Minitest-2 Circular

Dear Parents,

We hope that you and your families are all in good health.

Kindly note the following regarding the second summative examination (Minitest-2) of the first term for the current academic year 2020-2021:

1. Grades 1 to 3: There will be no tests for theses grades.

   • Evaluation will be continuous and the term final mark will be an accumulation of the student’s marks in all formative assessments throughout the term.

2. Grades 4 to 12: There will be two mini tests in each of the two terms of the academic year 2020-2021 and the second mini test will be conducted as follows:

   • During the period from Sunday 31 January till Thursday 4 February 2021, all blended learning classes will be changed to distance learning classes.

   • Minitest-2 will be administered online as per the examination schedule and required material that was shared with you on Thursday 28 January 2021.

   • Thursday 28 January 2021 is an exam day for students in grade 12 only. (More details will be sent separately later)

   • Minitest-2 exams will include the material covered between Sunday 3 January and Thursday 21 January 2021.

   • Minitest-2 has a weight of 20% of the total mark of term 1.

3. Timetable for grades 4 to 12 during the period from Sunday 31 January till Thursday 4 February 2021 will be as follows:

   • The updated timetable for the minitest-2 week will appear on the homepage of the school management system starting from Saturday 30 January 2021.

   • An extra period (Minitest-2) will be added to the student's schedule on the homepage of the school management system which changes the length of class periods to 35 mins each.

   • The minitest-2 period will be divided as follows:

     • 10:00 to 10:10 AM: Students will join the minitest-2 session through Google Meet application to confirm their attendance.

     • 10:10 to 10:40 AM: The actual testing time.

4. The required procedures to be followed by students:

   • Before the exam:

     • Students must sit in a room alone without parents or anyone else present, straight up on a chair with the primary device used to log into the exam placed on a desk in front of them.

     • Students must log in to the school management system then press on (Minitest-2) period to join the exam session through Google Meet application by using the school Gmail account.

     • Students must know that Google Classroom is the main platform for minitest-2 for grades 4 to 12 except the following:

       1. Mathematics for grades 4 and 5: ThinkCentral Platform.

       2. Mathematics for grades 8 to 10: MY-HRW Platform.

       3. AP Biology and AP Chemistry: My Mcgraw Hill Platform.

       4. Programming and Computer Science Fundamentals: Schoology Platform.

     • Students must log in to Google Classroom to do the assigned exam using Chrome browser only, otherwise technical issues such as answers being erased would occur during the submission process.

     • Students must refer back to the section supervisor in case of any login issue.

     • Students must check their internet connection signal, and ensure that the camera and the microphone are in good condition.

4. • During the exam:

     • If the student is taking the exam on a laptop (primary device), he/she must keep the camera on during all exams and he/she will not need to use another device (secondary device).

     • If the student is taking the exam on a tablet or iPad (primary device), he/she must use another secondary device (i.e. mobile phone/iPad) to log into “Google Meet” and open the camera. The secondary device, (the one used for camera) must be put to the side of the student showing his/her upper body, the student's arms and hands, as well as the primary device used to take the test.

     • Students must open the microphone during all exams and ensure a quiet environment for the test.

     • Students must keep quiet during the exam and raise their hands for any request.

4. • At the end of the exam:

     • Students must review all answers then press on the submission button then wait for the confirmation message.

     • Students can not leave the exam session without permission.

5. Online Test Taking Protocols: Adequate test security helps the school to ensure that a test measures what it purports to measure. Inadequate test security may jeopardize the validity of the test and hence the ability to interpret the test results. Therefore, we kindly ask you to ensure that your son/daughter adheres to the following online test-taking protocols during all exams:

   • Students must work independently and may not use their textbooks, notes, or receive help from an outside source.

   • Students must complete and submit their answers within the 30 minutes time frame allotted for the exam from 10:10 to 10:40 AM. A 5 minutes window from 10:40 to 10:45 AM will be added at the end of the allotted time to complete submissions and upload of required files.

   • In case of any late submission between 10:46 to 10:55 AM, 20% will be deducted from the student acquired mark. (20% represent deducting 4 marks)

   • In case of extending the time for the exam, the extra time will be added to the assigned time of 30 mins and an extra 5 mins will be assigned for submission process.

   • Students are responsible for doing their own work during the test and for protecting their answers from being shared with others and will be given a zero mark in the following cases:

     • If students are caught cheating while the test is in session or discovered by the teacher during the correction process.

     • If the student submits the exam after more than 10 minutes of the allotted time for the exam starting from 10:56 AM.

     • If students do not join the exam session through the Google Meet application.

     • if students do not open the camera or the microphone during the exam.

   • In case a student faced technical difficulties that prevented him/her from following the above protocol, the student will be considered absent excused only for the first time. However, the student must send a screenshot showing clear evidence of the technical problem faced followed by an email from the parents explaining the incident. The problem must be addressed by the student, as the second time it occurs, the student will be considered absent unexcused.

   • Failure to abide by the testing protocols will result considering the student absent unexcused and will follow the absence policy of the school.

6. Absence Policy during Online Exams:

   • When students are absent for a test, they are permitted to be retested in the school only if they have a valid excuse that is accepted by the administration. The date and time of the test will be determined by the school administration.

   • Students who do not have a valid excuse will receive a zero mark on the test.

Administration