IB MYP Assessment Policy

II. Assessment Overview

Restoration Academy is a project-based learning environment. Our subject based and interdisciplinary units culminate with projects that are designed in alignment with the Next Generation Learning Standards; as well as the International Baccalaureate aims and learning objectives of the Middle Years Program (MYP). En route to the culminating project, teachers will utilize a variety of formative and summative assessments to gauge student learning. Presently, we are learning and shifting to incorporate a competency-based system. 

 

A. Methods of Assessment:

Pre-Assessments:  Content and/or skill based assessments are given at the beginning of each new unit to determine knowledge base, inform instruction, and anticipate misunderstandings. Pre-assessments include snapshot assessments, quizzes, gallery walks, polls, and surveys. 

Formative Assessments:  Formative assessments are integrated into each lesson, everyday offering a continual collection of evidence for assessing student learning.  Formative assessments allow teachers to evaluate students as they learn and offer students low stakes opportunities to practice skills and receive ongoing feedback to build confidence with the concept or skill.  Formative Assessments often increase in complexity to support skill development and conceptual understanding and skill development toward mastering the learning target.

Examples of formative assessments include:

      • Do Now activities
      • Classwork
      • Whole Class and Group Discussion activities
      • Homework
      • Journals and learning logs
      • Presentations
      • Self and peer assessment
      • Research toward culminating projects
      • Exit slips

Summative Assessments:  Summative Assessments are used as tools to evaluate a student's overall understanding, proficiency, and performance at the end of each subject based or interdisciplinary unit.  As a project-based learning environment, each subject or interdisciplinary unit culminates with a project that aligns with MYP assessment criteria. Although projects are the primary summative assessment, other forms are also used.  

Summative Assessments include:

      • Research papers
      • Essays
      • Presentations
      • Lab Experiments
      • Exams

 

B. Other School-Wide Assessments: 

Teachers will administer other school wide assessments throughout the year.  Data gathered from school wide assessments are used to inform grouping, tiered differentiation, and targeted intervention programming. 

      • Standardized state testing
      • Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment
      • Reading and literacy diagnostic assessments
      • Measure of Student Learning (MOSL) Performance Task
      • The New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) 
      • Fountas and Pinnell Reading Assessment/Running Records

 

C. Assessment in Practice:

As a project-based learning environment, it is essential that assessment of learning is a continuous process that is layered in approach and complexities to support student preparedness for the summative assessment task  Formative assessments given prior to the summative assessment task are to be developed with clearly defined learning targets, upon which they are evaluated to identify next steps required to clear misconceptions and build competency. Subject-based and interdisciplinary summative assessments will be scored using the MYP assessment criteria. 

 

RESTORATION ACADEMY MYP ASSESSMENT POLICY

At Restoration Academy Magnet School for Global Exploration and Innovation, assessment is an essential component to understanding how to plan for our students’ academic learning.  Our grading system is a multi-layered tool used for collecting the data needed to inform instructional planning, grouping, interventions, resource selection, and schoolwide partnerships/programs/field trips. In our effort to develop and maintain a culture where students are actively partnering in their learning, we consider assessment and grading essential for keeping students informed of their own academic progress.  This regular feedback allows students the opportunity to self-assess and partner in setting specific academic goals.

*The Restoration Academy MYP Assessment Policy was written by the IB Coordinator, SNSimpson, and the Instructional Leadership Team, drafted April, 2022. Review and updated, May 2022; October, 2022.

  • M.S. 301 Restoration Academy. Fair, Uplifting, Trustworthy, United, Responsible, Equitable

Table of Content

  1. Restoration Academy Assessment and Grading Philosophy
  2. Assessment Overview
    1. Methods of Assessments
      1. Pre-Assessments
      2. Formative Assessments
      3. Summative Assessments
    2. Other School-Wide Assessments
    3. Assessment Practice
  3. An Overview of Grading and Reporting
    1. Grading the Student Learning Process
    2. Grading the Student Learning Product/Project
    3. Final Grading/Marking Period Grades
    4. Grading Alignment with MYP
    5. Grade Reporting:What the Caregivers Can Expect
      1. Parent Teacher Conferences
      2. Progress Reporting 
      3. Online Reporting
      4. Regular informal contact

 

I. Restoration Academy Assessment and Grading Philosophy

It is our belief that all children are capable of learning and achieving academic growth.  We believe it is our responsibility to foster an environment that supports the development of this growth mindset within our students. To do this, we work to create access points for the full spectrum of learners we service and reflect this through our instructional planning, assessment, and grading.  Restoration Academy educators…

  • practice the core values of our student F.U.T.U.R.E. Leaders by modeling what it means to be Fair, Uplifting, Trustworthy, United, Responsible, and Equitable
  • honor the spectrum of learning styles through varied methods of assessment
  • offer project-based units that support the knowledge that students develop skills and understanding over time and through the process of inquiry
  • incorporate culturally relevant resources and real-world contexts (local, national, and global} to deepen understanding of content
  • create interdisciplinary units that allow students to develop skills across content areas
  • understand that feedback should reflect strengths and areas needing improvement through Glows and Grows; and that feedback should be timely and skill based 
  • use data gathered to inform unit planning, instructional shifts, curriculum, and assessment review
  • analyze data to identify priority learning standards
  • to monitor the growth of target populations
  • utilize reflection to identify new goals

III. An Overview of Grading and Reporting

At Restoration Academy, grading is not seen as punitive, but informative.   Grades alert students, parents/guardians, and internal staff of individual and/or school-wide progress on prioritized skills and selected criteria.  Grading communicates two main aspects of student learning:  

  • student engagement and effort in the learning process; and
  • student progress in mastery of skills demonstrated in the learning product 

 

A. Grading the Student Learning Process

When assessing student learning through classwork and homework, teachers utilize a variety of tools.  Some grading is based on student accuracy and demonstration of understanding particular skills, using answer keys, rubrics, observation, etc.,

B. Grading the Student Learning Product/Project

When assessing the learning product, teachers base their evaluations on standards outlined in learning objectives and/or task specific rubrics, all of which anchors on the criteria emphasized in the MYP. *see Alignment with MYP below

C. Final Grading/Marking Period Grades

Marking period grades are reported five times a year.  The first four marking period grades reflect learning process and learning product grades as averaged using our school-wide weighted grading scale (see below). To incorporate a competency approach, teachers also consider the performance levels of the most recent assessments where students have exhibited significant growth.  The fifth marking period is a cumulative grade of the first four marking periods. All marking period grades reflect the teacher’s judgment of the students’ progress on each strand of subject-group criteria. 

 

Weighted Grading Scale

 

Projects

35%

Classwork 

35%

Tests/Quizzes

15%

Class Participation

15%

 

D. Grading Alignment with MYP

The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) approaches to learning is centered on the fundamental belief that “learning how to learn” is essential for student growth.  This is emphasized through the five categories of skills:  thinking skills, research skills, communication skills, social skills, and self-management skills.  Each of these skills is reflected in the Assessment Criteria used to evaluate student performance.  *see chart below

 

Assessment Criteria for each MYP Subject Area

 

 

Criteria A

Criteria B

Criteria C

Criteria D

Language And Literature

Analyzing

Organizing

Producing a Text

Using Language

Language Acquisition

Listening

Reading

Speaking

Writing

Individuals and Societies

Knowing and Understanding

Investigating

Communicating 

Thinking Critically

Science

Knowing And understanding

Inquiring and designing

Processing and evaluating

Reflecting on the Impacts of Science

Mathematics

Knowing and Understanding

Investing Patterns

Communicating

Applying Mathematics in Real-Life Contexts

Design

Inquiring and Analyzing

Developing Ideas

Creating the Solution

Evaluating

Arts

Knowing And Understanding

Developing Skills

Thinking Creatively

Responding

Physical and Health Education

Knowing And Understanding

Planning for Performance

Applying And Performing

Reflecting and Improving Performance

Personal Project

Investigating

Planning 

Taking Action

Reflecting

Interdisciplinary Learning

Disciplinary Grounding

Synthesizing

Communicating

Reflecting

 

Each subject’s criteria is based on achievement levels of 1-8.  The teacher is required to use the combined score of the four criteria to determine an overall number out of 32 for each subject. The total is converted into a single overall performance level between 1 and 7 (7 being the highest level).  

 

 

IB-RA Assessment Conversion Chart

 

MYP Final Grade

Restoration Academy Letter Grade

Restoration Academy Percentage Scale

Performance Descriptor

1

F

59%⇣

Produces work of very limited quality. Conveys many significant misunderstandings or lacks understanding of most concepts and contexts. Very rarely demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Very inflexible, rarely using knowledge or skills.

2

D

60%-69%

Produces work of limited quality. Expresses misunderstandings or significant gaps in understanding for many concepts and contexts. Infrequently demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Generally inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, infrequently applying knowledge and skills.

3

C

70%-77%

Produces work of an acceptable quality. Communicates basic understanding of many concepts and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, requiring support even in familiar classroom situations.

4

B-/C+

78%-80%

Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic 6 critical and creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

5

B

81%-89%

Produces generally high-quality work. Communicates secure understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar classroom and real-world situations and, with support, some unfamiliar real-world situations

6

A-/B+

90%-100%

Produces high-quality, occasionally innovative work. Communicates extensive understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, frequently with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar and unfamiliar classroom and real-world situations, often with independence.

7

A

  

Produces high-quality, frequently innovative work. Communicates comprehensive, nuanced understanding of concepts and contexts. Consistently demonstrates sophisticated critical and creative thinking. Frequently transfers knowledge and skills with independence and expertise in a variety of complex classroom and real-world situations. 

 

E. Grade Reporting:What the Caregivers Can Expect

 

Parent Teacher Conferences

Formal Parent-Teacher Conferences are held three times a year. The first is a Welcome Back to School event.  The other two are scheduled in accordance with the release of first and second marking period report cards.  Parent-teacher conferences are typically held in-person, yet can also be scheduled as phone or video conferences.  As we move toward facilitating student-led conferences, it will be essential that students are also in attendance to speak about their learning experiences. 

Progress Reporting

Progress reports will be sent to caregivers of students who are identified as promotion-in-doubt.  These reports are delivered twice a year and serve as a springboard for teachers and caregivers to discuss interventions to support students' growth.  

Online Reporting

Parents can access student’s grades to monitor progress on Google Classroom, at any time. 

Regular informal contact

Teachers are available to schedule meetings upon request and are always available during Parent Engagement Office Hours on Tuesdays from 2:30-3:30.   

 

*The Restoration Academy MYP Assessment Policy was written by the IB Coordinator (SNSimpson), IB Committee, and Instructional Leadership Team, drafted April, 2022. Review and updated, May 2022; October, 2022