Garcia Elementary School

IB PYP Assessment Policy

Mission Statement

Graciela Garcia Elementary School, together with the parents and community, is committed to educate the whole child by providing a meaningful and rigorous learning environment that aims for academic, social and emotional development. Inquiry-based, transdisciplinary instructional experiences are offered in a dual language two-way setting to foster multicultural and international-mindedness. We strive to develop caring, service-minded, life-long learners while valuing each child’s uniqueness.

Assessment beliefs

Assessment is integral to all teaching and learning. The prime objective of assessment in the PYP is to provide feedback on the learning process. Assessment involves the gathering and analysis of information about student performance and is designed to inform practice. It identifies what students know, understand, can do, and feel at different stages in the learning process. Students and teachers should be actively engaged in assessing the students’ progress as part of the development of their wider critical-thinking and self-assessment skills. The PYP approach to assessment recognizes the importance of assessing the process of inquiry as well as the product(s) of inquiry and aims to integrate and support both. (Making the PYP Happen, 2009).

At Graciela Garcia, we believe that assessment provides information through its diagnostic, formative and summative components. Assessment is ongoing, authentic, varied and purposeful. It is a collaborative and informative process that involves students, families, teachers and community. Instructional and curricular decision making is driven by our assessments.

Assessment purpose

The purpose of assessment is to inform and involve students, parents, teachers and administrators. Effective assessments allow:

● Students to be an active part of the learning process through reflection and demonstration of their understanding.

● Teachers to guide their instruction and to communicate progress with students and families.

● Parents to see evidence of their child’s learning and development, while supporting and celebrating their child’s learning.

● Administrators to build a sense of community within the school and communicate the school’s progress.

Assessment Principles

● Assessment is key to planning, teaching, and learning.

● Assessment practices are clear to all members of the community [teachers, parents, and students].

● There is a balance between formative and summative assessment.

● There are opportunities for both peer and self-assessment.

● There are opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning.

● Before starting new learning, teachers assess students’ current knowledge and experience.

● Teachers provide students with feedback for future learning.

● Reporting to parents is meaningful.

Implementation

Graciela Garcia teachers strive to provide opportunity for scholars to construct meaning primarily through structured inquiry. This is accomplished by emphasizing the connections between knowledge and the six transdisciplinary themes. The key concepts, attitudes, and transdisciplinary skills are built into each unit of inquiry in order to make sure that students are given opportunities to interact with them.

Student learning is promoted through:

● Assessing prior knowledge and experiences

● Differentiating instruction to meet individual needs

● Engaging learners in reflection to determine strengths and weaknesses

● Encouraging students to set goals for themselves based on reflections

● Providing feedback for students in a timely manner

● Expanding student learning opportunities

● Building a profile of children’s individual understandings

● Guiding teacher planning and presentation

● Focusing on closing the achievement gap among students

Information about student learning is provided through:

● Examples of student work, projects, performances, portfolios

● Results of pre-assessments, formative assessments, and summarize assessments

● Statistics relating to benchmarks or rubrics

● Historical data from DMAC, TPRI, TEJAS LEE, and test results (i.e. STAR, benchmark assessments, district formative assessments)

Types of assessments

Informal and formal assessments, conducted through a range of tools and strategies, occur regularly to inform teaching and learning. The following types of assessment are used at Graciela Garcia.

Diagnostic/pre-assessment

Diagnostic assessment happens before new concepts are taught in order to uncover prior knowledge and experiences. This type of assessment helps teachers and students find out what the students already know and can do. School developed pre-assessments and district required screening tools are used.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is woven into daily learning processes in order to guide the next stage of learning. This type of assessment provides regular and frequent feedback to the teacher and the student. It also gives students an opportunity to improve their understanding and to cultivate enthusiasm for learning. Teachers use various assessment tools to keep a record of student progress.

Summative assessment

Summative assessment occurs at the end of a learning cycle in order to give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. It also shows how effectively students understand the central idea of the unit. School developed summative assessments and district and state required summative assessments are used.

Self-assessment

Self-assessment is ongoing and is used to develop metacognition. Students set goals and reflect on their progress in meeting those goals. Each unit of inquiry includes a

self-assessment.

Assessment of the Essential Elements of the PYP

The five essential elements of the PYP are assessed through the units of inquiry and are recorded on the planner for each unit.

• Assessment of the knowledge learned in each unit is done through the summative assessment. It reflects an understanding of the central idea.

• Each unit provides opportunities for different skills, concepts and attitudes. Reflection on growth in these areas is recorded on the planners and self-assessments are done by the students.

• Action: Student actions that are initiated beyond the scope of the unit are recorded on the planner.

5th grade exhibition

The 5th grade exhibition is undertaken by scholars in their final year of the PYP program. The exhibition includes application of all key concepts, transdisciplinary skills, display of all attitudes, and engage in an action plan. This is also an opportunity for the students to exhibit the attributes of the learner profile which they have been developing throughout the Primary Years Programme.

State and district assessments

State and district required assessments are used for diagnostic, formative, and summative purposes throughout the learning process. These assessments are designed to measure scholars’ mastery of subject area standards required by the Mississippi Department of Education. At Obama Magnet, these required assessments are administered to minimally impact the implementation of the PYP.

Assessment tools and strategies

Authentic assessment of student learning is conducted through observation, performance assessment, process-focused assessment, open-ended tasks, and student reflections. Tests and quizzes are also used. Rubrics, exemplars, anecdotal records, checklists, continuums, and portfolios are used to evaluate student learning and provide feedback.

Reporting

Recognizing that the goal of student achievement involves parents, students, and teachers as partners, a variety of reporting methods are utilized to communicate progress made in the transdisciplinary units of inquiry, with regard to the essential elements of the PYP, in developing the attributes of the learner profile, and specific subjects.

Written Reports

● IB Appraisal Reports document student achievement within the units of inquiry and development related to the learner profile attributes. These reports are shared with parents and students per semester.

● Progress Reports document student progress with regard to the disciplinary aspects of the curriculum as well as a student’s work and behavior habits. These district required reports are shared with parents and students every three weeks until the end of the academic year.

● Academic Report Cards serve as a summative report on student disciplinary performance, as well as work and behavior habits, for each term. These district required reports are shared with parents every six weeks until the end of the academic year.

Conferences

● Parent Teacher Conferences are held in the fall semester. This conference includes student, teacher, and parent reflections and goal setting for student progress. Parents

have the opportunity to complete an action plan indicating what they learned from the conference, areas in which they will support their child, and steps to take to support their student. they will focus on with their child, and what steps they will take to support their child’s progress.

● Student led Conferences are held during the spring semester and involve the student and a parent. The students take responsibility for their learning by leading the conference and sharing their progress. During the conference students discuss and reflect on samples of their work from their portfolio, share their reflections on their development of learner profile attributes, and identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Portfolios

Student portfolios are a tool for recording student progress over time. Student portfolios will:

● include student reflections from both the beginning and the end of the school year;

● include pre- and summative assessments from each unit of inquiry;

● include at least one item with a student reflection from each unit of inquiry that is chosen by the student;

● include an item chosen by the teacher if the item chosen by the student is not reflective of his/her growth;

● be used as a tool in student-led conferences;

● be saved digitally to the next grade level for students in Grades K-3 and be sent home or to the next school (if IB MYP) for Grade 5 students.

Assessment Policy Review:

The assessment policy is reviewed twice yearly-once in the fall and once in the spring. It is presented in the fall for staff, community, parent, and school site council in multiple ways. It is presented in the spring for feedback and input from all stakeholders previously mentioned in multiple ways. The school leadership team considers stakeholder input and revises the policy as appropriate. The assessment policy is located in the library/media center and on our school’s website.

Policy Reviewed/Revised - May 2021