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Kempenfelt Bay School Middle School Assessment Policy
Philosophy
All assessments are intended to prove what a student has mastered and knows - not what he/she has not learned and does not know. Through the use of formative assessment, a child's progress should be carefully monitored and instruction tailored to that student. By the time a summative assessment is conducted, the student should be successful.
Assessment and evaluation at Kempenfelt Bay School ensure students are supported in reaching the highest possible levels of achievement, and teachers are supported with tools and strategies that enhance assessment and reporting. The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. There are five forms of assessment which are common practice throughout each grade at Kempenfelt Bay School:
Diagnostic Assessment - this form of assessment helps both teachers and students identify learning needs and plan what approaches to learning require closer focus to help the students achieve.
Formative Assessment - this is assessment for learning. It occurs during the learning process. It provides descriptive feedback for teachers and students to monitor their efforts, make adjustments that lead to enhanced learning, and work toward successful achievement.
Student reflection and Self-assessment - help students become self-directed learners - able to set, work toward, and monitor their own goals. These are meant to be diagnostic or formative.
Peer Assessment - helps students gain valuable insight into how others perceive their performance. It provides valuable feedback that students can use to monitor their efforts. Learning to assess others and provide positive constructive criticism while still being sensitive to the feelings of others is an important skill. These are meant to be diagnostic or formative.
Summative Assessment - this is assessment of learning. It allows students to demonstrate and document their achievements, and share them with parents and guardians to ensure continued learning.
Two to three summative assessments for each unit taught, must be administered, so that a clear picture of a student's understanding is evident.
Marking Schemes
In the Primary and Junior grades, students are assessed using rubrics and the following categories:
- Meets KBS curriculum expectations with the highest level of competence
- Meets KBS curriculum expectations
- Making adequate progress toward KBS curriculum expectations
- Making adequate progress toward KBS curriculum expectations with guidance
- Not making adequate progress toward KBS curriculum expectations
- N/A Not assessed this term
Middle School:
All work of MYP students is internally assessed by teachers using a criterion-related approach. Students are assessed according to subject group objectives and use of the corresponding assessment criteria.
Terms 1 and 2
Teachers will report on the students achievement of the level descriptors for each subject
assessment criteria.
Term 3 - Final profile of achievement
When the evaluations of the various tasks have been made, teachers will be in a position to establish a final profile of achievement for each student by determining the single most appropriate level for each criterion. The final levels for each criterion must then be added together to give a final criterion levels total for each subject for each student (refer to next page).
Criterion levels total for the subjects are as follows:
Grade Boundaries
| Language A |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-4 |
| 2 | 5-9 |
| 3 | 10-14 |
| 4 | 15-19 |
| 5 | 20-23 |
| 6 | 24-27 |
| 7 | 28-30 |
| Mathematics |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-4 |
| 2 | 5-8 |
| 3 | 9-12 |
| 4 | 13-17 |
| 5 | 18-21 |
| 6 | 22-25 |
| 7 | 26-28 |
| Language B - French |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-8 |
| 2 | 9-16 |
| 3 | 17-23 |
| 4 | 24-30 |
| 5 | 31-36 |
| 6 | 37-42 |
| 7 | 43-48 |
| Humanities |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-7 |
| 2 | 8-12 |
| 3 | 13-18 |
| 4 | 19-23 |
| 5 | 24-28 |
| 6 | 29-33 |
| 7 | 34-38 |
| Science |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-5 |
| 2 | 6-11 |
| 3 | 12-18 |
| 4 | 19-24 |
| 5 | 25-28 |
| 6 | 29-32 |
| 7 | 33-36 |
| Technology |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-5 |
| 2 | 6-9 |
| 3 | 10-15 |
| 4 | 16-21 |
| 5 | 22-26 |
| 6 | 27-31 |
| 7 | 32-36 |
| Physical Education |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-5 |
| 2 | 6-10 |
| 3 | 11-15 |
| 4 | 16-20 |
| 5 | 21-24 |
| 6 | 25-28 |
| 7 | 29-32 |
| Visual Art, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music |
| Grade | Boundaries |
| 1 | 0-3 |
| 2 | 4-8 |
| 3 | 9-13 |
| 4 | 14-20 |
| 5 | 21-25 |
| 6 | 26-30 |
| 7 | 31-34 |
A final grade for each subject will be established at the end of term three. Final grades are based on boundaries set by the IBO. All MYP subjects receive a final grade in the range from 1 to 7. They are then aligned with a scale provided by IBSO (International Baccalaureate Schools of Ontario), so that a final percentage grade can be given.
Once an IB MYP student’s teacher has determined his or her predicted grades, specific percentages are selected from the appropriate ranges shown below. Specifically, IB grades of 5, 6, and 7 are considered to be at Ontario’s Level 4, which is defined as “A very high level of achievement that is above the provincial standard.” An IB grade of 4 (the median on the IB’s seven-point scale) is linked to Ontario Level 3, which is defined as “A high level of achievement that is at the provincial standard.” Ontario’s Level 2 (equivalent to an IB grade of 3) is defined as “A moderate level of achievement that is below, but approaching the provincial standard.”
MYP General Grade Descriptors
| MYP General Grade Descriptors |
| Grade | Descriptor | Percentage as per IBSO scale |
| 1 | Minimal achievement in terms of objectives. | Below 50 percent |
| 2 | Very limited achievement in terms of objectives. The student has difficulty in understanding the required knowledge and skills and is unable to apply them fully in normal situations, even with support. | 50 to 54
54 to 56
57 to 59 |
| 3 | Limited achievement against most of the objectives, or clear difficulties in some areas. The student demonstrates a limited understanding of the required knowledge and skills and is only able to apply them fully in normal situations with support. | 60 to 63
64 to 66
67 to 69 |
| 4 | A good general understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them effectively in normal situations. There is occasional evidence of the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. | 70 to 73
74 to 76
77 to 79 |
| 5 | A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them in a variety of situations. The student generally shows evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation where appropriate and occasionally demonstrates originality and insight. | 80 to 84
85 to 89 |
| 6 | A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them in a wide variety of situations. Consistent evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation is shown where appropriate. The student generally demonstrates originality and insight. | 90 to 95 |
| 7 | A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them almost faultlessly in a wide variety of situations. Consistent evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation is shown where appropriate. The student consistently demonstrates originality and insight and always produces work of high quality. | 96 - 100 |
REPORTING TO PARENTS
Report Cards
There are three reports per year. The first and third term reports are anecdotal, accompanied by levels, grades or percentages. The second term report is an interim report that indicates progress based more on daily work and projects. For specific dates see the calendar.
Comments on reports should always indicate ways in which a student can improve his/her performance as well as strengths. There is something positive to be mentioned about every student.
A report card should never contain any real surprises. If a student is experiencing difficulties, communication to the parents should be the first priority of the teacher, well before the delivery of the report card. This is particularly important when approaching the end of the year. Parents will still want clarification after the June reports are distributed and faculty should make themselves available by phone, or in person, to clarify concerns.
It is the responsibility of each and every teacher to record all significant contact with parents, including phone calls, interviews and meetings that are conducted outside of the interviews scheduled on the calendar. This documentation is crucial for everyone at KBS. A Parent Contact Record should be kept for each child, and significant information should be filled out on a Confidential Interview Form (see appendix) and given to the Associate Head of School. This form will then be filed in the student’s file.
Teachers should not have conversations with parents regarding the retention, acceleration or tutoring of students, without first discussing the situation with the Associate Head of School.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent Teacher interviews are scheduled three times a year, in early October, after the first report card in early December and after the second report card in early March. Teachers are also to make themselves available for interviews in June after the final report is sent out. Interviews are scheduled for 20 minutes each. It is important for teachers to make sure they see all parents at each of these interview times. If a child is not progressing well, it will be imperative that this communication is delivered in a timely fashion, as soon as the lack of progress is noted, not at formal interviews or on a report card. Interviews should always begin by highlighting the positive and then introducing areas to improve. Students in Grades 4 and up will be asked to sit in on the second and third interview periods.
Interviews two and three, as mentioned earlier, require that students in Grade 4 to 8 be present. At this time, the student shares their portfolio of assessment with their parent. Further interviews are encouraged when needed or requested.
Each student has a red folder that accompanies him/her throughout the years at KBS. At the completion of each year, an overview sheet will be filled in to indicate the various aspects of the curriculum completed. Writing samples, math samples and French samples throughout the year are
included as well.
Students in the middle school are required to keep reflection portfolios to share during parent teacher conferences. Each sample of work has some form of reflection attached. The students must include two samples of work from each subject. One highlights achievement or growth. The other highlights an area the student feels needs improvement. Teachers can add supplementary entries, as desired. Teachers in each division decide as a group, how their portfolios should look.
Last Review - November 9, 2009
Annual Review - September, 2010
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