IB Learning & Assessment Policy
Purpose of Assessment
Elgin High School believes the following about learning and assessment:
The purposes of assessment at Elgin High School are:
What is assessed:
The practice of assessment is one of shared responsibilities. It is critical that each stakeholder understand his or her role in the process.
Philosophy of Standards-Based Learning and Assessment:
In conjunction with U-46’s principles of Standards-Based Learning and Assessment (SBLA), summative assessments will be used to measure a student’s mastery of learning objectives. Learning objectives for each class are based on a specific set of standards that students are to demonstrate competency of at the close of the course. These learning objectives should be well-defined statements that are communicated and made clear to all stakeholders at the beginning of each course.
Grades that are determined by using the SBLA principles are not a comparison of one student to another, but rather a way to measure how well students are performing on grade-level/course standards.
Grades earned for a marking period are based upon a student’s academic performance on a series of summative assessments. Homework, or practice work, are formative assessments that provide students a risk-free opportunity to use newly acquired skills without penalty. Like summative assessments, formative assessments are formulated around the learning objectives and standards of each particular course and serve as opportunities for students to receive focused and supportive feedback aimed at helping students obtain the stated standards.
As learning is not linear, nor time-bound, students should be given multiple opportunities ways to demonstrate their knowledge and should be provided alternative methods of demonstrating such mastery.
Calculation of Grades:
Grade scales should be devised to give equal incremental value to each letter grade using the Standards-Based Learning and Assessment Rubric Scale. The SBLA Rubric Scale utilizes a 4-point system to represent the following degrees of mastery:
Recording and Reporting Student Progress:
Students' academic progress in each of their courses will be recorded in each teacher’s Infinite Campus Gradebook. Grades will be calculated and published to parents/guardians at each quarter marking period, Quarter 1, Semester 1, Quarter 3, and Semester 2.
At each of these marking periods, the overall letter grade for the courses will be calculated using the mean (average) of all the numerical reporting strand scores 0 - 4. Using the table below illustrates the letter grade equivalent of the calculator mean score.
In addition to the quarter marking period, students’ grades will be updated and available to students and parents every 2-weeks to reflect the most recent and accurate record of each student’s academic progress.
Assessment Schedule
The Elgin High School IB Assessment schedule can be found here
Types of Assessments
Throughout the school year, students will engage in a variety of assessment formats and types. Both formal and/or informal pre-assessments/diagnostics are used before the learning in order to guide teachers’ instructional planning.
Assessment tools used throughout an instructional year may include, but are not limited to: rubrics, oral assessments, exemplars/benchmarks, open-ended questions or tasks, school or district-generated formal/written tests, online diagnostics, IB internal assessments.
Formative assessments measure learning along the way; produce evidence of learning; provide timely feedback to students and teachers; and inform instruction. Formative assessments are developed to prepare students for the format or experience of the summative assessment, and therefore typically mirror the knowledge and method that will be utilized as summative assessment. Results on formative assessments should ideally serve students and teachers by providing critical information about the points that might need re-teaching, or what concepts students have and have not grasped. These are conducted frequently throughout the duration of a unit to provide students with ample opportunity for practice and feedback from the teacher.
Summative assessments allow students to show what they have learned at the culmination of a unit of study. Students are provided criteria in advance of summative assessments. These assessments can include essays or written expressions, oral presentations, tests, projects, reflective statements, experiments or demonstrations, portfolios, simulated learning experiences, and exit interviews. At a minimum, students are assigned two to three summative assessments within a 10-week grading period, which coincide with the conclusion of several weeks of instruction, formative assessment, and feedback on the topics and corresponding skills addressed.
Students enrolled in IB classes are provided IB-approved markbands with criterion-referenced descriptors of achievement. As a learning tool, instructors may periodically have students rate themselves using these descriptors and provide feedback on the student’s rating. Teachers also use these IB-approved markbands to generate predictive grades based on student performance on assessments in class.
Policy Review
Elgin High School’s DP Learning and Assessment Policy is to be reviewed every other even-numbered year by the EHS IB Committee members, teacher department leadership committees including SIP and SD, building pedagogical leadership team, and parents. Review Team members will ensure this policy supports learning and assessment in accordance with IB standards of practice.
Elgin High School believes the following about learning and assessment:
The purposes of assessment at Elgin High School are:
- To determine student preparation for further education, the workforce, and to become a productive global citizen.
- To inform a teacher’s instructional planning and practices.
- To provide feedback for students and parents regarding what each individual student knows and is able to do relative to the demands of the accelerated instructional program.
- To serve as a benchmarking tool, informing students, parents, and teachers as to the progress students are making toward accelerated learning objectives.
What is assessed:
- A student’s ability to recall, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create/synthesize the knowledge and concepts acquired in an accelerated educational setting.
The practice of assessment is one of shared responsibilities. It is critical that each stakeholder understand his or her role in the process.
- Students demonstrate an understanding of the learning value of assessments by respecting and adhering to assessment deadlines, both formative and summative, and endeavoring at all times to do their best work.
- Parents monitor and support student engagement and investment in their learning, helping them to balance their schoolwork demands with their extracurricular activities.
- Teachers make clear to students the value and application of criteria-based rubrics, undertake the collaborative practice of criteria norming, ensure that homework reinforces learning objectives, and construct assessments that demonstrate student achievement of course objectives. Teachers maintain course syllabi and keep grade books current so that expectations, including assessment, are clear and outcomes are readily available.
- Administrators and Support Staff work with IB DP Teachers to monitor assessment activity to facilitate a balanced schedule across curricula, assist in sharing of information/assessment data to teachers across curricula to assist in student-support efforts, and work with teachers to better understand assessment practices and rubrics.
- Assessment should provide multiple opportunities for success throughout the learning process – before, during, and following teacher instruction and student-directed learning experiences.
Philosophy of Standards-Based Learning and Assessment:
In conjunction with U-46’s principles of Standards-Based Learning and Assessment (SBLA), summative assessments will be used to measure a student’s mastery of learning objectives. Learning objectives for each class are based on a specific set of standards that students are to demonstrate competency of at the close of the course. These learning objectives should be well-defined statements that are communicated and made clear to all stakeholders at the beginning of each course.
Grades that are determined by using the SBLA principles are not a comparison of one student to another, but rather a way to measure how well students are performing on grade-level/course standards.
Grades earned for a marking period are based upon a student’s academic performance on a series of summative assessments. Homework, or practice work, are formative assessments that provide students a risk-free opportunity to use newly acquired skills without penalty. Like summative assessments, formative assessments are formulated around the learning objectives and standards of each particular course and serve as opportunities for students to receive focused and supportive feedback aimed at helping students obtain the stated standards.
As learning is not linear, nor time-bound, students should be given multiple opportunities ways to demonstrate their knowledge and should be provided alternative methods of demonstrating such mastery.
Calculation of Grades:
Grade scales should be devised to give equal incremental value to each letter grade using the Standards-Based Learning and Assessment Rubric Scale. The SBLA Rubric Scale utilizes a 4-point system to represent the following degrees of mastery:
- Mastery (4) - Demonstrates ability to apply extended thinking about the skills and knowledge of the standard
- Proficient (3) - Demonstrates skills and knowledge of the standard
- Basic (2) - Demonstrates a basic understanding of the skills and knowledge of the standard
- Below Basic (1) - Demonstrates a below basic understanding of the standard; may demonstrate gaps in skills and knowledge
- No Evidence (0) - There is no, or insufficient, evidence of learning to assess the standard at this time
- Not Evaluated (NE) - This standard has not been evaluated at this time
Recording and Reporting Student Progress:
Students' academic progress in each of their courses will be recorded in each teacher’s Infinite Campus Gradebook. Grades will be calculated and published to parents/guardians at each quarter marking period, Quarter 1, Semester 1, Quarter 3, and Semester 2.
At each of these marking periods, the overall letter grade for the courses will be calculated using the mean (average) of all the numerical reporting strand scores 0 - 4. Using the table below illustrates the letter grade equivalent of the calculator mean score.
In addition to the quarter marking period, students’ grades will be updated and available to students and parents every 2-weeks to reflect the most recent and accurate record of each student’s academic progress.
Assessment Schedule
The Elgin High School IB Assessment schedule can be found here
Types of Assessments
Throughout the school year, students will engage in a variety of assessment formats and types. Both formal and/or informal pre-assessments/diagnostics are used before the learning in order to guide teachers’ instructional planning.
Assessment tools used throughout an instructional year may include, but are not limited to: rubrics, oral assessments, exemplars/benchmarks, open-ended questions or tasks, school or district-generated formal/written tests, online diagnostics, IB internal assessments.
Formative assessments measure learning along the way; produce evidence of learning; provide timely feedback to students and teachers; and inform instruction. Formative assessments are developed to prepare students for the format or experience of the summative assessment, and therefore typically mirror the knowledge and method that will be utilized as summative assessment. Results on formative assessments should ideally serve students and teachers by providing critical information about the points that might need re-teaching, or what concepts students have and have not grasped. These are conducted frequently throughout the duration of a unit to provide students with ample opportunity for practice and feedback from the teacher.
Summative assessments allow students to show what they have learned at the culmination of a unit of study. Students are provided criteria in advance of summative assessments. These assessments can include essays or written expressions, oral presentations, tests, projects, reflective statements, experiments or demonstrations, portfolios, simulated learning experiences, and exit interviews. At a minimum, students are assigned two to three summative assessments within a 10-week grading period, which coincide with the conclusion of several weeks of instruction, formative assessment, and feedback on the topics and corresponding skills addressed.
Students enrolled in IB classes are provided IB-approved markbands with criterion-referenced descriptors of achievement. As a learning tool, instructors may periodically have students rate themselves using these descriptors and provide feedback on the student’s rating. Teachers also use these IB-approved markbands to generate predictive grades based on student performance on assessments in class.
Policy Review
Elgin High School’s DP Learning and Assessment Policy is to be reviewed every other even-numbered year by the EHS IB Committee members, teacher department leadership committees including SIP and SD, building pedagogical leadership team, and parents. Review Team members will ensure this policy supports learning and assessment in accordance with IB standards of practice.