2015-2016 Assessment Policy – Basic Academy and Brown JHS page 1 of 4

Assessment Policy Basic Academy and Brown JHS

2020-2021

Philosophy We believe that all assessments should be relevant, rigorous and, reflective. We believe that all assessments should guide instruction and measure student learning. At Brown Junior High School and Basic Academy of International Studies, we design authentic, rigorous, and student-centered assessments that promote important skills for 21st century learners and leaders. Nevada Academic Content Standards (NVACS) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) subject-specific aims, objectives, and assessment criteria are used to drive instruction and design assessment tasks. Data from assessments are collected and analyzed in order to guide instruction by enriching academic strengths and addressing academic weaknesses.

Formative and Summative Assessments Multiple and varied assessments will be employed to evaluate student achievement. Formative assessments occur during the instructional process and guide teaching and learning. Formative assessments are used to inform students about their academic progress and prepare students for mastery of skills needed to achieve success in summative assessments. Formative assessments will be ongoing using criteria related to the objectives. Formative assessment is a feature of all teaching and learning is vital to the learning process.

While supporting student learning, the summative assessment is also an evaluation of student achievement of objectives and standards through a culminating activity, generally at the end of a unit of study. Summative assessments are the final opportunity for students and teachers to show mastery of benchmarks before moving on to new skills. Quarter grades will include formative and summative assessments, which are an indication of the level the student has attained and sustained. Summative assessments contribute to the determination of the MYP achievement level. This usually takes place at the end of the MYP unit of work or at the end of the quarter or semester. As students are assessed continually in the MYP, teachers will be able to determine a level of achievement during a learning period.

Examples of various assessments include:

• Student interviews • Peer assessment • Self-assessment• Written assignments • Unit exams • Anecdotal records• Open-ended tasks • Laboratory activities • Reflection journals• Individual and group work • Collaborative or individual projects• Verbal discussion/Socratic seminar• Performances, demonstrations, or practical work• Presentations using a variety of tools (Prezi, Powerpoint, GoogleDocs) and in a variety of

ways (oral, written, graphic)

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In addition to creating our own assessment tasks, students are required to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) tests, Discovery Education (DE) assessments in math and reading, Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT) in 8th grade science, and End-of-Course Exams for High School Courses. English Language Learners (ELL) are required to take the World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA). Special needs students may be required to take the Nevada Alternate Assessment (NAA).

MYP Assessment Criteria Rubrics and assessment tasks are developed, implemented and assessed collaboratively by MYP teachers with reference to both relevant MYP guides and subject group overviews.

Teachers do the following in order to have common practices around determining achievement levels on IB rubrics:

• Use MYP subject group assessment criteria rubrics

• Provide exemplars and non-exemplars to students

• Clarify rubrics using student-friendly language

• Generate checklists and rubrics to support formative assessments

• Write task-specific rubrics or make assessment tasks specific by using a task sheet or by sharing grading practices on specific assessments with students during a class discussion.

• Standardize grades by using time during department and grade-level meetings to compare grading practices and agree on a common level for each summative task

• Standardize expectations for achievement by writing common assessments, using common rubrics and by discussing what they will be looking for in student work in order for a student to achieve at a certain level.

Recording and Reporting Student Achievement Teachers use our district student information database, Infinite Campus, and the online database, Managebac to record student grades.

When reporting grades to parents:

• Evidence of learning will be shared with parents on report cards each quarter and each semester at both the middle school and high school. Our report cards contain letter grades as required by our district grading system.

• Student grades, assignments, and teacher comments can be viewed 24-hours a day through the Infinite Campus parent and student portals.

• MYP assessment criteria scores are reported in ManageBac and parents can view those grades through the parent account.

• Additional evidence of learning may be shared with parents on progress reports and during scheduled parent conferences.

• Student-led conferences will take place once during the 1st semester of each school year in grades 6-8. Students demonstrate ownership of their achievement through sharing of their report card and assessment data with their parent(s) and or guardian(s).

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Teachers will dual report MYP scores in ManageBac and Infinite Campus. In ManageBac, MYP scores are recorded in a category that is un-weighted. The table below shows what percent an MYP criterion level will reflect in Infinite Campus.

MYP Criteria Score 0 1 2 3-4 5-6 7-8

Percent in Infinite Campus

Gradebook

Student did not attempt

the task

59% or below 60-69% 70-83% 84-93% 94-100%

Communicating our Assessment Policy The Assessment Policy, alongside the school’s Academic Honesty, Special Needs and Language policies, will be communicated to all stakeholders. Policy documents will be made available on the school website for parents and community access, and distributed in printed form to all staff members at the school site. School leadership and staff will review necessary aspects of each policy, as appropriate, with parents and students through orientation and school information events and publications. Additional printed copies will be made available for distribution to interested parties.

Reviewing our Assessment Policy A committee, made up of school leadership and staff will be formed to review the policies. The policy will be reviewed and revised as needed and the communication of the changes will be presented to all stakeholders.

Stakeholder Responsibilities Teacher Responsibilities:

• Maintain accurate and current records of student grades both on Infinite Campus and in Managebac

• Communicate expectations for student performance through the use of rubrics • Consider students’ whole schedule when planning assessments • Assess each of the IB assessment criteria two times annually at minimum • Utilize data from formative assessments to plan and modify instruction • Work collaboratively with teachers across content areas, as well as academic support

staff to create common assessments • Provide timely written and oral feedback on assignments • Collaborate departmentally to develop a vertical plan of instruction to ensure students will

master skills at each grade level. • Modify instructional style and strategies to reflect the diversity of learning strategies in the

classroom • Maintain positive and open communication with parents to support student progress

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Student Responsibilities:

• Be honorable learners that think independently, while assessing personal progress and areas that need development

• Show integrity during all educational opportunities and interactions • Attend school every day and be punctual in effort to be prepared for assessment • Reflect on assessment data to develop relevant learning opportunities • Apply rigorous effort on formative assessments to maximize progress and summative

assessment scores • Communicate struggles and confusion about assignments and assessments with subject

area teachers appropriately to receive personalized feedback and support • Nurture supportive relationships between peers, parents, and teachers, to cultivate a

learning community network for personal development • Follow all deadlines and submit work on time as to ensure adequate progress and

maximize potential

Academic Support Staff (Coordinator, Learning Strategist, Counselor, Administrators):

• Provide time in the school day for teachers to plan and reflect • Provide professional development on analyzing data and using data to plan instruction • Assist teachers with analyzing data from state and district level standardized tests • Cultivate a culture of professional growth and collaboration surrounding assessment

Parent Responsibilities

• Sign up and check Infinite Campus • Check student agendas for homework and communication from teachers • Have daily conversations with students about their day and what they did in each class • Provide a quiet and structured environment for students to review their school work daily

with minimal distraction • Encourage a positive attitude toward learning in all subject areas

IB Resources and Other References Assessment policy. (2015). Roland Park K-8 Magnet School for International Studies. http://rolandpark.mysdhc.org/

MYP assessment policy. (2015). Mountain Ridge MS and Rampart HS. http://www.asd20.org/Schools/mrms/Teachers/Shawn_Parsons/IB%20Policies/Forms/AllItems.aspx

MYP: From principles into practice. (2014). International Baccalaureate Organization. www.ibo.org