AHS IB Assessment Policy

Annandale HS Assessment Policy

Philosophy

Annandale High School recognizes that students learn in a variety of ways.  Teachers implement approaches to teaching and learning so that each student grows as a life-long learner.  Expectations of being knowledgeable, a risk-taker, an inquirer and a strong communicator are just a few skills we want our students to gain during the four years in our building. 

AHS staff acknowledges that students need to be given authentic assessments.  These assessments need to be challenging and provide students the opportunity to apply knowledge learned as well as make conclusions on unfamiliar problems. 

Teachers must use practices and procedures that are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students.  Support will be provided to all students including those with special education plans and English language learners. Assessment practices will be communicated to students and parents via the course syllabus.  Students should be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate knowledge throughout the year and timely feedback should be provided.

Formative and Summative Assessments

Formative assessments are those tasks given in the early stages of learning to assess a students’ strengths and weakness.  Examples of formative assessments would be journals, graphic organizers, quizzes, reflection logs, studio work, class discussions, entrance/exit activities and sketch work.  Formative assessment is the process of gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and using evidence to improve student learning.  It is integrated into the curriculum and woven into the daily learning process and is integral to instruction.

Teachers are expected to provide formative assessments on a weekly basis and have them scored within a timely period (within one week). Teachers should plan assessments collaboratively with their teams.  Analysis of assessment results should drive instruction.

Summative assessments are those tasks that are given at the end of a course of study or unit to access course aims and objectives.  IB assessments tend not to be multiple choice but provide an opportunity for students to apply and elaborate on knowledge acquired.  Summative assessments occur every 3-5 weeks.  Teachers are given extended time to score these summative assessments.  Time allotment for teachers to return these assessments vary. Tests generally take 1-2 weeks and longer essays/projects take 2-3 weeks depending on the nature of the task.  Examples of summative assessments would be multimedia presentations, tests, short and extended responses, performances, labs, experimental investigations, oral presentations, research papers and portfolios.

Teachers use a variety of assessment tools to provide feedback to students.  Feedback should be timely and specific. Some of these assessment tools include rubrics, checklists, exemplars, oral feedback, peer evaluations, and anecdotal notes.

Weighting of assessment types

Each department meets at the beginning of the year to determine the weighting percentages for student grades.  Typically, homework accounts for 10%, formative assessments for 40% and summative assessments for 50%.  Refer to the course syllabus for more details.

Re-takes

Students are given the opportunity to re-take some summative assessments.  This policy is determined by each department and is included on every course syllabus.  Re-takes are given if a student scores below a 75%.  Prior to getting the opportunity to re-take an assessment, the student must meet the teacher for remediation, show evidence of correcting their errors on the original assessment and show effort and mastery of content.  If a student is absent the day of the assessment and the absence is “excused” the student will be allowed to take the assessment when they return to school for full credit. 

Homework

School-wide policy on homework is that is to count for no more than 10% of the student’s quarter grade.  Homework is to be posted on Google classroom or on Blackboard. 

Late work Procedures

Students may submit late work but with a penalty.  The penalty is decided upon by each department and the policy is clearly stated in each course syllabus.

Students as Advocates

AHS teachers want their students to develop strong study skills and work habits.  If a student has multiple assessments on the same day/week or is dealing with a stressful situation or health concern, students are able to receive extensions.  It is the students’ responsibility to advocate for their needs and to communicate with their teachers in advance.  This skill is addressed in the “IB Survival Guide” given to diploma candidates early in grade 11. 

Recording and Reporting

Starting in the 2019-2019 school year, Annandale High School along with all the other FCPS high and middle schools began providing 24/7 access to their student’s gradebook using the Student Information System (SIS) portal.  Parents and students are able to access grades online and through an application on their phones. 

FCPS Grade

100-point scale

A

93-100

A-

90-92

 B+

87-89

B

83-86

B-

80-82

 C+

77-79

C

73-76

C-

70-72

 D+

67-69

D

64-66

F

Below 64

 

Report cards are issued four times a year in roughly 9-week segments.  FCPS policy is that the lowest percentage to enter for a quarter grade is a 48%.  FCPS reports out a weighted GPA.  Honors courses have a 0.5 boost and IB courses have a 1.0 boost. 

Staff are expected to enter at minimum two grades per week into the online gradebook.  Each department has set up their own weighted scale for homework, formative and summative assessments.  These scales can be found in the course syllabus which is given out during the first week of school and is addressed during Back to School Night with parents.  Parents and students are required to sign the syllabus. 

Teachers report grades using the FCPS grade scale.   When a summative assessment is given such as an oral presentation in IB English Literature, the teacher will use the IB rubric from the Language A guide and convert that score using the FCPS grade scale.  Students are given the IB rubrics and the conversions when the assessments are returned.

AHS students enrolled in an IB course are required to complete all IB assessments.  Starting in the 2017-2018 school year, FCPS School Board voted to pay for up to 6 IB exams and their related registration fees over a student’s four years of high school.  If a student wishes to take an additional IB subject, they may pay the corresponding fee.  For the 2018-2019 school year, the fee for each IB subject was $119.  Students have the option to opt-out of an IB exam of their choosing.  The opt-out forms are given to students in October and they have until early November to submit them to student services.  If a student opts-out of an IB exam, the IBDP coordinator will unregister that student for the opted-out subject.  Students are still expected to complete all assessments associated with the class except for the May exams.  For instance in IB Math, the internal assessment counts as a major summative grade in third quarter.  In IB Language and Literature, the individual oral commentaries (IOC) counts as a summative mid-semester grade.  Statistically, around one percent of students choose to opt-out.  Students understand the value of an IB score and hope to receive credit at their future educational institution.

IBDP Assessment Criteria

Every IB teacher follows the IB subject guide and uses criterion-based grading.  This means that student work is marked in relation to clearly defined levels of skill attainment rather than against the work of other students. The levels of attainment for each IB subject are derived from the aims and objectives found in the IB subject guides. Criterion scores are converted to fit the FCPS grading scale and these scores are entered into the online SIS gradebook.  Information on how work is assessed, what assessments will be assigned and how each assessment is weighted in the gradebook are all explained at Back to School Night and in each course syllabus.  Teachers also post grading rubrics on Blackboard or Google Classroom.  IB subject briefs on every IB subject offered at AHS can be found on the on the IB website at https://www.ibo.org/university-admission/ib-recognition-resources-and-document-library/#dp_briefs.  These briefs explain internal and external assessments for each course as well as an overview of content.

Internal Assessment

IB internal assessments allow teachers to assess some of the students’ work during the IB course.  Examples include English individual oral commentary, language presentations, historical investigations, laboratory reports, and math explorations.  Teachers mark the internal assessments and this grade counts as a percentage of the student’s overall final IB score. The marks for the internal assessments are submitted to the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), along with a representative sample of the work marked by the teachers.  This sample is then sent to an IB moderator who evaluates how the teacher has applied the IB grading rubric.  IBO may then adjust the marks of the assignment up or down.

Internal assessments provide students with opportunities to show mastery of skills outside of final examinations.  Students receive significant instruction and practice throughout their courses in order to effectively prepare for these challenging tasks. Internal assessments count as major summative assessments in the gradebook.

In each IB subject, teachers are given a very specific list of criteria to assess and guidelines about how to mark each criterion.  To determine a mark, the teacher chooses the level of achievement that best matches the work being marked. The criteria for achievement are clearly communicated to students well in advance of the internal assessments. IB assessments are graded on a scale of 1 (low) to 7 (high).  A student who fails to submit an internal assessment is therefore forfeiting their opportunity to earn a score from IB.  In order to receive an IB score in July, a student must complete all IB assessments.  If a student receives an “F” for an internal assessment, the score report in July for that particular subject will be “N” for no grade.

Standardization of Assessment of Student Work

Teachers work in teams to standardize the use of IB criterion.  Before work is graded, teachers discuss the grading rubric and agree upon the level of achievement for each mark band.  Teachers start at the top of the rubric with the highest points and read all the requirements for that criteria.  The best fit approach is used in which the teachers continue to move down the rubric until the student work matches the majority of criteria in the mark band. 

External Assessment

IB external assessments are assessments that are completed by students while overseen by teachers but are sent away to be marked by external IB examiners. Final examinations are the main means of external assessment, but work such as the Extended Essay, Language A and B Written Assignments, TOK essays, Visual Arts exhibitions, and Film projects are also externally assessed.  

The dates for IB examinations are set by the IBO and given to students a year in advance of their exams and typically occur during the first three weeks in May. IB exams are conducted in strict accordance with IBO regulations.  IB final exams typically make up about 75% of the students’ final course mark, but the exact number varies from course to course.  May testing calendars and study day permission slips can be found at the IB office. 

IB Grading

Marks in IB courses are reported using the IB 1-7 scale as shown below.  The 1-7 marks are based on the IB standardized criteria on levels of achievement in each course.

7

Excellent Performance

6

Very Good Performance

5

Good Performance

4

Satisfactory Performance

3

Mediocre Performance

2

Poor Performance

1

Very Poor Performance

Final IB scores are based on the IB internal and external assessments, not on school-based assessments. Students are notified of their final IB marks in early July through access to a secure IB website.  Students are given login information to obtain scores prior to May testing.  If a student loses this information, they should contact the IBDP coordinator.

Teachers Analyse Testing Data

Besides analyzing formative and summative assessments given throughout the year, IB teachers spend considerable time reviewing May testing results.  Teachers work in teams to analyze a variety of reports generated from May testing such as subject component reports, individual student reports, and comparing predicated grades to actual IB final scores.  Data is complied into the IB Workbook which is found through the Blackboard portal under Education Decision Support Library (EDSL) tab.  Teachers can compare IB scores to FCPS final grades, compare teacher IA scores to moderated scores and look at the accuracy of their predicted grades.  Enquiry upon Results (EUR) reports are ordered if teachers want a particular assessment component returned for further study and to obtain examiner comments. EUR’s are ordered if budget permits or if a new curriculum is being assessed.

State Assessments

Every student at Annandale High School is working towards the standard or advanced diploma for the State of Virginia.  Students must complete a number of state mandated tests called the Standards of Learning (SOL).  Requirements varies by each and are set forth in the Course catalog that can be found online in the school website under Student Services.  For the 2018-2019 graduating class, students working towards the advanced diploma must pass 9 SOL exams which include 2 Math, 2 Social Studies, 2 English, and 2 Science and 1 Student Choice exam.

Inclusive Testing Arrangements

Students that have accommodations listed in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan will be provided those same accommodations for IB testing.  Please refer to the Special Education/Inclusion policy that is posted on the school website.

Accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL’s)

A variety of classroom accommodations by be used to support English Language Learners as they develop English language proficiency.  Examples include the use of graphic organizers, vocabulary wall charts, pre-teaching of key words, and simplification of instructions.  Refer to the Language Policy on the school website for more details on IB course offerings in Language A and B as well as support for students’ mother tongue development.

Academic Honesty in IB Assessments

For all internal assessments, students are required to upload their documents through SafeAssign found in Blackboard.  SafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention service.  Teachers use this service to detect unoriginal content and teach students how to cite sources properly.  Academic honesty is addressed in each course syllabus which is given at the beginning of the year and is signed by students and parents. For more information, please refer to the Academic Honesty Policy posted on the school website.

IB Diploma

Annandale High School has an open access policy which states that students may take as many honors or IB courses in which prerequisites have been met.  Students do not have to submit an application to become IB diploma candidates.  For further information, please refer to the Admissions Policy.  During course registration during 10th grade, interested students meet with the IBDP coordinator to map out a two-year plan.  Starting in 11th grade, anticipated IB diploma candidates are placed in IB advisory rooms which meet for 30 minutes every other day.  Support is provided to these students particularly in the areas of Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay (EE).  Students are given an IB survival guide to help foster study, communication, time management and test taking skills.  The guide also outlines IB diploma requirements, testing calendars, and CAS worksheets.

The Extended Essay is a 4,000 word paper that is begun in 11th grade by our diploma candidates and takes roughly one year to complete.  The process is organized by an Extended Essay coordinator who oversees all students and teacher mentors/supervisors.  Diploma candidates are given an Extended Essay contract which is signed by students and parents.  This contract provides deadlines and provisions such as the in-school library research days that help support student success.

Training new teachers

Every IB teacher will be attend official IB training on their subject guide within a 1-2 year period.  The Mega District training occurs for two days every summer and is hosted by neighboring counties in the DC- Maryland- Virginia area.  Not every subject has training at the local level such as IB Film or IB Social and Cultural Anthropology.  In these cases, teachers are sent out of state as long as funding is secured.  When new IB guides are published, at least one member of each subject team will be sent to training on the new guide.  Trained teachers then return and do turn-around training for the rest of the staff.  Experienced teachers are encouraged to become IB examiners.

Policy Review

The IBDP coordinator along with at least one representative from IB Groups 1-6 subjects will meet annually to review and revise the assessment policy.  Additional input will be provided by members of the Instructional Council.  The policy will be posted on the school website.  Sources used in creation of this policy include information on the IB website and other IB school assessment policies.