DP Assessment Policy of Chengdu Meishi International School (CMIS)

Updated: June 2016

DP Assessment Policy of Chengdu Meishi International School (CMIS)

Assessment Philosophy:

Assessment is an integral part of a student's educational experience. It is not an end in itself but a vehicle for educational improvement. CMIS students with widely ranging abilities and backgrounds progress towards achieving curriculum standards are assessed in a variety of ways, enabling more students to experience and benefit from an international education regardless of personal circumstances. A combination of class work, assessment tasks and unit projects are routinely used to monitor learning.

Teachers use student work to make adjustments to the pace of instruction, to differentiate learning activities and to modify teaching methods in order to promote greater student achievement. One of the most important purposes of assessment is to support the student on his or her journey toward realistic and healthy internal (self) assessment.

The assessment policy is reviewed as a working document during the 2nd semester of a school year by the Head of School, the Assistant Head of School, the DP Coordinator, and DP teachers. The learning community is informed of the assessment policy through its posting on our school's website and "DP Guide to Parents and Students".

Assessment Principles:

Our assessment essential agreements and practices are guided by the following research based principles:

• Assessment must be aligned with curricular standards and benchmarks.
• Assessment tools (test, portfolios, etc.) and criteria (e.g. rubrics) will be matched to learning tasks and used to improve learning by both teachers and students.
• A balance of assessments should be used such as: formative assessment, assessment for learning, summative assessment, peer review and student self-assessments.
• Where appropriate, assessment will measure both oral and written learning.
• Students should receive assessment criteria and exemplar material at the start of a unit of study to improve performance and ensure assessment accuracy.
• Assessment will be collected and analyzed regularly to inform instruction and refine curriculum and performance expectations.
• Results from assessments are communicated to students and parents in a timely manner. This is done by using ManageBac.

Assessment Practices:

Formative and summative assessment regimen includes but is not limited to:

Time

Assessment

All summative assessments are didactically used at the beginning of the next semester and are, therefore, used formatively. Interspersed between the assessments listed in the above table are midterm exams, chapter/unit tests, quizzes, and homework, which may oral and/or written. While the frequency of formative assessments may differ among subjects, we strive to include this type of assessment on a daily basis, such as Questioning, Constructive Quizzes, Graphic Organizers, Practice Presentations, etc.

A student's mark in a course is a product of subject knowledge, performance, and habit. Students’ marks are posted in an online grading system (ManageBac) to which students, parents and teachers all have access.

Concerning homework, late work will be accepted and penalized at the teacher’s discretion. All endeavors are made to keep from assigning a student a zero.

Teacher collaboration is very much encouraged, formally or informally, esp. when more than one teacher is involved in teaching the same course. Opportunities are provided for DP teachers to conduct both horizontal and vertical collaboration, which includes, but is not limited to, department meetings, DP staff meetings, standardization meetings, EE meetings, TOK/CAS integration meetings, Job-A-Like workshop, etc.

At the end of each semester, staff will consult with students regarding progress in each subject.

IB Diploma Specific Assessments:

TheIBusesinternationallybenchmarkedcriterion-referencedassessmentsandawardspointsleadingtoanIBDiploma.ThegradingguidelinesandrubricsusedareidenticalforallIBschoolsacrosstheworld.

• InternalAssessment

Someassessmentsarerequiredby the IBthatareinternallygradedbytheteachers and then externally moderatedbyexternal examiners (or moderators).All the internal assessment deadlines must be met.

• ExternalAssessment

MaySession IB ExamsareanexampleofexternalassessmentsthataremailedawaytotheIB.Howeverthereareotherassessmenttasksthataresolelyexternallygradedbyexaminers.Forexample, Written Assignments for Language A,TheoryofKnowledgeessaysandthe ExtendedEssays.

Processes for standardization of assessment of students' work include:

• Developing common formative and summative assessments with a bank or inventory from which to draw
• Engaging in blind peer scoring of assessments (e.g., Teacher A scores Teacher B’s tests and vice versa as long as they teach the same course.)
• Engaging in double scoring of assessments for calibration purposes (akin to what administrators do for staff evaluation)
• Participating in lesson study within and across departments
• Designing department grading practices (e.g., weighting)
• Crafting department rubrics or other department scoring metrics

Grading Scale:

TheInternationalBaccalaureategrading scale isanumericalsystemfrom7(excellent)to1(verypoorperformance).A4isconsideredasatisfactorygrade.Thestudent’s1-7gradeisadirectmeasureofthecompetencyastudenthasshownintermsofskillsandknowledge.Inadditiontoa1-7grade, since CMIS is also an American accredited school, studentsalsoobtaintheir GPAs, which will be used for them to apply to universities.

Recording/Reporting DP Assessment:

At the end of June or the very beginning of July, the IB Coordinator or the DP Administrative Assistant ensures all IB graduates are able to access their scores via passwords provided by the IBO.On July 5th, right after IB Exam Results are released to CMIS, the IB Coordinator informs the school administration immediately via e-mail. As more detailed score reporting becomes available, the IB Coordinator releases it to the administration and teachers via e-mails, as PDF files. Students who have achieved the IB Diploma can pick up their IB diplomas at CMIS in August. Course students can also get their IB results at the same time.

The IB Coordinator is responsible for recording, analyzing, and filing DP assessment information along with the Academic Office. The assessment results are filed in both hard copy and electronic forms.

Links to other policies:

Admissions procedures for local students, who apply for Grade 9 and 10, include assessments in English, Chinese, and Mathematics. Admissions procedures for expatriate students include assessments in English and Mathematics. The English department head/teachers have their input for enrollment, e.g. oral English interview, producing and/or grading papers, etc. English language assessment is a two-part assessment of written and oral communication. The results from the English assessment provide CMIS with an approximate grade level proficiency in the English language, according to the State of California, through which CMIS is accredited to offer an American high school diploma. For 10th graders who will enter Grade 11, an English proficiency test is given by the English language department, which will help teachers offer students suggestions on DP course selection, esp. English A or English B, HL or SL, and which will help students and parents make a better decision on DP subject selection as well. The language assessments also provide information to build an individual language profile to assist student learning. As English is the language of instruction, students are grouped according to language ability, except in cases where mathematics skills vary drastically. CMIS offers remediation and differentiation in various courses to facilitate student understanding. DP students are given some flexibility on their choice and movement between English A and English B as well as the Higher or Standard Level. e.g. October 1st for juniors is the deadline for them to change their subject/level selection for DP courses.