Assessments List

Periodic Summative Assessments may take the form of a formal examination or other culminating activity designed to meet the needs of individual courses. Summative Assessments are scheduled so that students take no more than two per day, at prescribed times. Teachers will announce, via Google Classroom and the appropriate Google Assessment Calendar, all Summative Assessment dates at least one week before the assessment is given. High school students must not have more than two major in-class assessments and one long-term assignment due on a single day. If a student has more than two major in-class assessments in a single day, it is the responsibility of the student to conference with their teachers to determine an alternative date for one of the assessments.

IBDP Mock Exams

IBDP Mock examinations for Grade 12 IBDP courses: All students in grade 12 (and grade 11 students who are registered for an IBDP course as an anticipated candidate) will take mock exams in the second semester in each academic subject. The grades from the mock exams will be included in the semester grade. IBDP Mock Exams take place from March 26 to March 30, 2018.

IBDP Exams

All students registered in IBDP course take the IBDP Exams in May, as per the IB external exam schedule. IBDP students also take a number of internal assessments which are scheduled throughout the year by the school. The schedule for IBDP internal assessments is available on our zimbra calendar.

ICS Grades and Final IB Scores

Assessment in the IB Diploma Programme includes work assessed internally (by the teacher) and externally (by examiners). Internal assessments are assigned, supported, and marked by our IBDP teachers during the course, and may include lab reports, portfolios, oral presentations, sketchbooks, or other forms of authentic assessment. This internally assessed work, combined with the student’s results on May examination papers, forms the final IB score from 1-7 (with 7 being the highest), which is awarded in July by the IBO.

University applications require “anticipated IB scores” for applicants. Additionally, the IBO asks teachers to submit “predicted grades” for each candidate. These anticipated and predicted grades do not form a part of the student’s ICS report card grade for the course.

ICS courses, whether IB or not, include internal forms of assessment such as presentations, projects and tests, and exams. Occasionally, a student may do very well for an ICS grade in an IB course, yet not do as well for their IB score released in July. This means that an ICS grade of ‘5’ is not a guarantee of an IB final score of ‘5’.

Additional Assessments

ICS facilitates a number of external assessments.

Measures of Academic Progress

Developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), the MAP is a computer-based, adaptive test that measures students’ skills in reading, language, and mathematics. Altogether, the test will take about 2 to 3 hours to complete. ICS students in Grades 9 and 10 will sit for the MAP. Results are reported to teachers, students and parents.

Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT)

The PSAT/NMSQT is a shortened version of the SAT measuring critical reading, writing and mathematical skills. Grade 10 and 11 students can opt to take the test in October on the school campus during school hours. By taking the PSAT/NMSQT, American 11th grade students enter the annual scholarship competition administered by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) – Reasoning Test

This is a four-and-a-half-hour test of objective questions and a writing sample designed to measure the ability to do college work. The critical reading part of the SAT measures the extent of reading comprehension, vocabulary, ability to interpret and relate ideas, ability to reason logically and to draw conclusions correctly. The mathematics section tests ability to reason mathematically and to handle general number concepts rather than measure specific levels of achievement in mathematics. The writing section measures a student’s ability to write a coherent and high-quality essay.

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) – Subject Tests

The SAT subject tests are a group of one-hour tests designed to measure the student’s level of achievement in subjects of the student’s choosing. Tests are offered in various subjects including science, history, math, English and world languages. Students can take between one and three tests in a single setting. These tests are often used by colleges in the admissions process.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

The TOEFL and IELTS may be required for college admissions for students whose native language is not English or who do not hold a US passport or a passport from an English-speaking nation. The test consists of a listening comprehension, structure and written expression, reading comprehension and vocabulary sections.

Application Procedures for Tests

Regular announcements are made from the Counseling Department via email and in the weekly school newsletter as appropriate.

College Entrance Testing

ICS works with the College Board (SAT)) and the American College Testing Program (ACT) to provide all students with an opportunity to participate in the tests required for admission to colleges and universities. Our school-wide Testing Coordinator manages the testing. The ICS campus is a designated test center for Ethiopia. Tests administered by ICS include the PSAT, SAT Reasoning and Subject Area Tests, and the ACT.