Assessment

At French International, we believe that assessment is integral to all teaching and learning. Through a wide variety of strategies, assessment includes a combination of summative, formative, and observation/anecdotal assessment tools that provide information about student learning and development as well as a framework for planning, self-reflection, and collaboration.

We believe that assessment:

• Promotes students' learning and allows students to be an active part of the learning process.
• Allows teachers to guide their instruction and to communicate progress with students and families.
• Shows evidence of a student’s growth,  progress,  learning, and development.
• Helps teachers gather a broad range of data on their students:  knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, attitudes, and actions.
• Is linked to appropriate learning objectives, and age-appropriate inquiry questions. These objectives are aligned with the French International School of Oregon curriculum, French standards, and IB requirements.

Responsibilities Relating to Assessment

School:

• Ensure that teacher feedback can be used to improve learning, teaching, and assessment
• Ensure that families are aware of the assessment policy
• Provides resources and time to consolidate student learning 
• Support new teachers in understanding French International assessment practices
• Review the French International assessment policy annually 
• Provide regular opportunities for teachers to collaboratively develop quality assessments

Teachers, Advisors:

• Ensure that students and families understand assessment procedures  (including age-appropriate criteria,  descriptors, and ATL)
• Use feedback to inform their teaching and inform students of their areas of strength and improvement
• Give feedback regularly and promptly following assessment tasks
• Plan and design assessments based on objectives and criteria and standardize and calibrate their assessment where possible
• Decide and design task-specific rubrics with accessible student language vocabulary
• Reflect and review the assessment used in order to determine its effectiveness in meeting student needs 

Students:

• Understand and embrace that achievement levels or grades do not reflect who you are as a learner but where you are in your learning journey
• Focus on growth: your achievement level vs your grade
• Understand how to use feedback from assessments to inform their growth in each subject area
• Feel comfortable asking for help on how they can improve skills and set appropriate goals
• Understand  rubrics given for assessment when applicable
• Use tools to give effective peer feedback

Parents, Legal Guardians:

• Understand and embrace that achievement levels (grades) do not reflect who your child is as a learner but where they are in their learning journey
• Encourage your child to ask teachers for help if they are having difficulties with concepts and skills
• Read and discuss the French International Assessment policy with your child where age-appropriate
• Understand what rubrics and other assessment tools are and how they are used to improve student learning
• Encourage child to seek out their teachers if there are questions on how they were assessed

Assessment Resources

CTP Score Interpretation

For teachers

• Trevor Mackenzie Inquiry and Assessment Sketchnotes
• Trevor Mackenzie Inquiry and Assessment Sketchnotes (Spanish)
• Trevor Mackenzie Inquiry and Assessment Sketchnotes (French)
• Thinkchat Podcast (All things PYP)
• PYP Assessment Teaching Tools