June Newsletter

Dear Grade 11 Students and Parents, 

This is the fourth and final newsletter of the first year of the Diploma Programme at CDNIS. The focus of this communication is to provide information about how we will be wrapping up the Grade 11 school year and what you should expect in the coming Grade 12 school year. 

Below, you will find detailed information related to how we carry out predicted grades; please read it through so you are fully apprised of how the process works and what students will be engaged in as part of our three "Planning and Progress Days."     

As always, should you have any questions, please do reach out.

~ Brian Hull

Each year, we dedicate three of our final days of the school year for our Grade 11 students to work off timetable, on some of the Core components of their programme, and to engage in predicted grade meetings. This year, the Planning and Progress Days will include:

• Completion of Summer Goals Reflection.

• Predicted grade meetings

• The Extended Essay: students will meet with their supervisors to discuss their progress on their Extended Essay and areas they need to focus on as they complete their first draft during the summer. At this point, students will have written between 1500 and 2000 words. In addition, students will finalize their second required reflection alongside their EE supervisor. Should students have any extra time during our three Planning and Progress Days, they are expected to use this time to continue to work on their Extended Essay.

• Students will work on updating their Creativity, Activity, and Service Programme (CAS) portfolios based on the seven learning outcomes, upload evidence of CAS experiences and plan for the second half of the CAS programme.

• Start some initial university application preparation.

What Are Predicted Grades

A predicted grade is a teacher’s estimation of a student's likely final IB score after all IB assessments are completed in May of Grade 12. This is a professional judgment moderated in discussions with colleagues and Department Heads.

The International Baccalaureate explains, “A predicted grade is the teacher’s estimation of the grade the candidate is expected to achieve in the subject. It should be based on all the evidence of the candidate’s work [to date] and the teacher’s knowledge of IB standards.”

Please consult the Predicted Grade Agreement and our Predicted Grade Policy (shared in our previous newsletter, assemblies and parent evenings and coffee mornings) for further explanation of the process and why we do not entertain requests for increases to predicted grades.

The Purpose of Predicted Grades

The primary purpose of predicted grades for universities is to help students identify appropriate postsecondary destinations and to help universities understand our students’ academic potential. 

On the June reports, students and parents will see the following:

• An Ontario percentage grade for their Grade 11 OSSD course.

• A current grade that is meant to help students understand their current achievement in each course and to identify pathways to further improvement. The current grade reflects the teacher’s holistic assessment of a student’s performance at the time of reporting, reflecting the most recent and consistent level of achievement. It attempts to answer the question: "If the IB examined students today on the material covered to this point in the Programme, what would the student's grade most likely be?"

• Because it is early in the process (the IB World Exams are still 11 months away), teachers may use a range to predict grades. If, for example, you see a 6-7 on a report card, the teacher believes that, at this point, the student is on the border between those two grades but see potential and will therefore predict the higher of the two grades.  

How Teachers Predict Grades

• They consult these Grade Descriptors for their subject area to determine which descriptor best reflects student progress in the course (for current grades) or which descriptor best reflects where they believe students are likely to score at the end of the Programme (for predicted grades).

• They consult the summative assessments undertaken by students throughout the year, with special attention paid to the most recent assessments, particularly in those courses that primarily focus on skill building.

• Particularly relevant to predicted grade consideration when students are on the border between two grades are:

  •  conversations teachers have had with students

  • student engagement in class that demonstrates thoughtful questions of clarification or attempts to answer questions that show critical thinking and understanding of course concepts.

  • Completing formative assessments and daily class preparation tasks is critical to demonstrating that a firm foundation is being put in place to ensure success in the months ahead.

Student Predicted Grade Meetings

Parents and students will have received an email from Dr. Jackson referencing this Predicted Grade Agreement. Parents and students are required to sign and return this agreement to the counselling office before meeting with teachers to discuss predicted grades. Predicted Grade meetings will not take place unless this step has been completed.  

Students will receive a Predicted Grade Form upon handing in their Predicted Grade Agreement to the Counselling Office. Prior to meeting with teachers, students will self-predict in the boxes provided. Because a teacher’s prediction may or may not be a range, students should feel free to use a range if they think they are on the border of two levels. 

In the PG meetings, teachers will discuss the following: 

• Grade 11 final exam results

• the student's predictions

• the student's current and predicted grade

• areas of focus and any work that needs to be completed over the summer

Once all 7 predicted grade meetings are concluded, students will make a copy of the Predicted Grade Form and give the original to Ms Siu.

As always, students will need to set aside some time during the summer to work on components of the programme that must be completed independently. In particular, this will include some internal assessment work and, most importantly, the Extended Essay. 

In order to assist students in organizing their time during the next nine weeks, I have asked teachers to outline the work students are expected to have completed when they return to school in August; this will be explained during the Predicted Grade and Extended Essay Meetings during the Planning and Progress Days.  

None of this work requires assistance from teachers at this point. For now, it is either independent review or work that students need to complete so they can receive feedback and begin to collaborate with their teachers when we return in August. I would encourage students to sit with parents, review the completed version of this Summer Goals Reflection and plan a timetable that will allow students to recharge, review, and prepare for the next school year. 

It is important that students have time to rest and relax during the summer, and they should not be solely focused on school work for the next two months. However, regular review of the material covered in Grade 11 will ensure that knowledge and concepts remain at the forefront of students' minds so they are ready to apply what they learned in Grade 11 to the new material they will learn when they return in August. 

Finally, I must stress the importance of completing the required summer work, particularly a full draft of the Extended Essay that is due on August 25th. Grade 12 can be a stressful year, but it doesn’t have to be. Proper planning and completion of summer work will mitigate some of the potential stress that can be part of the second year of the programme. If summer work is not completed when students return, it will make what is always a challenging year all the more difficult.  

• Please find here the Grade 12 Calendar. It includes most of the IB draft and final Internal Assessments (IAs) and External Assessments (EAs). The IB requires us to create a staggered timeline of due dates that are appropriately spread out. 

• You will also find our assessment cycles. Students can expect to write tests only in the subject areas indicated in each assessment cycle. 

• Finally, you will find our HL Seminar cycle for the year.

• June 4-6: Planning and Progress Days

• June 11 - Third Reports published

• August 25 - EE Full Draft Due

• September 29 - Final Copy of EE Due

• October 14-17 - IA Week (students off timetable)

• March 23-27 - Practice Exams

• Diploma Programme Coordinator - Brian Hull: brianhull@cdnis.edu.hk

• CAS Coordinator - Gregg Lee: gregglee@cdnis.edu.hk

• Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Coordinator - Chris Tyrrell: christophertyrrell@cdnis.edu.hk

• Extended Essay (EE) Coordinator - Dave Perry: daveperry@cdnis.edu.hk