Throughout their time in Elementary School students will become highly motivated, independent life long learners as well as caring and responsible members of their community.

• The goal at ASLP is to provide students with the learning opportunities to enable them to devlop the necessary transferrable skills in the areas of communication, social interaction and academic competency to be well prepared for middle school.
  
  
• Classroom activities are designed to be interactive, inquiry driven and theme centered. Through a wide variety of strategies, including differentiated learning, teachers focus on the specific needs of the child as a unique individual.
  
  
• The curriculum weaves together topics and skills providing students with opportunities to work collaboratively. Through this the students not only develop a sense of responsibility and academic growth, but also a sense of social understanding and sensitivity in areas such as respect and tolerance.
  

By the end of Elementary, students feel they are valued members of the school community and as successful learners are confident to take on the challenges of Middle School.

Assessment

• Assessment is continuous and used in a formative sense to judge the effectiveness of both the learning and the teaching process (for identifying strengths and weaknesses). Both formative and cumulative assessment is consistent with the teaching methodology and curriculum.
  
  
• Emphasis is on the application of knowledge and skills rather than on the recall of facts.
  
  
• Students are assessed against defined criteria of assessment and not against other students (the school aims for criterion-referenced and not norm-referenced assessment).
  
  
• The school uses Report Cards and Parent Conferences as the method of formally reporting student progress to parents.
  
  
• In Elementary School self-assessment is included as a means for students to analyze their own learning. Teacher analysis is also an important part in assessing.
  
  
• Grading begins in Middle School, so care is taken to explain assessment criteria and the formal ABC Grading System to the students and the parents.
  
  
• A variety of indicators of student performance are used, as well as a range of assessment activities.