Assessment Policy Updated May of 2024
Assessment Policy Updated May of 2024
In PYP schools in SPS, we believe that assessment informs not only outcomes, but also learning and teaching. It identifies what students know, understand, and can do at different stages in the learning process. Assessment practices strive to be authentic and connect to the real world increasing student engagement. Assessment should include clear learning goals and success criteria while using a wide range of tools and strategies.
In addition, we believe assessment is developmental focusing on individual student progress rather than performance in relation to others. It is collaborative, involving both the teacher and students in the evaluation process. Assessment provides feedback on current learning to inform next steps and goal setting.
SPS PYP educators believe:
Both learning outcomes and the learning process are assessed through monitoring, documenting, measuring and reporting student progress.
Learning goals and success criteria are clearly communicated in advance.
Assessment is anchored in authentic tasks.
Students and teachers use data to inform, reflect and improve their teaching and learning.
Students become actively engaged in assessment through student choice and agency that lead to meaningful evidence of learning.
Inclusion and differentiation are valued to assess the needs of all students.
Assessment effectively guides students in the development of the essential elements of the programme: understanding of concepts, acquisition of knowledge, mastering of approaches to learning, and process of using the action cycle.
Assessment provides feedback on current learning to inform what is needed to support future learning.
Assessment for learning (formative), assessment of learning (summative) , and assessment as learning (student self-assessment) are valued.
Ongoing
Formative Unit Assessments
Self-Reflection
Feedback and Feedforward
Early Childhood Report Card
Kindergarten Report Card
First/Second Report Card
Third/Fourth/Fifth Report Card
Empowers student voice and choice
Demonstrates and shares their learning journey
Authentic Evidence
Goal Setting
Benchmark Assessment (K-5)
Galileo ELA and Math (K-5)
Galileo Dyslexia Screeners (K-3)
ELA and Math District Common Assessments (K-5)
3rd-5th grades take ELA and Math MAP Test in the Spring
5th Grade takes the Science MAP Test in the Spring
Individual test results are shared with families the following school year.
Galileo Dyslexia Screeners (K-3)
Foundational Skills
Nonword Fluency
Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN)
Galileo Math (K-5)
Math District Common Assessments (K-5)
Students have the right to authentic, differentiated, and developmentally appropriate assessment tasks.
Teachers have the right to appropriate professional development in order to become an assessment-capable teacher.
Parents have the right to view all assessment tasks and rubrics or checklists. Parents have the right to communicate with the teacher and/or principal to discuss any academic concerns.
Students are responsible for partnering with teachers to co-design learning tasks, self-assess and reflect on their own learning, select learning evidence that best represents their knowledge, and use feedback from peers and teachers to identify next steps.
Teachers are responsible for understanding what to assess, how to assess, and why to assess. Teacher are responsible for interpreting and analyzing assessment data and use it to inform their instruction. Teachers are responsible for incorporating student input into learning goals and assessment tasks, clearly explaining the expectations for all assessment tasks to students and provide students with a rubric or checklist, encouraging students as they reflect, and reporting assessment results to families.
Parents are responsible for communicating any academic concerns to the teacher and partnering with the school to help provide supports and interventions to meet their academic child's needs.
*Philosophy and Principles adapted from PYP Principles Into Practice in IB Programmes (2019); and IB Standards and Practices (2020).