GHES IB Policies

Garden Hills Elementary is a PYP school in the Atlanta Public School District (APS).  As a school within APS, we follow all admissions policies and regulations as depicted by the Board of Education.  For the policies, please see the links below as well to reference APS board policy as well as how these policies are directly tied within the requirements at Garden Hills Elementary. 

School Admissions (9/7/21)

All students within the Garden Hills’ attendance zone in grades Kindergarten through fifth are able to attend free of cost since it is a public school.  In addition, students of Garden Hills employees may attend Garden Hills in P-5 regardless of residency. Should an employee want to request a transfer to another Atlanta Public School, they must complete the transfer process as outlined for all students.  Those who are not a child of an employee or in the attendance zone may attend if tuition is paid, with the tuition outlined annually by the Board of Education.  

Garden Hills Elementary has the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program in grades pre-kindergarten through five.  In the  DLI pre-kindergarten program, priority enrollment is given to students who reside in the attendance zone so that they may attend the DLI kindergarten programming the following school year. Garden Hills follows board policy for admission into the Dual Language Immersion Program (9/27/19).

Student Assignment to Schools - School Attendance Areas (7/31/19)

Garden Hills Elementary follows all district policies and procedures in regards to adhering to school attendance zones.  

School Admissions - Enrollment Requirements (7/29/21)

Garden Hills follows all district policies and procedures in regards to enrollment. To complete enrollment and get more information about required documentation, please visit:

https://sites.google.com/apsk12.org/osar/enrollment-registration

School Admissions - Minimum and Maximum Ages for Enrollment (6/13/12)

At Garden Hills Elementary, we follow board and state policy regarding minimum age requirements in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.  In addition, we keep the maximum age for students in secondary school in mind when considering retention in a particular grade level.  No child at Garden Hills will be retained more than once in their kindergarten through fifth grade years.  In addition, no students are retained in pre-kindergarten. Exceptions may be made for students in the resource model in accordance with their IEP team. 

Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment Requirements (2026)

Garden Hills follows all Georgia policies and procedures in regards to enrollment into pre-kindergarten. To complete enrollment and get more information about required documentation, please visit the pre-kindergarten and lottery enrollment page. 

Student Transfers (4/2/25)

Garden Hills follows all Atlanta Public School District board policies and procedures regarding student transfers.

School Admissions - Students Who Move During the School Year (12/15/16)

Garden Hills follows the board of education policy in regards to students moving during the school year.  If a student at Garden Hills in K-4 moves during the semester, they are permitted to stay for the duration of the semester.  If students move in the middle of fifth grade, they are permitted to stay the duration of the school year. If students in K-4 want to stay longer than the duration of the semester and live within the school district, they must complete the transfer process as outlined in the link in the school admissions district policy link. 

Homeless Students: JBC(1) and JBC(1)-R(1) (12/4/17)

Garden Hills follows all Atlanta Public School District board policies and procedures regarding homeless students.  

Student Assignment to Schools (12/14/15)

Garden Hills follows all Atlanta Public School District board policies and procedures regarding student assignments.

Student Withdrawals (7/31/19) 

Garden Hills follows all Atlanta Public School District board policies and procedures regarding student transfers.

Reviewed and Revised March 2026 Created, Reviewed, and Revised August 2023
 

At Garden Hills, we believe that all students can learn at high levels and that inclusivity benefits everyone. Our community holds a strong belief that all students benefit from learning with and from those who are different from them. Inclusion is a process that seeks to include and engage students in their own learning by removing barriers to learning and allowing all students the opportunity to learn in an environment that celebrates their strengths and challenges them to grow. This occurs in a culture of “people first” where teachers, staff and parents adhere to the Learner Profile. Garden Hills Elementary believes that all students deserve a safe place to learn where they are valued and celebrated.  Classrooms should include books, posters, texts, etc., that reflect the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, races, genders, languages, and abilities within the school. 

All teachers and staff  prioritize using a variety of teaching modalities to engage all learners, while also providing scaffolded support or enrichment to meet individual students’ needs. In every classroom, all students’ ideas are explored, valued, and considered, and teachers encourage each student to use their voice to share their perspectives and ideas. 

Inclusion speaks to, but is not limited to, giving students agency and voice regardless of learning differences, language learning, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, culture, financial hardship, sexual orientation, and/or medical condition.  According to the Garden Hills student council, “inclusion means different languages, different cultures, different beliefs, different looks, different races, and different religions should all be included.”  Equity and inclusion are at the forefront in the Atlanta Public School District.

Personalized Learning Block ( What I Need-WIN)

To meet the needs of all learners, Garden Hills Elementary School implements a personalized learning block 4-5 days a week for grades 2-5.  The following occurs during this time to meet the needs of our learners:

• Grades 2-3: Students attend Flyleaf groups, which is an explicit and systematic phonics curriculum.  Data is used to place students into groups based on needs, and data is used multiple times a year to reassess student placement as needed.  Flyleaf occurs daily at the beginning of the school day.  Beginning in March, 3rd graders will leave their Flyleaf groups and participate in daily targeted math and reading small groups based on present levels to fill gaps and/or extend learning prior to state testing. 
• Grade 4-5:  Students are provided intervention 50% of the time in reading and 50% of the time in math a minimum of 4 days a week.  During this time, DLI classes are provided with bilingual coteaching in math in order to bridge gaps and give access to the needs of all students. 

ESOL Support

The English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) program at Garden Hills Elementary focuses on language development in multilingual students. Students who indicated during registration that a language other than English is spoken in their home are screened using the WIDA consortium language screener. Eligible students enter the ESOL program to receive language support and development both socially and academically from certified ESOL teachers, focusing on all areas of academic content in the 4 domains of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. ESOL students are tested yearly using the WIDA ACCESS test to ascertain language growth and proficiency; this helps focus language support and ensures continued language development is taking place. Students who attain a proficient score are exited from the ESOL program but are monitored quarterly for 4 years with academic performance input from every teacher who works with the student. Students continue in the program until they reach the proficiency level. More information on the WIDA consortium can be found on their site.

Early Intervention Program (EIP) Services

​​The Early Intervention Program (EIP) is designed to provide interventions for students who are at risk of not reaching or maintaining their academic grade level based on their performance on state or national assessments in English Language Arts/Reading and/or Mathematics to help them meet grade-level expectations within the shortest possible time. This program is not meant to be ongoing. Students are reviewed from year to year and exited when it is determined that they have met the exit criteria.   At Garden Hills, we use the Innovative and Augmented Classroom delivery models.  The Innovative Model requires a reduced class size. If the number of students is too great for the classroom teacher, we have certified teachers at Garden Hills who push into the classroom to help the classroom teacher differentiate instruction, which is called the Augmented Model. More information on program specifics can be located on the Georgia Department of Education site

MTSS Support

MTSS stands for Multi-tiered System of Supports. It is a “tiered system of support that integrates assessment and intervention within a school-wide, multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and reduce behavioral problems. MTSS promotes systems alignment to increase efficiency and effectiveness of resources” (Adopted from National Center on Response to Intervention, 2010).

Garden HIlls has a three tier system of support that ranges from Tier 1 to tier 3 in the area(s) of academics, speech, motor skills, and/or behavior.  Tier 1 supports are for all students and are the primary level of prevention. Instruction is provided from the core curriculum. Support at the Tier 2 level is the secondary level of prevention. At Garden HIlls, all tier 1 students that score below the 25%ile  on the MAP assessment are eligible to receive tier 2 support through Flyleaf, FCRR, Fastbridge Progress Monitoring. Students that are in the 10%ile or below are supported through Tier 3 intervention. This tier provides intensive intervention for specific targeted areas. Speech and motor skills interventions are supported through the classroom teacher alongside the speech, occupational, and physical therapists.  Behavior interventions are developed and are implemented by the classroom teacher alongside the MTSS Specialist, school counselor, and school social worker. 

Interventions Provided:- FCRR, APS Intervention Bank, Fastbridge Progress for tiered students, small group time to close gaps 

Special Education Support

The special education department provides specialized instruction and support services to students with special needs who have been determined to meet eligibility criteria. The process for consideration of evaluation for special education eligibility begins with  MTSS. Students are referred for evaluation based on tier 3 recommendation when they demonstrate inadequate response to interventions in the classroom or by legal guardian request. 

There is a continuum of service options that are considered to provide the least restrictive environment for students of special education. The continuum of services available at Garden Hills includes: accommodations in the classroom, consultative services with the student and teacher, supportive instruction with paraprofessional in the general education classroom, co-taught instruction, resource instruction , regional model (students are in an all-day setting with a small group of students and a special education teacher, and related services (occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy). Special education teachers support and provide quality classroom instruction and curriculum implementation in all settings while collaborating with teachers, psychologists, related service providers and administration to meet timelines for evaluations and review of IEPs. This is essential to ensure compliance in provision of appropriate testing accommodations for classroom, district, and statewide assessments.  Additionally, Student progress is monitored, observed, and evaluated. Progress monitoring reports for performance toward mastery of IEP goals and objectives are sent home to parents.

Garden Hills Elementary School follows federal and state rules and regulations for special education which are detailed by the Georgia Department of Education. Parents are included as required members of the IEP committee. They are provided with notice of meetings, the procedural safeguards and parental rights available under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

504 Support

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a federal civil rights law and prohibits discrimination byschool districts receiving federal financial assistance against persons with disabilities. Included in the U.S. Department of Education regulations for Section 504 is the requirement that students with disabilities be provided with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). These regulations require identification, evaluation, provision of appropriate services, and procedural safeguards in every public school in the U.S. Decisions about whether a student has a disability will be consistent with the Section 504 regulation and the expanded definitions of physical and mental impairments and major life activities in accordance with the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.

A student also meets the definition of disability if the student has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits the operation of a major bodily function, which includes but is not limited to the functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological,brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.It is important to remember that the presence of one of these conditions in and of itself does not qualify an individual for Section 504 protection. The impairment must also cause a substantial limitation of a major life activity. It is also important to remember that some students who have physical or mental impairments which substantially limit their ability to participate in the educational program are entitled to rights under Section 504, even though they may not fall into eligibility categories under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Services 

Garden Hills offers exposure to gifted pedagogy to all students through Smart Lab.  In Smart Lab, students are provided an opportunity to work on creative problem solving and higher order thinking through the use of STEM practices around the inquiry cycle.  Students are given the opportunity to innovate and create real-world applications for classroom concepts and real world possible solutions during specials on an every other week basis. 

At Garden Hills Elementary School, we recognize the need to provide gifted education pedagogy and services to students who have the potential for exceptional academic achievement. Garden Hills implements the Resource Model to meet the needs of gifted students. The Gifted Lead Teacher provides instruction for gifted students who demonstrate a high degree of intellectual and/or creative abilities,   and/or exhibit an exceptionally high level of motivation.  The Gifted Lead Teacher attends IB PLC’s with K-5 grade levels every other week in order to collaborate with teachers on instructional strategies for the general education setting as well as information from the general education setting to support the resource model.  Students are pulled one day a week every two weeks for gifted resource instruction. 

Equity Endeavors: 

Garden Hills believes that all students should have equitable access to all activities, programs, and educational opportunities. Because of this, we at Garden Hills expect the following:

Specialized Programming:   All students, regardless of grade and ability, participate in a variety of core-curricular extensions as a means to develop and cultivate innate, unique students' talents and creativity. Students rotate through art, music, physical education, SMARTLAB, VIBES, science lab,  where a variety of classroom methods are designed to nurture student talents. Beyond classroom time, students are afforded opportunities to grow through musical performance groups, art project contests, and wellness groups, as a means to extend student inquiry in respective subject content. 

Field Trips: When planning field trips, Garden Hills staff chooses trips that allow all students to be successful.   This includes, but is not limited to, consideration for physical, cognitive, and/or behavioral differences.  In addition, when planning a trip, Garden Hills staff considers religious holidays to ensure that all students, regardless of religious beliefs, are included.  No student will be excluded from a field trip for lack of ability to pay. 

Projects:  As a PYP school, students participate in inquiry based academic and action projects to enhance and extend learning.  When planning projects, the staff will take all student differences into consideration and will provide a variety of ways for students to show voice, agency, and self-efficacy while enhancing and respecting students’ culture, religion, race, ethnicity, gender, language, and learning differences.  In addition, no student will be restricted based on project cost (i.e., purchase of project supplies, availability of technology, etc.) and parental participation, as we acknowledge that home lives vary throughout our school clientele.  Because of this, most projects will be done in the classroom with supplies purchased by the school.  When projects are not able to be completed in the classroom due to time constraints, all necessary project supplies, models, rubrics, and directions will be sent home with every student and differentiated so that each student will be able to participate to the best of their ability based on their individual needs.  

Home-School Connection:  Garden Hills knows that our school clientele values the ability to know what occurs at the school each day, and we acknowledge that our clientele deserves communication in a variety of ways.  To ensure all families have access, all correspondence is sent home in English or Spanish, and other languages are available upon request.  In addition,  we provide communication in a variety of modalities:  hard copy (Friday folders with graded assignments, fliers with school updates, etc.), virtually (Garden Hills Gab, Grizzly Greeting, SeeSaw, Zoom meetings and conferences, email, prerecorded video, etc.), and in person (conferences, phone calls, IB Parent Council through PTA and Acorns to Oaks Foundation,  GoTeam etc.).  We acknowledge that multiple modalities allow for more equitable access.  

Community Involvement:   Garden Hills sees community involvement as a necessity.  We encourage the community to be involved in a variety of ways.  This includes, but is not limited to: volunteering (i.e. grade-level parent, events through the PTA or Acorns to Oaks, library support, etc.), visiting the Parent Resource Center, attending school-based workshops (i.e. Community Involvement, Suicide Prevention and Awareness, IB Parent Training), and participation in school-wide events (i.e. Thanksgiving gathering, Family Spectacular, Holiday Program, Garden Clean Up, Spring Fling  etc.).  At Garden Hills, we strive to ensure that all community involvement events enhance and respect all differences.  To meet the needs of language differences, all school events provide interpretation in Spanish and other languages as needed. 

Holiday Celebrations & Instructional Collaboration: 

Garden Hills believes that students deserve equitable access to opportunities regardless of classroom placement.  In order to support this, we have revised our practices to shift from room parents to grade level parents, where parents can volunteer to collaborate amongst each other to support the entire grade level.  

With the support of the PTA, grade level parents, and the community, Garden Hills dives deeper into equity regarding holiday celebrations through equitable access for events.  When requesting volunteers for  supply donations, there is one singular sign-up genius for the grade level, and all students have access to similar events regardless of classroom placement. The supplies are then split among the classrooms equitably.

The teams use collaborative instructional practices as well to allow equity across the grade level.  This is done in multiple ways throughout Garden Hills Elementary (i.e. grouping fifth grade students among the entire grade level vs the class, student of the week across the entire fourth and fifth grade, grade level instructional rotations in second and third, etc.) 

Garden Hills Elementary staff also works to increase equity amongst the community through collaborative instructional tasks with the Atlanta International School (AIS), a private IB school adjacent to Garden Hills.  Throughout the school year, the Garden HIlls students work alongside AIS students in grades K, 2, 4, and 5 to participate in tasks aligned with the Georgia standards and the IB units across the Primary Years Programme. This allows for students and staff  to get to know their neighbors more fully. 

All grade-level staff participate in weekly IB PLC’s to encourage these collaborative practices, supported by the IB Coordinator.

School-Wide Awareness:  As a community of learners, Garden Hills understands that the world in which we live is made up of people that look, communicate, worship, believe, think, and learn differently.  Because of this, Garden Hills honors, celebrates, educates, and respects differences in the following ways:  Morning Announcements (acknowledging the Learner Profile and Approaches to Learning, highlighting cultural awareness months, special celebrations, and religious events around the world), SEL morning meeting (discussions, lessons, and video resources on cultural and religious celebrations, historical and current figures of the cultural awareness month focus, discussion on the learner profile, the SEL competencies, book of the month etc.), participation in our World Tour (each classroom educates others on the culture, heritage, language, and traditions of a particular country), and participation in Inclusive Schools Week (showing gratitude to the support staff of different learners, celebrating our students in various special education settings, education on learning differences, etc). 

Revised, edited, and feedback given March 2026
Reviewed and feedback given January  2025
Revised 1/7/25
Written Revised Edited and Feedback Given January 2023
Revised Edited and Feedback Given September 2023

Garden Hills Elementary believes that principled individuals practice academic honesty and that academic honesty among staff, students, and stakeholders is crucial for all students to learn to reach their fullest potential. Garden Hills promotes a culture of academic integrity by communicating a growth-centered approach to teaching, learning, and assessment, where students are encouraged to have agency and accountability of their own learning.

Definition of Student Academic Integrity and Dishonesty

In the Atlanta Public School District, data is seen “as a mechanism to create beneficial change for our district and in the lives of the students we serve.” Garden Hills Elementary expects that each student, stakeholder, and staff member will be honest and submit work and/or grades with integrity to ensure the most accurate data available to maximize growth and change.  Academic integrity is explicitly taught, expected, and practiced. It is the responsibility of every student, staff, and stakeholder to exhibit integrity, honesty, trust, fairness and respect, acting in a principled manner to avoid any instances of academic misconduct. 

According to Atlanta Public School District’s board policy, academic dishonesty is “receiving or providing unauthorized assistance (to include plagiarizing, copying, or fabricating data) on classroom projects, assignments, exams, or state or national examinations.” For more information, please refer to the student handbook.  Academic dishonesty also applies to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) resources.  As with any informal resource, AI should be used as a tool, but should not be used to plagiarize, copy, or fabricate information. 

Student Education, Guidance and Support:

Academic integrity is taught consistently throughout the school year at Garden Hills Elementary.  This is done through teachable moments with students on an as-needed basis, during SEL morning meetings, through counselor-led guidance lessons, through teacher-led research skills lessons, and through media specialist-led journalistic integrity lessons.  This is encouraged, enforced, and reinforced by all staff members at Garden Hills Elementary.  

Garden Hills teaches the Georgia Standards of Excellence with fidelity.  In kindergarten through third grade, teachers model and encourage distinguishing from fact and fiction and accurately stating facts in all subject areas.  In grade four, students begin to learn how to quote text accurately in expository writing and in giving text evidence when answering comprehension questions or supporting a claim.  In grade five, the students continue their work on quoting text correctly and begin to learn how to cite their sources accurately in documents and presentations, particularly in their work in the Exhibition.  The librarian also encourages academic integrity through modeling resource citation and adhering to copyright laws, as well as by instructing students on research skills beginning in third grade, quoting accurately beginning in fourth grade, and citing sources while supporting the Exhibition in fifth grade. 

Definition of Staff Academic Integrity and Dishonesty:

In the Atlanta Public School District, “a critical element of delivering on our promise to educate students is maintaining integrity and principled, ethical behavior.”  Staff Academic Integrity “requires a commitment to hard work, honesty, and trust.” Academic integrity includes, but is not limited to, submitting accurate documentation, following the law, telling the truth, aligning work with the school, district, and IB mission and vision, and doing the next right thing, even if it is believed that no one is watching.  For more information on the vision of academic integrity in an IB education, please see A Principled Approach to Academic Integrity,

Staff academic dishonesty occurs if academic integrity is not consistently followed. It is necessary for all staff members at Garden Hills to report any behavior, whether by staff, students, and/or stakeholders, that is deemed to be lacking in academic integrity.  This can be accomplished through informing someone on the administrative team at Garden Hills Elementary and/or by reporting to the Atlanta Public School District Anonymous Ethics Hotline.  For more information, please visit the Atlanta Public School District’s Ethics Portal. 

Staff Education, Guidance, and Support:

Since the 2011-2012 school year, all staff in the Atlanta Public School District have participated in annual ethics training sessions to educate and remind staff of academic integrity and reporting protocols using an interactive virtual training environment.  At Garden Hills, academic integrity is reviewed, enforced, and reinforced on a consistent basis, with events including, but not limited to, testing training prior to all standardized tests, MTSS training regarding intervention data and recording, Exhibition teacher training, PLC lesson fidelity and implementation training, and administrative led training on an as-needed basis with a staff member.  Additionally at Garden Hills, all staff members desire to be principled leaders and learners by consistently and frequently educating and encouraging one another on practices that support academic honesty and integrity.  

Rights, Roles, and Responsibilities

School

1. Define school-wide expectations and provide time in morning meetings for class discussions and lessons around academic integrity.
2. Share parent compact and integrity policy at the beginning of the school year to clearly outline expectations. 
3. Communicate accurate and reliable data to teachers, community, and all stakeholders.

Teacher

1. Introduce, model and check for understanding of best practices with all students.
2. Create and foster a safe environment where students can take risks to learn and are valued regardless of achievement level.
3. Model integrity in all areas of the school, including, but not limited to, instances of grading, feedback, assessment delivery, and assessment data. 
4. Report any behavior that is lacking integrity including, but not limited to, instances of, grading, feedback, assessment delivery, and assessment data. 

Students

1. Ask for help when needed.
2. Recognize and understand the importance of citing sources.
3. Create original works, refraining from contributing to copying the works of others.
4. Refrain from behaviors that give an unfair advantage (e.g. notes on a test, cheat sheets, acquiring information on a test ahead of time, etc.).
5. Report any behavior that is lacking integrity, including, but not limited to, instances with grading, feedback, assessment delivery, and assessment data. 

Community Members/Stakeholders

1. Review academic integrity policy and the family compact.
2. Partner with Garden Hills Elementary staff members for a common philosophy regarding asking for help, making mistakes, and growth mindset.
3. Report any behavior that is lacking integrity, including, but not limited to, instances with grading, feedback, assessment delivery, and assessment data. 

Possible Consequences of Academic Dishonesty:

According to the Atlanta Public School District’s board policy, all schools in the Atlanta Public School District are to implement a Progressive Discipline Plan. Consequences at the elementary school level can range from one to three days of detention, one to five days of in school suspension, or four to ten days of out of school suspension for discipline issues related to academic honesty and integrity. More information can be found in the Atlanta Public School District’s Student Handbook.  

Reviewed and revised March 2026
Revised and Feedback received September 2023
Formed, Revised and Feedback received May 2023

This policy outlines the beliefs and values about assessment at Garden Hills Elementary School. Instructional representatives have created and revised the content of this document. This document will be reviewed annually.

Philosophy

Assessment is a process of collecting, analyzing and reporting data. We, at Garden Hills believe assessment is essential to all teaching and learning. It should be authentic, relevant, ongoing, rich, and engaging. It should effectively guide students through the five essential elements of learning: the understanding of concepts, the acquisition of knowledge, the mastering of skills, the development of attitudes and the decision to take action.

We will use a wide range of assessment including pre, formative, summative, student and teacher reflections, and peer or self-evaluations. The assessment will be continually modified. We will take into consideration the different learning styles of the students. The assessments will be data driven to help differentiate instruction while focusing on concepts, and transdisciplinary skills, as well as facts, specialized skills, and learner profiles.

All members of the learning community (parents, teachers, students, district and building administrators, and stakeholders) will be informed of the assessment process. They will receive ongoing feedback through an efficient system of recording, analyzing, sharing, and storing of data. These assessments will act as a foundation on which we will base our future planning and practices. 

Purposes of Assessment

The purposes of assessment are manifold. Assessment tells us what concepts, knowledge, and skills our students have obtained and to what degree they have mastered performance standards. This allows teachers to identify student strengths and weaknesses as well as the teachers’ own effectiveness. In addition, assessment informs others, including students, colleagues, and parents, of general and specific outcomes of the program. Assessment can be used to determine learning styles and thus lead to differentiation of instruction.

Characteristics of Assessment

The guiding principles of assessment at Garden Hills are for them to be:

• Accurate, reliable, and fair (culturally unbiased)
• Consistent, clear, and concise
• Meaningful and thought provoking
• Ongoing and engaging
• Challenging
• Garden Hills’ students will be assessed through reflections on the attributes of the learner profile.

Assessment Tools

Garden Hills is dedicated to utilizing a diverse range of testing formats to assess learning, growth and the student’s ability to apply learned skills and concepts. The following types of assessments will be used to evaluate: IB PYP, GHES, APS, state-wide, and national goals.

Formative assessment connects instruction and learning to provide instant and frequent feedback on the learning process. This allows teacher and student to guide instruction, providing a glimpse into the effectiveness of instruction and enthusiasm of the learner. Examples may include writing portfolios, anecdotal records, student reflections, student/teacher feedback, peer evaluations, graphic organizers, thinking maps, student conversation, classroom participation, individual and group information or progress, and skill development. Formative assessment can be used both to evaluate academics, as well as the learner profile and student growth.

Summative assessment allows the learner to show their learning outcome at the culmination of the unit. Expectations clearly defined by the teacher provide a model for students and a learning strategy to demonstrate the desired result. This allows the teacher to measure the understanding of the central idea and inquiry points, but also can inform and improve student learning and instruction. This form of assessment looks like: presentations, tests, individual, or group projects to demonstrate the understanding of an entire unit or problematic scenarios at the conclusion of a PYP unit.

Mandatory assessment stems from campus, PYP, district, state, and/or federal required assessments. For more information, see the Atlanta Public School District Testing Calendar.

• Student portfolio-reflections, WSO (Pre-K)
• Classroom based assessments - pre and post-tests, rubrics, observations, anecdotal records, discussion, conferences, running records,Flyleaf Screening, Accelerated Reader (AR), MAP, Write Score, Amira K-3
• Physical Education Assessment: Fitnessgram K-5th 
• Georgia Milestones Test (3rd – 5th)
• Georgia Alternative Assessment
• Office of Early Learning Assessments

• Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS) Readiness Check
• Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS) 
• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 4th grade only
• MAP, NNAT3, GRS, Product Assessment (Gifted Education)
• ACCESS, WIDA K Model, WIDA SCREENER (ESOL only)
• STAMP (DLI)
• 5th grade Exhibition

Conferences/Communication

Purpose: Positive and timely communication between teachers, students and parents is a GHES core value. Students are successful when we share our expectations and goals through teacher/parent, teacher/student, and student-led conferences.

• Parent/Teacher Conference: Teachers and parents will conference at least once during the fall to address goals and concerns for the year to come. Additional parent/teacher conferences will be scheduled throughout the year as needed to discuss pertinent information to achieve academic success. Teachers will also communicate with parents through a weekly take-home folder. 
• Teacher-Student Conference: Teachers will conference with students on a continuous basis throughout the school year. This is an on-going informal or formal process that happens almost daily. 
• Student-led Conference: During the spring, GHES students will lead a conference with their parent. Students will have the opportunity to highlight their best work, reflect on the learner profile, and set future academic and behavior goals. Student led conferences allow for self-assessment and communication with the parent about future expectations.

• Items to include in Student-led Conferences:

  • Reading: Discuss MAP scores, provided in both English and Spanish
  • Language: Select a writing sample from the writing portfolio (grades 2-4) in lower grades; select an example of written work.
  • Math: Discuss MAP scores, provided in both English and Spanish
  • Goals: Share end of transdisciplinary reflection, embedded with learner profile, inquiry, and personalized learning goals

Assessment Reporting

Reporting on assessment will take place systematically after ongoing assessments. They will occur during parent-teacher conferences, student-led conferences, student and teacher end of unit reflections, student self-reflections on IB Learner Profile at the end of each quarter. Student Support Team, Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 meetings also include time to discuss data collected from assessments to assist teachers in evaluating and improving instructional practices. Parents are provided access to the parent portal on Infinite Campus to view students’ classwork, assessments and participation grades. Report cards are sent home quarterly. State mandated test results will be provided to parents as they become available.

Professional Development

At GHES we ensure that all staff members will be provided with various opportunities for ongoing professional development. We will accomplish this goal by the following:

• PYP coordinator will ensure all IB trainings are fulfilled by all staff members in a timely manner
• After staff members have attended workshops, they will effectively redeliver the materials and resources acquired at the workshop
• New teachers and staff will be provided an introduction to the world of IB
• The faculty will provide various workshops for parents and community members
• The school leadership team will provide/organize training for supporting school-specific programs
• The School Counselor and Testing Coordinators will provide support for testing skills and strategies

Roles and Responsibilities

Garden Hills is informed of and committed to the IB program standards and practices through the PYP coordinator and IB websites in relation to teaching and learning. We are informed regarding current research and best practices in language learning through district workshops, Professional Learning Communities, conferences, and in-school redelivery. 

The IB Leadership Team ensures that the assessment policy supports the PYP philosophy. Common planning and training ensures all teachers are PYP teachers and part of the PYP community. Teachers, support staff, administrators and PYP coordinator are responsible for communicating the assessment policy to all Garden Hills constituents. The principal, assistant principal, PYP coordinator and district program coordinators are responsible for teachers’ professional development regarding assessment, teaching and learning. Garden Hills will ensure that the assessment policy is implemented, understood and supported by all constituents through staff and stakeholders’ meetings, parent workshops, and communication of this policy by Garden Hills’ teachers.

Progress in the practices will be assessed and recorded using benchmark tests, unit tests, GKIDS, Georgia Milestones End of Course tests, HMH and Amira testing, ESOL testing, and STAMP Assessment. The PYP coordinator and IB Leadership Team will review and revise Garden Hills’ assessment policy annually.

Adopted: April  2005
Revised: October 2018, February 2023
Revised: March 2026

At Garden Hills Elementary, language is a paramount concern to all members of the school community, being essential to communication, learning, promoting our values, pursuing our vision and fulfilling our mission. Language considerations will be taken into account with every aspect of the school’s operations.

Philosophy

We believe that language acquisition and development is a continuous process and that each student has a unique language profile that reflects their individual, family and cultural identity, as well as their experiences of living in and visiting various places. Learning, thinking and constructing meaning take place through language; therefore, learning about language and learning through language are central to the curriculum. The pedagogical framework of the school – the elements of which are extending students’ knowledge and experiences, conceptual development, putting learning into context, inquiry and critical thinking, meaningful action and communication among a community of learners - is operationalized through language. As such, it is the most significant means by which we can foster students’ ability to become independent, lifelong learners.

Beliefs

The following beliefs about language exist at Garden Hills Elementary.

• All teachers are teachers of language.
• Language proficiency has a direct relation to a student’s identity, sense of security and belonging, confidence and social and emotional well-being.
• All languages are valued.
• The school should provide opportunities for students to develop their heritage language. 
• Students must be assisted to develop proficiency across language domains- listening, speaking, reading, writing and media literacy.
• The school plays a crucial role in helping students appreciate diverse perspectives, develop international-mindedness, and intercultural awareness through language.
• Inquiry based instruction promotes language development. 
• Language acquisition is a process which develops and progresses along a continuum.
• Multilingualism is a fact, a right, and a resource for learning.

Current school language situation

Garden Hills is a diverse environment of roughly 450 Pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students. The number of home languages fluctuates year-to-year. Spanish and English are the primary two home languages. Current languages spoken by students and families include Arabic, American English, African American Vernacular English (AAVE), French, German, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, English and Mandarin.

Parents are asked about language needs and preferences annually during parent surveys by our parent liaison.  Parents are asked to review the language policy annually during our annual review to give us any additional feedback.  

Practices

There are two parallel program pathways in place at Garden Hills in grades Pre-K through grade 5.  For entrance requirements, see the APS Admissions Policy.

Pathway #1: PreK-5 Traditional Classrooms

English is the primary language of instruction in the traditional PYP classrooms. Through a planned immersion environment, they are provided sheltered and differentiated instruction at an age appropriate academic standard. Language learners are supported and their instruction is scaffolded as they work towards becoming independent in an English language environment. Many aspects of the classroom, including visuals and inquiry strategies, are intended to provide a stimulating English language environment. English is taught to all learners through guided reading, shared reading, phonics, reading mini lessons, writing mini lessons, technology usage, collaborative small and whole group conversations, along with reading, writing, listening, and speaking throughout all transdisciplinary units in a variety of learning experiences. 

All students in traditional classrooms Pre-K through Grade 5 receive Spanish as a world language instruction. The Spanish teacher provides 90 minutes of weekly instruction and accomplishes a variety of language objectives. The Spanish teacher connects the grade level curriculum by reinforcing and supporting the PYP units of inquiry throughout the year. The second language instruction includes listening, speaking, reading, writing, and media literacy using a variety of individual, pair, and small group inquiry activities (i.e. role play, authentic songs, books, Spanish websites). Differentiated instruction is utilized to meet the needs of all students. Spanish instruction also integrates target language culture in the curriculum.  Cultural celebrations such as Hispanic Heritage Month, Día de los Muertos, and Día de los Reyes Magos bring to life Hispanic culture. Each grade level has APS proficiency targets. 

For more information on each of these targets visit ACTFL.

Pathway #2 Dual Language Immersion Classes Pre-K through 5th grade

In order to meet the varied needs of our school population, Garden Hills initiated a dual language immersion (DLI) program during the 2015-2016 school year in kindergarten. The research is overwhelming that dual immersion programs benefit both English language learners and mainstream language students.  

The three pillars of our dual immersion program are:

1. Bilingualism and biliteracy for all students.
2. High levels of academic achievement for each student in both languages
3. Sociocultural competency where similarities and differences are seen as opportunities to connect with others in our global society. 

Our program utilizes a two room/two teacher model for the target languages of English and Spanish in grades K-5 with a one room model in Pre-K.  Students experience equal time of instruction in both languages daily along with a reinforcement/bridging time dedicated to vocabulary enrichment and/or bridging the languages.  

In DLI, both partner teachers are responsible for all students and subjects, and transdisciplinary units guide their planning. English teachers embed the units of inquiry as they take the primary role in English literacy instruction, and the Spanish partner teacher takes the primary role in Spanish literacy development with a particular focus on the sciences.  The Spanish partner teacher also delivers the primary math instruction in Spanish while the English partner bridges the math with vocabulary development. Similar to the traditional track, English is taught to all learners through guided reading, shared reading,  phonics, reading mini lessons, writing mini lessons, technology usage, collaborative small and whole group conversations, along with reading, writing, listening, and speaking throughout all transdisciplinary units in a variety of learning experiences. Language is taught in Spanish through the HMH phonics program, guided reading, technology usage, small and whole group collaborative conversations, along with reading, writing, listening, and speaking throughout all transdisciplinary units using a variety of learning experiences in the Spanish language.

Spanish ACTFL language proficiency targets are set for each language domain by grade in our dual immersion program. 

Differentiation

• Each student has their language profile taken into account during teacher planning.
• The school provides virtual and physical resources to assist with language learning (i.e. alternative versions of texts, online books, scaffolding, translations, dictionaries to ensure students understand the concepts and tasks..
• In testing situations students who are acquiring the English language will be afforded accommodations to allow for the assessment to be accessible to the learner.

We recognize that, due to diverse backgrounds and prior educational experiences, students’ strengths and areas of growth vary at Garden Hills.  We meet the need for added support through participation in support and enrichment programs such as the digital learning program LexiaCore 5 and Lexia English, Gifted services, Early Intervention Program (EIP), Special Education and our multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS).  For more information, see our Inclusion Policy.

Garden Hills’ also offers:

• Printed materials in a family’s preferred language  pertinent to curriculum objectives/mandated testing 
• Interpreters provided as needed.  Contact 404-802-7580 for more information. 
• Assessments administered in student’s heritage language
• Bilingual School Psychologist on staff  to provide physical and virtual resources for families
• All correspondence in English, Spanish; and other languages as needed
• Support from Multilingual Programs and Services, Atlanta Public School District
• Cultural experiences (plays/performances) in a variety of languages
• Virtual and physical Spanish resources
• Additional Bilingual certified and clerical staff (classroom teachers, ESOL teachers, teacher of special education, paraprofessionals, office staff)

Language profiles

Upon registration, parents/guardians complete home language survey questions, collecting information about the language profile of each student, including the preferred home language, language(s) spoken at home, and languages previously studied at school. This information is kept in the student information database which is maintained by office and district administration.  In addition, students’ performances on WIDA ACCESS and eStamp in Spanish are collected to allow educators access to students' language development profiles.  In addition, the MAP assessment (K-5) as well as GKIDS helps to assess a student’s acquisition of academic language and is given to all students. 

Development of the Language Profile in the Students’ Preferred Home Language

Garden Hills Elementary School respects the development of a student's preferred home language. In order to help students inquire about their family’s preferred home language Garden Hills offers the following: text in the library in multiple languages, access to the Fulton County library ebook system with texts in multiple languages, La Amistad, the encouragement of speaking in the preferred language in social and collaborative work settings, a parent liaison to provide access to materials to stakeholders that contains the home preferred language on an as-requested basis. In addition, Garden Hills celebrates language differences through recognition of observances related to language and literacy awareness such as American Sign Language Day and World Literacy Day. 

English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

The goal of the ESOL Program is to enhance language acquisition and to introduce and practice skills students use in the mainstream classroom.  Any student who indicates a language other than English on their home language survey questions are screened for eligibility for English language support.  Language progress is assessed annually to determine proficiency levels.  

ESOL students in kindergarten through third grade receive one 45 minute segment of push in support where content and language are developed simultaneously.  ESOL students in grades 4 and 5 receive two 50 minute segments of push in language support due to the increased cognitive demands of the units of inquiry.  ESOL teachers participate in transdisciplinary unit planning with mainstream teachers and provide teachers with support in working with ESOL children in mainstream classrooms.

The students’ mother tongue is used to make connections between previous knowledge and newly acquired language and content. ESOL teachers also communicate with parents to inform them of their child’s progress and to advise them on how to reinforce learning at home.  ESOL teachers in conjunction with our parent liaison hold workshops or meetings on an as-needed basis with groups of parents to familiarize them with school procedures and learning.

Teachers are able to see language development and academic profiles at a glance through our apsviz portal on student data profiles.

Newcomer Group:

In addition to the ESOL services above, students that are new to the United States can qualify for small group resource instruction in English.  Led by a certified ESOL teacher, the students participate in listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities that are differentiated based on their levels of language proficiency. Instruction in the newcomer group also targets the development of functional oral language to support students throughout the academic setting and the wider community.. In order to qualify for the newcomer group, students must be registered in  United States’ schools for less than two years as well as receive a cumulative score below 2.0 on the WIDA ACCESS English proficiency test. This group meets in lieu of their English language arts block once every two weeks. In addition to these services, the newcomer group teacher provides teachers strategies for grading as well as differentiated classwork to do while they are in the general education setting.  Lexia is also used to support  language instruction. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Developed: 13 April 2005 Reviewed and Revised: 30 November 2018; 2 December 2018, March 2022 September 2023, reviewed, revised and feedback received March 2026