Assessment in Global Politics

Instead of complaining about assessment tasks, we might do well to heed the advice Barack Obama received from his mother-in-law:

My mother-in-law never complained about anything. Whenever I interacted with her, I'd remember that, no matter what kind of mess I was dealing with, no one had forced me to be the president and that I needed to just suck it up and do my job (A Promised Land by Barack Obama, p. 223).

Class Preparation Work - typically readings or short written components that will be required to prepare for what will be discussed in class.

Formative Assessment: assessment for and as learning - provides feedback on the nature of the students’ strengths and areas for growth. The emphasis here is on making the student a better judge of their own performance and then helping them to develop strategies to improve. Formative assessment focuses on assessment as an essential learning process. Assessment instruments primarily designed for formal assessment at the end of the course are adapted and used formatively as part of the learning process (IB, 2010).

• Assessment for and as learning: these assessments will help the teacher gain insight into what students understand in order to plan and guide instruction, and provide helpful feedback. Students will also be able to develop an awareness of how they learn and use that awareness to adjust and advance their learning, taking an increased responsibility for their learning.

Summative Assessment: assessment of learning - where assessment informs students, teachers and parents of achievement at a certain point in time in order to celebrate success, plan and support continued progress.

Assessment of learning will always be a collaborative task with both teacher and students attempting to build consensus on strengths and weaknesses of demonstrated learning.

In many ways, there is only one summative assessment in the Diploma Programme and that occurs during the World Exams. We use the entirety of the programme leading up to the World Exams to prepare students for the final summative assessments in May of the second year of the programme. Nevertheless, as part of a topic or unit of study, students will complete school-level summative assessments of the material they have been learning. When determining a final grade for the IB or the OSSD, the weighting noted below are taken into consideration in arriving at a grade that best-fits student achievement.

Using the Group 3 - Individuals and Societies Grade Descriptors student and teacher will collaborate and review the student's assessment portfolio in Google Classroom to determine a grade that is inline with the descriptor that best fits the evidence contained within the portfolio

Grade 7

Demonstrates conceptual awareness, insight, and knowledge and understanding which are evident in the skills of critical thinking; a high level of ability to provide answers which are fully developed, structured in a logical and coherent manner and illustrated with appropriate examples; a precise use of terminology which is specific to the subject; familiarity with the literature of the subject; the ability to analyse and evaluate evidence and to synthesize knowledge and concepts; awareness of alternative points of view and subjective and ideological biases, and the ability to come to reasonable, albeit tentative, conclusions; consistent evidence of critical reflective thinking; a high level of proficiency in analysing and evaluating data or problem solving.

Grade 6

Demonstrates detailed knowledge and understanding; answers which are coherent, logically structured and well developed; consistent use of appropriate terminology; an ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesize knowledge and concepts; knowledge of relevant research, theories and issues, and awareness of different perspectives and contexts from which these have been developed; consistent evidence of critical thinking; an ability to analyse and evaluate data or to solve problems competently.

Grade 5

Demonstrates a sound knowledge and understanding of the subject using subject-specific terminology; answers which are logically structured and coherent but not fully developed; an ability to provide competent answers with some attempt to integrate knowledge and concepts; a tendency to be more descriptive than evaluative although some ability is demonstrated to present and develop contrasting points of view; some evidence of critical thinking; an ability to analyse and evaluate data or to solve problems.

Grade 4

Demonstrates a secure knowledge and understanding of the subject going beyond the mere citing of isolated, fragmentary, irrelevant or “common sense” points; some ability to structure answers but with insufficient clarity and possibly some repetition; an ability to express knowledge and understanding in terminology specific to the subject; some understanding of the way facts or ideas may be related and embodied in principles and concepts; some ability to develop ideas and substantiate assertions; use of knowledge and understanding which is more descriptive than analytical; some ability to compensate for gaps in knowledge and understanding through rudimentary application or evaluation of that knowledge; an ability to interpret data or to solve problems and some ability to engage in analysis and evaluation.

Grade 3

Demonstrates some knowledge and understanding of the subject; a basic sense of structure that is not sustained throughout the answers; a basic use of terminology appropriate to the subject; some ability to establish links between facts or ideas; some ability to comprehend data or to solve problems.

Grade 2

Demonstrates a limited knowledge and understanding of the subject; some sense of structure in the answers; a limited use of terminology appropriate to the subject; a limited ability to establish links between facts or ideas; a basic ability to comprehend data or to solve problems.

Grade 1

Demonstrates very limited knowledge and understanding of the subject; almost no organizational structure in the answers; inappropriate or inadequate use of terminology; a limited ability to comprehend data or to solve problems.

Please note that these are subject to change each year, though changes tend to be minimal

What are the claims and counter-claims regarding the issue of trophy hunting in this National Geographic Article? Claims and counter-claims as well as taking multiple perspectives is a key component to writing effectively (and successfully) in Global Politics. This skill-building exercise will help you see how an issue can be effectively and thoroughly explored from multiple perspectives.