Last updated: September 2023
Currently under review (October 2024)
We inspire individuals to develop their intellect, creativity and character to become independent, adaptable, socially responsible and internationally minded citizens (FIS Mission Statement)
FIS assessment practices are characterized by our commitment to developing internationally minded, life-long learners, as demonstrated through the attributes of the IB learner profile and FIS mission and beliefs.
FIS is committed to transforming student assessment to incorporate broader approaches to learning that allow students to have a continuous and personalized understanding of their needs and achievements.
The Purpose of Assessment at FIS
Assessment is integral to all teaching and learning. There are three widely agreed-upon reasons for assessing student learning: assessment for learning, assessment of learning, and assessment as learning. (See Appendix B). The primary purpose of assessment at FIS is to move learning forward.
Learning is the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, or values and may involve synthesizing different types of information. Learning is the process of learners constructing understanding, by connecting new information to what they already know in order to create personal meaning. Individuals construct learning and understanding in many different ways based on interest, experience, learning styles and age.
Assessment identifies what students know, understand, can do, and value at different stages in the learning process. It involves the gathering and analysis of information about student performance in order to inform the next stage of teaching and learning, and provides continuous information about learning to students, teachers, administrators, parents, and outside agencies.
Students also monitor their own learning and use the feedback from this monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations and even major changes in what they understand.
Student achievement is measured through a variety of internal and external assessments, which together provide a balanced profile of student learning regarding student development of skills, knowledge, attitudes and conceptual understanding.
Beliefs about Effective Assessment
Effective assessment practices enable students to:
take an active role in their learning
share their learning and understanding with others
demonstrate a range of knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills
use a variety of learning styles, multiple intelligences and abilities to express their understanding
know and understand the criteria for producing a quality product or performance
participate in reflection, self- and peer-assessment
connect learning to real-life experiences that can lead to future inquiries
synthesize and apply their learning
express different points of view and interpretations
analyse their learning and understand what needs to be improved
understand and communicate their learning needs to their teachers
Effective assessment practices enable teachers to:
plan in response to student and teacher inquiries
monitor and adjust instruction
gather evidence from which reliable and valid conclusions can be drawn
provide valid evidence that can be effectively reported and understood by the whole school community
collaboratively review and reflect on student performance and progress
take into account a variety of learning styles, multiple intelligences and abilities including different cultural contexts
Evaluate learning both analytically and holistically
Provide consistency between and across grade levels
Effective assessment practices enable parents to
see evidence of student learning and development
be informed of ongoing student progress
develop an understanding of the student’s progress
celebrate student learning and support areas in need of improvement
Effective assessments include:
Pre-Assessment - All teachers assess students' prior knowledge and experience before embarking on new learning.
Formative Assessment is woven into the daily learning process. It provides teachers and students with information about how the student's learning is developing. It helps the teacher to plan the next stage of learning.
Summative Assessment takes place at the end of each unit and is an opportunity for students to demonstrate what has been learned highlighting the knowledge, concepts and skills acquired.
Student Self-Assessment is interwoven throughout daily learning to engage students in reflection and assessment on their own learning. The students are given time to reflect on the progress in all subject areas, including the attributes expressed in the Learner Profile.
Assessments are designed to evaluate:
prior-knowledge and understanding
skills within and across disciplines
involvement in the process of learning
the ability to transfer and apply skills to new situations
Internal Assessment
At FIS, internal assessment will adhere to following practices:
Documenting:
Teachers’ planning and documentation will include formative and summative assessments for learning, aslearning and of learning for all units across the curriculum.
Cornerstone or common summative assessments will be documented using the FIS curriculum planning tool.
Teachers teaching the same grade level or courses will collaborate to develop common summative assessments with established criteria for success and feedback processes.
IBDP assessments will be cross-marked and internally moderated to ensure the IB standards are adhered to. Feedback will be tailored based on the IB standards to ensure students are aware of their performance level. IB assessment scores will be recorded and shared with the IBDP Coordinator and stored on the LMS and ManageBac and via Google spreadsheets for internal use. Students will receive feedback via the LMS and ManageBac.
Assessments will align with FIS learning expectations.
Teachers will use a variety of strategies to assess students’ knowledge, skills and understanding.
Communicating Expectations and Criteria:
At the beginning of each unit, age-appropriate assessment expectations and criteria for success will be discussed with students; including the distribution and discussion of rubrics or checklists.
When appropriate, exemplars are made available to students, and they will be involved in the development of criteria, checklists and rubrics.
Rubrics are age-appropriate and written in student-friendly language.
Assessments are differentiated and a choice of process or product will be offered when appropriate.
Assessment accommodations are made for students with learning support documentation and/ or ESL.
Feedback:
In order to facilitate a continuous cycle of challenge, performance, and improvement, feedback on assessments will be provided in a timely manner.
Ongoing, timely feedback regarding student progress is made available to students and parents according to divisional guidelines.
Students may be allowed additional opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of their learning following feedback either through:
repeating an assessment
a different assessment based on the same learning outcomes.
Upon receipt of timely feedback, students are given opportunities for reflection for future improvement.
IBDP teachers will adhere to the guidelines stipulated by the IB regarding one-time formal feedback for IA and EA coursework.
Detailed descriptions of different assessments used at FIS can be found in the regulation Appendix A: Types of Assessments.
External and Standardized Assessments
External and standardized assessments measure students’ performance over time and serve as a summary of achievement for future student needs and serve for school accountability. External and standardized assessments also provide normative data against similar cohorts and age groups.
A list of external and standardized assessments used at FIS can be found in the regulation Appendix C.
Recording and Storing of Assessment Data
Teachers are professionally responsible and accountable for selecting a suitable method of recording and storing assessment data that is accessible to students, parents and administrators.
Data should be cumulative and represent the learning that has occurred in a given time period.
The student information system stores standardized assessment data as well as semester and mid semester grades. Parents access this information electronically through a password-protected portal.
Grading
Grading and evaluating is the process of assigning a value to a unit of student work, ranging from a single assignment to a semester of a subject area. Grades and evaluations must accurately describe students’ progress and current level of achievement. A grade is a code or reference point connected to a description of performance against learning outcomes.
Evaluating in First Steps - Grade 5
Student work may be evaluated using a scoring rubric or checklist which describes what students know, can do and understand regarding learning outcomes.
Student work may also be evaluated against descriptors found in developmental continuums of learning.
Learning may also be described and documented using visual records and anecdotal notes.
Grades in Grades 6-12
The Upper School at FIS uses a grade scale from 7 (Excellent) to 1 (Very Weak), for semester and mid-semester grades in all subjects.
The 7 to 1 scale is also used for summative assessment tasks.
In certain cases where sufficient evidence of a range of levels of achievement cannot be demonstrated a Pass or Fail distinction is used.
Norm-referencing of grades is not practiced at FIS.
7 to 1 grades are criterion-referenced, being based on learning outcomes.
Departments adapt the FIS Overall Grading Criteria for each subject and specific assignment rubrics.
FIS 7 to 1 grades should be based on students’ achievement, measured against learning outcomes rather than percentages.
The Upper School (6-8) at FIS uses BIPA.
Overall Grading Criteria
Some formative assessment tasks do not lend themselves to 7 to 1 grades, so points, totals and other evaluations are sometimes appropriate.
Teachers check that they are applying criteria and rubrics consistently by taking part in internal and external cross-marking exercises.
The 7 to 1 scale of grades refer only to the academic skills and knowledge demonstrated; attitudes and behavior are reported separately in teacher comments.
Each department sets out the various components that form the semester grade.
The semester grade reflects the student’s level of achievement at the end of the semester.
All teachers teaching class sections of the same course use the same summative assessments.
At the Upper School separate policies on late work and plagiarism include the penalty of a zero grade being recorded against deficient assignments. However, the zero is never to be “averaged” into a mathematical algorithm for determining the semester grade.
Reporting at FIS
Reporting is communicating what students know, understand and can do to the relevant stakeholders: parents, teachers, other schools and universities and the learners themselves. Reporting takes several forms and includes written reports, portfolios and conferences. Reporting reflects what is valued at FIS, is comprehensible and evidence based; it is viewed as part of the learning process. Reporting will reflect the developmental nature of learning with formats and grading appropriate to the different divisions of the school. Reporting includes written reports and official scheduled conferences.
Conferences are held twice a year in the PS and ES and once per year in the US according to divisional guidelines. At other points in the year parents may request meetings with individual teachers during the school working hours. Written reports on current levels of achievement towards specific learning objectives in each subject area are made available electronically twice a year. The academic year is divided into two semesters.
Written Reports
Written reports reflect students’ current level of achievement, which means the trends in the students’ most recent work against specific learning outcomes, rather than an average over time. Teams of teachers at grade levels or departments work together to establish criteria for the various achievement levels to ensure inter-rater reliability and consistency.
First Steps- Grade 5
Written reports include achievement in subject specific learning as well as transdisciplinary learning
It is an IBPYP requirement that teachers have systems in place to evaluate and report on knowledge, transdisciplinary skills, attitudes, action, and the learner profile and that students have the opportunity to self-assess these skills and attributes.
Both homeroom and specialist teachers report on the transdisciplinary skills and use the language of the learner profile in written report comments.
Written reports communicate what students know and can do and indicate how well they have achieved curriculum outcomes using the following levels of achievement:
Achieving with Strength: A student who is "achieving with strength" is working at a pace beyond expectations and will likely need some extension to the learning program.
Achieving: A student is achieving if they are well on their way towards meeting the end of year learning outcomes. This is the level of achievement we expect of most of our students.
Becoming Independent: A student who is "becoming independent" may need a greater level of support in order to be successful with the grade level expectations.
Beginning: A student who is "beginning" is a student who may be still learning English, or who needs additional support from our learning support team, or who simply needs more time to be ready developmentally for the learning.
Reports are accompanied by student work samples that are representative of what students understand, know and can do independently and reflect key learning outcomes.
Portfolios and Student Led Conferences
The primary purpose of portfolios is to engage students in reflecting on and assessing their growth and learning over time. Portfolios are meaningful collections of student work that provide evidence of learning and progress towards grade level learning outcomes, transdisciplinary skills and learner profile attribute. Division specific essential agreements on portfolios guide teachers in these expectations. Portfolio conferences put students in charge of sharing information about their learning with their families.
Upper School Reports
A formal written report is issued at the end of each semester, including an overall 7 to 1 grade for 8-12 and a BIPA rating in 6-8 and a detailed comment.
A mid-semester report is issued near the midpoint of the semester, including a grade and an indication of students’ approach to learning. This is a brief indication of student progress, not a formal report included on transcripts.
IBY2 students receive a Mock Exam Report upon completion of the marking of Mock Examinations held in January.
Upper School Parent Conferences
After the first mid-semester report there is an Upper School parent conference evening at which parents can schedule meetings with some teachers in the evening.
Notes and Appendixes
Assessment Regulation Appendix A: Additional Types of Assessment
End-of-Year Examinations
Between Grades 7-11, certain subjects give culminating examinations (or in some cases projects) that are intended to have students demonstrate their ability at synthesizing and connecting information they have learned throughout the year. Examinations are administered in June.
The 5th Grade Exhibition
The Exhibition is the culminating experience for the IB Primary Years Programme. It requires students to synthesize their prior knowledge and to apply it in a self-directed manner. The exhibition provides an authentic summative assessment for the PYP years. The subject of the Exhibition is a student-selected, real-world problem which warrants extended investigation. It is a celebration which is a summative assessment of student learning in the PYP sections of the school. It unites students, teachers, and families in an activity which represents the essence of PYP and serves as a celebration as students move from the PYP into their next years of schooling.
Grade 6-10 Programme
In the Grade 6-10 programme departments define the common summative assessment tasks for each course. Students complete a variety of main assessment tasks, which are accompanied by rubrics or assessment tables. These define the criteria and levels of achievement that guide the award of individual grades for the assessment task. Grading follows the IB 1(lowest) - 7(highest) grading scale for 8-12 and BIPA for 6-8, which outlines the criteria needed for each level of achievement. A summative grade is awarded each semester using the grades accumulated during the semester as the basis for a decision. The grades awarded are based on which grade criteria best describes the achievement of the student at the time of reporting.
Criterion-Referenced Assessment
An assessment in which an individual’s performance is compared to a specific learning objective or performance standard and not to the performance of other students.
Criterion-referenced assessment tells us how well students are performing on specific goals or standards rather than just telling how their performance compares to a group of students nationally or locally. In criterion-referenced assessments, it is possible that none, or all, of the examinees will reach a particular goal or performance standard. IB Diploma courses have externally set criterion-referenced assessments.
Norm-Referenced Assessment
An objective test that is standardized for a group of individuals whose performance is evaluated in relation to the performance of others (contrasted with the criterion-referenced test). Many standardized achievement tests, such as the MAP or the PSAT, are norm-referenced.
Appendix B: Purposes of Assessment
Assessment is an ongoing process of gathering, analysing, reflecting and acting on evidence of student learning to inform instruction and improve performance. Assessment is also the process by which students demonstrate their conceptual understanding and growth in the approaches to learning skills and the learner profile attributes. Assessment is integral to all teaching and learning.
There are three widely agreed-upon reasons for assessing student learning: assessment for learning, assessment of learning, and assessment as learning.
Assessment for learning (also termed formative assessment) is designed to give teachers information to modify and differentiate teaching and learning activities. It acknowledges that individual students learn in different ways, but it also recognizes that there are predictable patterns and pathways that many students follow. Teachers can also use this information to target instruction, resources and to provide feedback to students to help them advance their learning.
Assessment as learning (also termed formative assessment) is a process of developing and supporting metacognition for students. Assessment as learning focuses on the role of the student as critical connector between assessment and learning. When students are active, engaged, and critical assessors, they make sense of information, relate it to prior knowledge, and use it for new learning. Students monitor their own learning and use the feedback from this monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations and even major changes in what they understand. Assessment as learning includes self assessment and reflection.
Assessment of learning (also termed summative assessment) is summative in nature and is used to confirm what students know and can do to demonstrate whether they have achieved the curriculum outcomes. Assessment of learning must be based in evidence to provide accurate statements of student proficiency. Assessment data also provides the school with information on areas of strength and areas for improvement of FIS programs, curriculum design and for external accreditation.
Appendix C: Examples of External Assessments
A Developmental English Language Proficiency Test (ADEPT):
The ADEPT oral language assessment instrument (aligned with California’s CELDT) can be used with students across grade levels, K-8. ADEPT assesses a student's ability to understand and generate language using a scope and sequence of language forms, or structures, across the five levels of English proficiency. ADEPT assesses both receptive and expressive English language proficiency at the first three levels and expressive proficiency at the fourth level.
ADEPT results can help teachers:
Identify a student's instructional level for Systematic ELD instruction.
Understand a student's language abilities for differentiated instruction.
Monitor student progress in English proficiency.
Inform planning for Systematic ELD, Frontloading Language, and Reading/Language Arts Instruction.
Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA):
The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) assesses a student's reading level, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme:
Students in IBDP courses are assessed according to IBDP guidelines. During the two-year course students are assessed using tasks very similar to those they will experience during the final examination. The grade awarded by the IB at the end of the two-year course comprises the final examination mark (up to 80%) and internal assessment grades. Students complete internal assessment tasks in all subject areas following IB guidelines. Some tasks are graded internally by the teacher, while others are sent ungraded to an external body for marking. In both cases the grades awarded are subject to external moderation by the IB. Students complete “mock” examinations half-way through their second year of study. This is an authentic practice for the external examinations in May and serves to indicate strengths and weaknesses in student knowledge and practice. This range of strategies provides information on student understanding, allowing the teacher to plan the subsequent teaching and learning activities.
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP):
This is a norm-referenced test measuring each student’s ability and achievement in mathematics, reading comprehension, vocabulary and usage of grammar. Students’ results are compared to other student groups, and school-wide results are used to determine the effectiveness of our teaching and student learning. The MAP test is taken by students in Grades 3-5.
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT):
This is a standardized test administered by the College Board in the United States. The test gives an indication of a student's ability to succeed at the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The SAT is widely used in the United States as a university entrance test. The PSAT gives students an indication of their areas of strengths and where they need to improve.
Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA):
The Student Oral Proficiency Assessment SOPA is an oral language proficiency assessment which assess speaking and listening. The SOPA interview consists of four parts: listening comprehension; informal questions; latest UOI and language usage; and storytelling. Two students are assessed at a time by two examiners. SOPA assess what the students can do with language, not what they cannot do.
References
Berger, Ron and Rugen, Leah and Wooden, Libby. Leaders of Their Own Learning, Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment Jossey-Bass. 2014
Earl,Lorna M. and Manitoba Schools Programs Division. Rethinking Classroom Assessment With Purpose In MindGovernment of Manitoba. 2006
Thomas R. Gusky, Thomas R. and Bailey, Jane M. Developing Standards-Based Report Cards Crowin Press. 2000-2010