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St Paul’s Secondary School Mission Statement
St. Paul’s Secondary School provides an inclusive climate of learning based on the key value of respect within a nurturing and stimulating educational setting.
We are a secondary school of the community for the community. Each student is expected to strive to fulfill his or her potential. Each person is encouraged to develop personally, academically, spiritually, socially and culturally.
“When we aspire, believe and achieve, together we can succeed.”
St Paul’s Secondary School Ethos
St. Paul's Secondary School is a Catholic voluntary co-educational secondary school under the Trusteeship of the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. St Paul’s is a welcoming and inclusive school. It is the secondary school of the community, for the community. It is the natural extension of the family with brothers and sisters, neighbours and relations learning, sharing and growing together.
The school strives to maintain and promote an atmosphere of Christian care, concern and respect where our students grow into well-adjusted men and women. The school has a strong Christian tradition, in which the Sisters of Mercy have had, and continue to have, an important role.
Inbuilt structures and procedures in the daily life of the school offer the students opportunities to develop personal initiative and responsibility, together with a questioning mind, which will help them assess, with a critical eye, the wide and varied values of the world they live in today. In school they also learn the importance of personal commitment, punctuality, regular attendance, planning for the future and working as a team.
At St Paul’s the holistic development of each student is supported, promoted, encouraged and celebrated. On completion of their education students will be prepared for life, further education, work and the varied and exciting challenges of adult life.
In preparation for life, students at St Paul’s will be taught essential habits, skills and values. Christian values and the key principles of “respect” and “doing one’s best” will remain central to what we are and all we do.
Through its curriculum, teachers and timetable, the school will provide a comprehensive education for its students. Subjects will be offered at all levels and programmes and specific courses of study will be tailored to the students’ needs. A wide range of additional academic opportunities will be afforded to students. Support, advice and guidance on further education and careers will be extensive.
Through its unique atmosphere, the school will help students develop into well-adjusted men and women. Through its pastoral care and guidance, students and their families will be supported through difficult times. The provision of physical education, sports and the promotion of healthy living will remain paramount. Through extra-curricular, subject and programme related activities students will have many opportunities to showcase their talents, perform or experience the arts. The School Charter sets out the conditions and the expectations for all the school partners to achieve St Paul’s Mission Statement through the school ethos.
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Scope of the Assessment Policy:
The term “Assessment” refers generally to the gathering, collating and interpretation of information related to a student’s learning abilities, learning attainments, learning strengths and areas of learning that need addressing.
Assessment Policy Statement:
The Education Act (1998) requires schools to regularly evaluate students and periodically report the results of the evaluation to students and their parents. In fulfilling this requirement, schools develop assessment procedures, which provide an accurate account of a student’s progress and achievement.
This Assessment Policy outlines the importance of assessment and the key role students, parents and teaching staff play in supporting this policy document.
Aims of the Policy: This Assessment Policy aims to
- Explain the rationale and importance of assessments
- List the different types of assessments
- Detail the annual schedule of assessments
- Detail the reporting procedures post assessments
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Rationale for Assessment:
Assessment is an essential part of good teaching and learning for the following reasons:
- Assessments enable the teacher to monitor a student’s progress and make decisions about what and how the student is learning. This information allows the teacher to identify the next steps in advancing the students learning and adapt teaching strategies and learning activities as appropriate.
- Assessments provide the students and parents with information regarding progress.
- Assessments help to identify appropriate subject levels for students in the Junior and Leaving Certificate.
- Assessments help identify students who may need additional support and services and to inform consultations with the NEPS psychologist where necessary.
- Assessments assist school management in identifying students, subjects, classes and areas of the curriculum that require further timetabled support.
- Assessments play an important role in subject choice, career guidance and progression to third level and further education.
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Types of Assessment
Assessments can be either informal or formal
- Informal Assessment
The most common forms of assessment used in the school are of an informal nature, and these take place regularly in the classroom. These informal assessments are at the discretion of individual teachers who will use them constructively for learning to take place. Timely feedback and constructive advice are vital components in this process. Where appropriate, teachers will keep records of these assessments to provide an insight into a students’ progress and to fully inform them regarding the learning process. Informal Assessments methods include –
Worksheets & written classwork
Questions and answers in class
Essays, projects & assignments
Reading & writing in Class
Sample exam questions
Homework – written or learned
Presentations
Performances
- Formal Assessment
There are many types of formal assessments that take place in the school. The results of these generally form the basis for the reports issued to parents. Formal Assessments include –
Monthly/End of Topic/Chapter Tests
House Examinations
Mock ExaminationsAural/Oral Tests
Maths & Reading Age Tests
Aptitude Tests
Leaving and Junior Certificate Examinations
Entrance Assessments
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Schedule of Assessments
When appropriate, and as determined by each department plan, common assessments across a year group will be used in each subject area. This will provide for increased cooperation and a common benchmark across each subject area.
Monthly/End of Topic/Chapter Tests
These forms of assessments will be conducted at the discretion of the teacher on a monthly, end of chapter or end of topic basis. These formal tests are a vital component in providing feedback to teachers, students and parents, on the level of each students attainment and learning in that specific subject area. Constructive feedback will be given by teachers to students who complete these tests. A minimum of two pre-Christmas and three post-Christmas results from these tests will be recorded onto the database for each individual student in first, second and fifth year. Parents and teachers can access these through the e-portal system.
House Exams
First, Second and Fifth year students
-will sit their Christmas Exams in early December and their Summer Exams at the end of May. The duration of these exams shall be as follows:
First Years: 1-1.5 hours, Second Years: 1.5-2 hours Fifth Years: 2 hours.
These exams are of a serious nature, and this is recognised by students, parents and teachers alike. The purpose of these exams is to measure student learning and attainment in each subject area, and to give students experience in sitting formal exams similar in nature to the state exams.
Third and sixth year students
-will sit formal house exams in November and will undertake Pre Junior and Pre Leaving Certificate Mock Exams in January each year to prepare them for their state exams in June. The Mock Examinations are set and corrected externally. These Mock Examinations are very beneficial to the students in measuring their progress in their Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate years. Students will gain valuable experience in time management and answering technique through sitting these Mock Examinations.
Transition Year students
-do not sit any formal state or house exams in the school. Their Christmas and Summer Reports are based on continuous assessments in the classroom as determined by their individual subject teacher and the grade awarded will be based on the credit system determined at the beginning of the year. As Transition Year is focused on experiential learning and personal development, the forms of assessment used may vary from the standard practices used in other years. Transition Year assessments may involve the following: external certification, portfolio, project, oral presentation, multi media, self and peer evaluation.
State Exams
The school will strive to ensure that all 3rd and 6th Year students participate (as directed by the State Exams Commission) in the many assessments that make up the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Examinations. These assessments which may include orals, course work, practical work, portfolio work amongst others, will be conducted in accordance with the regulations set down by the State Examinations Commission.
The Junior and Leaving Certificate Examinations begin the first Wednesday after the June Bank Holiday Monday each year. The exact timetable of examinations is usually available from the previous January.
Other Assessments
The school will engage in other assessments periodically throughout the year.
Entrance Assessments:
Incoming first years will undertake assessments in English, Mathematics and Irish which will be used as a basis to form mixed ability first year classes. The only exception is Maths where students will be divided according to ability. This assessment will offer an early indicator to the school of a student’s academic potential.
Maths and Reading Age Tests:
All students in first, second and third year will be tested to assess their reading and mathematical ages each academic year including at the entrance assessment.
Fitness Tests:
Students may have up to three fitness tests each year to encourage a healthy eating and exercise.
Learning Support Assessments:
All first years will be screened by the Resource/Learning Support Department to investigate the possible provision of additional help where necessary. Students may be selected for Non Reading Intelligence Tests, Aptitude Tests and many others. If a student is identified as having a learning need/difficulty the Resource co-ordinator will apply to the National Education Psychological Service. Classroom strategies such as differentiated assessment, visual aids, hearing aids, spelling waivers, increased time and dictionaries amongst others, may be used from time to time, as determined by the Resource Co-ordinator in consultation with individual subject teachers.
The school’s NEPS psychologist, in consultation with school management, may carry out psychological assessments and other assessments on students at different times throughout the year.
Aptitude Tests:
Third year students will complete a Differential Ability Test (DATs). The purpose is to focus on those areas in which students do best and try to capitalise on these as far possible in their future education, programme selection, subject selection for the Leaving Certificate, training and job hunting.
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Reporting Procedures
There are many different methods whereby the results of formal and informal assessments will be reported to students and parents.
Non Standardised Reports
- Student Journal – the teacher may communicate the outcome of any assessment to the parents/guardian of a student by writing the result or a note in the student journal. The parent/guardian is expected to acknowledge receipt of this note by countersigning it.
- Direct Contact - the teacher may decide as they see fit to contact the parent/guardian directly with respect to the outcome of any assessment undertaken by a student
- Signature of Parent on Assessment – the teacher may send the corrected assessment itself home with the student to be viewed and signed by the parent/guardian.
- Parents may access their child’s academic records through the e-portal system.
- Parent Teacher Meetings – there are Parent Teacher Meetings for all year groups throughout the academic year. At these meetings it will be possible for teachers to relay the outcomes of varying assessments to parents/guardians of individual students that generate an accurate picture of the student’s progress. Parents of First, Second and Third year students will receive the child’s most recent Reading and Mathematical Age at such meetings.
Standardised Written Reports
Formal written reports are posted to the parents/guardians of students on two occasions during the academic year, depending in which year group they are. The report template is computerised and allows teachers to distinguish levels. A mark and grade are awarded and a comment can be generated from a menu. Alternatively, an original comment can be given. All reports are signed off by the Year Head and the Principal and a general comment may be made on progress to date.
- First, Second and Fifth year parents/guardians will receive their Christmas Report in December before the Christmas holidays, and their Summer Report during the Summer holidays.
- Transition year parents/guardians will receive their first report in January before the Parent/Teacher meeting and the second during the Summer holidays.
- Third and Sixth year parents/guardians will also receive a Christmas Report in November and will then receive another report with the results of their Pre Junior and Pre Leaving Certificate Mock Examinations.