TPS ASSESSMENT POLICIES
Assessment Department S.Y. 2023 – 2024
Rationale
In line with the School’s Vision Statement, to provide an affordable education while developing and nurturing the whole child in a God-centered environment. The Philippine School – Abu Dhabi consistently adopts the highest standards of teaching and assessment to facilitate excellent progress in learning for all students.
Aim
The policy aims to establish and evaluate the school-wide systems and processes to:
● Create and use an accurate, valid, and consistent assessment.
● Analyze assessment data to guide curriculum development and classroom instruction.
● Follow student learning progress to make the necessary corrections.
● Provide detailed student outcomes to all parties.
Legislation and Guidance
Assessment practices at The Philippine School – Abu Dhabi are aligned with the:
● Department of Education Philippines (DepEd)
● Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK)
Philosophy of Assessment
At TPS, we believe that assessments should:
● Enhance the learning of the students in:
○ 21st Century Skills
○ Content and Subject Specific Skills
○ Personal, Social, and Emotional Learning
● Be continuous and comprehensive.
● Be fair, reliable, valid, and transparent.
● Design to meet the individual needs of the students.
Purpose of Assessment
The purpose of assessment is to:
● Determine the students’ prior knowledge.
● Set learning objectives.
● Share data on the education of your pupils.
● Recognize the areas of strength and growth for each kid.
● Encourage introspective, self-directed learners.
● Customize instruction and learning to each student’s unique needs.
● Contribute to the development and planning of curricula.
● Inform parents and other stakeholders on the achievement and development of the pupils.
Types of Assessment
At TPS, the students undertake the following assessments:
I. Internal Assessments
A. SReYA – School Readiness Year-end Assessment is an exam administered to Kindergartens. This verifies the readiness of the students through the different development domains. This is primarily conducted by the Guidance Counsellor or Registrar, and considered as the student’s entrance exam.
B. I-Ready – This diagnostic assessment platform is designed with teachers in mind, to work on its own or with other i-Ready programs. The Grades K–12 diagnostic testing assessments manifests our core belief that all students can grow and achieve grade-level expectations. Use these diagnostic assessment tools to help educators see where students are, set high—but achievable—expectations for growth, and connect the right instructional tools to help them get there.
C. MyOn – a student-centered, personalized digital library that gives students access to more than 7,000 enhanced digital books in the core collection. Titles are dynamically matched to each individual student’s interests, grade and reading level. Combined with a suite of close reading tools and embedded supports, myON fosters student engagement and achievement.
D. Subject’s Pre and Post Tests – These are the exams given by the subjects at the beginning and end of the school year.
E. Student’s Written Outputs, Performance Tasks, and Quarterly Exams
II. External Assessments
A. National Assessments:
1. GRACE PASS, RASH, and ARC – PASS, RASH, and ARC are assessment exams delivered by the Global Resources for Assessment Curriculum and Evaluation, Inc. (GRACE). (1) PASS is a standards-based assessment tool which is designed to measure the proficiency level of students in the competencies and standards set by the Department of Education. (2) RASH is used to help Grade 10 students explore their aptitude paths in Senior High School Program, whether Academic, Technical-Vocational, Livelihood, Sports, and Arts and Design. (3)ARC is geared towards measuring critical thinking and the necessary knowledge and skills for pursuing higher education and/or specific career (GRACE Phoenix Products)
B. International Assessments:
1. IBT – International Benchmark Tests allow students’ performance to be tracked against the international standards. The tests cover English, Mathematics, Reasoning, Science, and Arabic Language (ACER IBT). The results are mainly suggested to be used in creating the students’ trend. 2. TIMSS – Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study provides reliable and timely trend data on the mathematics and science achievement of students compared to that of students in other countries (Department of Education).
3. GL Assessments:
a. CAT4 – The Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) reveals hidden potential by assessing the main types of reasoning ability known to make a difference to learning and achievement, providing you with a rounded profile of the whole child.
b. New Group Reading Test (NGRT) – A standardized, adaptive, termly assessment to measure reading skills against the national average. Use it to identify where intervention may be needed, and then to monitor impact and progress made.
c. PASS – PASS takes the guesswork out of understanding why pupils may be reluctant, disengaged or even disruptive learners by sensitively exploring social and emotional wellbeing. It also provides interventions and guidance so you can start to address issues immediately.
d. Progress Test Series (PT Series) – Measuring attainment in English, Mathematics and Science, these assessments can be used at the start of the academic year for baselining, at the middle or end of the year to measure progress, and then year-on-year as a longitudinal measure. Reports are set against national averages so you can reliably compare your results with those of students across the country.
Collection and Use of Data
Data created by assessments are gathered from multiple evaluations using both direct and indirect measures in both internal and external assessments.
I. Direct Measures – demonstrates the students’ learning through student performances, course work, projects, etc. and involves a direct evaluation of students’ accomplishment on particular learning outcomes. These include:
A. Quarterly Exams
B. Practical Exams
C. Written Outputs
D. Performance Tasks
E. Portfolios
F. Oral presentations (Graded with a rubric)
G. Group Projects (Graded with a rubric)
II. Indirect Measures – comprises instruments that aid in measuring students’ opinions or ideas about their own knowledge, abilities, attitudes, learning experiences, and perceptions of the services they received. These include:
A. Self assessment
B. Peer feedback
C. Journals
D. Focus groups
E. Surveys
Reporting
Assessment results are analyzed, interpreted, and shared to the community – to the teachers, head of department, and school heads. The results are communicated accurately, clearly, timely, and meaningfully. Here are the list of assessment reports provided by the department:
● SReYA Report
● GRACE PASS, RASH, and ARC Results and Progress Trend
● IBT Results and Progress Trend
● TIMSS Results
● Overall Percentage Scores
● Internal Assessment – Item Analyses
● Progress and Attainment Report
● GL Assessment Results and Progress Trend
Monitoring
The assessment policy must be effectively implemented, and this falls on all faculty members. The leadership team of the school and the department heads will see to it that the assessment procedures used in the classrooms adhere to the policy. Through informal lesson observations, assessment data, notebook evaluations, and close examination of student work samples, the Head of Assessment & Data will keep an eye on how well assessment procedures are being used throughout the school.
Roles and Responsibilities
The following are the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders:
Teachers
● Use a variety of techniques and resources to ensure that assessments of students’ learning and development in lessons, over the course of a unit of study, term, and academic year are accurate.
● Create formative assessment tasks that evaluate and build subject-specific knowledge, content, 21st-century skills, and social and emotional growth in the learner.
● Distribute rubrics with explicit expectations to students before they begin assignments.
● Employ assessments to increase students’ self-esteem, confidence, and drive for academic learning.
● When necessary, provide diagnostic feedback on students’ work.
● Through peer and self-assessment, encourage students to take ownership of their own learning.
● Encourage students to examine their assessment results in order to make goals, identify their areas of strength and growth, and determine their next steps in the learning process.
● Use assessment data to guide instruction and learning, and give students who are at risk of underachieving extra support where necessary
● To help with curriculum preparation, analyze data from internal and external assessments.
● Report test results and give parents and students comments.
Heads of Departments
● Show the teachers how to effectively perform formative tests in their classrooms.
● Where appropriate, suggest and assist in the creation of tasks to evaluate students’ subject-specific knowledge, content, 21st-century competencies, and social and emotional growth.
● As the term proceeds, suggest changes to the tasks as necessary to close any gaps in grade-level learning.
● Encourage teachers to provide regular feedback, and whenever necessary, revisit the assessment activities.
● Help educators examine assessment results and develop intervention techniques.
● Plan the next steps in the teaching-learning process using assessment data, and then mentor and support teachers as necessary in this area.
● Examine the outcomes of the external exams and utilize the information to construct the department development strategy.
● To help with curriculum planning, analyze data from internal and external assessments.
● Work with the head of assessment and data to organize workshops on particular topics.
Head of Assessment and Data
● Guarantee appraisal results interface straightforwardly to educational plan assumptions and are benchmarked against public and important worldwide norms.
● Guarantee that instructors, students and guardians grasp the arrangement of evaluations.
● Lay out viable frameworks to follow individual student’s fulfillment and progress, both scholastic and individual to augment learning for all understudies.
● Guarantee deliberate investigation and triangulation of evaluation information to distinguish designs, patterns, and areas of progress.
● Recognize students’ accomplishment holes as well as think about potential foundations for these holes.
● Lead on all parts of inside evaluations, guarantee recording of significant information and give scientific synopsis on execution estimated against key execution markers.
● Guarantee that all staff, understudies and guardians have a precise investigation of understudy information on progress and fulfillment.
● Coordinate with Heads of Division to guarantee that appraisals are substantial and thorough.
● Conduct Proficient Advancement programs for staff on subjects pertinent to assessment.
● Promotes internal and external communication of assessment results.
Students
● Comprehend the evaluation rubric and partake effectively in assessment opportunities in lessons.
● Take responsibility for understanding and acting on both written and oral feedback given by their teachers or peers.
● Support other students constructively when involved in peer assessment.
● Be respectful and responsible with peer feedback.
● Participate in self-reflection and consistently audit their learning process.
● Set their learning goals and strive to become independent learners.
● Effectively take part in activities of every kind to advance their social and individual well-being.
Parents
● Secure that their student is regular and punctual and do not miss the instructional class or assessments.
● Understand the assessment rubric and help their students to set the learning goals.
● Regularly communicate with the faculty to understand the student’s learning journey based on the results of internal and external examination.
● Monitor the student’s academic activity at home and help promote his independent learning skills.
● Support and motivate their students and engage in meaningful conversations to promote the personal well- being of the student.
● Know the interventions planned by the teacher for specific subject support.
● Work collaboratively with the teacher to ensure academic progress of the student.
● Ensure that the student develops on his independent learning skills.