Assessment Policy

How are students assessed?

     A Diploma Candidate's successes are measured through a variety of demonstrated tools: writing, speaking, labs, performance-based tasks, practice assessments, seminar discussions, and projects. We use a set of established rubrics and assessment descriptors that have been carefully developed by the International Baccalaureate Organization, and these rubrics for each discipline encourage candidates to recognize, demonstrate, analyze, justify, and create, while also developing knowledge of the facts, information, material, and discipline; demonstrating application of research skills and critical reading and writing skills; demonstrate analytical and evaluative skills; and demonstrate expression of understanding. Disciplines are taught at either the Higher Level or Standard Level, and students may challenge no more than four HL courses during their two years in the diploma programme. 

What are IB exams like?

     Diploma Candidates sit for a series of examinations, one for each discipline, during the month of May. These examinations are primarily administered at the end of senior year. Examinations are designed by the IBO to test the knowledge and critical thinking skills after two years of instruction in each discipline. On examinations, students are given some choice of topics and questions, and those are designed to allow candidates to demonstrate their understanding of the content. IB Exams are opportunities for students to demonstrate "what they know," rather than "what they do not know." Exams as well as internal and external assessments are all weighted as a percentage of the overall marks for each discipline, with exams weighing the most, up to 70% or 80% of the overall mark. The balance of the marks are determined by the "Internal Assessments," which are a distinct characteristic of the IB program. The standards for the IBO are the same globally, and all candidate work is measured and assessed based on those guidelines, which creates consistency and credibility around the world. The examiners are selected by IBO, and carefully trained by IBO to be able to evaluate all candidate work to a high level of accuracy, integrity, and reliability.

How are students graded?

     Each of the tested subjects is scored or marked on a 0 to 7 scale, and candidates must earn no less than 12 points in the Higher Level courses, with a total minimum of 24 points and maximum of 42 points to earn the diploma.  Candidates MUST also complete with a passing mark both the Theory of Knowledge paper and the Extended Essay research paper, as well as successfully complete the Creative, Active, and Service (C.A.S.) component.  It is possible for Candidates to earn as many as 3 bonus points to be awarded for outstanding completion and scoring of the ToK paper and Extended Essay. 

     Students who earn a score of 4 of better in HL courses and a 5 or better in SL courses will receive college credit at all of the UNC System public universities.

RMHS Assessment Philosophy

Rocky Mount High School is proud to offer the IB Diploma Program, along with the rigor of instruction and assessments. We also assure adherence to the assessment policies and principles of our school and our school system as follows:

Rocky Mount High School Philosophy and Principles of Teacher-made and NC Assessment

Rocky Mount High School seeks to provide an enriching learning environment helping our students to be prepared for the world and the 21st century. Our teachers strive to provide meaningful feedback, innovative and diverse assessments, and broad opportunities for students to process and expand their own learning and to demonstrate that learning. We seek to enable our students to be well-rounded and engaged citizens who make unique and meaningful contributions for a more peaceful and productive place to live and work. 

Assessment is vital to an effective learning community. Assessments enable our students to take ownership of their own learning, to evaluate that learning, and to improve and enhance their understanding of what makes excellence.  Our faculty uses assessment to inform our students of their progress, to evaluate and improve their own instruction and student learning, to measure the development of student learning, and to collect and analyze data that identifies overall student learning. This data is then used to refine our curriculum and instructional practices. Assessment is also used to provide feedback to parents/guardians to better enable them to understand their children’s progress, strengths and areas for growth.

Rocky Mount High School IB faculty provides assessment feedback to students and families in many ways, including, but not limited to:

• Grades and data communicated through the Powerschool. 

• Regular communication through the social media tools such as “Remind.”

• Monthly newsletters sent to all stakeholders.

• Regular bi-annual Parent Information Sessions with the IB Diploma Coordinator, faculty and/or administration. 

• Reports of student work and learning in 9 week grading periods, with progress reports at mid-term for each 9 week grading period. 

• Conferences with students and parents/guardians when necessary.

Rocky Mount High School IB faculty is committed to:

• providing meaningful learning experiences and assessments; 

• giving frequent, detailed feedback about students’ strengths and areas for growth; 

• providing opportunities for students to self-evaluate and peer evaluate their work; 

• reporting timely and meaningful assessment data to parents and guardians; 

• working cooperatively to use assessment data to meet students’ learning needs;

• collaborating with other teachers to refine assessments, analyze data, plan 

• assessments to minimize student stress, and share best practices;

• familiarizing students with and practice using IB assessment rubrics.

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Assessment Practices

Homework

IB candidates agree to spend an appropriate amount of time per school night (Sunday – Thursday) on homework. Teachers should make efforts to limit homework to 30 minutes per class or instruction discipline. The students accept responsibility for homework as a growth area. The faculty encourages parents and guardians to provide the time and place for students to work at home, and to encourage the development of good study habits.

Academic Eligibility for Athletics and Extracurriculars

NCPS students must maintain a passing grade in 3 or 4 courses to participate in athletic competitions and in some extracurricular clubs and activities.

Relative Weight of Grading Categories

• Work may be categorized under general categories, such as “tests, quizzes, homework” or under one “general” category.  Assignments come under each category as agreed upon by discipline/department, and all teachers within a discipline area should be using the same categories and policy. 

• The relative weight between the Formative and Summative categories is left to teacher/department discretion.  Assessments of any kind (quizzes, unit tests, etc.) are not weighted more than 25% of the course grade.

• Other categories relative to particular disciplines (i.e. Presentations, labs, seminars, etc.) are at the discretion of the teachers within a discipline; however, all teachers in the same discipline should mark using the same percentages, marks, grades. 

• Teachers are encouraged to use a variety of formats for both formative and summative assessments and to consider students’ language skills and background and special educational needs in creating and providing feedback on these assessments.

• Feedback to students should be frequent and timely.  According to NCPS policy, grades are to be posted within 4 days of the date assigned. 

• The overall academic grade should recognize student progress throughout the term of instruction. Accordingly, an appropriate balance on the weighting of assignments throughout the grading period should be maintained. The relative weight of work done early in the grading period should not fail to recognize content mastery that occurs by the end of the term of instruction.

Late Work

The faculty at RMHS adheres to the policy accepted by the Nash-Rocky Mount Schools.  

• Late work may receive no more than 75% of the original credit at the teacher’s discretion.

• Work submitted after the window has closed may be accepted at teacher discretion. Students with special circumstances should work with teachers to determine alternate individualized due dates when appropriate. Extensions to original due dates are subject to teacher discretion.

Late Work Policy should not be used to compromise the following sound educational practices: 

• Students are expected to take tests, make classroom presentations, and/or demonstrate mastery and competence through assignments as scheduled. The Late Work Policy does not grant students an implied extension because they are unprepared. Students are expected to complete work to the best of their ability and to submit this work on the due date. Additional interventions and consequences may be appropriate for students who are habitually late with assignments.

• Extensions for due dates should be requested in advance. Asking for an extension on or after the due date is not acceptable practice.

Reteach/Relearn/Reassess

RMHS Reteach/Relearn/Reassess approach is intended to be consistent with the following guidelines: 

• Students are expected to meet with teachers to determine an appropriate plan of action when faced with evidence that student mastery is not satisfactory. 

• Reassessment plans should reflect efforts of re-teaching and relearning that occur prior to any reassessment. 

• Reassessment efforts may be limited to specific areas of concern and are not expected or required to reassess all topics covered by the original assessment. 

• Reassessment grades should replace and/or modify original grades so that they are reflective of current levels of mastery. 

• Reassessment opportunities should be available to all students. This does not imply that reassessment opportunities are identical for all students or that they use the same format as the original assessment. 

• Students are expected to complete all assignments in accordance with the grading policies outlined above. 

• Teachers are expected to gather evidence to document student learning. Policies surrounding late work and/or reassessment should not be used to prevent the collection of this evidence. 

•  Teachers may use a variety of methods to limit the overall influence of single assessments such as; 50% for zero, dropping the lowest score, averaging, etc. 

•  Grades should reflect the level of mastery of standards.

• Students who are not meeting academic expectations will be placed on a Directed Plan by the DP Coordinator to monitor and support the student.

Make-up Work

Students are responsible for identifying and completing assignments that were missed due to absence. Generally, students are allowed one day to make up work missed during a one-day absence. The exception to this policy is when a test or assignment was announced in advance of the student’s absence; in this case the student is required to take the test or hand in the assignment the first day back in school. When a student has an excused absence, every effort will be made to facilitate completion of missed work.

Incompletes

It is the student’s responsibility to seek out teachers to identify and arrange to complete missing assignments. Incompletes must be completed by the end of the grading period unless special permission is secured by an administrator.  Unless pre-approved by administration, the final semester grade will be calculated using only the assignments that have been turned in.

Policy Review Process

In order to ensure that the Assessment Policy is a living, developing document, RMHS IB faculty will review all IB policies at the beginning of each school year.  RMHS IB faculty will use these policies to inform their curriculum, instruction, assessment, and communication with families on an ongoing basis. The faculty will evaluate the effectiveness of the policies and the implementation of them, after which the IB Coordinator will make appropriate revisions as necessary and submit those revisions to the IB faculty for final approval.

New IB Faculty

When a new teacher joins the IB faculty, they are sent to an authorized IB workshop in their subject area while being supported by the DP Coordinator and other IB faculty in their discipline.

IB Policies Related to Assessment

For questions regarding the IB academic integrity policy as it relates to assessment, please click here.

For questions regarding the IB language policy as it pertains to ESL students, please click here.

For questions regarding the IB accommodations policy as it pertains to students with EC or 504 accommodations, please click here.

Revised 2/17/22