MYP Assessment

In the MYP, all subjects are assessed against four subject specific Criteria.

In Mathematics the four criteria are explained briefly below.

Criteria A - Knowing and Understanding

Knowledge of key facts and procedural skills, along with the understanding of basic concepts, underpins all learning in Mathematics. This criteria assesses how well students can select and apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to solve problems in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

This is assessed in class through teacher questioning, and in traditional 'tests' where students work individually to solve some problems using their knowledge.

Criteria B - Investigating Patterns

The job of a professional mathematician is to find patterns and generalise these patterns. Students will have the opportunity to investigate patterns and experience the satisfaction that comes from making a mathematical discovery. These patterns will draw on the mathematical knowledge they have acquired already, and push them to develop this further.

There are three strands to investigating patterns:

applying knowledge to discover patterns;
describing patterns consistent with findings;
proving, or verifying and justifying, general rules.

This criteria is assessed through structured investigations, often working collaboratively, especially in the younger years. As students move through the MYP, they will be provided with less structure in these investigations with the end goal being students doing investigations by themselves.

Criteria C - Communicating

Mathematics is a language that allows us to express complex ideas about the world in a standard and universally understood way. Students develop their use of communicating ideas using the standard vocabulary and notations of the subject. They also learn how to communicate mathematical ideas through different forms of representation, such as algebra, graphs and diagrams.

The strands of mathematical communication are:

using appropriate mathematical language and notation;
use and move between different forms of mathematical representation;
communicate complete, coherent and concise mathematical lines of reasoning;
organise information in a logical way.

This criteria is assessed in class through both written and oral contributions to the classroom. It is also assessed in more formal assessments, such as: how students show their working in a Criteria A test; the way students organise their work in a Criteria B investigation; how students use multiple representations and correct language in Criteria D real-life problems.

Criteria D - Applying Mathematics in real-life contexts

Mathematics is also a useful tool for solving problems in the the real world, and in a variety of other school subjects. This criteria allows students to apply their knowledge to solving some of these problems

The strands of applying mathematics are:

identify elements of the real-life problem;
select and apply mathematical knowledge to solve the problem;
justify the degree of accuracy used in a solution;
justify whether a solution makes sense in the context of the real-life context.

This criteria is assessed through problems posed to the class that apply their knowledge to real-life situations. Some of these situations will be straightforward and short problems taking about 10 minutes. Others will be more extended problems and may take multiples lessons to solve.

Each of the four criteria are assessed against a rubric. The rubric changes slightly depending on which stage of the MYP students are in. The rubrics can be accessed below.

Throughout years S1 - S5 students are assessed against these criteria internally multiple times. At the end of S5, students will sit the eAssessment as part of the MYP Certificate, which assess all four criteria.

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