End of Year Assessments

For those of you who are new to this process, assessments are an end of the year examination that Classical Ballet (II-IX) and Pre-Professional students take part in to determine where progress has been made and what level placement for the upcoming year will best serve them in their growth as dancers. There are two parts to assessments, including a written portion, that tests student’s understanding of vocabulary, as well as the dancing portion, that is observed by an adjudication panel comprised of faculty from the school.

 

Because the panel is observing only one class per level, some families will need to make arrangements for their student(s) to attend the specially scheduled class. We understand that this means that some families will be making an extra effort in order for their student(s) to attend this one important class and want you to know that these extra efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for reviewing the assessment schedule and planning accordingly.

We hope to see every student during assessments, but realize that students may have to miss due to scheduling conflicts or unforeseen circumstances. Any student who is unable to attend the official assessment class will still receive a letter or conference to discuss next year’s placement and a report that will include an average of the scores from each of their instructors. Students may receive less written feedback than those who take an assessment class, but rest assured that their absence will not negatively impact their placement.

Students should arrive about 10 minutes prior to their scheduled assessment, whether the written test or assessment class is scheduled first to ensure they are dressed and mentally prepared.

Because some members of the adjudication panel may not know the students whom they are observing, numbers are assigned to identify the students. Once students have been checked in at the front desk to begin their assessment class, they will be given a number to pin onto the front of their dance uniform. This number will be worn throughout the class. At the end of class, students will return their number to the front desk.

The practice of wearing numbers is commonplace in ballet auditions and it is our intention that assessments give the Louisville Ballet School students valuable experience in preparing for future audition opportunities.

During class, each student will be scored individually by every member of the adjudication panel on a scale from 1 to 5; directly relating to their progress in specific categories of ballet technique. All scores will later be averaged to give each student their final scores and sent home to keep for your records in the form of an Assessment Report Card.

The one page written test will include 10-18 questions, comprised of information your child has learned in class throughout the school year. This will include French ballet terms and ballet theory specific to each level. Multiple choice, matching, and simple fill in the blank questions require students to identify French terminology and the English equivalent.

Students will either take their written portion of assessments before or after the designated class time. Please look carefully at the assessment schedule and make note of the “Written Assessment Time”, as the written test is an essential part of the assessment process.

Letters indicating level placement for the upcoming school year will be mailed home after the end of the semester along with an assessment report with student’s averaged scores from the assessment class. In addition to scores, these reports will also include comments from the student’s instructor(s), to help them set goals for themselves as dancers. These assessment reports are designed to provide positive feedback to students as they develop their ballet technique and love of dance.

Every year, after thorough discussion among faculty, there are some students that will be recommended to repeat the level they are in for another year. While we realize this can be difficult for young dancers to understand, our priority in these decisions is always the student’s physical safety and well being. Each level is designed to build on top of the technical foundation that was built the year before. This pattern of building on top of a well established and executed technique from year to year is vital in growing strong, healthy dancers. When dancers are passed to the next level before they are ready, they are set up to be at greater risk of sustaining an injury as they get older. Dance technique gets more complicated and difficult to achieve with each passing year and some dancers just need a little longer than others to be ready for the next level.

Please start an open conversation with your dancer about this possibility so they can be prepared for any outcome.

Students that are recommended to repeat a level, will receive a phone call from the Classical Ballet Program Manager with such information. A conference can then be set up to discuss technical progress, and to go over their Assessment Report with them in person.