MASAssessment Principles
In recognition that learners have different learning styles, it is important for teachers at MAS to utilize different assessment methods and strategies to challenge each learner. In principle, MAS operates a continuous assessment system as follows:
• Assess learners consistentlyand continuously
• Use a varietyof assessment tools, strategies and techniques.
• Provide practices that are fair and transparent based on criteria shared with the learners prior to assessment
• Evaluates knowledge, concepts, skills, and attitudes.
• Use assessment as a base for guided instructions and feedback to improve future learning.
• Use assessments that are designed and evaluated against defined published objectives and criteria, in accordance with the programmes adopted at school.
• Evaluatethe appropriateness of the curriculum
• Assessments should besensitive to cultural, linguistic, racial, learning, physical and gender differences, which is offered through authentic tasks to assess different facets of learning
• Continuous formative and summative tasks
• Feedback for learners and teachers in order to inform and tailor learning and teaching
• Evidenceofprogress
CharacteristicsofEffectiveAssessment
Keycharacteristics of highly effective assessment (Clarke 2012).
• Authentic: It promotes learner engagement byconnectingto the real world.
• Specificand clear: This includes learning goals, success criteria, and the process learners useto learn.
• Varied: It employs a broader range of appropriate tools and strategies to create a well-rounded picture of learner learning.
• Developmental: It focuses ontheprogress ofan individual learner ratherthan theirperformance compared to others.
• Collaborative: It involves teachers and learners in developing and evaluating assessments.
-Interactive: Assessment includes ongoingand iterative conversations about learning.
•Feedback tofeedforward: It provides feedback on current learningtoinform what is required to support future learning and motivate learners.
AssessmentCulture
We believe that effective, strong communication channels amongst the school community is essential for building a clear shared assessment culture that recognizes the role assessment plays in informing the learner, learning and teaching and the learning community about the attainment, development, progress and decision making. This can be achieved by.
• Developing a clear assessment policy with school-wide expectations and set standards that is shared with the whole school community and is embedded within the practices of all teachers and learners.
• Developing a common language amongst the school communitywhen it comes to planning, implementation, reflection, and moderating assessment collaboratively.
• Providingastructured, focused,and relevant feedback toboth learnersand parents when it comes to their attainment and progress.
• Empowering learners to become self-regulated capable learners who can set their own learning goals, assess their progress, reflect on their growth and plan on how to further develop when it comes to their learning
• Invigorating the links between monitoring, documenting, measuring and reporting of learning.
DimensionsofAssessments
MAS recognizes the importance of monitoring and documenting the process of acquiring the knowledge and skills, the understanding of concepts, the development of attitudes and the decision to take action through four dimensions: monitoring, documenting, measuring, and reporting of learning, informing the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community about achievement and progress and supports decision-making.
➢ Monitoring Learning
Monitoring learning aims to evaluate learning progress against personal learning goals and success criteria. It happens daily through various strategies, such as observation, questioning, reflection, discussing learning with peers and teachers, and providing thoughtful feedback to feedforward to the next steps in learning. Monitoring tools include open-ended tasks, written or oral assessments, and a learning portfolio.
➢ DocumentingLearning
Learning documentation is the collection of evidence of learning. Physical or digital documentation can be displayed or recorded in a variety of media formats. Learning documentation is shared with others to make learning visible. Learners and teachers can use various formats to record learning objectives, questions, reflections, and evidence of learning, such as learning journals or logs, learning stories, portfolios, exemplars, checklists, rubrics, and anecdotal records.
➢ MeasuringLearning
The measuring of learning sheds light on what a learner has learned at a specific point in time. The school-designed measurement tools provide additional data to support a larger picture of learner achievement and learning progress. When standardized tests are administered, the data contribute to a complete picture of learner learning.
➢ Reporting Learning
Reporting on learning describes the learners’ learning progress and achievement, identifies areas for improvement, and contributes to the program’s efficacy. The reporting process is open, transparent, and understandable to all stakeholders. Methodsofreporting:
• Progressreports
• School Mid-Semester and end of semester report cards
• Parentportal (Online gradebook)
• Teacher and/or counselor emails, phone calls and meetings
• SchoolNewsletter
• Openhouse
• Parent/teacher conferences
• Learner-ledconferences
Typesof Assessment
➢ DiagnosticAssessment
Admission into MAS is based on the successful completion of entry tests and interviews with the Admission Committee. Applicants with learning differences, difficulties, or language needs will be considered for admission following evaluations by the academic support team to ensure the school can meet the learner’s needs. Academic support is the strategies, practices, accommodations, and resources that provide learning support to learners in languages, math, and unit of inquiry (science and social studies).
The academic support team meets with the parent/guardian of the applicant, introduces the program offered by the school and signs a letter of agreement according to which the learner will be registered for the academic support program (ASL). If required, an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be developed and implemented to cast light on the learner’s needs. Besides, the learner will receive accommodations with exams, homework, and other assessment areas. Specific comments will be mentioned in the learner’s report card indicating the support given. The learning support will continue until the academic support team confirms the learner’s progress and improvement to be withdrawn from the program.
➢ Pre-Assessment
It is conducted at the beginning of each unit of inquiry or introduction of a new concept to assess learners’ prior knowledge and experience, thus, allowing teachers to plan and refine their teaching accordingly.
➢ Assessmentfor Learning (formativeassessment)
It starts with assessing previous knowledge and aims to inform learningand teaching. It is conducted throughout the learning process.
Features: written and oral artifacts, observations and feedback, surveys, and progress reports.
➢ Assessment as Learning
It is part of the formative process and is conducted throughout the learning process. It helps learners to become responsible lifelong learners. It supports them in reflecting on their progress, making adjustments, and setting goals for future learning.
Features:setting and monitoringlearninggoals, reflectingon thelearning process toadjust learning and supporting personal development.
➢
Assessment of Learning (summativeassessment)
It offers learners the opportunity to measure their development of knowledge, conceptual understandings and skills. It is conducted at the end of the unit.
Features: exams, quizzes, standardized tests, projects.
Assessment Strategies
• Observations: Learners are observed frequently and on a regular basis, with the teacher varying the focus from wide angle (for example, focusing on the entire class) to close up (for example, focusing on one learner or activity) and from nonparticipant (observing from without) to participant (observing from within).
• Performance based assessments: Areassessments ofgoal-directedtasks usingpredefined criteria. They offer genuine and significant challenges and problems. They are typically multimodal and necessitate the use of considerable skills. Audio, video and narrative records are frequently helpful for this type of evaluation.
• Process-focused assessments: Learners are observed frequently and on a regular basis, and the observations are documented by noting typical and non-typical behaviours, collecting multiple observations to increase reliability, and synthesizing evidence from various contexts to increase validity. A notetaking and record-keeping system is developed to reduce the amount of time spent writing and recording. Common methods of collecting observations include checklists, inventories, and narrative descriptions (such as learning logs).
• Selected responses: Single occasion, one-dimensional exercises. The most common examples of this type of assessment are tests and quizzes.
• Open-ended tasks: Situations in which learners are given a stimulus and asked to respond creatively. The answer could be a brief written response, a drawing, a diagram, or a solution. The work, along with the assessment criteria, could be included in a portfolio.
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• Process journals: These are used to facilitate learner reflection, which is a critical component of the learning process. They track learners’ personal achievement and enable them to reflect upon their own learning experiences. It is required in some fields of study, but can be utilized in all subject areas.
• Portfolios: These provide a method for learners to compile a collection of work throughout the course of the units. Learners can use portfolios as a means of reflection as well as a display of their gains in both knowledge and skills. Portfolios can be used during learner-lead conferences.
Assessment Tools
- Rubrics: A set of established criteria for assessing learners in all areas. The descriptors instruct the assessor on what characteristics or signs to look for in learners’ work and how to rate it on a predetermined scale. Rubrics can be created by both learners and teachers.
- Exemplars: Learner work samples serve as concrete standards against which other samples are judged. A scoring rubric includes one benchmark for each level of achievement.
- Checklists: These are lists of required information, data, attributes, or elements.
- Anecdotal records: Anecdotal records are short written notes based on learner observations. These records must be systematically collected and organized.
- Peer/Self-Assessment: Learners reflect on their performance against task-specific criteria. These give the teacher automatic feedback on learners’ perception of their standing in the learning process.
- Continuums: These are visual representations of the stages of learning development. Theydemonstrate progression.
Teachers record assessments directlyin their grade book (whether hard copy or electronic), on the school’s grading system (PowerSchool, where information that is reported to parents is entered), the Ministry of Education grade book (according to the Ministry’s requirements), and the Ministry’s electronic database.
Approaches to Learning (ATL Skills)
Five interrelated skills help learners to think, research, communicate, socialize, and manage themselves effectively and support their sense of agency, thus becoming self-regulated learners. Teachers collaborate to create many opportunities to foster the development of the ATL skills inside and outside the programme of inquiryusing different strategies and mapping them vertically and horizontally across the curriculum. Teacher observations and learner reflections are recorded. These records will demonstrate the progression and demonstration of the ATL skills.
IBLearnerProfile
The attributes of the IB learner are evident in the school’s culture and reflected in classroom practices, school activities, counselling process and collaborative planning arrangements. The language of the learner profile is used in conversations, discussions, and the development of essentialagreements and portfolios. Learners receivefeedback on theirlearning usingthe language of the learner profile, which is communicated through personalized comments on report cards.
Differentiation in Assessment
Different assessments are designed according to grade level to cater for learners’ diverse needs, styles and capabilities. Teachers respond to learners’ needs and differences by differentiating content, process and product according to learners’ readiness, interests and learning profiles while always keeping in mind the guiding principles of respectful tasks, ongoing assessment and flexible groups.
TheExhibition forPrimary Years
Learners participate in an exhibition in their final year of the PYP a learner-led inquiry into a topic of interest to them. This is a demonstration of learner agency and a reflection on learners’ capacity to orchestrate their learning. The exhibition allows learners to put their interests, transdisciplinary thinking, knowledge, conceptual understandings, skills, and learner profile attributes into action. They carry out their investigation individually and with their peers, together with the help of a mentor, who can be from within or outside the school community.
MiddleSchoolProjects (Community Projectand Personal Project)
MYP projects are learner-centred and age-appropriate, and they enable learners to engage in practical explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. MYP projects help learners to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile and demonstrate their understanding and application of the ATL skills. There are set published criteria for assessing both the Community Project (completed in Grade 8) and Personal Project (completed in Grade 10).
TheExtended Essay for High School
The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper. It is a mandatory course for all DP graduates seeking a certificate in Diploma. Students investigateatopicofpersonal interest tothem,which relates to oneofthestudent's six DPsubjects, or take the interdisciplinary approach of a World Studies extended essay. Students develop skills such as; generating and formulating a proper specific research question, conducting thorough research for primary and secondary resources, and getting personally engaged in the topic of research.
Assessment Criteria
Primary Years
The assessment criteria in the PYP are communicated to learners and parents at the start of each unit of inquiry and documented in the school planner and report cards.
A* Exceeding Expectations
A Meeting Expectations
B Approaching Expectations
C Working Toward Expectations
D Below Expectations
NA Not assessed
Thelearnerexceeds the expected learning outcomes oftheir gradelevel.
The learner achieves the learning outcomes expected of their grade level.
The learner demonstrates that they put effort and begin to achieve the learning outcomes of their grade level.
Thelearnerworks hardtowardachievingthelearningoutcomes oftheir grade level.
The learner faces challenges toward reaching most of the learning outcomes of their grade level.
The learning outcome has not yet been assessed.
Middle School Years
Percentageequivalency of MYPscale
Final subject scores are recorded into an overall MYP level from 1-7.
Deciding on Learners Achievement Level forSummative Assessments
Authentic assessment tasks in the MYP are generated by teachers and, where appropriate, learners. Objectives for each subject group are identified bythe MYP subject group guides and are aligned with the assessment criteria. Assessments are measured by criterion-related rubrics that are modified with task-specific clarifications. Judgments are made by consulting the levels of achievement and assigning the level that best describes the quality of work submitted.
After a series of judgments are made, the rubrics, along with formative assessment data and summative assessment data are used to make a final judgment using the “best-fit” approach.
Internal standardization in MYP – in the cases where more than one teacher are teaching the same subject group in a given year level, instances of internal standardization will take place to ensure a common understanding of criteria and application of levels of achievement. Supervisors of the personal project will also standardize. According to the guide MYP: From principles into practice (2014): “Standardization throughout the school year promotes consistency and builds common understandings about learner achievement with respect to MYP objectives.” (Page 83).
Produces work of very limited quality. Conveys many significant misunderstandings or lacks understanding of most concepts and contexts. Very rarely demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Very inflexible, rarely using knowledge or skills
Produces work of limited quality. Expresses misunderstandings or significant gaps in understanding for many concepts and contexts. Infrequently demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Generally inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, infrequently applying knowledge and skills.
Produces work of an acceptable quality. Communicates basic understanding of many concepts and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledgeand skills, requiring support even in familiar classroom situations.
Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations
Produces generally high-quality work. Communicates secure understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar classroom and real-world situations and, with support, some unfamiliar real-world situations.
Produces high-quality, occasionally innovative work. Communicates extensive understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, frequently with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar and unfamiliar classroom and real world situations, often with independence.
Produces high-quality, frequentlyinnovativework. Communicates comprehensive, nuanced understanding of concepts and contexts. Consistently demonstrates sophisticated critical and creative thinking. Frequently transfers knowledge and skills with independence and expertise in a variety of complex classroom and real-world situations.
