisors. At the secondary level, these goals are utilized to develop students’ Mutually Agreed upon Plans for class schedules and self-directed learning through individual projects.
In the Secondary School, narrative evaluations form the foundation of self-assessment documentation and are critical to monitoring the progress of each student. All classes, self-directed learning, and other significant experiences are evaluated by the student with written feedback from the sponsor of the experience.
Student Led Conferences
Throughout their Open School career, students are responsible for documenting their own progress through each phase of the program. Documentation includes a body of evidence or portfolio, which details their personal, social, and intellectual growth on their PSI goals. Students regularly demonstrate, work toward, and evaluate their individual progress through the Open School by creating and incorporating PSI goals.
Progress on the Graduation Expectations, PSI goals, Journey/Voyage/DIGS/PoL/Passages, capstone project, class completion, and more are detailed and included in a student-led conference, an in-person presentation with the Advisor and parent/guardian, twice each school year.
Narrative Transcripts
The culmination of each graduating student’s experience at the Open School is documented in their final transcript. Open School transcripts are written by the student, and include:
- Personal statement
- EEL (Educational Experiences List - a summary of each individual learning experience)
- Advisor/teacher support letters
- Detailed information about knowledge and skills gained and what was of personal significance to the student
When a student includes an Open School class or experience in their transcript, this indicates that the student has met or exceeded all course requirements for that experience.
Transcripts are authenticated by the student’s Advisor, another faculty member familiar with the student’s accomplishments, and the school Principal. This narrative transcript is the official record used for college and job applications.