Assessment & Reporting

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

AISL beliefs about formative assessments

We believe that students should have multiple and varied opportunities for practicing and reflecting upon what they are learning to adjust their learning practices. We also believe that teachers should have ongoing formal and informal opportunities to gather, analyze, and interpret data about how and what students are learning in order to adjust teaching approaches and lesson plans. We believe students' engagement in their own learning is more effective when they thoughtfully complete all formative assessments. Formative assessments provide students opportunities to evaluate the quality of their work. An essential component of effective formative assessments is qualitative and/or quantitative feedback that is linked to assessment criteria. Students should receive feedback on formative assessments that is specific and clearly articulates what the student is doing well and can do to improve. Student completion of formative assessment plays a role in the teacher’s determination of a student’s ATL descriptor. 

Definition 

Formative assessment is assessment for learning. Formative assessment is an activity for students to practice what they are learning. Formative assessments scaffold learning and give students and teachers a more accurate sense of student achievement along specific learning objectives.  Completion of formative assessments supports learning and poise students for success in summative assessments.  They do not typically contribute to a student’s final achievement scores, however, in the absence of a summative grade or in a perceived abnormal achievement in a summative task the formative grades/feedback could contribute to a final grade. Formative assessments can be informal. They may include observations of students by the teacher or attentiveness to student answers during classroom discussions.  

Purpose

• To help students measure their learning and understand what they are doing well and need to do differently, while they are learning

• To scaffold learning leading up to a summative assessment

• To help teachers adjust teaching during the unit, based on evidence

• To help students practice metacognitive and reflective skills

Formative Assessment Guidelines

Effective formative assessment should be frequent. Formative assessment feedback may be recorded in ManageBac, dependent upon the type, and reported to students and parents in order to inform and facilitate discussion of ongoing learning. Students who have not completed a formative assessment or multiple formative assessments will have an incomplete or outstanding assignment that will be taken into consideration when considering a student’s ATL development. 

Effective formative may be divided into three main categories:

Dynamic (fluid and situational): Dynamic assessment measures what the student achieves when given some teaching in an unfamiliar topic or field.  An example might be assessment of how much Spanish is learned in a short block of teaching to students who have no prior knowledge of the language. It can be useful to assess potential for specific learning in the absence of relevant prior attainment, or to assess general learning potential for students who have a particularly disadvantaged background. It is often used in advance of the main body of teaching.

(https://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/development/academic/resources/assessment/principles/types/) 

Diagnostic (pre-assessment and ongoing): Diagnostic assessment is intended to assess the learner and their level of understanding. However, diagnostic assessment looks backwards rather than forwards. It assesses what the learner already knows and/or the nature of difficulties that the learner might have, which, if undiagnosed, might limit their engagement in new learning. It is used before teaching or when a problem arises.  

(https://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/development/academic/resources/assessment/principles/types/) 

Defining (curriculum-embedded): Curriculum-embedded performance tasks are designed to develop students’ understandings of the content they are currently studying and help teachers assess how well students are mastering the concepts and skills. These tasks can be used alone to target important skills or concepts, or combined into a set of smaller tasks that scaffold a larger performance task or project.  

(https://raisingthebar.wested.org/collection/curriculum-embedded-performance-assessment-mathematics) 

Feedback

Feedback is a critical component of the learning process often associated, but not limited to formative assessment.  In fact, feedback is one of the most powerful strategies in a teacher’s toolkit to increase student learning and foster growth.   

AISL beliefs about feedback

We believe feedback should be:

• Timely - given as close to the original deadline of the assignment within a week

• Actionable - provides student with specific strategies for improvement fostering a growth mindset

• Explicit - providing justifications that identify strengths and areas of improvement 

• Specific in nature and without judgement

• Identifying successes as well as areas of improvement

• Conveyed in language easily understood by the student (verbal and written)

• On-going

• Consistent in focus and frequency

• Relevant to the task’s assessment criteria

• A positive learning experience

Definition

Feedback is oral or written, quantitative or qualitative evaluation about a student’s progress towards a specific academic achievement or ATL development, that points out strengths and specific steps for improvement, and is used by the student and teacher to inform learning and teaching. Feedback is a type of formative assessment.

Purpose

To improve student learning in academic content and soft skills including the ATLs.

Feedback Guidelines

In order for feedback to have its greatest effect on learning, teachers must provide a clear learning objective for all lessons/activities.  Students must be aware of the intended learning.  Any instructional activities must align directly with the intended learning objective and students should be provided with the connection between the two.

Students should be instructed in how to interpret the results as indicators of what they have or have not learned yet.  This can also be provided through peer feedback.  It is the role of the teacher to guide students, through forthright feedback, in how to meet intended learning targets through actionable items in the early stages of accessing a new learning objective. 

As much as possible, feedback should take place during the learning when the student still has time to revise or apply new strategies prior to the completion of the summative assessment. 

Standardisation

All teachers of each subject regularly assess student work across each grade level using IB criteria. Teachers take turns in supplying student work to the group and they meet in person departmentally.  The head of department leads the process whereby teachers provide grades for the piece of work, compare them and discuss variances. 

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

AISL beliefs about summative assessments

We believe that students, parents and teachers should have an accurate and holistic measure of student learning related to course aims and objectives through summative assessments. We believe that summative assessments can also help to inform students, parents, and teachers about student readiness for future learning.

Definition

Summative assessment is assessment of learning.  A summative assessment is an assessment at the end of a teaching and learning process, aligned to the course aims and objectives, that is scored against the criteria found in the IB subject guides and contributes to the student’s interim or final achievement score.  

Purpose

• To measure the outcome of student learning at the end of a teaching and learning process

• To determine readiness for future learning

• To report achievement levels to students and parents

Summative Assessment Guidelines

Each teacher is expected to provide ample opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning and growth measured by the IB learning objectives and criteria in each grading period.  

Summative assessments demonstrate the student’s current achievement level according to specified criteria. Summative assessments do not contribute a percentage towards an interim or semester score. Because students are given multiple opportunities to be assessed on each criterion, they are given opportunities to demonstrate growth. Therefore, a student who demonstrates a low achievement level according to an objective at the beginning of a learning period is not penalized in the final achievement level if he/she has demonstrated greater competency at the reporting period.

Summative assessments are utilized for reporting learning and achievement to students and parents. The teacher will use the assessment opportunity to reflect upon the learning process and adjust future instruction. Summative assessments are recorded in Toddle. Each record indicates the subject specific criteria assessed.  Students’ achievement levels will be reported on Toddle for all summative assessments. 

Summative Assessment Deadline Procedures 

• Teachers ensure that summative deadlines are scheduled through student and teacher dialogue, ensuring a maximum of two summatives per day. Consult the year-group calendar on Toddle to check. 

• Teachers will post summative due dates to Toddle at least a week in advance.

• Assessment due dates are scheduled to fall during class time. 

• Teachers check the Toddle dropbox/collect student work during class time.

• DP only: Reminder - deadlines for DP assessment components are created in collaboration with the DP Coordinator and cannot be changed without Coordinator approval.

Student Absences on summative due dates

• If a student will be absent on the day of a summative due date, they need to make every effort to communicate this fact to the teacher in advance. It is up to the student to make up the assessment by initiating a conversation with the teacher. Students should be prepared to hand in or write the assessment during the next scheduled class. 

• In the DP, an unexcused absence on a summative due date is academic malpractice. If a student is absent on a summative due date, the teacher submits an academic integrity form to notify the  DP Coordinator.

Late work procedures - DP

DP assessment components

• Extensions for official DP assessment components is a process that must involve the DP Coordinator. 

• Details of the process can be found in the Diploma Programme Section of the Handbook, under DP Assessment calendar.

All other coursework tasks

• Use your discretion to grant extensions if the student has a valid excuse; if there is no valid excuse, collect and assess the work even if it is incomplete.  (Students can always request a re-take later, which can be granted at your discretion)

Late work procedures - MYP

If a student does not have complete summative work to submit on time, the following process will be followed:

• 1. Student submits to Toddle whatever is complete to date (in case of a template, the work will be in Toddle already; student tells the teacher that it is incomplete and/or does not click “mark as done”).

  2. Teacher speaks to the student privately to find out the reason for incomplete work. In case of an online dropbox, the teacher re-opens submission for that student.

  3. Teacher and student agree on the date/time for submission (if absent this may happen upon their return). 

     • The most common agreement will be the following school day before 7:30 am. 

     • The teacher (or student) will then send an email to the student, advisor, grade leader, parents, and Principal/Dean of Students with the agreement (lunchtime completion if not done by 7.30).  At a minimum, the student must have one evening to finish the work.

  4. The student needs to either find the teacher to hand in the assessment, upload it onto Toddle, or if a Template was used click “mark as done” by the agreed time & date. 

     • If the summative work is still not completed by the agreed time, the teacher will notify the Principal/Dean of Students that the work was not completed by the agreed deadline.

     • The Principal/Dean of Students will then supervise the student during lunch to complete the work as far as possible. Whatever is completed will be submitted/marked as done at the end of lunch on the same day. 

  5. The Grade Leader / Dean of Students will monitor the number of times this happens for each student across all their subjects. If a pattern develops, the parents and student will be called in for a meeting to develop a plan to address ATL Self-Management concerns in order for the student to thrive as a learner.

PROGRESS REPORTS

At the end of the Quarter 1, Semester 1, and Quarter 3 a progress report is issued to all students.  

The progress reports include students’ ATL descriptors that convey the student’s strengths, areas for improvement, and strategies for growth for each subject. For the Semester and Quarter 3 reports, MYP criteria grades will also be included. The purpose of the progress reports are to inform students and parents of their current assessment levels and provoke conversations around celebrations of success and strategies for improvement while there is still time to do so before the end of the academic year.

FINAL REPORTS

These are completed at the end of year and indicate students’ final achievement and ATL development for the year in each of their classes.  These scores will be recorded on the students’ official transcripts for Grades 9 - 12.  

Parent-Teacher Conferences

In October and March/April, teachers are given two afternoons to meet with parents to discuss their children’s progress.  During these afternoons, parents reserve time slots for meetings.  Parent-Teacher conferences work in conjunction with the Quarter 1 and Quarter 3  interim reports.

Predicted Achievement Scores

Predicted achievement levels are a prescribed part of the IB DP.  In June of Grade 11, teachers provide unofficial predicted achievement scores for each student in their course.  Teachers record what they believe students could achieve as an overall score after the final DP exams at the end of Grade 12.  These are to inform students and parents as well as to guide university applications. 

In April of Grade 12, predicted achievement scores are formally recorded and reported to the IB. 

Informal reporting

Throughout the school year parents may receive feedback about their child from teachers via Toddle notifications, email, telephone, or a prearranged visit.  Parents should always feel free to contact teachers regarding their children and arrange a meeting if necessary.

AISL utilizes various forms of external assessments or standardized tests to monitor our program.  These are designed to give a common measure of students' performance. Because large numbers of students take the same test, they give educators a common yardstick or “standard'' of measure. AISL uses standardized test results to: 

• Acquire a picture or snapshot of the skills and abilities of an individual student or a group of students

• Inform curriculum and instruction

• Evaluate the effectiveness of programs

• Measure how well our students perform in relation to students who attend “other like schools” or other students around the world

AISL administers the following standardized assessments: 


• Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) - Reading, Mathematics, Language Usage (Grades 6-10) 

• IB Diploma Subject Specific Exams (Grade 12 only) 

• College/University Admissions Examinations, for example:  American College Testing (ACT); Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT I and II); Cambridge Assessment Tests for UK Universities. There is also an option to administer Advance Potential examinations.

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth

AISL administers the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) to all students in Grades 2-10 twice a year in September and April. The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) designs the assessment, and many US and international schools subscribe to this assessment on an annual basis. The MAP provides schools, teachers, students and parents with an accurate assessment of student performance and progress in mastering basic skills in the following areas: mathematics, reading, and language usage. 

More specifically, the MAP measures the following strands:

• Mathematics:  Computation, Number Sense, Algebraic Methods, Data Analysis and 
Probability, Geometric Concepts, Measurement, & problem Solving 

• Reading:  Literature, Information Text, Foundational Skills, Vocabulary

• Language Usage:  Plan/Organization/ Research, Understand Grammar/ Usage, Punctuation and Spelling 


The assessment is adaptive which means that the difficulty of the test is adjusted to the student’s performance. Each question is based on how well the student has answered questions up to that point. As the student answers correctly, the test becomes more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. Within the optimal test, the student answers approximately half the items correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s achievement level. 

MAP Growth is a normed test - norms represent average or typical performance and the statistics supply a frame of reference for test scores. The norms for MAP Growth are based upon the actual performance of students of a specified grade level who have previously taken the test. 

AISL teachers consult MAP results (by individual student and class/grade level) in order to develop a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular student and/or class. The AISL administration reviews several different MAP data analysis sets (by individual student and by grade level cohort) in order to better understand student progress and performance. This understanding allows us to make adjustments in our curriculum and instruction in order to improve student performance.