Assessment

Assessment Overview

Assessment at Pacific Beach Middle IB World School - Rigorous Criteria...applied consistently worldwide

International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) assessment standards are consistent around the world in order to maintain the rigor for which the IB is renowned. Assessments at PB Middle School are a based on IB MYP and modified to meet our regional requirements. At Pacific Middle IB World School our teachers have developed specific units of study aligned with the IB objectives for all 8 subjects and in conjuction with the content and Common Core State Standards for the different subjects. In each unit of study the students are assessed on their ability to demonstrate what they've learned including:

  • Content Knowledge

o IB Objectives

o Standards

  • Global Understanding

o IB concepts (eg. change, culture, community, conflict)

o IB global contexts (eg. sustainability, development, personal expression)

  • Approaches to Learning Skills (ie. thinking; social; self-management; communication; research)

In order to better align our assessment practices with IB schools worldwide and reflect updated research on teaching and learning, in 2014 PB Middle educators introduced a school wide shift in assessment. We have worked with SDUSD and other IB World Schools, to set up the online Gradebook to reflect and align with our IB unit assessments and assessment rubrics. Because this is new for our school, and our district, we may need to make small changes along the way and will inform families if and when we do.

Fortunately, criteria-related assessment is not new to our SDUSD families. Families who were here in elementary school are already familiar with this type of grading, similar to the standards based report card format. This type of assessment provides information about what a child knows, understands and is able to do and how to improve. Using a qualitative grading system, based on criteria, also takes away from problems encountered when a final grade is based solely on a quantity such as a percent or number correct in a test and does not inform the student, parent, or educator on the level of achievement or description of what was learned.

Assessment at PB Middle is designed by the teachers in each subject area. In each subject a unit of study is specially designed to develop knowledge, understanding and skills needed to complete a summative assessment. MYP summative assessments can include open-ended, problem-solving activities, projects and investigations; organized debates and discussions; tests and exams; hands-on experimentation; performances; as well as written and oral reports, analysis and reflection. Formative assessment aims to inform the student and teacher throughout the unit. Formative assessments can include homework, exit slips, class assignments, online, ongoing projects, class discussions, etc.

IB Objectives and Standards: Each IB MYP subject has four objectives, which include the instructional standards for the course. Each of the objectives has corresponding assessment criteria as proscribed for all IB MYP World Schools. Criteria are used to determine the child's achievement level on each summative assessment task. Summative assessment scores will be taken into account when teachers award a student a final grade for the course that represents his/her overall level achieved by the end of the grading period.

See Sample Rubric for Mathematics Year 1 (Grade 6) Below

OBJECTIVE A. KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING in MATHEMATICS

ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL

Sample Rubric - CRITERIA DESCRIPTOR FOR LEVEL ACHIEVED

At the end of Year 1, students should be able to:

  • select appropriate mathematics when solving problems
  • apply the selected mathematics successfully when solving problems
  • solve problems correctly in both familiar and unfamiliar situations in a variety of contexts

0

The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.

1-2

The student is able to:

select appropriate mathematics, when solving simple problems in familiar situations

apply the selected mathematics successfully when solving these problems

generally solve these problems correctly.

3-4

The student is able to:

select appropriate mathematics, when solving more complex problems in familiar situations

apply the selected mathematics successfully when solving these problems

generally solve these problems correctly.

5-6

The student is able to:

select appropriate mathematics, when solving challenging problems in familiar situations

apply the selected mathematics successfully when solving these problems

generally solve these problems correctly.

7-8

The student is able to:

select appropriate mathematics, when solving challenging problems in both familiar and unfamiliar situations

apply the selected mathematics successfully when solving these problems

generally solve these problems correctly.

Rubric: To evaluate assessments many teachers use a tool called a rubric. It has specific descriptions of the criteria that must be achieved to demonstrate learning.

Individual Evaluation: Students are graded based on the criteria described in the rubrics, and are not graded or evaluated against the work of other students.

Gradebook: In the Powerschool Gradebook the viewer may click on an assessment and see different categories. Each category is based on the four objectives for learning for each subject area. Achievement on formative assessments such as homework and classwork assignments may also be reported using the 8 point scale but teachers are not required to include these in the online gradebook. They will provide regular and ongoing feedback throughout the unit through formative assessment strategies such as feedback on exit slips, notes on classroom assignments, homework checks, etc. Teachers are required to use the gradebook to report 8 point scores for each of their summative assessments. A table showing the four objectives for each subject can be found in the student planner.

The highest score achieved on a PB Middle assessment task rubric is 8. The lowest score is 0. Scores on summative assessment tasks will then be used to determine overall achievement level for the four categories combined. Although IB World Schools traditionally report a 0-7 final score, to meet district requirements, at the end of a grading period a student's overall achievement level will be based on a 0-8 scale that will convert in the PowerSchool Gradebook to an A-F letter grade. An level 8 is achieved by exceeding standards and demonstrating an exceptional level of knowledge, understanding and/or skills such as making a connection between knowledge in two subject areas (transfer) or applying learning to a new scenario or situation.

Some teachers may also choose to include or, report other skills such as participation, achievement on homework assignments, or working in groups as a portion of your overall grade in a separate category called Approaches to Learning (ATL). You may see an ATL grade in the online gradebook.

Teachers will communicate their assessment in their class syllabus or on their teacher webpage.

When a child has an summative or final assessment, the teacher will enter a 0-8 score in the gradebook. Remember 0 is the lowest score possible, 8 is the highest score possible. Students and parents will be able to see how a particular assessment task was scored against the IB objectives (content standards). By the end of the year, each student will have multiple assessment tasks that are scored against your achievement of the objectives. By comparing assessment tasks against a rubric, the student and teacher can determine what has been learned and can identify how to improve.

Equivalencies

Rubric Points Equivalent % Equivalent Grades Equivalent Level
8-7 100-87% A Advanced
6-5 86-62% B Proficient
4-3 61-37% C Basic
2-1 36-13% D Below Basic
0 12-0% F Far Below Basic

Citizenship: Skills such as self-management and social skills affect a child's ability to succeed in life outside the classroom. Working well with others, participating, arriving on time, coming prepared, meeting deadlines such as turning homework in on time are critical to academic success. These behaviors are reported on each report card. Citizenship grades are: Excellent; Good; Satisfactory; Needs Improvement; or Unsatisfactory.

We may make changes as we continue to implement and align our grading practices in the IB MYP. For more information about PB Middle Assessment, or to report an error in the Parent Portal view of our online GradeBook please contact [email protected].

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