Assessment in the High School

In the high school, we strive to provide authentic forms of assessment of student work that provide meaningful feedback for students and encourage students to be accountable for their progress. The teacher of each class assesses the work of each student, taking into consideration the quality of the finished work, effort expended, progress, class participation, timeliness and thoroughness in completion of homework, and other relevant factors for the particular class.

Grades will be sent home quarterly, with written reports at the end of the first semester and at the end of the school year.

Conferences with teachers can be scheduled any time during the year. All high school parent/teacher conferences occur in January. At parent conference evenings, parents can sign up to speak with several high school teachers regarding their student's progress.

Parents and students will be advised in writing if a student's work is unsatisfactory in any block. If a student does not bring his or her work quality or effort to an acceptable level, he or she may be determined to be insufficiently engaged in the educational process, and his or her continued enrollment will be in question. Students are encouraged to contact their teachers outside of class hours if they are in need of additional help in a class.

In order to accommodate the requirements of educational institutions that the student may choose to attend in the future, academic credit and evaluation results will be recorded in the student's file in the high school office, and transcripts will be issued upon transfer or graduation.

Students are encouraged to begin to assemble portfolios of their best work. These portfolios are intended to represent work of the highest academic and artistic quality and may be very useful in application processes in future years.

Evaluation of student work and progress is only one aspect of the student's experience, and we seek to create a school atmosphere that both recognizes and nurtures a variety of qualities and capacities in all of our students. It is our intent to report student progress in a manner that demonstrates the value of learning for its own sake.

Graduation Requirements

Please see Student Profile.

Our graduation requirements meet or exceed entrance requirements of University of California campuses and Ivy League colleges. Students who successfully complete the full four-year curriculum of the East Bay Waldorf School and who complete a Senior Project and 120 hours of community service will automatically meet the graduation requirements.

The History/Social Sciences requirement includes requirements for completion of 10 credits of U.S. History and Civics, as well as a minimum of 10 credits of World History and Cultures and completion of a course in Economics.

Visual and Performing Arts includes arts and crafts, music classes, and eurythmy. Eurythmy credits may be applied towards either the Visual or Performing Art requirement, or the Physical Education and Movement requirement, but not both.

Please note that "Other Courses & Electives" means that the courses are above and beyond the subject-specific credit totals required, not that all courses in this category are actually "elective."

All students are required to complete 120 hours (12 credits) of individual community service. (Ten clock hours of service are recorded as 1 credit.) Students must document their community service hours and turn this information into the Community Service Coordinator in order for credits for service to be recorded. Grade 12 students fulfill their community service requirements during their two-week participation in the program, "Serving the World."

Ten credits are earned with the successful completion of each yearlong track class, such as mathematics. Most main lessons are worth 2.5 credits. Exact credit values for courses are listed on transcripts.

Transcript Requests

Should a student require an official transcript from East Bay Waldorf School, a written request including a signed release from the parent/guardian must be given to the registrar. A ten-day turn around should be allowed to process the transcript.

Honors Classes

The school offers accelerated courses in mathematics, in addition to standard level courses. Students may receive preparation for AP tests. Instruction is differentiated within our standard academic courses, with modifications for students with learning differences, and variations in depth and scope of individual work for students with unusual capacities.