Templeton Elementary

Mission Statement: The Templeton Community is committed to the development of inquiring, knowledgeable, caring and globally minded learners.

Philosophy: Assessment is vital to the teaching and learning of our students and drives discussion for further instruction. Through assessment we identify what students understand, know, and are able to do. This understanding enables us to adjust our instruction to help students and teachers reach the expectations of our program. Assessment is central to the PYP goal of helping learners take ownership of their learning. Through actively engaging in integrated ongoing assessment they become effective, self-regulated learners who can act on constructive feedback. Assessment not only guides instruction but provides valuable feedback for all.

Purpose:

• To promote student learning
• To drive instruction of students’ knowledge, skills, and conceptual understanding
• To facilitate students’ own understanding of their growth and progress
• To identify need for remediation or enrichment
• To communicate student progress with students and parents
• To Determine eligibility for Special Education, ELL (English Language Learners), and ALPS(Advance Learning Placement Services)
• To evaluate and strengthen the learning process and practices of our teachers
• To identify students’ strengths and needs to better understand our learners

Effective Assessment should:

• Be consistent with the school’s philosophy
• Be diverse and varied in method to address different learning styles
• Provide required accommodations for students with differing needs, in accordance with their respective Individual Education Plans, Individual Language Plans,and/ or 504 Plans
• Be continuous and frequent throughout the learning process
• Be clear and concise
• Identify areas that require further instruction, practice, intervention or enrichment
• Be supportive of concept development
• Be meaningful and relevant to the student
• Drive the instruction
• Make connections to the IB Learner Profile
• Observe and track student growth
• Allow parents to understand student’s learning/progress

Types of Assessment: Assessment of students’ development and learning is an essential component of the curriculum. It helps to support the continued development, learning, and teaching at Templeton. Students are observed and assessed in a variety of ways.

Formative Assessments: These are used throughout the learning process. They are used to inform instruction and are administered before, during, or after lessons. These structured and unstructured assessments provide continuous feedback on the learning process and the students’ understanding.

Examples of these might be, but are not limited to:

• Classroom observations
• Student reflection and goal setting
• Anecdotal records
• Student/teacher conferences
• Peer conferencing
• Constructed response
• Rubrics
• Informal quizzes/tests
• Progress monitoring
• Visible thinking strategies
• Dialogue
• Student work
• Checklists
• Running records

Summative Assessments: These take place at the end of the teaching and learning process. They give students opportunities to demonstrate what has been learned. Summative assessment is the culmination of the teaching and learning process. It measures understanding of the Central Idea and prompts students towards action. Examples of these might be, but are not limited to:

• Presentations
• Projects
• Rubric/Exemplars
• Student reflections – notebooks, logs, journals, narratives
• Tests/quizzes
• Essays
• Individual and group tasks
• Open-ended tasks
• Performance assessments
• Process-focused assessments

Diagnostic Assessments: These are used prior to instruction. The information obtained is used to adjust instruction to meet specific student needs. These tests are administered as needed.

• SIPPS Assessment (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words)
• District reading fluency assessment (Rasinski)
• DRA 2 Word Analysis
• Classroom observations
• Teacher made pre-tests
• Orton-Gillingham
• WIDA Access Placement Test for English Language Learners
• BAS (Benchmark Assessment Systems)
• Standardized tests and observations by school Psychological Services, Speech/Hearing Pathologist, Occupational and Physical Therapists)

Assessments Required by School District/State of Indiana:

• District benchmark and summative assessments
• ILEARN Category and Performance Task (Indiana Statewide Tests for Educational Progress) grades 3-6 (once a year/Spring term)
• IREAD3 (Indiana Reading Evaluation and determination) grade 3 (once a year/ Spring term)
• AIMSweb reading assessment grades K-2 (given 3 times a year)
• INVIEW Cognitive Abilities Aptitude Test grades 3 and 6 (once a year)
• BAS (Benchmark Assessment Systems)
• Orton Gillingham quick phonics screener grades K-2
• CoGAT Kindergarten (once a year)
• NWEA three times per year (grade 3 only twice)
• Standardized tests and observations by school Psychological Services, Speech/HearingPathologist, Occupational and Physical Therapist to determine placement for Special Education Services

Evidence of Assessment:

• Standards based report card with district identified essential learnings quarterly
• Learner Profile Reflections and Goals sheet which will be included in the quarterly report card
• Parent/Teacher/Student conferences
• Student work on display
• School/Home communication
• Professional Learning Communities
• Individual Education Program reports (IEPs)
• WIDA Individual Learning Plans for English Language Learners
• Individualized Speech/Hearing reports
• Individualized Psychological Educational reports
• Exhibitions – 6th grade students participate in a culminating self-directed and collaborative synthesis of their PYP experience
• Student self-reflection using the Learner Profile

Review and Access: This policy will be reviewed annually by the Principal, Assistant Principal, and IB Templeton Leadership Team. Prior to this meeting teachers will have an opportunity to review the policy. Their input will be shared by a representative on the IB Leadership Team at the review meeting. It is understood that this policy may need to be adjusted based on the requirements of the IB PYP, our school district mandates, and State of Indiana Dept. of Education requirements. This policy will be accessible to all stakeholders through the Templeton website.

Last reviewed: May 9, 2022