• PYP Assessment Policy

    PYP Assessment & Reporting Policy

    1. What are our rights and responsibilities regarding assessment?

    Our beliefs (Teachers will):

    • Drive instruction (focus on pre-assessment)
    • Use a balanced variety of tools
    • Provide students with multiple opportunities to choose how they will share their learning throughout the year
    • Use a balance of formative, summative, teacher, self and peer assessments
    • Provide specific feedback promptly after assessments
    • Ensure data is transparent
    • Believe that all students have the ability to learn

    Our beliefs (Students will):

    • Reflect on their learning and feedback
    • Set goals and reflect on their progress
    • Have an active role in developing and sharing their assessments with others
    • Believe they have the ability to learn
    • Take risks and learn from their mistakes

    Our beliefs (Administration will):

    • Ensure data is transparent
    • Support school staff/students
    • Believe that all students have the ability to learn

    Our beliefs (Parents will):

    • Support school staff/students
    • Communicate as needed
    • Believe that their child(ren) have the ability to learn

    2. Why do we assess students' work?

    Philosophies of Assessment

    • To identify students’ strengths and weaknesses to guide instruction for all learners.
    • To determine prior knowledge.
    • To check progress, monitor grade level benchmarks, and communicate to all stakeholders.
    • To drive the focus of our Professional Learning Communities.
    • To help the students know where they are, reflect and set goals.
    • To guide and check the effectiveness of curriculum development.

    3. What are our practices regarding assessment?

    Essential Agreements of Assessments (We will)

    • Use pre-assessments, formatives and summatives in all academic areas.
    • Use peer, self and teacher assessments to guide instruction.
    • Give regular specific feedback for reflection on students’ learning.
    • Keep clear and accurate records of assessments.
    • Inform and involve students in the development of assessments.
    • Use the Gifted Frameworks, ESOL, and ESE strategies to differentiate assessments.

    4. How we assess?

    A. Types of Assessments

    • Pre-assessment-Given before any unit of study to determine prior knowledge and plan instruction accordingly.
    • Formative Assessment-Several should be given throughout any unit of study to check in on student learning and direct further instruction.
    • Summative Assessment-Given at the end of any unit of study to assess transfer of knowledge and understanding of objectives and/or central idea.
    • Self-assessments- Reflection of student work and growth.
    • Peer-assessments- Reflection of collaboration between students.

    B. Assessment Strategies

    • Observations – All students are observed regularly with a focus in whole group, small group and individual.
    • Performance assessments – Students will have opportunities to apply problem-solving skills in different scenarios.
    • Process-focused assessments – Students are observed regularly and the observations are recorded by noting behaviors. A system of note taking and record keeping is creating through checklists, inventories and learning logs for collecting observations.
    • Selected responses – Single occasion, one–dimensional exercises through the use of tests and quizzes.
    • Open-ended tasks – Situations in which students are presented a scenario or task and asked to communicate an original response, which might be a written answer, a drawing, a diagram or a solution

    C. Assessment Tools

    • Portfolios-It is a collection of ongoing work to document student growth, achievement and reflection.
    • Rubrics-These are an established set of criteria to rate student work on a predetermined scale. Rubrics can be developed collaboratively with students and teachers.
    • Checklists-These are lists used to indicate mastery of skills, concepts and objectives.
    • Anecdotal records – These are brief written notes based on observations, interviews or research of students. Teachers use this as a tool to document conferring in all areas.
    • Exemplars-These are samples of students work that serve as concrete standards against which other samples are judged.
    • Continuum- These are visual representations of developmental stages of learning. They show a progression of achievement or identify where a student is in a process.

    4. When do we assess? What are our school practices?

    Assessment Instruments

    Pre-K

    The VPK Assessment state readiness pre-test (beg of year), Mid-year (optional for Progress Monitoring) and post test (end of year)

    Reading-Concepts About Print (quarterly)

    • Phonemic Awareness Assessment tied to PreK standards (quarterly until mastered)
    • F&P Letter/sound recognition (quarterly until mastered)
    • F&P (when developmentally appropriate – after passing 13 out of 13 from CAP)
    • Independent reading rubric with mind work or standards checklist on GRADE LEVEL
    • F&P (when students are ready to read – then quarterly

    Writing-Unprompted writing check-in using writing checklists and/or unit standards checklist  (per unit of study)

    Math-Beginning of the year Pre-Test and teacher developed Quarterly Assessments, Unit checklists/assessments as formatives (monthly/ongoing)

    Science and Social Studies-Assessment rubrics and/or checklists for formative and summative assessments, If they do not pass level A, complete F&P letter and sound recognition & CAP

    Kindergarten

    Reading

    • FLKRS (1st 30 days)
    • FAST/STAR Early Literacy
    • CAP (August & quarterly if needed)
    • Letter recognition (August and quarterly if needed)
    • HF Word Assessment through Benchmark and Literacy Footprints
    • Reading unit formatives
    • Quarterly Checklists

    Writing

    • Unprompted writing check-in (checklists, developmental writing continuum)
    • Prompted writing assessments (genre specific rubrics for grading)
    • Quarterly Checklists

    Math

    • FAST/STAR Math
    • Beginning of the year Math assessments (screening – beg of year)
    • Unit checklists/assessments as formatives (monthly/ongoing)
    • Quarterly Checklists
    • Unit summatives

    Science and Social Studies

    • Assessment rubrics and/or checklists for formative and summative assessments
    • Quarterly Checklists

    1st Through 5th Grade

    Reading

    FAST/STAR Reading

    • Rubrics as appropriate
    • Quarterly Standards checklist as appropriate
    • Running Record (at least 3 times per year)
    • Running record rubric will be used to identify students’ progress with pausing, phrasing, stress, intonation, rate and integration of these fluency components.

    Writing

    Prompted and unprompted writing check-in with Lucy Calkins’ Units of Writing checklists and/or unit standards checklist/rubric/exemplars (per unit of study)

    Math

    • Beginning of the year Pre-Assessment (screening – beg of year)
    • Math standards checklists/assessments as formatives (monthly/ongoing/POD weekly)
    • Unit summatives
    • Acaletics (4th and 5th)
    • FAST Math

    Science/Social Studies-Assessment rubrics and/or standards checklists for formative and summative assessments

    5th Grade Exhibition

    The Exhibition – The Exhibition is the culminating experience of the Primary Years Program. It requires students to synthesize their prior knowledge and apply it to current world issues. The subject of the Exhibition is a student-selected, real-word problem, which warrants an extended investigation. It is a celebration that unites students, teachers, and families in a presentation that represents the essence of PYP: Approaches to Learning Skills embedded with Learner Profile Attributes, Key Concepts, Agency and Action.  

    Student-led conferences 

    Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth grade will conduct student-led conferences during first and third quarter. This is where students will explain their work, goals and learner profile reflections captured in the PYP Portfolio.  

    Learner Profile Reflections

    Students and teachers will reflect at least once per unit of study using the Learner Profile Reflection. Parents may choose to reflect on one or more of the attributes during student-led conferences.  

    PYP Portfolios

    Students will select work related to their unit of inquiry concepts to place in the PYP Portfolio. Teachers will regularly plan for reflection days for students to place additional work and reflect on their artifacts. Students will reflect on their learning, explain what was learned, and make connections to other transdisciplinary units of study. 

    Professional Development

    • Reflect on and discuss assessment policies and practices during faculty meetings, PLCs, and other professional development.
    • Teachers participate in Professional Development related to assessment based on the current needs and best practices of the IB Primary Years Programme.
    • Teachers are expected to incorporate new learning and best practices into teaching and learning.

     

    *We will reflect on our assessment policy to make revisions on an annual basis to represent our new learning.