WHY CHOOSE
NEW VISTAS ?
First, reading is a priority. We offer a structured, learning-based preschool where children from 3-4 years old learn to read - and learn to read well. But, our emphasis on reading proficiency doesn't end there. Every child, no matter the grade, has their own individual reading coach who meets with them one-on-one at least three times every week.
Second, imagine an individually designed math curriculum that begins in preschool and culminates in fifth and sixth graders successfully mastering beginning algebra and even geometry. Our 1:4 student ratio allows for that kind of progress.
Third, our testing program, directed by Kristi Roher, enables us to move children ahead as soon as they have demonstrated proficiency in any course of study, all the while staying with their appropriate age group. The majority of our students test 2-6 years ahead of grade level.
Fourth, we celebrate each child's individual gifts by encouraging innovation and creativity. Our graduates becomes scholars at Ivy League schools, musicians at Juilliard, engineers at High tech companies and government leaders.
Fifth, we have formed an innovative non-profit institute, The Eleanor A. Jordan Academic Assessment and Instructional Services Institute (EAJ Institute). The non-profit arm fosters gifted special interest programs offers PSAT & SAT Preparation classes, makes available K-12 tutoring programs, and designs and offers unique summer schools studies.
EXPERIENCED TEACHERS
Achievement Test Averages
Spring
While testing all over our country has been postponed indefinitely, New Vistas continues to offer testing for on campus and online students. Look for updated 2020-2021 test averages in June.
New Vistas' Achievement Program
People have often asked why we give STEP Test (Sequential Test of Educational Progress) at New Vistas. We feel confident that the STEP Tests meet the specific purposes for standardized test which identifies each child's specific strengths and weaknesses in the areas of math and reading. With all the choices available to us, we have chosen to administer the STEP test to our students for several reasons.
The first is that it allows us to give the appropriate level test to each child regardless of their grade level. Second, the reading and math portions are administered separately allowing us to choose the appropriate level of test in each subject. Students' test levels depend upon their performance on the previous spring and fall tests as well as their performance in class during the school year. For example, in a group of 18 second-graders at New Vistas, four students might take the test designed for second-grade level reading; eight the test designed for third-grade level reading; and six students might take the test designed for fourth- through sixth-grade level. The numbers and levels might be very different in math depending upon students' abilities and needs. It is important for us to find the appropriate academic testing level for each and every student at our school.
Tests are administered twice each year; fall and spring. Typically in the fall, students are tested in the third week of school. The purpose for fall testing is to determine: 1) amount of growth or loss during the summer and 2) to provide the teachers with diagnostic information that will assist them with instruction. An error analysis is completed for each child which indicates the areas of curriculum already mastered and the areas that have not yet been taught. This helps the teachers know better how to place their students in the appropriate instructional groups, especially for math.
In the spring, students are tested in early April. The results of these tests provide parents and New Vistas' staff with the amount of growth a child has made from the previous spring to the current year. This information assists staff when placing students in the next grade level.
Please feel free to call New Vistas for more specific information about our testing program.
Interested in learning more? Call or email us today to schedule an appointment for you and your child to tour our facilities and meet our talented staff.
New Vistas Achievement Data
NWEA published their updated, 2020 normative data, including private school averages. As you can see, our students outscore all other groups in the U.S. in both math and reading!
NWEA MAP Growth Assessments are administered in all 50 states, over 1000 international schools, and 145 countries to provide meaningful and relevant data on student growth and achievement.
NWEA MAP Growth Results are reported in RIT* scores. Think of a RIT score like the height of your child. You may have a chart on which you mark your child’s growth. MAP scores measure RIT growth (like inches and feet) for reading and math. These scores help our team see what concepts students have mastered and drive our instructional planning for future growth.
MAP Testing fits seamlessly into the New Vistas mission: despite grade level or age, we meet students where they are ready to be challenged, with no ceiling on learning. New Vistas’ students perform well beyond both public schools and private schools.
Reading RIT Averages – Normative Data
Math RIT Averages – Normative Data
The data speaks volumes! There is no other school like New Vistas Center for Education.
*RIT Score Explained: The RIT (Rasch Unit) scale measures and compares academic growth. Specifically, the scale measures levels in academic difficulty in reading and math. The RIT scale measures from 100 to 350, with a mean of 200 and a standard deviation of 10. A score of 350 correlating to academic mastery, college readiness and ACT/SAT preparedness.
The RIT scale extends equally across all grades, making it possible to compare a student's score at various points throughout his or her education beyond grade equivalency.
New Vistas upholds all guidelines and protocols for proper and ethical administration of the NWEA MAP Test.
One unique piece to the academic success found in a New Vistas education is our testing program.
Students start their testing journey early at New Vistas, beginning with our youngest students screening for readiness skills in preschool and PreK. Teachers continue to monitor this progress as they grow and learn during the school year.
The summer before kindergarten, all students participate in their first ability testing. We carefully assess receptive language skills and nonverbal skills to analyze beginning strengths in our scholars. Our kindergarten team uses this information to present learning in optimal ways based on student abilities.
Kindergarten is also the very first year students take nationally standardized tests in reading and math. In the spring, students are assessed at their individual levels in reading and math. We create a loving, nurturing environment around testing. At New Vistas, we believe students can do great things, and we believe in their ability to take a test successfully at a young age, instill the value that a test is a snapshot in time of your progress, and use the scores to plan instruction moving forward.
As students work through the grades at NVCE, they encounter testing opportunities each fall and spring, both in timed and (in the upper grades) untimed standardized tests. While some schools believe in high stakes testing, encompassed in anxiety and stress, NVCE makes testing a part of the school culture, where we start early and celebrate progress. No high stakes stress, just student-centered progress. Teachers meet with us right away to go over these results and to adjust and plan as needed for each student.
New Vistas also provides parents the opportunity to come in to go over testing with our testing team. We have found these conversations to be incredibly valuable, as a team of people come together to discuss your child’s progress and set goals for their future. Indeed, it is a model unheard of at any other school. No wonder NVCE achievement averages in both reading and math, are at and above the 99th percentile nationally!
Our testing and teaching methods consistently produce highly effective outcomes. Look at our recent student achievement scores: