Is my child studying according to the IB framework and what is the final assessment like?
All Ressu students follow the IB MYP framework, whether they study in Finnish or in English. But we also follow the Finnish national core curriculum which is the base for our final assessment. Earlier you could find written descriptors only for the grade 8 (good performance), nowadays we luckily have descriptors also for grades 5, 7 and 9. Unfortunately at the moment those descriptors can be found only in Finnish as the information is so recent. More information about those descriptors can be found on the subject specific pages at ops.edu.hel.fi.
What are the IB MYP criteria?
The MYP programme enables us to use the subject specific criteria, which make the assessment clearer and helps in pointing out the areas in which there is room for improvement. For teachers these criteria are assessment tools, which can be used to make the assessment more transparent. Additionally, students are able to comprehend the actions needed for them to improve in a subject or for moving up to the next achievement level. So, IB criteria is a tool which is used in implementing the assessment according to the Finnish national criteria for final assessment. In each subject there are always four (4) criteria: A, B, C and D, and in each criterion the maximum level of achievement is 8.
Do all the exams and tasks have the same weight coefficient/weighted value?
Each assessment, based on the criteria, can have different weight coefficients. Teacher can tell the students about the weight coefficient of the exam/task beforehand or/and they can mark it in Wilma to the space provided. Also the different criteria can be weighted differently in an exam, as an example a math exam, in which criterion A: Knowning and Understanding might have a higher weighted value than the criterion C: communication, but still both are taken into consideration in the total assessment of the exam. The criteria are based on the IB MYP programme's subject specific objectives and are in line with the objectives of skills and knowledge stated in the Finnish national core curriculum.
Where can I find the criteria?
Subject teachers will inform the students where the subject and grade level specific criteria can be found. We recommend that you'd go through them with your child at home. You can also find the subject specific criteria behind this link.
What is the grade in Wilma?
For avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings, we teachers have agreed on a line of action, which is that the grade marked in Wilma is always according to the national grading system, meaning between 4 (fail) and 10 (excellent). To the space provided for more information, we add the criteria-based IB-assessment.
Do only the exams affect the report card assessment?
We strive to have versatile assessment. Therefore also many other factors have an effect on a student's assessment. Examples of these factors could be lesson work/working and homework, portfolios and working skills. We always strive to offer students different ways to show their skills and knowledge.
How does working affect grading?
Working skills are weighted differently in different subjects. E.g. in Arts and Design subjects working skills are in a very important role. In each subject though working skills are taken into consideration in the assessment and teacher can mark in Wilma a grade on a student's working skills. The assessment of the working skills is always based on a teacher's empirical view about a student's activity, efficiency, work and assignments, and also on homework. The descriptor for good working skills (good performance) is as follows:
Self-assessment and multidisciplinary modules:
Student is able to analyze and assess knowledge and their own skills to some extent. Student can partially understand how their learning is connected to wider entities and they can apply it in different learning engagements.
Motivation and collaboration:
Student is motivated to work. Student is capable of collaboration and can be considerate towards others.
Student completes their assignments and sometimes demonstrates initiative.
Working:
Student usually has positive attitude towards work and is capable of working in a variety of learning situations and environments.
Do absences have an effect on assessment?
Of course, student's absences do not directly affect assessment, but it is probably understandable that if a student is absent a lot, they will also miss many oppportunities to show their understanding and skills through lesson working and tasks. As a result, the diversity of assessment suffers and thus report card assessment might be based on less assessment materials, such as exams alone.
Will an exam be organized later if a student is not present during the exam day?
School does not have any responsibilities to re-schedule or re-organize exams due to student's absence.
Does my child get support in the exam situation if needed?
Exam situations can be really challenging for some students. We kindly ask guardians to contact us subject teachers, or the special needs teacher Johanna Nuorteva, if you have any concerns about your child's wellbeing in exam situations. Of course, we do our best, and to the best of our ability, to arrange the exam situations in such a way that students are able to calm down and focus on their performance.
What is integrity in school work?
We demand integrity in school work from our students, and from our entire school community. Dishonest action in an exam situation or with an assessed task, will result in failing the assessment in question. Such activities are always followed by a pedagogical discussion. In some cases, student might also get detention. The following actions, among other things, are considered dishonest actions in assessment situations: cheating, plagiarism and copying from others.
Can my child receive remedial teaching before an exam?
"A student who is temporarily behind in their studies or otherwise needs short-term support in his or her studies is entitled to receive remedial teaching. Remedial teaching should be started as soon as difficulties in learning or attending school have been identified, so that the student is not permanently left behind in their studies. Remedial teaching can prevent difficulties in advance. Remedial teaching should be organized systematically and as often as necessary." [Source: https://ops.edu.hel.fi/ressun-peruskoulu/, chapter 7.5.1 Remedial teaching].
Basically, we aim to target our remedial teaching resources to students who have not yet been able to demonstrate that they master the basics of the discipline and required skills when reflected on the discipline objectives of the exam content, or to those students who need intensified or special support. Unfortunately, we do not have enough resources to provide remedial teaching for students in general support level and who are already at a good level in the subject. Systematic means that the student must also have evidence that they have tried to study the content themselves before arranging remedial teaching and that the student is prepared when arriving to the remedial teaching session. Please do not hesitate to contact the subject teachers directly about the possibilities of remedial teaching.
What is the final report card like in Ressu and how does IB affect it?
All our 9th graders completing the comprehensive education receive a national final report card from our school, with a grade scale of 4-10. In addition to this, our students will receive an appendix to their final report card, stating that they have been studying according to the IB MYP programme framework. However, a student is eligible to this appendix only if they have successfully completed the personal project, which is a requirement at the end of the MYP programme. A criteria-based assessment of this project can be found in this appendix, as can also be a comment from the project supervisor. However, the student will receive their national final report card even if they are not entitled to this MYP appendix. In addition, the appendix states whether the student has completed the required Service as action -activities during the upper grades, which is also a requirement of the MYP programme. Students studying in English Acquisition classes (BD classes) will also receive an IB criteria based final assessment in English in accordance with the IB language acquisition level "Proficient".
Text: Petra Grönros, autumn 2021