Assessment Policy

Empowering Possibilities International Charter Middle School

-Assessment Policy-

At EPIC, we believe that every assessment piece administered should be designed to demonstrate student learning and be reflected upon to improve instruction.

Pre-assessment tests or activities are a crucial part of the inquiry process. Pre-assessments allow the teacher to assess what their students already know about a given concept. This knowledge allows the teacher to begin a unit of inquiry at the appropriate level of rigor.

Formative assessments should be conducted throughout the unit of inquiry and should relate to the unit’s lines of inquiry. Formative assessments are used to assess student understanding during a unit of inquiry. The teacher should use his/her data from the formative assessments to guide instruction appropriately.

Summative assessments should be designed to assess whether or not scholars mastered the central idea of the unit of inquiry. Summative assessments should be: individuals, scholars should know how they will be graded before completing the assessment, and the assessment should have an aspect of choice. We understand that summative assessments are a demonstration of mastery pieces our units are designed to build towards; our summative assessments are an end piece to a unit of inquiry.

At EPIC, we understand that all of our scholars are different, and as such, they have different needs. We will strive to ensure that the needs of all scholars are met by utilizing: differentiation and/or accommodation strategies, intervention, ELD, multiple measures of assessment, and ongoing assessments to adjust instruction as needed.

Assessment Essential Agreements:

  • Assessments should be: frequent, ongoing, differentiated and/or accommodated.

  • A multitude of assessment types should be utilized to ensure reliability.

  • Teachers will collaborate with their peers to ensure uniformity in grading practices.

  • All teachers will provide scholars with the strategies and tools they need to succeed.

  • Both teachers and students will actively perform self-assessment and reflection throughout the inquiry process.

  • Teachers will maintain IB portfolios to track student learning per the EPIC IB portfolio requirements.

  • Teachers will actively participate in ongoing collaboration and training to continue to grow as an educator and a facilitator of the inquiry process

Pre-Assessments

  • A crucial part of the inquiry process

  • Guides instruction

  • Lets teachers see what their scholar’s already know

  • Saves time because teachers will not spend time on topics already mastered

  • Could also be used as a post-assessment to determine growth

1. Inquiry Chart

2. “I Wonder” questions

3. Observation Charts

4. Discussion

5. Journal Writing

6. Pre-Test

7. Phonics assessments (newcomers or as necessary)

8. Video with questions

9. A specific picture with questions

10. Renaissance Learning (Math and Reading)

11. Observations

Formative Assessments

  • Is ongoing throughout the unit of inquiry

  • Used to monitor student learning/progress

  • Guides instruction and pacing

  • Determine if reteaching is necessary

  • Can be used as a reflective tool with students to help identify their strengths and areas where they need some more help

  • Relate to the lines of inquiry and are standards-based

  • Use multiple measures throughout a unit of inquiry

1. Discussions

2. Sorting Activities

3. Quizzes

4. Kahoot or SMARTboard games and activities

5. Journal Writing

6. Google classroom writing responses

7. Learning Logs

8. Exit tickets

9. Rubrics

10. Benchmarks

11. Checklists

12. Observations/discussions

13. Performance tasks

14. Renaissance 3 times per year

15. Writing Tasks

Summative Assessment

  • Are given at the end of a unit of inquiry

  • Are an opportunity for scholars to demonstrate their mastery of the central idea and related standards

  • Should have an element of choice and be directly connected to the central idea

  • Completed independently

  • Not required but highly recommended to have a reflective aspect

  • Great opportunity to utilize technology (SAMR)

1. Research-Based Projects

2. Presentations

3. Tests (multiple-choice, true/false, short answer)

4. Paragraph/Essay Writing

5. Service Learning Projects (action)

6. MYP Subjects will assess the 4 criteria at a minimum of 2 times a year.

7. Summative assessment will be graded on the MYP Rubrics and Assessment Criterions after of each unit starting August 2020.

8. An MYP grade for each subject will be given at the end of each school year starting June 2021.

Assessment of Data

  • Assessment data is important to all stakeholders

  • Stakeholders include parents, teachers, paraeducators, and specialty staff

  • Assessment data will be communicated in several forms

1. SST/IEP

2. Parent/Teacher Conference

3. Teacher/Student Meetings

4. IB Nights

5. Open House

6. Back to School Night

7. IB Morning Chats

8. Progress Reports

9. Report Cards

10. MYP Rubrics

MYP Assessments Criteria

Students will be assessed in the eight MYP subject areas. Each subject area has specific criteria that be assessed twice a year. We have provided you with the subject groups and assessment criteria below. MYP assessments are student-centered and are not based on work produced by other students or norms. The grade is based upon a set of criteria presented in a rubric with the teaching using a ‘best fit’ approach. Summative assessment will be graded on the MYP Rubrics and Assessment Criterions after each unit starting August 2020.

Arts (Visual and Performing Arts) Max Score

Criteria A Knowing & Understanding 8

Criteria B Developing Skills 8

Criteria C Thinking Creatively 8

Criteria D Responding 8

Individuals and Societies (US History, World History, Ancient History)

Criteria A Knowing and Understanding 8

Criteria B Investigating 8

Criteria C Knowing and Understanding Communicating 8

Criteria D Thinking Critically 8

Language and Literature (English)

Criteria A Analyzing 8

Criteria B Organizing 8

Criteria C Producing Text 8

Criteria D Using Language 8

Language Acquisition Phases 1-4 (Spanish, Russian)

Criteria A Comprehending spoken and visual text 8

Criteria B Comprehending written and visual text 8

Criteria C Communicating in response to spoken, written and visual 8

Criteria D Using language in spoken and written form 8

Mathematics

Criteria A Knowing and Understanding 8

Criteria B Investigating Patterns 8

Criteria C Communicating 8

Criteria D Applying mathematics in real-life contexts 8

Physical and Health Education

Criteria A Knowing and Understanding 8

Criteria B Planning for performance 8

Criteria C Applying and performing 8

Criteria D Reflecting and improving performance 8

Sciences (Earth, Life, and Physical)

Criteria A Knowing and Understanding 8

Criteria B Inquiring & designing 8

Criteria C Processing & evaluating 8

Criteria D Reflecting on the impacts of Science 8

Design (Coding and Media Arts)

Criteria A Inquiring & Analyzing 8

Criteria B Developing Ideas 8

Criteria C Creating the Solution 8

Criteria D Evaluating 8

MYP Grade Descriptors

Each student will receive an end of the year MYP Grade based on the following grade descriptors which shows the student’s progress in each subject. The final MYP grade will give information about the skills and knowledge mastered by the student. The grades are based on an accumulation of the quality of work and how they demonstrate originality, insight, and analytical thinking. An MYP grade for each subject will be given at the end of each school year starting June 2021.

MYP Grade Letter Grade Grade Descriptor (from IB Principals into Practices)

7 A+ Produces high-quality, frequently innovative work. Communicates a comprehensive, nuanced understanding of concepts and contexts. Consistently demonstrates sophisticated critical and creative thinking. Frequently transfers knowledge and skills with independence and expertise in a variety of complex classroom and real-world situations.

6 A Produces high-quality, occasionally innovative work. Communicates an extensive understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, frequently with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in the familiar and unfamiliar classroom and real-world situations, often with independence.

5 B+ Produces generally high-quality work. Communicates a secure understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in the familiar classroom and real-world situations and, with support, some unfamiliar real-world situations.

4 B Produces good-quality work. Communicates a basic understanding of most concepts and contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

3 C+ Produces work of acceptable quality. Communicates a basic understanding of many concepts and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, requiring support even in familiar classroom situations.

2 C Produces work of limited quality. Expresses misunderstandings or significant gaps in understanding for many concepts and contexts. Infrequently demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Generally inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, infrequently applying knowledge and skills.

1 D Produces work of very limited quality. Conveys many significant misunderstandings or lacks understanding of most concepts and contexts. Very rarely demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Very inflexible, rarely using knowledge or skills.

0 F None of the above criteria have been met.