The Arrowsmith Program 

In the Arrowsmith Program, we have begun End of Year assessments for the students. These assessments evaluate the cognitive growth of the student over the course of the year, or at least 40 lessons in the one cognitive area. It is vital that we understand a student’s cognitive function because ‘everything we do, from reading to solving a math problem, from navigating a new social situation to remembering our responsibilities in the workplace, requires these cognitive functions to be working together. If one or more of these functions are weak, learning becomes difficult.'  

'Arrowsmith assessments differ from traditional assessments. A traditional assessment usually seeks to diagnose a learning disability such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, poor executive function, attention problems or auditory processing disorder. The Arrowsmith assessment goes beyond such labels and determines which discrete cognitive functions are weak and therefore leading to these diagnoses. Each function is measured on a 12-point rating scale, which indicates the degree to which a function is operating, and therefore the degree to which it is capable of contributing to a given learning task. ‘ ( Arrowsmith School, Toronto, Canada )

Once we complete the assessments and have them returned, Arrowsmith staff will analyse them, making recommendations for the following year. Recommendations and feedback will be delivered in end-of-year parent-teacher interviews. The assessments and interviews are vital elements in an important process in the Arrowsmith program. We are looking forward to seeing student progress and development.

Mr Wayne Stagg

Head of the Arrowsmith Program