Assessment Policy and registration status for IB exams

Assessment Policy and registration status for IB exams – Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet

Philosophy

The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning as Dylan Wiliam puts it, “Assessment for Learning” as opposed to “Assessment of Learning”. Assessment informs teaching and learning, which are inextricably linked. Thus, formative and summative assessment data are to be used to inform the design and approach to teaching in order to benefit student learning and progression.

Ultimately our goal is the same as the IB organization: that our teaching, learning, and assessment practices lead to students gaining a strong sense of self-efficacy and agency.

Our practices outlined in this policy, and the rights and responsibilities outlined for all stakeholders, are in place for the singular goal to positively effect student learning and achievement.

Clarification of terms

·         Summative assessment: Concerned with measuring student performance at the end of a unit of study or period of time. Also used to determine the readiness of the student to progress to the next stage of education.  Once in the IB Diploma Program, summative assessment is concerned with measuring student performance against Diploma Programme assessment criteria to judge levels of attainment and is completed at the end of the Diploma Program.

Most of the Diploma Program’s summative assessment is external and includes examinations or work completed during or at the end of the course in April/May and then sent to an external examiner. Some summative assessment is internal, requiring the teacher to mark the work before it is moderated by an external moderator.

·         Formative assessment: Formative assessment represents the process of gathering, analyzing, interpreting and using the evidence to improve student learning and to help students to achieve their potential. It is integrated into the curriculum and is part of regular classroom practices.

·         Moderation: A process used with internally assessed work to ensure a common standard across all schools. As a result of moderation, a school’s marks may be lowered, raised or remain the same. The aim of moderation is to check how accurately and consistently the teacher has applied the assessment criteria in his or her marking of the candidates work.

·         Standardization: A practice we utilize that involves at least 2 teachers assessing one piece of student work. The teachers use the assessment criteria from the IB DP and their subject knowledge to standardize their understanding of how the assessment criteria should be understood, applied, and evidenced in the student work. The practice aims to ensure reliable results.

·         Full Diploma Candidate: A student (candidate) who is registered to take the Full Diploma (6 subjects, Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity and Service).  A Full Diploma Candidate has the opportunity to gain an IB Diploma which grants basic eligibility to apply to Universities.

·         Course Candidate: A student (candidate) who is registered to take only specific courses or parts of the Diploma, but is not registered to take the Full Diploma.  A Course Candidate does not have the opportunity to try to gain an IB Diploma, however, they will still get a grade and a certificate in the subjects for which they are registered. 

What constitutes effective assessment practice?

·         Formative assessment strategies: Assessments designed to be meaningful and valid; that can, as much as possible, accurately reflect what a student knows and can do.  Strategies that activate students’ metacognition is also a goal. Feedback is an important outcome of formative assessment. Formative assessment is continuous and ongoing and is an interplay between the student and the teacher.  The teacher will use information to adapt the teaching and learning experiences as necessary.

·         Variety: Informed by the IB official assessments, our formative assessment strategies allow students to show their understanding in more than one way.

·         Teacher knowledge and understanding: The principal ensures all teachers are working from official IB publications and support material. Each teacher has a professional development plan, of which IB education is a part and is planned to progress in the same way updates in the curriculum progress (typically every 5 years). 

·         Development of curriculum is aligned with goals of assessment

o   The Pre-Diploma/Grade 10 program consists of typical first-year Swedish National Program subjects which are taught in English. Unlike in the IB Diploma Program, the summative assessments in this year are internally designed by the teachers, except in Mathematics where the National Test is conducted in December of the first term and in Spring of the second term. Teaching, learning and assessment are guided by the Swedish curriculum which is steered by the Swedish National Agency for Education, known as Skolverket.

o   DP Teachers design units of study based on the IB subject guides and final goals of the subject. Formative assessment is embedded in the course.

·         The assessments: Technically, the IB DP, everything prior to the official IB assessments is formative.  In the IB Diploma Program, even a test at the end of a unit or course of study-which would normally be called summative-acts as a formative assessment because before the examinations, there is still time for the student to receive the feedback and improve before the formal exams. Examples of this kind of assessment can include the following:

●        Pre-test to determine prior knowledge

●        Verbal assessments

●        Presentations

●        Collaborative group  projects

●        Interactive tests and exercises

●        Peer assessment and feedback

●        Writing assignments

●        Exit tickets

●        Teacher elicited feedback from students

●        Homework

●        Quizzes or tests

●        Lab work, analyses, and reports

●        Mock examinations

·         What is being assessed? Knowledge and skills directly connected to the assessment criteria and objectives of each course. The data collected from formative assessments can be qualitative or quantitative, depending on the purpose.

How we record assessments and student progress

Teachers record formative assessment results or feedback on paper or digitally.

·         Digital platforms for recording assessments: Google Classroom and/or Managebac

·         Marking vs Grading: Marks are a tally of points earned on a particular assignment out of a total number of points available, as designed by the teacher, or, by the IB for externally marked exams. Grades are a numeric or alphabetical ranking that indicates a determination of the value on the quality of the student’s work. 

·         PreDP/Grade 10 Grading: Grades according to the Swedish National Program system: A-F where A is the highest grade. All grades are issued in June, except for Math 1c which issues a grade in January, after students have take the summative National Test.

·         IBDP Predicted Grades (PG): By the end of Grade 11 in June and once more in December of Grade 12, we record a predicted grade based on what has been studied and achieved to date. Predicted grades can go up, down, or stay the same all the way up until we report them to the IBO prior to exams. The IBO dictates that teachers use the grade descriptors when making a predicted grade.

·         IBDP Predicted Grades for university applications:  Only required for some international university applications.  The school will use the same predicted grades from Grade 11 or 12, depending on when the application is due.  The student may ask the school to review one or up to two predicted grades to ensure they are still accurate. It is the subject teachers who decides if a new PG should be issued or not.   

Note, for early applications, the school will determine the extra points from Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay by using a standard calculation.  Ask the Principal, DP Coordinator or Study & Counselor for more information.

·         IBDP grades: Issued ultimately by the IBO Assessment Division.  They are based on a defined standard set by assessment criteria and/or grade descriptors. On a specific task, grades may be arrived at when one receives a specific amount of marks on the task. Those marks are checked against current grade boundaries, for example, where the grade can then be estimated on the task. Grades are between 1-7 in the six major subject groups and A-E on the Theory of Knowledge course and Extended Essay. Course grades are reflected descriptively by text in the IB published Grade Descriptors.  Creativity, Activity, and Service is a summative designation of pass or fail.

How we report student progress

·         18 year-olds: We report progress to students directly if they are 18 or older. If a student is younger than 18, we will invite the guardians to take part of the information. If a student is 18 or older and wishes to have their guardian(s) take part in information about their education, it is necessary to inform the Principal in writing of this desire. Sign and date a statement indicating your wish and submit it to the Principal.

·         Grade 10:  A grade report is published in IST, in June, which can be seen through Vklass > Links > IST or IST elev > Betyg. In January, the Math 1c grade is available to be seen.

·         IBDP reports: Published in Managebac, in Grade 11 in December and June, and in Grade 12 in December. The reports are entirely formative.  The IBO awards grades, not teachers at Hvitfeldtska.  Parents can have a Managebac account if the student is under 18 or if the student is above 18 and has given permission. To give permission they can write an email to the DP Coordinator to say that they approve their parent have a Managebac account. To give permission to parents for Vklass, students do it via their settings or profile information in Vklass.  More information about communication and learning platforms is found here.

·         IBIS: The platform where IB reports and publishes the students’ final results. The DP Coordinator gives students their login information to see results which are available in July after the examinations.

Regarding Summative IB Diploma Program Assessments

Every subject from Groups 1-6 have a subject guide that explains the summative assessment requirements and expectations, including the degree of support, guidance and feedback that a teacher is permitted to provide.  Teachers will provide students with the details needed to complete the required work.

Each subject has between 3-5 summative assessment components which contribute to a certain percentage of the final grade for that subject. An overview of each subject’s assessment components can be found below under "Assessment Components". Each subject will have one internal assessment and the rest will be external assessments.  An internal assessment is completed at school under the guidance and advice of the teacher. The teacher will typically be permitted to give one set of formal feedback on one draft of work. The next copy handed to the teacher will be the final copy and the teacher will mark it before submitting it to the IB.  The IB will then request a sample of students’ work for moderation. 

There are a few external assessments that are completed at the school as well.  The difference is that they are externally marked. These include the Theory of Knowledge Essay, the Visual Arts Process Portfolio and Comparative Study, the Extended Essay, and the Higher Level Essay in the Group 1 Languages.  

For internal or external assessments which are completed under tutelage at school, teachers may require that students use a shared document that the teacher creates in order to complete all draft and final work towards an IB official assessment. Additionally, students should know the school will submit the latest draft to the IB if a final version has not been submitted by the student as requested by the teacher by the due date. The latest draft will not be submitted if there are issues surrounding verification of academic honesty. 

If the student/school cannot submit an official IB internal assessment for a specific subject, the student is not able to get a grade in that subject and thus the student will not either earn the Diploma. It is also important to note that our school does not permit the completion or revision of the internal assessment component when a student undertakes retakes. 

The rest of the external assessments are exam papers students sit to complete in late April/May. After those exams are taken, they are sent directly to the IB for marking. 

The IB Organization’s Assessment Division is responsible to review all of the students’ results from each of the assessment components and set the final grade for each student.

Earning the Diploma

As described in the General Regulations in detail, a student registered as a Full Diploma candidate will get an IB Diploma if they meet all criteria as follows:

• Earn a total of 24 points total from their grades in 6 subjects + any extra points earned from the Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay combined.

• Earn 12 HL points from their 3 HL subjects

• Earn 9 SL points from their 3 SL subjects

• Pass Theory of Knowledge with at least a D

• Pass Extended Essay with at least a D

• Creativity, Activity, and Service activities are complete and approved by the CAS coordinator

Please see the General Regulations for a full list of criteria that needs to be met to receive the Diploma, because the list above is simplified and not complete.

Rights and responsibilities regarding assessment and Academic Integrity

Student Rights and Responsibilities

The chart shows a student’s rights and responsibilities, as well as the roles of others in the community to support the fulfillment of those rights.

Guardians are responsible to be aware of this policy and support the student in times of need.

Student rights

• To know and understand the assessment procedures and associated teaching and learning practices in the program.

• To get feedback for improvement  

•  To receive summative evaluations

• To encounter setbacks in learning and have a chance to get caught up.

• To develop self-efficacy and agency and develop to your full potential.

• To become a learned citizen.

 Students responsibilities

•  Read the assessment policy

• Ask questions when you don’t understand

•  Keep to all deadlines for drafts and final work.

• Submit complete drafts or final work so that you can yield the most effective feedback.

• Request for extensions before the due date. 

•  Reach out to your mentor or other trusted adult to ask for help.

•  Be engaged and responsible in your education.

• Utilize time management strategies.

• Speak up for yourself when you need help.

• Be aware of and follow the school’s Academic Integrity Policy.

• Demonstrate Academic Integrity and Honesty.

 Teachers' rights and/or responsibilities

• Be aware of the assessment policy and follow it.

• To set due dates ahead of time and communicate them clearly to students.

•  Coordinate with other teachers when possible, to optimize a balanced workload for students.

•  To utilize assessment for learning and to give feedback for student improvement.

•  Evaluate student performance.

• To listen to students’ needs and make a balanced judgement about whether to grant an extension.

• To be available to students who have a concern or need help, during scheduled lessons and development talks.

• To work in alignment with the Assessment Policy.

• To work in alignment with the Academic Integrity Policy.

• Teachers are responsible to oversee every student’s knowledge development and verify that each student’s work is their own.

Potential Scenarios and Consequences if student assessment responsibilities are not fulfilled:

Scenario 1: Lack of enough student work to form a basis for evaluation

If a teacher finds that:

·         There is a lack of enough student work

·         There is a lack of attendance to lessons and/or engagement in lessons

Then the teacher cannot

·         Give feedback

·         Follow the students’ knowledge progression

·         Determine or give a grade or predicted grade

And this can lead to

·         Inability for the teacher to verify Academic Integrity

·         Potential registration switch to become a Course Candidate

·         Potential failure in the respective subject and/or program

Scenario 2: Patterned late work submissions

If a teacher finds that

·         There is a pattern of late work being submitted

Then the teacher shall

·         Flag to the DP Coordinator or student health team about the issue

And this will lead to

·         A meeting with the student and/or guardians

·         An investigation into why this keeps happening

·         A plan to support the student to make his/her way back to fulfilling their responsibilities

·         Teacher not being obligated to give feedback on late submissions which weren’t previously approved

Scenario 3: Teacher lacks ability to see a student’s knowledge progression on summative assessments over time

If a teacher finds that

·         They have not been able to sufficiently see how a student’s knowledge has developed over time

Then the teacher

·         Is not able to verify the student is presenting their own work for evaluation

And this will lead to

·         An inability for the teacher or school to validate the academic integrity of the student work to the IBO, as required by IB standards of practice

·         Potential registration switch to become a Course Candidate

·         Potential failure in the subject/program   

How we support student achievement

·         Formative assessment and practices in this policy: Previously described.

·         Development Talks: Take place in Grade 10 between student, guardian(s) and the mentor once in the Fall term and once in the Spring term.

·         Guidelines for continuation into Diploma Program from Pre-DP.  See also next section.

·         Guidelines for subject placement in the Diploma Program. These guidelines are published  on the website and made available to all students and applicants to the Diploma Program.  We also offer counseling meetings if more guidance is needed.

·         Subject Development Talks: Take place in the Fall term for Grade 12 and in the Spring term for Grade 11. 

·         Mentor teacher: Is the first link between the student and the school. The mentor oversees the student’s study results, social development, concerns regarding attendance, etc. The mentor works to build a positive relationship between the student, guardians (if applicable) and the school.

·         Student Health Team: Includes the Principal, the Socio-Emotional support Counselor (Curator), the School Nurse, a Special Pedagogue, and a Study & Career Counselor (SYV).

·         Calendar/ Schedule of School Deadlines is utilized in PreDP and DP to support a balanced approach to assessment deadlines.

o   Pre-DP: Vklass calendar contains summative tests.

o   DP: Managebac calendar contains important tests, and, the dates for the Internal Assessments, External Assessments, CAS checkpoints, and the Extended Essay deadlines.

·         Provision for study hall. i.e. time given unders teacher supervision to complete work. We will have various sessions throughout the year. For   some they may be mandatory, for others, they may be voluntary. 

·         Other relevant school policies exist to support student achievement:

All policies can be found on the school website.

o   Inclusion Policy including the Attendance routines and Plan against discrimination and offensive treatment and School rules

o   Academic Integrity Policy

o   Language Policy

o   Drug free school policy

o   Complaints procedure

Registration Status in Grades 11-12:

Full Diploma or Course Candidate?

The IB path at Hvitfeldtska is a university preparedness path. When students are offered a place in the Pre-Diploma Program, the school’s goal is that they will be on track to become a Full Diploma Candidate in the Diploma Program. 

We have several checkpoints where the Principal, teaching team, and the student health team follow up student progress and the students’ own educational goals. A final decision about their registration status can be made any time in the program, as early as possible, and it can come from either the school or the students’ perspective. It is the Principal who makes the final decision regarding a student’s registration status with the IB. When course candidacy becomes a consideration, the student is offered a meeting with the Study and Career Counselor for guidance and advice.

A breach in any of our IB policies within a subject will result in being de-registered from that subject’s final assessment with the IB, which means the student would no longer be a Full Diploma Candidate.

Rules for continuation from Pre-Diploma into Diploma Program by results in each subject.

o   English: 

• E for English in Group 2. Note that we do not always have the opportunity to offer English in Group 2.

• C to take English in Group 1.

o   Math 1c:

• E to take Math AI SL

o   Math 2c: E

• D to take Math AA SL

• C to take Math AI HL

• B to take AA HL

o   Civics 1b: E

o   History 1b: E

o   Swedish 1 or Swedish as a 2nd language: E

o   Natural Sciences 1b: E in each unit of study Bio, Chem, and Physics respectively

o   Physical Education: E

If a student at the end of Grade 10 doesn't have the grade needed for a particular partner subject in Grades 11-12, then the student cannot take that subject in the Diploma Program. This means the student may then no longer be registered as a Full Diploma Candidate.  Example: History and Civics are in the social sciences category. In the Diploma Program, this is Group 4. If the student hasn't passed a social science subject in the year preceding the Diploma Program, then they are not eligible to have a social science in the Diploma Program.  

Date of most recent review: March 2023, August 2023

Process: the principal and teachers revised this policy to be in line with the IB’s revised Standards and Practices (2020). Students and parents’ read the draft of this policy and were given an opportunity to provide feedback for consideration before finalization in Fall Term of 2022.

Finalization of the policy: November 10, 2022

Next review due: August 2026-January 2027.  

The principal, Diploma Program Coordinator, PreDP and DP teachers are responsible for implementing the policy. The Diploma Program Coordinator is responsible to bring the policy up for evaluation and review with the entire team of teachers, or with a representative committee. Additionally at the time of review, the DP Coordinator will be responsible to seek out feedback from students and guardians as well.

The Diploma Program Coordinator is responsible to ensure new teachers have read and understand the policy.

Assessment Components