Assessment

Philosophy

The Pan American School believes that continuous assessment is an integral part of the educational process, providing students, parents, and teachers with a comprehensive picture of educational achievement.  We believe that assessment is the shared responsibility of teachers, students and parents, providing all with a clear picture of what students know and are able to do. Assessments are used for evaluating, recording, and reporting student progress so that students are able to analyze their work, reflect on their learning, and plan for improvement.  The purpose of the assessment policy is to set out the responsibilities of the students, teachers and parents, together with the school’s expectations with regard to assessment tasks, in order to meet the individual needs of students.  

As an IB (International Baccalaureate) world school, we encourage students to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways, guiding them through essential elements of learning by making connections between concepts and knowledge and their reality, developing higher-order thinking skills and taking ownership of their learning. But most importantly, we aim to inspire our students to participate in their own educational process responsibly, successfully and with integrity. 

Why do we assess?

As evidenced in MYP: From principles to practice (2020) assessment in the MYP aims to:

• Support and encourage student learning by providing feedback on the learning process

• Inform, enhance and improve the teaching process

• Provide opportunity for students to exhibit transfer of skills across disciplines, such as in the personal project and interdisciplinary unit assessments

• Promote positive student attitudes towards learning

• Promote a deep understanding of subject content by supporting students in their inquiries set in real-world contexts

• Promote the development of critical and creative thinking skills

• Reflect the international-mindedness of the program by allowing assessments to be set in a variety of cultural and linguistic contexts

• Support the holistic nature of the program by including in its model principles that take account of the development of the whole student

What do we assess?

• conceptual understanding

• development, analysis and application of disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding

• development and application of Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills

• development and application of IB learner profile attributes

• service and action

When and how do we assess?

Internal assessment

• Summative

Summative assessment is a part of every MYP unit of inquiry.  Using the required subject group-specific assessment criteria, teachers design internal, school-based summative assessment tasks in order to provide evidence of student understanding.

• Formative

Formative assessment is utilized daily in some fashion.  Teachers check for understanding in order to guide planning and instruction in order to improve student learning.  Peer-assessment and self-assessment are also part of formative assessment.

Assessment strategies:

• observation

• selected response

• open-ended tasks

• performance assessment and projects

• process journals

• portfolio assessment

Assessment tools:

• MYP subject rubrics

• task-specific clarifications

• exemplars

Determining Achievement Levels and Final Grades

The MYP assessment system is based on a criterion-related model. All criteria must be assessed a minimum of twice per semester. All students will be provided multiple opportunities to demonstrate achievement on each criterion.  Strands will be included on subsequent assessments that will be considered when evaluating final MYP achievement levels.   With multiple measures of the four criteria, a single low score should not have the ability to drastically affect the final grade. Except for extenuating circumstances, no students will be permitted to retake assessments.  

Assignments not submitted by the due date will receive an initial score of 0.  If a student misses an assessment and the absence is excused, it may be taken for full credit. Students who miss an assessment due to an unexcused absence receive an initial zero.  They must take the summative assessment, and their performance will be taken into account at the end of the semester when the best-fit level is determined. 

The final MYP grade for a class will be the result of the student’s achievement in all four criteria for that class over the course of the semester. For more information see the document at the end of the page.

Passing the Course

Pan American considers an MYP grade of 3 or above to be a passing grade in each criterion of your subject. Should a student fail to gain a final MYP grade of 3 for the semester, they will be required to undergo a period of recuperation in that subject area and will have a second opportunity to attain a passing grade through the completion of an additional period of study and a second assessment. If a semester MYP grade is below 3, the student must attend school during the recuperation period immediately following the semester exam period. If a student does not have a passing average for the year, or if a student has excessive absences in a specific class, the student must complete Winter School Recuperation scheduled during June/July. 

G11 & G12 Assessment

The assessment philosophy and methods remain the same after students finish the MYP in G10. The 1-7 grade scale used is the same throughout the entire secondary school (G6-G12) and in high school the students get a Grade Point Average (GPA)

Homework

Homework is given regularly by Secondary School teachers and is built for practice to apply to future learning and/or assessment.  Homework provides an opportunity for students to develop independent study skills, practice and maintain skills relevant to the current program, and reinforce the new learning that has taken place in class that day. It is graduated in length by grade level in order to methodically prepare students for university homework expectations.  

Guidelines for daily average homework times for all subjects combined (Note: This does not include online or AP courses)

Grade 6 - 60 minutes

Grade 7 - 70 minutes

Grade 8 - 80 minutes

Grade 9 - 90 minutes

Grade 10-12 - 100+ minutes