Vis Assessment Policy

VIS Assessment Policy 2015-2016
Vilnius International School

Assessment Policy
Updated July, 2015
Introduction
VIS defines assessment as a feedback process that serves to modify instruction and promote
self-adjustment by the learner. More specifically, it is all the materials and procedures used to: collect
evidence of learning, evaluate evidence of learning, feedback to the learner, record evidence of learning,
and report learning to various stakeholders.
Purpose
of Assessment
Traditionally the focus was assessment

of
learning, but today the focus is assessment
as
learning.
Students should learn as much from the assessment experience as they do from other classroom
engagements. Assessment is not an evaluation of right and wrong answers to close ended questions.
Assessment is an opportunity to connect ones progress with specific achievement criteria that
demonstrate to the student and other stakeholders where one stands in relation to those criteria.
Rationale for Rethinking Assessment
The rationale for rethinking assessment is based on research in neuroscience and can be summarized in
the following statements:
1. Basic education includes a far broader range of skills, understandings and dispositions
2. Research tells us feedback is what matters most, otherwise learners cant self-correct
3. Continual misalignment of assessments and intended learning demotivates
4. Understanding how learning takes place has deepened and moved on
5. Learners retain more of their learning when they have ample opportunity to be assessed in context
6. Improving classroom assessment raises achievement!
Implications for Stakeholders
The effectiveness of assessment has different implications for students, teachers, parents, curriculum
leaders, other schools, administrators and school governance.
For students:
Effective assessment:
gives students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have understood
gives students the opportunity to understand their own progress and plan the next stages of their own
learning
gives students the opportunity to understand learning goals and criteria for success
gives students the opportunity to build confidence and self-esteem
gives students the motivation to set and achieve realistic goals
For teachers:
- enables us to determine degrees of prior knowledge before connecting new learning
enables us to ascertain degrees of understanding at various stages of the learning process
enables us to identify and support learning differences and learning styles
enables us to plan the next stages in the learning process
enables us to monitor and modify our curriculum, our teaching and our assessment practices
For parents:
provides the opportunity to be partners in the learning process
provides accurate information on their childrens progress
provides accurate information on their childrens strengths and areas in need of support
provides information to assist their children in planning for the future, both immediate and longer term
For curriculum leaders

:
provides the data necessary for effective curriculum evaluation and revision
For other schools:

provides the data necessary for admissions and grade/year placement decisions
provides the opportunity to place students effectively within a learning continuum
For administrators and board members

:
provides data to inform decisions about investment in professional development and staffing
provides data to inform decisions about materials and resources budgeting
provides accurate information about the impact of schooling on the growth of its constituents
provides information necessary for strategic planning, both long and short term
provides information that supports marketing and public relations efforts
The purpose of effective assessment is NOT to:

- Sort and select students
Principles of Effective Assessment

VIS Stakeholders must have a common understanding of what constitutes effective assessment. Based on
research in the field of assessment, we contend that effective assessment achieves the following:
improves student learning rather than just checking up on it
is a process of feedback to learners, providing them with data and tools on how to move forward in their
learning
recognizes and addresses learning differences
measures what is truly valued rather than what is easiest to assess
enhances instruction
is valid (tool is matched to the desired evidence)
is fair and ethical
promotes learner self-reliance through habitual self-assessment
is authentic and contextual
provides specific, timely feedback to learners
provides students access to assessment results to improve their learning
positively influences student motivation and learning
recognizes learning is enhanced when the learner has clear criteria
is inherently a process of professional judgement
provides evidence of progress along a continuum of criteria that are clearly known and understood
in advance
Implications of research about learning on assessment:

knowledge and understanding are constructed
all ages/abilities can solve problems
learning is not necessarily a linear progression of discrete skills
there is a great variety in learning styles, attention, memory, developmental paces and intelligences
people perform better when they know the goal, and know how their performance (learning) compares to
specific standards
it is important to know when to use knowledge, how to adapt, how to manage ones own learning
motivation, effort and self-esteem affect learning and performance
learning is largely a social activity
Examples of bad assessment

:
unclear expectations/instructions
no opportunity for feedback
questions beyond the syllabus
unrealistic time constraints
- closed assessments
- misaligned tools and outcome

- distracting environment
- doesnt fit learning style
- misalignment between assessment and instruction
- pop quizzes (or assessment by ambush)
Assessment Tools
In addition to teacher and learner created rubrics, VIS uses a range of externally developed tools that serve
a various purposes depending on the needs of the stakeholder. A description of these tools and the
purposes they serve is listed below.
Measure of Academic Progress admissions test
For students in grade 3-10, an online admissions assessment is administered in order to gather greater
data on an individuals current level of learning. This takes place in the areas of mathematics and reading.
The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System
The Fountas & Pinnell BAS is used to assess instructional and independent reading
levels in primary and
middle schools
.
www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnel
Middle School Benchmarks
These are the MYP subject specific criteria. The assessment criteria are identified for all summative
assessment tasks during the planning process and these are shared with students in the form of a rubric
that is distributed before administering the assessment task. The criteria are derived from the MYP Subject
Guides and are readily available to all stakeholders via ManageBac.
Measures of Academic Progress (MAPS)
MAPs in an on-line assessment of math and language arts which will be administered to students in grades
3 through 10th
. The IT teacher is responsible for technical support, while an EAL teacher is responsible for
submitting the roster file and coordinating testing times as well as coordinating the distribution of results to
teachers and school leadership. The PYP and MYP teams will decide together with the school leadership
when and how the results will be used
. At present, the test is meant to provide information and to guide
data-based classroom instructions and differentiation addressing students learning needs and ultimately
as a universal measure of progress over time.
You can find more information on the following website:
www. NWEA.org
School-wide (Common) Writing and Maths Assessments
To be developed in 2014 -2015
Students complete writing samples in response to writing prompts. These samples are scored according
to the 6+1 Traits of Writing and used as the basis for writing conferences. In addition, student goal setting
is used to reflect on the process and the assessment to .
VIS language teachers develop common writing prompt
s
used to assess writing for students in PYP and
MYP. The writing
samples are used to
assess their
writing that
is scored analytically, providing a direct
measure using a six-traits
r
ubric to provide data that can help target writing instruction
in line with
6+1 Traits rubric at primary and IB criteria for Language A and B in secondary school
. Teachers meet
twice a year to moderate their assessment skills
using the writing rubric and IB criteria descriptors.
More detail on the aims of the assessment can be found at:
readingandwritingproject.com
Lithuanian State Achievement Test

Students at VIS are no longer required to take the Lithuanian State Achievement Test (PUPP) because of
the recognition by the Ministry of Education of IB programs in correlation with Lithuanian national
education standards.
International School Assessment (ISA) test
Following a pilot of the ISA test, VIS has concluded that the feedback provided is not readily useful to the
teachers for purposes of impacting instructional practice. We have suspended use of the ISA for the time
being.
External Reporting
VIS is a registered Lithuanian school and our report cards have been recognised and approved by the
Ministry of Education of Lithuania. Therefore the students report cards at the end of grades 4, 8 and 10
are recognised by the Lithuanian Ministry as completion certificates for primary school, middle school and
lower secondary school.
A letter clarifying this can be provided (upon request) if a student at VIS is transferring to another
Lithuanian school.
Assessment and Reporting Plan

When and how do we assess?
Group
Whole School Assessment

and Reporting System
Reporting
Schedule
Comments/Updates
Early
Childhood
pre-k and
kinder.
Three-Way Conference
January
Student Led Conference
May
Primary
School
English language placement test

Two writing assessments
September or
upon enrolment
October & March
Two written reports
November & June
Three-Way Conference
November
Student Led Conference

Goals Reflection and portfolio
March
Whole-school math assessment
Sep, Jan, Mar
To be developed.
Fountas and Pinnell Reading

Assessment
-
twice a year
MAPs assessment twice a year
(annually Gr. 3-5)
October &
May
Formative assessment
October & May
Reading, math and language usage

assessments to differentiate classroom
instruction
Words Their Way 3x
We will no longer provide bi-annual written

assessments as they become a report on the
past and not actionable
Used for placement purposes

Used for writing conferences and goal
setting
Written reports are based on
rubrics at
primary and IB criteria descriptors in middle
school
Lower and Upper Elementary Spelling

inventories

Middle
School
Final written progress report
June
Parent education nights will emphasize use

of ManageBac as an on-going reporting
system
Continuous assessment of both

formative and summative
assessment levels available via
ManageBac
On-going
Includes targeted written feedback from

teachers about students learning and level
of skills demonstrated.
MAPs assessment 2x annually

(Grades 6-10)
Oct/Nov and
May
MAPs was adopted to assess progress

over time (as opposed to achievement)
and
to inform
lesson planning
Parent-teacher conferences
Mid-December
All parents must participate
Student-led conferences
Student self-assessment and
portfolio
Mid-March
All students and parents must participate
Whole-school writing assessment
June (all grades)
Writing On-Demand assessment
Whole-school math assessment
Year round
Use of mathematics interviews to assess

mathematical thinking and conceptual
understanding, as well as number sense.
10th
grade Lithuanian State
practice test (under exam
conditions
)
End of May, G10
10th
grade end of MYP maths
achievement test
(under exam
conditions
)
End of May, G10
10th
grade MYP
Personal Project
Sept Jan in
G10
Option to take Lithuanian as a

mother-tongue or as a state language
All students are required to take a broad
ranging achievement test in mathematics.
This is equivalent to the Lithuanian state
exam.
This is the culminating MYP task. Each
student in G10 is required to complete an
in-depth project based on personal
interests. It is worked on by the student
with the supervision of a VIS staff member.
The Personal Project is each students
opportunity to demonstrate all theyve
achieved so far as learners.
Central to this is their ability to research,
their critical thinking skills and their
creativity. This is where these ATL skills are
also formally assessed.

Conferences
Three-Way Conferences
These conferences are usually formal and designed for students to be the center of discussion involving their progress with
their parents. Students focus on what they have achieved and the goal setting process. Teachers and parents are then
given the opportunity to highlight the students achievements and to determine how they can best help the student to meet
goals at school and at home.
Student Led Conferences
These conferences are formal ones where children are involved in discussing their work and their progress with their
parents. The children will, with the support and guidance of the teacher, select the work (based on predetermined criteria)
to be discussed. The format of these conferences will depend on the age of the child, and all of the participants must
understand the format and their roles prior to the conference. The value of student led conferences is that the children
reflect on and consolidate their progress and share the responsibility of informing their parents.
VIS Portfolios
Definition
A portfolio is a collection of a students work, learning evidence, reflections and assessment records that provide a picture
of the whole students growth and development throughout the year. The collection is from a range of subjects and
contexts based on careful consideration of the skills, knowledge, processes and attitudes that are considered important.
Portfolios are one way of collecting meaningful information to make interpretations of achievement and growth. Portfolios
represent the development of the students skills, knowledge, values and attitudes over a period of time. The selection and
review process involves reflection. This allows the teacher and student to identify strengths, weaknesses and growth to
facilitate individual learning goals.
The value of portfolios lies in the process used in creating them and the school culture in which the documented learning is
valued.
Purpose
Highlight individual student growth throughout the school year.
Celebrate/share learning.
Generate:
o Student ownership of learning.
o An honest self-reflection of the students involvement in learning.
o A picture of the whole child.
o Care and pride in student learning.
An assessment/reporting tool for students, parents and teachers.
Promote student reflection and higher-level thinking.
Practices
Basic Format
The format of the portfolio specific to the section of the school

o The early childhood PYP section uses
o The grade 1-5 PYP section use Efolios
o The grade 6-10 MYP section uses the portfolio function on ManageBac
Teachers and students will use agreed upon portfolio guidelines to collect pieces of work.
Guidelines can be displayed in the classroom so students know the expectations.
Teachers and students will select portfolio pieces.
Rubrics and/or student self-assessments should accompany each portfolio piece.
The student, teacher, or both will reflect upon each chosen piece.
Specialists will contribute according to agreed upon grade level guidelines.
In the PYP, portfolios will go home with the student at the end of each year.
Timeline
Teachers and students will begin collecting and reflecting on pieces of work for Portfolios as early as September.
Teachers should use portfolios as a form of reporting for the Student Led Conference.
Choosing Pieces
Portfolio work samples should be significant work that demonstrates the development and progress of the
student.
These should be pieces that reflect:
o learner profile attributes
o the essential elements of the PYP or MYP criteria.
While presentation is not the only major factor, it is important. Therefore, teachers should encourage
students take pride in their work.
Portfolio pieces should be the result of classroom work, not homework projects.
All work should be original pieces where possible.
All student work should have clear teacher feedback.
Where a final draft is included as a portfolio piece, the rough drafts should also be included.
Students may need help choosing their pieces. Choosing a piece is based on a reflective process, which
involves analysis and evaluation.
Evaluations/Assessments/Reflections
A variety of assessment forms should be included.
Use reflections creatively to allow individualized, critical and meaningful student thought to be visible.
Student self-evaluations should be dated to show that the teacher has read the assessment. Comments are
encouraged if appropriate.
Titles and dates should support the idea of a learning journey.
Assessment Guidelines for Teachers

Assessment processes must be equitable, transparent, valid, reliable and fair. Assessment tasks are an important part of
the learning process and should
not
be seen as distinct from, or outside of, other learning experiences. Assessment
should aim to help the students understand what they know and understand at different stages of the learning process.
In reference to the principles of effective assessment outlined on page 3 of this policy, assessment
as
learning should:
Be integrated into a range of continuous learning activities
Support and encourage student learning by providing feedback
Promote student self-responsibility working to deadlines, recording tasks, timely submission of work, acting on
feedback
Affirm student success and progress
Inform and enhance teaching practice
Promote positive attitudes towards student learning
Promote a deep understanding of the content
Where appropriate, support student inquiries using the Areas of Interaction as an authentic, real-world context
Where appropriate respond meaningfully to the Unit Questions
Promote the development of higher order thinking skills
Provide opportunities for reflection and self-assessment
Respond to the Programme of Inquirys lines of inquiry, key concepts and central idea
Support the MYP's fundamental concepts of communication, holistic learning and intercultural understanding
Assessment self-check
It is important to match the type of assessment with a clear purpose and understanding of stakeholder
needs. As part of the monitoring of assessment process, teachers should consider whether the
assessment method appropriately describes the following:
1. The purpose of each assessment given
2. Who will use the results
3. How the results will be reported
4. When to use each assessment method and how to do so correctly
5. The criteria for evaluating student work, and whether it is clearly communicated to students in ways they
understand
6. How, when, and why they provide descriptive feedback
7. How students are actively involved in their own assessment
Forms of Assessment Tasks

Assessment of student's learning should be on-going and should make use of a variety of forms, including:
Pen and paper tests
Verbal responses
Presentations
Project-style work including individual and group work projects
Class discussions
Group-work participation
Compositions
Performances
Peer assessment
Self assessment
Solutions to problems
Short films
Podcasts
Presentations
Teacher questions
Checklists of essential skills

(See also Appendix 1)
A balance of assessment activities is expected, as no one style of assessment will properly cover all the objectives or
appeal to the range of learning styles in a classroom. The assessment policy guidelines govern the assembly,
implementation, marking and provision of feedback.
Roles of formative and summative assessment activities

Healthy student attitudes towards assessment for learning are encouraged through a range of purposeful formative
assessment activities should are used to develop student's skills, knowledge and understanding, leading into summative
assessment tasks. Both are an integral part of information gathering.
Effective formative assessment is part of the instructional process and provides the timely information needed to adjust
teaching programmes. Effective formative assessment actively involves students in the process, as they learn to

self-assess, peer-assess and set goals based on their teacher's feedback. As part of this process teachers should
provide:
Exemplars of student work
Scaffolded samples
Key terms
Key skills
Questions that uncover and expand student learning
Sample rubrics. A purposeful programme of formative assessment activities should effectively support students prior
to summative assessment tasks.
Summative assessment tasks are given periodically to assess a student's knowledge and understanding, usually against
a fixed set of standards (objectives). In PYP they should be developed in accordance with the VIS Benchmark Guide and
in MYP they should be developed and assessed with reference to the relevant MYP subject guides and the MYP's Interim
objectives
. MYP teachers are expected to upload specific instructions, guidelines, resources and criteria relating to
summative tasks and its format onto ManageBac. Procedures for PYP teachers are not yet defined.
Apart from assessing student achievement, summative assessment results should also be used to evaluate the
effectiveness of programmes, alignment of curriculum to the MYP Subject Guide's objectives, and to support and inform
subject or school improvement goals. Other forms of external and common assessment have been adopted to support
the aim. Refer to the section on Assessment Tools for a more detailed description of the use of other modes of
assessment and the purpose served by each tool.
Formal assessment in PYP

Assessment is integral to all teaching and learning. It is central to the PYPs goal of thoughtfully and effectively guiding
children through the five essential elements of learning:
Understanding of concepts
Acquisition of knowledge
Mastering of skills
Development of attitudes
Decision to take responsible action
The learner profile attributes and IB attitudes are reflected on and self-assessed throughout the academic year.
Within the PYP, continuous assessment is an integral part of teaching. The use of assessment to judge the effectiveness of
both teaching and learning processes is essential to allow teachers and students to identify their strengths and weaknesses
and the effectiveness of the programme. The purpose and means of assessment should be clearly explained to the
students.
Assessment rubrics
Student learning is assessed using rubrics both analytical and holistic. Rubrics are used to inform students on the criteria
for success. Rubrics are designed according to VIS Primary evaluation scale. In the Units of Inquiry, rubrics are designed
according the lines of inquiry. Rubrics are learning tools and it is expected that teachers and students will consult and
conference on criteria for success frequently as they work through a reflective process of improvement. Rubrics support
the use of formative and summative assessments in that they make explicit the learning expectations.
Formative Assessment in the PYP
Formative assessment is interwoven with the daily learning and helps teachers and children find out what the children know
in order to plan the next stage of learning. Formative assessment and teaching are directly linked; neither can function
effectively or purposefully without the other.
Summative assessment in the PYP
Summative assessment takes place at a specific point in the teaching and learning process in order to give the student
opportunities to demonstrate what has been learned. Summative assessments may include any combination of the
following: acquisition of data, synthesis of information, application of knowledge and processes.
Sample Assessment Rubric for Units of Inquiry
Determining final evaluations for report cards

A combination of formative and summative assessment data forms the basis of the report card evaluations issued in
November and June.
VIS Primary evaluation scale
The PYP Exhibition

All our students in Grade 5 engage in one unit of inquiry entitled The Exhibition as part of their 6 units of inquiry throughout
the year. The PYP Exhibition provides the culminating experience of the learners engagement with the PYP. It unites the
teachers, learners and parents of the class in an activity that captures the essence of the PYP transdisciplinary inquiry
conducted in a spirit of personal and shared responsibility. It marks a rite of passage, both symbolic and actual, from the
PYP to the Middle Years Programme (MYP). Most importantly it is a celebration, an event that synthesizes all that is best in
the PYP, and shares it with the whole community.
The PYP Exhibition is an extended, collaborative inquiry, which is undertaken by students in their final year of the PYP. The
subject of the exhibition inquiry comes under the 6 transdisciplinary themes and is a real-world issue or problem, local or
global, which is of sufficient scope and significance to warrant an extended investigation. The class will generate relevant
and realistic proposals for solutions to the selected issue and in doing so students apply their learning of previous years.
The Exhibition represents a significant event in the life of a school, encapsulating the essence of the PYP and encouraging
younger students to look forward to their final year in the programme.

Reporting to students and parents
The purpose of reporting in the Primary school is to feedback to parents and students on the level of understanding or
mastery of skills that the student has demonstrated. The VIS Primary reporting system includes:
A portfolio
Two written report cards
A goals reflection summary
Two Conferences Three-Way Conference and Student Led Conference.

Reporting samples
November sample
June sample

Goals Reflection Summary template
Formal assessment in MYP

Formal assessment using MYP assessment criteria
Subject teachers determine the number of assessment tasks for their subject. It is expected that during the course of the
academic year all MYP assessment criteria should be assessed formally at least twice. It is highly recommended that
MYP assessment criteria also be used for some formative assessment tasks in order to:
Enhance student understanding of the nature and workings of the MYP's subject objectives and assessment criteria
Assist in building a foundation of understanding leading to summative assessment
Provide additional data when considering awarding MYP grades for reports
Assessment rubrics
Task specific rubrics can be developed and applied to summative assessment tasks. These rubrics should link the
Assessment Criteria level of achievement descriptors with task-specific clarifications, i.e. redrafting the value statements
in the levels of achievement in specific reference to the work being assessed. The task specifics rubrics should be
attached to the task instructions on ManageBac.
A well-constructed rubric should:
Support learning by providing clear guidance and instructions
Be used with sample materials to deepen understanding
Provide transparency in the assessment process for students, their families and teachers
Provide indicators/descriptions of clear, measurable evidence of learning
Be useful in curriculum review, in helping identify what content has been taught
Link generic descriptors to task-specific clarifications
Teachers are encouraged to develop the task-specific rubrics together with the students as it helps students to
understand the criteria and expectations of the task more clearly.
Determining final grades for reports

Final grades are determined by the application of MYP Assessment criteria. Teachers use their professional judgement in
assigning the final grades, using a combination of summative and formative data.
The MYP: From Principles into Practice
states that teachers make their final grade judgement based upon:
Patterns in the data, such as an increasing level of performance.
Anomalous or unexpected achievement levels.
Other influencing factors.
Where more than one teacher teaches a course, teachers must regularly work together to internally moderate student
work, so that a shared understanding of the application of assessment criteria is achieved and a shared understanding of
the meaning of the assessment criteria is established.
NOTE:
Finalgradescanonlybedeterminedifthestudenthascompletedsufficientworkineachsubject.AtVIS,ifthe
studentismissingmorethan2summativetasks(inanysubject)thentheymaynotbeeligibleforafinalgradeinthat
subject.
Reporting to students and parents

Assessment levels are determined by the application of MYP Assessment criteria. Teachers upload all assessment level
information, marks and comments to ManageBac using their online gradebook. Parents and students have their own
individual access logins for ManageBac.
Parents and students are welcome to contact the subject teachers via email, through ManageBac, or in person, with
questions relating to assessment tasks and marking.

Appendix 1: Sample MYP assessment tasks (for grades 6-10)
Types of Learning:
Learning outcomes
Thinking critically and making
judgments
What is required from students?

Development of arguments,
reflection, judgment, evaluation
Solving problems/developing
plans
Identify problems, define

problems, analyse data, review,
design experiments, plan, apply
information
Performing procedures and

demonstrating techniques
Take readings, use equipment,

follow laboratory procedures,
follow protocols, carry out
instructions
Demonstrating knowledge and

understanding
(can be assessed in
conjunction with the above
types of learning)
Recall, describe, report, identify,

recognise, recount, relate, etc.
Managing/developing yourself
Work co-operatively and,

independently, be self-directed,
manage time, manage tasks
Designing, creating,
performing
Design, create, perform, produce,

etc.
Assessing and managing

information
Information research and retrieval,

investigate, interpret and review
information
Communicating
Written, oral, visual and technical

skills
Examples of Assessment
tasks
Essays
Report
Book review
Problem scenario
Group Work
Work-based problem
Analyse a case
Conference paper (or notes
for a conference paper plus
annotated bibliography)
Demonstration
Role Play
Make a video (write script
and produce/make a video)
Produce a poster
Lab report
Written examination
Oral examination
Short quizzes
Essays
Reports
Short answer questions
Unit tests
Learning journal
Portfolio
Learning Contracts
Self-evaluation
Group projects
Peer assessment
Design project
Portfolio
Presentation
Performance
Annotated bibliographies
Use of bibliographic software
Research assignment
Investigations
Written presentation
Oral presentation
Discussions /Debates/ role
Group work

Appendix 2: Sample MYP progress report for Grades 6-10

Appendix 3: How to use ManageBac to monitor your childs academic progress

To be included at a future date:
Glossary of terms
Assessment of dispositions
Assessment of MYP ATLs and PYP trans-disciplinary skills

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VIS Assessment Policy 2015-2016

Vilnius International School

Traditionally the focus was assessment