ASSESSMENT POLICY
Index
- Harvest International School Mission and Vision
- IB Mission Statement
- Philosophy
- Objective of assessment policy
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Assessment and Reporting in PYP
- Assessment and Reporting in MYP
- Promotion policy
- Review of the policy
- Bibliography
Harvest International School Mission and Vision
The IB Mission
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end, the organization works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners.
HIS Mission
Harvest International School is dedicated to providing personalized holistic education, leveraging technology for academic growth and innovation. Our inclusive and value-centric approach develops confident, globally-minded individuals who embrace diversity. With the guidance of exceptional educators and partnering with parents, we provide a supportive environment, instilling a lifelong love for learning and empathy.
HIS Vision
Nurture happy learners who embody ethics, enable them to excel in their chosen fields, and contribute to the betterment of society as responsible and conscientious global citizens.
Philosophy
HIS believes that in order to achieve the mission it is imperative that students must be provided with opportunities and platforms for them to grow beyond their comfort zones. To the end of developing holistic learners, teachers at Harvest design and conduct authentic assessment that are student centric and rigorous.
Assessment at HIS is a part of the teaching cycle that provides data and evidence about students’ learning.
Objectives of Assessment
Assessment is conducted at HIS to acknowledge students’ learning.
| Assessments allow students to: Analyse their learning and understand what needs to be improved. Synthesize and apply their learning in addition to recalling facts. Promote reflection and be encouraged to be responsible for their learning. | Assessments allow teachers to Reflect on their teaching and identify areas of enhancement and improvement. Determine needs for differentiation of instructions. Inform students of their progress and growth and identify areas of improvement. Plan instructional practices and strategies based on data analysis |
Roles and responsibilities Students Students must:
Take responsibility of their learning and regular self assess. Reflect on their tasks and assessments. Produce quality work, complete tasks and assessments on time and ensure timely submissions. Adhere to academic integrity guidelines and requirements. Complete their formative assessments and seek feedback from teachers. Identify areas of improvement and plan action as per the feedback provided by teachers. Be aware of the criteria for assessment.
Teachers
- Keep the assessment process transparent and informed.
- Provide timely and meaningful feedback to students on their assignments and assessment tasks.
- Use a variety of tools, strategies, and methodologies to prepare authentic assessments.
- Use the IB assessment criteria and guidelines for assessments.
- Help students identify areas for improvement.
- Ensure that the school academic integrity guidelines are adhered to.
- Involve parents in student success.
Families
- Attend school sessions/orientation programs to understand the assessment and academic integrity requirements.
- Read school handbooks as a family to understand requirements.
- Share any relevant information about the child with the school that may affect the child’s performance in any assessment.
- Ensure regularity of the child to school.
- Partner in the child’s academic progress by staying in touch with the teachers.
Assessment and Reporting in PYP
Assessment in PYP
The assessment of student implementation and learning is a key component of the PYP and helps to inform continuing development, learning, and teaching. Students are examined in a variety of settings, and a wide range of evaluation methods are put in place. In the PYP section, the academic session comprises of 6 units of inquiry. A range of assessments are used in the classroom to illustrate student achievements:
- Pre-Assessment
- Formative Assessment
- Summative Assessment
- Evaluation of the Five Essential Elements of the PYP
Pre-Assessment
At the beginning of each Unit of Inquiry, teachers will assess children’s prior knowledge and experience before embarking on new learning experiences.
Formative Assessments
The formative evaluations are part of the learning process that takes place throughout the unit. It is an instrument used by the teacher to consistently monitor student improvement in a nurturing environment, providing both teachers and students with valuable knowledge about what students understand or do not understand. At least three training tasks are engineered by teachers for each research unit. Each assignment includes frequent concise feedback accompanied by a review of the challenges faced by students, which provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their efficiency, receive guidance, and improve their performance.
Summative Assessments
Summative assessments are intended to test the level of competence attained at the conclusion of the investigative unit. It allows students to demonstrate their awareness and comprehension in a variety of ways. It not only measures children’s knowledge of the central idea but also helps them develop the attributes, attitudes, and skills needed to build a solid foundation in their educational process. Summative assessment can take many forms, such as essays, periodicals, role plays, models, and questions and answers.
Assessment of the Five Essential Elements of the PYP
The school acknowledges that the five components of the PYP form an integral part of the assessment. The PYP also calls for the creation of transdisciplinary concepts that encompass individual subject areas. Teachers monitor students’ ability to make connections across subjects and apply skills to construct new knowledge. Conceptual understandings focus on how concepts are recalled, explained, applied, and transferred through a range of learning experiences. ATL skills are monitored and documented for growth over time. Finally, students are expected to apply everything they have learned by taking action, not only within the school community but also in the broader world.
Recording: How We Choose to Collect and Analyze Data
Teachers have a role to play in constantly carrying out evaluations. They assess how children behave and how well the tools are used by students. They are attentive to how their style of teaching works in the classroom. Data is gathered in the classroom throughout the day to make assessments. Some forms of reporting that the PYP uses to document its evaluation include:
Meetings and Conferences
Three-way conferences are structured reporting sessions conducted by students with the help of teachers to discuss their learning with their families.
Student-Led Conferences
The Student-Led Conference is a conference where the student introduces and discusses their portfolio with parents, showcasing their overall learning process in the group. These conferences allow students to actively participate, while teachers are only present as facilitators.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
PTMs, as they are commonly called, are scheduled at the end of each unit to report on the student’s learning. PYP interventions to learning are revealed through a continuum, while all other elements of the program are covered by written comments. Student data on success and advancement is conveyed to parents in various ways. The types of assessments used throughout the school are diverse, providing a detailed view of the student’s progression.
School Events
Throughout the school year, various events such as the Science Exhibition, Art Exhibition, Sports Day, Annual Day, and other events showcase the student journey through the PYP as well as the skills they have developed in all disciplines.
Portfolio
PYP students build a portfolio that focuses on a variety of knowledge and program areas. The portfolio is a compilation of work selected by both students and teachers and serves as a record of student engagement in education. It is designed to demonstrate growth, thinking skills, creativity, assessment strategies, and reflection. Portfolios celebrate the learning of students through the PYP, showing the holistic development of children both inside and outside the Inquiry Curriculum in all disciplines. Portfolios allow students to reflect with their educators, parents, and peers to recognize their strengths as well as areas for improvement throughout the year.
The PYP Exhibition
The final year of the IB Primary Years Programme culminates in an exhibition that provides students with an opportunity to explore, document, and share their understanding of a local or global issue of personal significance. It is a continuation of who our students are as learners and a demonstration of what they have accomplished in all areas of the Primary Years Programme. It takes place in the final year of the Primary Year (Grade 5 at Harvest International School) and aims to celebrate and share the learning of students with the entire community.
The exhibition aims to engage students in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry to showcase and reflect on their PYP education. It is a platform to explore multiple perspectives, demonstrate the attributes of the IB Learner Profile, and build upon their ATL skills while synthesizing and applying their PYP learning in real-life contexts.
The Exhibition Transition
The exhibition is also a celebration of their transition to the Middle Years Programme.
Written Report Cards
The Primary Years Program Report Cards are optimized to be flexible and customized, reflecting the wide variety of assessment approaches in IB PYP schools.
Assessment and Reporting in MYP
Assessment in MYP
Formative Assessment
These are continuous assessments that may or may not be informed in advance and may or may not be based on the IB assessment criteria. These are conducted to provide students with feedback on their current understanding and help them identify areas for improvement along with their development of ATL skills. With the feedback, students plan their course of action and prepare for summative assessments.
Summative Assessment
Summative assessments are conducted at the end of every unit and are based on IB-provided subject-specific criteria. All strands of each criterion are assessed at least twice in a year. To keep the process transparent and authentic, task-specific clarifications for each level band are given to students in advance.
Feedback is provided to students by highlighting the achievement descriptors.
Differentiated assessment tasks may be given to students with special needs from MYP 1 to MYP 3. Access arrangements will be applied with the IB for these students for their eAssessment.
In case a student misses an assessment, another chance may be given at the discretion of the program coordinator based on the reason for the same. No chance is given in the case of uninformed leave. A medical certificate must be produced by the parent in case of any medical situations.
End of Year Assessment
This is conducted at the end of every year from MYP 1 to 4 and covers concepts and content from all the units covered during the year. These are conducted for the Onscreen assessment subjects and assess students on all four criteria as per the subject guides.
For MYP 4, the assessments shall be conducted on Assessprep and shall follow the eAssessment guidelines and requirements.
For MYP 5, a set of Mock assessments shall be conducted before the eAssessment.
eAssessment (External Standardized Assessment at the end of Year 5)
The IB introduced a new MYP assessment model in 2016 that includes mandatory moderation of the personal project, ePortfolios, and On-screen examinations. eAssessment, though not mandated by the IB, shall be a mandatory requirement for students at Harvest International School, with exceptions considered on a case-by-case basis.
The students are registered for these assessments by the school as per the IB guidelines (in the month of October, for the May session, as chosen by the school). The registration fee for the eAssessment is borne by the parents and is informed to them at the beginning of the academic year.
How does eAssessment work?
Once a school registers for eAssessment in the MYP, the IB will be able to assess students’ work in two ways:
ePortfolios of Coursework
This includes a compulsory Portfolio for the Personal Project. The following subject groups will be assessed at HIS via ePortfolios: Arts, Design, PHE, Personal Project. A typical ePortfolio will be internally assessed by the teacher, standardized by other teachers within Harvest, and then externally moderated.
On-screen Examinations
The following subject groups will be assessed at HIS via on-screen examinations: English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Sciences, Interdisciplinary, Individuals and Societies, and Language Acquisition. Each on-screen exam comprises two or three tasks. One task is connected with, inspired by, or derived from the Global Context released by IB. This will be the same for all types of subject groups for a given session.
Reporting in MYP
Parents are informed about their child’s performance and progress during the academic year through report cards (shared on the LMS) and regular coffee mornings, three-way conferences, and student-led conferences. The feedback for formative assessments is usually given on the task sheets, via ManageBac, or verbally.
The Summative assessments are marked on IB criteria, with each criterion marked out of 8. These criteria must be assessed at least twice during an academic year. In case of assessments more than twice, teachers use the best-fit approach to arrive at a final achievement level for each criterion. A total achievement level out of 32 is calculated by adding the achievement levels in each of the four criteria. A final grade out of 7 is awarded to the student for their achievement in each term for each subject, based on the conversion of this achievement level as per the grade boundaries provided by the IB.
*Refer to MYP Parent Handbook
Summative Assessment performance reports are IB achievement level-based and are reported to the parents four times during an academic year. End-of-year assessment is reported on a separate report card.
ATL Reports
BE, ME, AE, and EE are used to display the level of ATL competencies acquired, with written comments accompanying the markings to assist parents in understanding how their child is performing.
- BE: Below Expectations
- ME: Meeting Expectations
- AE: Above Expectations
- EE: Exceeding Expectations
Promotion Policy
The school aims at ensuring continuous improvement in the academic performance of all students. In this light, the school provides necessary tools and opportunities for students to improve in their assessments and performance; however, a student is not held back in a class. In case of performance below expected levels, the records and evidence are shared with the teaching team for the next consecutive year, and a differential learning plan is prepared for the child in question.
Attendance is an important criterion where students are expected to have at least 85% present days of the total working days. In any other case, the promotion to the next grade level is discussed with the principal, program coordinator, and parents, and the final decision for promotion is at the discretion of the school.
In case of performance below expected levels in MYP 4, the decision to move to the eAssessment grade year (Year 5 MYP) is made based on a mutual discussion between the school and parents. The child may be given an option to appear for eAssessment for selected subject groups only, with the understanding that the child will not be awarded the MYP certificate.
Assessment Policy Revision
This MYP assessment policy draft was first developed in May 2022 with the collaboration of the HIS Head of School, School Principal, and MYP Coordinator. It reflects current practices in the school year 2022-2023. Therefore, this memorandum is still in advancement.
The second draft was made in August 2022 based on the suggestions recommended during consultancy meetings. The current document is the third draft, prepared in November 2022. The next review of the policy will take place in August 2023. We acknowledge the fact that we are in the Candidacy phase for MYP, so this policy will be subjected to review at least once a year or as per need based on further review and feedback from the MYP Consultant. (The review committee includes the Pedagogical Leadership Team and the facilitators.)
