Home - Jan 2023
The CLT at JH Classical Academy
By: Mr. Burton Gildersleeve
In his lecture “Assessment That Blesses,” Andrew Kern, founder and president of the CiRCE Institute, states that assessment, when done well, should bless the student. How can this be?
In his lecture “Assessment That Blesses,” Andrew Kern, founder and president of the CiRCE Institute, states that assessment, when done well, should bless the student. How can this be?
We might first ask what it means ‘to bless.’ Mr. Kern points us to Psalm 1:3, which describes ‘one who is blessed’ in this way:
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in season,
whose leaf does not wither,
and who prospers in all he does.
In light of this passage, we find that ‘to bless’ our students is to cause them to flourish, to be fruitful, to reach their full potential as humans. How, then, do we bless our students in assessment? What should assessment look like at JH Classical Academy?
This year, we’ve had the privilege of reviewing the Classic Learning Test (CLT). The CLT is a suite of assessments based on the liberal arts education model, consisting of three different test options. The CLT flagship test is a college entrance exam; the CLT10 is intended for 9th and 10th graders as a preparatory exam for the CLT; and last, the CLT8 centers on primary school education, and is most suitable for 7th-8th grades.
We’ve been thoroughly encouraged by the purpose, content and impact of the CLT, and believe the suite of assessments will serve as a source of blessing at JH Classical Academy. There are three guiding words – these, too, from Mr. Kern – that have steered our consideration of the CLT, and help define how we might bless our students through assessment, particularly the CLT. They are: nature, purpose, and propriety.
Nature. To assess well, we must do so according to the nature – the essence, character – of our students. Our children are created in the image of God. They have a will and preferences. They’re capable of rational and moral choices. The CLT emphasizes the personhood of the test-taker in this way, and is designed for the best possible test-taking experience. Assessments, according to the CLT, should be simple and balanced. The result is a test that is clean and consistent in its format, straight-forward in its scoring, shorter in its test time, and efficient in its score reporting (students, in fact, receive scores on the day of their exam). The CLT is intentionally considerate, and in turn, is a joy to take.
Purpose. Here, let’s first consider our school mission and vision, which is, “to cultivate within its students the wisdom and virtue necessary to discover their God-given potential and contribute to a flourishing and free society.” How, or by what means, do we realize this purpose at JH Classical Academy? We might best summarize our response in this way: that we focus our teaching on the heart and mind both, emphasizing what is true, good and beautiful.
The CLT reinforces both our purpose and approach at JH Classical Academy in that it centers on the ideas and traditions that have most meaningfully contributed to Western thinking for the past two millennia. Indeed, the CLT promotes a mode of education that “aims to form men and women who are intellectually curious, think deeply, reason well, and live with integrity.”[1] In the CLT, students engage with writers that have shaped the Great Conversation, and as such, both preparation for and the exam itself prove a soul-enriching experience.
Propriety. Propriety refers to that which is appropriate or fitting. Is the CLT the right test for JH Classical Academy?
We’ve recognized first that the CLT honors the nature of our students; they are human, created in the image of God. Further, the CLT embodies our purpose; by emphasizing that which is true, good, and beautiful, the suite of assessments fosters wisdom and virtue. These are the essential, most telling reasons for which the CLT is fitting for JH Classical Academy.
The timing, too, is fitting. Our eldest students are preparing for college. The CLT has been adopted as an admissions test by over 140 reputable colleges and universities. It sets a high standard and presents our students with an exceptional opportunity to convey their academic formation.
One further note on timing: there is no better time than now to promote good, rigorous education on a national scale. The CLT allows our school to further meaningful, lasting education in a way that extends beyond the walls of JH Classical Academy.
Propriety would have us conclude by returning to Mr. Kern. In a separate discussion on classical assessment, Mr. Kern encourages his audience and us, as well, to remember this: “assessment teaches – it teaches your priorities; it teaches your values; and it teaches your commitments.” We might therefore say that there is a special harmony – a blessing, to be sure – that is enjoyed by our students and teachers alike when mission and vision, curriculum, and assessment all align. This, indeed, is the learning environment we wish to cultivate at JH Classical Academy.
We look forward to exploring the CLT further with the entire JH Classical Academy community. Until then, please know that you can learn more about the CLT here.
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2500 S. Park Loop Rd.
Jackson, WY 83001
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 7466
Jackson, WY 83002
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