Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.1 - Develop, select and use informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student learning.
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Year 10 Energy Diagnostic
The test below was a short diagnostic quiz I gave to a Year 10 class at the start of their Energy unit to assess their prior knowledge. The test was then administered a second time as part of a formative test to assess their learning. While the student performance in the lower order thinking questions was only slightly improved, there was a significant improvement in the higher order thinking questions. The formative test showed that there are still some small areas which could be improved, but that the students are gaining a good understanding of the topic overall. 
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Summative Tests in Year 8 Science
To end their unit on Physical and Chemical Change, a Year 8 class received a summative test to assess their knowledge of the unit's content. I delivered a structured test composed of questions aimed at A-level, B-level, and C-level students. 
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5.2 - Provide timely, effective and appropriate feedback to students about their achievement relative to their learning goals.
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Draft Feedback and Final Grades
In the first summative assignment I gave to one of my Year 10 classes, the students had to design a ski jump to test a variable affecting the relationship between kinetic and potential energy. The students had two lessons plus homework time to write a draft of the assignment. After the students handed their work in, I marked the assignments as if they were the final work, and left feedback comments to help the students improve their grades. We also had a class discussion about how the assignment could be improved in general. The student then had the weekend to address their feedback comments and resubmit their work. Most students were able to increase their grade by one, but a few, who listened very clearly to their feedback, and applied it accurately, were able to increase their grade by two, to either a 7 or 8. |
Addressing Low Grades in Future Assignments
Each of the IB criteria is assessed at least twice during the year. This affords the students an opportunity to improve their grade for a specific criterion in later assignments. This issue has arisen twice with my Year 8 Science. Two students performed poorly in one criterion in a summative assignment. They, and they parents were notified, and the students were taken aside for extra feedback on how they could improve their grades. This criterion was to be addressed again in the following summative assignment. Both students were told specifically where they had missed outcomes, and what they would need to do to improve in future. This feedback was also given to the students in writing. To ensure this feedback is addressed, I will ensure these students receive extra attention when preparing their next summative assignment. |
5.3 - Understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgement of student learning.
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Staff Day Professional Development - Moderation
On staff day at the start of Term 3, one of the teacher held a PD session on moderation. The teacher used the Year 12 Research Project moderations as an example. I was fortunate to be involved in one of these moderation session during my previous practical at this school. The PD session involved the teachers sitting in groups and analysing common strategies in their teaching and common approaches to assessment across the subjects. This was particularly valuable for me, as it made me assess my own teaching strategies and ideas about what I should be including. As a result of this session, the teachers have been more assertive about asking for moderation time. There are currently plans to moderate two Year 10 assessment pieces, and two Year 8 assessment pieces in which I will participate. |
Year 8, and 10 Science Moderation
During my placement, I was present at three moderation meetings. One for a Year 10 summative assignment, and two for separate Year 8 summative assignments. The moderation meetings were carried out using slightly different methods, as there were different teachers involved. During the Year 10 moderation, we each chose a piece of student work and gave it to another teacher to mark. We then discussed general points about the quality of the work, and were able to assess how each teacher was presenting the work to the students, and which points were the most important to reinforce. The Year 8 moderations were carried out in a slightly different manner. Each teacher chose a piece of student work which we photocopied so all the staff could mark the same assignment. We then discussed the grade we would each give the assignment and the reasons. Both strategies enabled us to standardise our making and how we delivered the assignments to the students. |
5.4 - Use student assessment data to analyse and evaluate student understanding of subject/content, identifying interventions and modifying teaching practice.
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Formative Tasks Indicating Areas for Reinforcement in Summative Tasks
One of my Year 10 classes was given a formative practical task to assess their practical write-up skills and their ability to address IB criterion C: Processing and Evaluating, as this criterion is to be assessed in a summative task. The main points for reinforcement arising from the formative assignment were the presence, and quality of graphs, and the collection of data. Some student also struggled with the evaluation and linking the hypothesis, data, and conclusions. The feedback for the formative task was given to the students when they began their summative task so the information was fresh in their minds. We also had a class discussion concerning the feedback. The formative assignment also gave me some insight into which students may need extra help with the summative task. |
Using Student Outcome Rubrics as Indications of Learning
In addition to helping with goal setting, student outcome rubrics can also be given to students to self-assess their own level of learning. 
I gave the rubric above to my Year 10 Science class, and asked them to indicate the areas with which they were confident.
This data enabled me to see the areas I would need to reinforce during class, or re-teach. It lead to the incorporation of several extra lessons on energy calculations and a formative test to assess the students' progress. The formative test used the diagnostic questions outlined in Standard 5.1 and a base, with extra work on identifying the correct units and covering units. These were the main areas the students found difficult. |
5.5 - Report clearly, accurately and respectfully to students and parents/carers about student achievement, making use of accurate and reliable records.
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School Reports
One of the most common, formal means of reporting achievements to students and parents are the semester school reports. These detail the students' overall grades for the semester as well as comments about their participation, and areas in which they could improve. As a part of the students' reports, they also receive an effort grade which reflects their attitude in class, their self-management, engagement, and collaborative skills. Before the final effort grades are given, the students are asked to assess their own effort grades. This gives them an opportunity to reflect on their attitude and behaviour. |
ESProgress in Year 11 Research Project
In long term projects such as the Research Project, and the Year 10 Personal Project, it is important to keep a record of student work and communicate the information to the students and parents. In both of these project, record of milestone achievement are kept online using ESProgress. This allows teachers to update as students submit work. It also allows the teacher to send emails to the students and parents as the students achieve their milestones. This database of results is available for students and parents to view at any time to see the progression of the projects. |