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District

Assessment Policy

Assessment is an integral part of our planning, teaching, and learning.  We use a wide range of assessment tools such as skills-based exams, open-ended questions, inquiry-based projects, performance tasks, and portfolios that show student work and progress over time.

District Mandated Assessments

  • IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) two times a year: measures grade level reading, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, oral reading accuracy.   
  • Grades 3-5 SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium)  Interim assessments (November):  interim assessments designed to support teaching and learning throughout the year
  • Grades 3-5 SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium)  (April)
  • iReady Math diagnostic administered 3 times per year

Assessing the PYP

  • Ongoing assessment of the learner profile and one’s growth as a global citizen
    • Self reflection
    • Action
  • Assessment addresses all the essential elements
    • Knowledge
    • Concepts
    • Transdisciplinary Skills
    • Attitude
    • Action
  • Types of assessment to be included in all planners
    • Formative assessments
    • Summative assessments
    • Self assessments
    • Peer assessment

IB Assessment Practices

  • Our inquiry units have formative, summative, and self and peer assessments.  These assessments also give students opportunities to reflect on their own learning.  Expectations for assessments, especially the summative assessments, have been made clear to students.  In designing these assessments, teachers have developed assessment or project checklists and student/teacher generated scoring rubrics.
  • Rubrics are used as tools by teachers and students in order to inform and improve learning.
  • The school uses a variety of assessment data in order to drive instruction.  
  • Summative assessments take on a variety of forms depending upon students’ interest and inquiry path.  These forms may include sharing their learning with other students, classes, or their parents.
  • Along with weekly IB meetings, teachers meet in their teams after the culmination of every unit in order to evaluate the unit’s effectiveness.  

Portfolios

  • Entries will include choices from students, teachers, and may also include parent chosen selections or comments.
  • Entries will reflect the child’s growth over time, their strengths and weaknesses, and their ability to reflect and improve.
  • Students should have classroom working portfolios from which students can choose the pieces that they want to place in their school portfolio.
  • School portfolio entries, each year, will include all areas listed on the portfolio table of contents:
    • One piece from each of the planners
    • A piece that demonstrates the attitudes or the Learner Profile
    • A world language piece
    • A piece demonstrating student action
    • And a piece demonstrating the interest of the child, if not already present within the portfolio
  • When completing the portfolio, students should be conscious of having pieces that reflect the transdisciplinary nature of the program. Portfolios should include pieces that display: the inquiry process, the use of technology, writing, math, the arts, and student choice.
  • All entries should include student self-reflection, and may or may not include teacher feedback
  • Portfolios should be available for the students for on-going collection and reflection of entries.

The Exhibition

The exhibition is used as a summative experience for all 5th grade students. It is a means for students to use all the essential elements of the PYP: Knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action.

  • Students use:
    • Student friendly planner for planning the Exhibition and post evaluation of the exhibition
    • IB Exhibition checklist  to insure that all IB components and criteria are included in the exhibition
    • Student/peer ongoing process reflection forms to evaluate: group dynamics, collaboration, and give feedback to mentors and teachers of group progress and next steps
  • Reflection forms from those attending the exhibition school/community give feedback which helps refine the exhibition process, including elements such as: what was learned and enjoyed through attending the exhibition, and  how to improve the process and staging of the exhibition
  • Exhibition rubrics for student and teacher use help students evaluate and reflect on: the quality student work, the incorporation of the essential elements of the IB, and the collaborative process.
  • Teachers and School Leaders yearly evaluate the Exhibition, assessing the products, process, timeline, and the staging involved in the exhibition to continually find way/areas in which to grow and/or improve

Recording and reporting of student data.

  • Students can communicate their progress through student-led conferences.
  • District report cards include assessment of IB progress.
  • IB report cards communicate to parents:
  • Student’s grasp or understanding of the central idea.
  • Formative and summative assessments.
  • Transdisciplinary skills.
  • The attitudes and the Learner Profile.
  • Students’ ability to take action.