Assessment Policy

Oakmont High School Assessment Policy

Oakmont High School Mission Statement

At Oakmont we are dedicated to having all students as proudly engaged participants in our OHS community while having all students graduate college-ready with the skills needed to succeed in a global society.

Oakmont High School Strategic Plan

Provide high quality first instruction

1. Assure that all students are aware every day what they should know and be able to do

2. Assess daily learning targets while keeping in mind assessment of and for learning

3. Provide daily proactive interventions to support struggling students

Purposes of Assessment

Oakmont utilizes assessment as a critical means to support and to achieve our mission and strategic plan.

Oakmont High School assesses students in order to:

· enhance student learning

· monitor and evaluate student progress towards meeting essential standards

· monitor and evaluate student progress towards meeting the school-established ESLR’s

· provide feedback on learning to students, parents, teachers and other stakeholders

· provide data to inform instructional practices

· develop short and long-term achievement goals for teaching and learning

Principles of Assessment

OHS administration and staff recognize that assessment plays a vital role in the cycle of planning, teaching, assessing, reporting, and reflecting.

Effective assessment allows students to:

• demonstrate a broad range of conceptual understanding and skills

• demonstrate critical thinking abilities

• use a variety of learning styles and intelligences to demonstrate knowledge

• participate in self-assessment

• analyze their own learning and perform self-reflection on their strengths and areas for improvement

• set goals for their own learning

Effective assessment allows parents to:

• monitor evidence of student learning

• provide opportunities of support to students and teachers

Effective assessment requires teachers to:

• engage in self-reflection on their own practice

• use assessments to inform and improve instruction

• provide for a variety of assessments

• recognize students’ different learning styles and develop assessments to utilize these styles

• recognize students’ level of English language competency and consider this when developing assessments

• make students aware in advance of the criteria required for producing a quality product

• assess in a context that is meaningful, relevant and motivating to students

• analyze data to identify patterns in student performance and needs

• provide timely and clear feedback that is constructive towards future learning

• undertake assessments in accordance with district and state principles

• maintain detailed assessment records

Effective assessment requires administration to:

• support teachers in maintaining assessment skills and in developing new assessment strategies

• provide time for teachers to plan and reflect

• provide training on data analysis and use

• use student achievement data to set school-wide, departmental, and individual goals

• maintain detailed assessment records and use these to provide achievement information to students and parents in a timely and ongoing manner as well as at formal reporting times

(adapted from Scotts Valley HS Assessment Policy)

Types of Assessments

A. Formative Assessments

An assessment for learning is used to advance and not merely monitor each student’s learning. The assessment informs the teacher regarding the effectiveness of instruction and informs the individual student regarding progress in becoming proficient. The checks for understanding that individual teachers use in the classroom on a daily basis are examples of formative assessments.

Formative assessments are used frequently throughout the term to identify

1. individual students who need additional time and support for learning.

2. the teaching strategies most effective in helping students acquire the intended knowledge and skills.

3. curriculum concerns—areas in which students generally are having difficulty achieving the intended standard.

4. improvement goals for individual teachers and the team.

(http://www.allthingsplc.info)

B. Summative Assessments

An assessment of learning (Stiggins, 2002) designed to provide a final measure to determine if learning goals have been met (Ainsworth & Viegut, 2006). Summative assessments yield a scaled result. Additional timely support is typically not forthcoming.

C. Homework

• Homework is given to either support learning or demonstrate learning in each class and can consist of reading, studying material, watching documentaries, as well as formative and summative assessments.

• Only the minimum amount of homework necessary to achieve the goals of the class will be given.

• The amount of time spent on homework will vary significantly depending on student’s ability, focus and language fluency.

• Oakmont High School teachers consider the many demands on a student’s time when determining and assigning homework.

Making Up Assignments

Students will have the number of days they were absent to complete any work assigned during an excused absence. It is the student's responsibility to obtain make-up assignments from the teacher when they return.

· Time begins the day after re-admission to school and may be extended by the teacher.

· Assignments given before the absence will be due upon the day the student returns.

· Teachers may deny make up work to students when the absence is unexcused.

· When a student has an administrative pre-approved absence, the student is responsible for contacting teachers in advance to arrange make-up work. No advance arrangements = No credit for work missed.

· Teachers may designate certain assignments as "long-term projects" and these assignments shall be submitted on the assigned due date even if absent.

School Board Policy 5121.2

State and District Mandated Testing

• Oakmont High School adheres to the administration practices of both district and state mandated assessments.

• Oakmont High School encourages students to take criterion referenced tests (i.e. PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, IB).

General Grading Policies and Procedures

The following is from the Roseville Joint Union HS District Board Policy:

Purpose

The purpose of a grading system is to:

1. Provide a measure of subject achievement, personal development, effort, growth in citizenship and attention to work habits and attendance.

2. Provide a basis for promotion, acceleration, retention, graduation and recognition for honors.

3. Provide a permanent record of achievement.

4. Provide information for counseling about current and future educational and career goals.

5. Inform parents of student progress.

6. Encourage student growth and development.

Criteria

The grading system shall:

1. Be directly related to achievement and progress in the areas of curriculum and human behavior as defined in the educational goals and objectives of the district.

2. Be accomplished in a manner that respects the integrity, dignity and worth of students as individuals.

3. Be administered fairly, conscientiously and in a positive manner.

4. Be based on work that is broadly representative of the student's mastery of course content, completion of assigned learning, and not solely on examinations.

5. Take into consideration the wide variations in student learning patterns, abilities, and growth patterns.

6. Convey accurate, useful and timely information to parents and students.

Factors in Grading

1. Students' grades (such as A-F) in a course shall be based primarily, but not exclusively, on the degree of mastery of the course objectives.

2. To receive a passing grade in a course, students are expected:

   1. to demonstrate mastery of minimum course objectives as outlined, and

   2. to meet other requirements that are identified in advance by the teacher.

3. The grades students receive should represent the teacher's best judgment of their achievement of the course objectives and other requirements that are identified in advance by the teacher. In making this judgment, the teacher should consider all available evidence: tests, assignments, class participation, projects, informal teacher observation, etc.

4. The primary task in determining grades is to evaluate learning. Grades should be based on actual participation and performance. Extra credit work should be directly related to course objectives, and should be identified and made available to all students at the beginning of a course. If minimum course objectives have not been mastered, extra credit work shall not be used to raise a final grade.

5. At their discretion, teachers may use peer grading of student tests, papers and assignments as appropriate to reinforce lessons

6. Students who make up a failing grade by repeating and passing the same course shall have both the failing and make up grades appear on the transcript and the make up grade points will replace the failing grade point (“0”) for the purpose of calculating the college grade point average.

Therefore, the failing grade, when made up, shall not count in the college grade point average calculation.

Classroom Grading Policy

Prior to the opening day of the school year, individual teachers are to develop, submit to the school administration, and enclose in the grade book, a classroom grading policy that incorporates a grading system, as related to course content/objectives. Individual teachers are to communicate to students, in writing, at the beginning of the course, or upon enrollment, the grading policy.

1. A grading system and marking system shall be established to correspond with course outlines for each course and marks shall be based on student achievement of course objectives as evidenced by results of measuring devices.

   1. Standard Grading System

A = Outstanding achievement

B = High achievement

C = Average achievement

D = Low achievement

F = Failed to meet course objectives

NM = Student enrolled for less than a full grading period and/or no other data available.

INC = A teacher may use the incomplete grade when judgment indicates that the student needs additional time to complete minimum course objectives. A written (standardized) contract must be completed as follows:

1) denotes assignments to be met;

2) denotes length of time, determined by teacher, to complete deficiency;

3) indicates the grade to be issued if contract is not met; and

4) method of parent notification. The contract shall be agreed upon by the teacher and student, and kept on file in the administrative office of the school.

• 1. Weighted Grading System

Weighted grades shall be awarded in all Advanced Placement courses, International Baccalaureate courses (with SL and HL designations), Honors courses.

When calculating a student’s grade point average, extra grade weighting shall not be assigned to a course required for admission to the University of California or the California State University unless the superintendent or designee has submitted the course curriculum to the President of the University of California and has received approval. (Education Code 1220.3)

Weighted grades shall receive an additional grade point as indicated below:

A = 5 grade points (instead of 4)

B = 4 grade points (instead of 3)

C = 3 grade points (instead of 2)

D = 1 grade points

F = 0 grade points

Grades of NM and INC shall be the same as in the standard grading system.

(School Board Policy 5121)

Academic Honesty

At OHS, students are taught how to be academically honest in accordance with the Viking Expectations. Students are taught how to develop their own ideas by using other people’s ideas in a proper way, and plagiarism will not be accepted.

Oakmont staff believes that both formative and summative assessments provides vital information. They inform the instruction and guide teaching and re-teaching of essential learning. Therefore, academic honesty is critical for the process of assessment.

Students with Special Needs

In accordance with California Education Code 56341.1 (c), and section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students with accommodations specified through an IEP or 504 plan shall be granted those accommodations without penalty to their grade.

Grade Recording and Reporting

There shall be a conference with or a written report to the parent or guardian of each pupil whenever it becomes evident to the teacher that the pupil is in danger of failing a course. The refusal of the parent or guardian to attend the conference, or respond to the written report, shall not preclude failing the pupil at the end of the grading period.

(School Board Policy 5121)

Parent and Student Communication

• Aeries (teacher grade recording system that works with Homelink)

• Homelink (grading and attendance system accessible by parents and students 24 hours a day)

• Weekly class grades automatically emailed to families

• Grades are issued 4 times a term

  • Progress grades

  • Permanent grades

Policy Review and Communication

Head of School (Principal), Administrative team, and IB Coordinator will review this policy annually to determine if there are any immediate areas of concern. This policy will also be reviewed school-wide concurrently with the WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) process. This policy is reviewed by the Vision and Leadership Team, Staff, Student Government, and Site Council.

Areas of concern will be communicated to the Head of School who, with the Administrative team, will determine the appropriate action needed to address the concern.

New staff will be issued this policy in their new teacher orientation. Support is given through follow-up meetings.

This policy will be published on the Oakmont High School website and updated as needed by the webmaster.