BELIEFS IN ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION – PHILOSOPHY:
Assessment-evaluation is a significant part of teaching and learning. It reflects the philosophy that the school possess with regard to assessment and evaluation. Assessment-evaluation helps teacher and student to set new targets at different stages of learning by means of alternative thinking, determining what students know, what they understand and what they can do. It provides feedback to student, teacher and parent with the results recorded at the end of the evaluations carried out and the reports prepared. Continuous evaluation of the program with the participation of teachers and school administration makes contributions to the improvement of program in the course of time.
GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION:
• To provide student, teacher, parent and school administration with effective feedback,
• To keep a record about performance of student and prepare reports,
• To determine how much five basic elements (knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action) in PYP are adopted,
• To determine what students know, what they understand and what they learned in the learning process,
• To arrange and plan teaching according to individual differences,
• To give student an opportunity to think alternatively,
• To strengthen our learning process and practices as a learner group,
• To continuously improve the program.
PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION:
Assessment-evaluation applications with regard to pre-, process and result evaluations performed in the school,
FOR STUDENTS:
It is important in the following respects that;
students think alternatively,
they see how close they reach the target,
students develop motivation towards leaning,
interaction between students and teachers are strengthened,
they associate what they acquired, with daily life,
they know on which grounds they will be assessed and evaluated.
In this regard, assessment-evaluation studies;
• must allow to employ and deliver different learning styles, interests and skills,
• must provide opportunities for alternative thinking with regard to the expected target, and exploration of their own learning processes,
• must be associated with the actual life experiences,
FOR TEACHERS:
It is important in the following respects that;
To get to know students,
To enable teachers to make correct planning,
To ensure the arrangement of learning environment,
To ensure how close they reach their targets,
To enable them to explore interests and abilities of the students,
To make differentiating planning determining the learning styles of students ,
To obtain feedbacks about students,
To enable teacher to think alternatively.
In this regard, assessment-evaluation studies;
• must give opportunity to collect evidence pertaining to teaching and learning process, make plans, define criteria, think alternatively and prepare reports,
• must take into consideration the different learning styles and development levels using various and stable strategy and tools,
• must share criteria before with regard to the product expected at the end of assessment-evaluation,
• must allow to employ their different learning styles and multiple-intelligences.
FOR PARENTS:
It is important in the following respects that;
They will provide concrete information about developments of and changes on their children,
They will identify powerful sides and sides to be improved, of their children,
They will get information about how to support their children,
They will have information about the success of the school,
It will strengthen communication between the children and the family.
In this regard, assessment-evaluation studies;
• must bring proof about current state of the student learning and development of the student,
• must include effective feedback for the parents,
• must give opportunity to support students,
• must offer chance to see success of the school.
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION APPLICATIONS:
• Various and balance assessment & evaluation tools are employed.
• Students are included in the evaluation process.
• Results of the pre-, process and result evaluations are taken into consideration.
• Feedback related to evaluation results are provided.
• Students are encouraged to set their targets in accordance with the results of the evaluation.
STRATEGIES AND TOOLS EMPLOYED IN THE ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION
STRATEGIES: It is the whole methods and approaches employed while collecting information about current state of the student learning. Which tool will be optimum is taken into account while selecting strategies.
• Observations: Teacher observes students in various ways. This may be close and one-to-one observation as well as wide angle observation. At the same time, observation may be also performed without participant observer or without any participation (Rubric, short observation records, control lists).
• Performance evaluations: It is the evaluation of the tasks headed for the target with pre-specified criteria. It is the usage of many skills (Rubrics, short observation records).
• Process oriented evaluations: It is that students are observed within the process and such observations are recorded (Students’ logs).
• Selected answers: They are one-time, one-dimensional studies. ( Tests, quizzes)
• Open ended applications: Students are exposed to a stimulant and they are expected to give a unique response. Response may be a short answer in writing, a sketch, a scheme or in the form of solution (portfolio products).
TOOLS: Assessment & evaluation strategies are applied using assessment & evaluation tools.
• Rubrics: They have been formed to grade student in every field. They may be also prepared by a student as well as they may be prepared by teacher.
• Student studies forming standards (examples): They are student study samples used to evaluate the other samples.
• Control lists: They are the lists of the information, data, feature or elements required to be.
• Short observation records: Written short notes based on students observations. These records are required to be gathered and arranged systematically.
• Scales: It is a visual representation of development stages of learning. It may demonstrate the progress of success or specifies the location of the student in the process.
REPORTING:
• TEACHER-PARENT INTERVIEWS
It is organized to inform parents with regard to development and needs of students or to get information from parents. Time and duration of the meeting will be determined according to the needs of parent and teacher.
• TEACHER-STUDENT INTERVIEWS
Individual teacher-student interviews are made on the basis of student comments section available in the development reports written at the end of each semester. Teacher gives feedbacks to students informing about their strengths and weaknesses (to be eliminated).
• PARENT MEETINGS
It is held in order to share common points involving all parents, share fields that parents provide supports with regard to students learning, and make decisions in collaboration with parents.
• PORTFOLIO PRESENTATIONS
Students are provided with an opportunity to share their developmental processes with their families, adding alternative thinking studies to students portfolios arranged at the end of first semester. Such presentations conducted by the students are comprising of the products selected from their activities carried out throughout the semester and academic year. They share their strengths and weaknesses telling their portfolios to their parents and teachers. In this way, parents will have opinion about the activities carried out by their children and learning process.
• SCHOOL SEMESTER REPORT – DEVELOPMENT REPORT – PYP UNIT FINAL REPORT
At the kindergarten level, unit reports are communicated, where student performances in the inquiry units the activities of which are completed, are demonstrated. At the primary school level, four reports comprising school report and development report for each semester, are prepared in a year. In these reports, their developments are evaluated in terms of learner profile characteristics, attitudes and skills we think they are important in order for them to be learning individuals throughout their lives. Development of students in the process are demonstrated on rubrics having four stages.
In the report there are feedbacks related to our students in the teacher’s opinion section. There are also sections where our students can think alternatively in order to be able to assume responsibility of their own learning, and our children’s’ parents will share their observations.