Assessment Policy

The purpose of this document is to clarify teachers’ understanding of the assessment process within our school setting.  It is a constantly evolving document that reflects our school’s unique assessment needs. Our assessment philosophy applies to the whole school and is to be communicated to and understood by all continuing and new teachers, students, parents, and administrators. It is directly linked to our mission statement, which is:

Range View is a collaborative community dedicated to inspiring and empowering internationally minded citizens who are inquiring, knowledgeable, caring, and prepared to play a meaningful role in an increasingly dynamic and interrelated world.

Philosophy

We believe the ultimate purpose of assessment is to guide our planning and instruction, to support and enhance student learning, and to measure student growth.

Purpose

  • To collect data that drives instruction and student learning
  • To evaluate, reflect, and strengthen our learning process and practices as educators
  • To identify students’ strengths and needs to better understand our learners
  • To individualize instruction based on student needs
  • To monitor progress and growth within a community of learners
  • To communicate student progress with students and parents
  • To facilitate students’ own understanding of their growth and progress by offering timely, specific, and well-considered feedback to better support learning

Types of Assessment

Formative Assessment: is connected to instruction and learning to provide continuous feedback on the learning process.

  • Anecdotal records
  • Student reflection
  • Classroom observation
  • Rubrics- student and teacher created
  • Peer review
  • Individual review
  • Portfolios
  • Checklists
  • Student teacher conferences
  • Curriculum based measures
  • Pre-tests/post tests
  • Progress monitoring

Summative Assessment:  allows the student to show what is learned at the culmination of the teaching process. It also allows the teacher to determine the effectiveness of instruction.

  • Unit tests
  • Exhibition (Fifth Grade Students)
  • Individual/group projects or presentations
  • State mandated assessments
  • Student reflections
  • Rubrics
  • Benchmark/Universal Screener (Star 360)
  • Culminating project

Highly Effective Assessments: are authentic, clear and specific, varied, developmental, collaborative, interactive, and use feedback* to feedforward.

  • *Effective Feedback: is goal referenced, transparent, actionable, user friendly (specific and personalized), timely, ongoing, and consistent

Assessments allow students to:

  • Demonstrate and share their learning and understanding
  • Set goals and create success criteria for reaching expectations
  • Use their own learning strategies and build on their own strengths
  • Acknowledge different learning styles
  • Build confidence in their own work and self
  • Express their points of view and understanding
  • Understand what their own needs are and how to improve
  • Connect their learning to real-world experience and guide the inquiry process
  • Understand in advance the criteria for producing a quality product or performance
  • Participate in reflection, self and peer assessment
  • Provide multiple opportunities and contexts for students to practice their skills

Assessments allow teachers to:

  • Use both quantitative and qualitative data to inform every stage of the teaching and learning process
  • Collaboratively reflect on student progress and needs
  • Differentiate their instruction
  • Intervene at the first indication of student difficulty
  • Define expectations and outcomes for students and teacher-led inquiry
  • Adapt for learning styles
  • Acquire data that can be used to inform students, teachers, grade levels, school, and community (Learning Progressions)
  • Prepare for future inquiries and student questioning

Allow parents to:

  • Understand student learning and progress
  • Provide support outside of school
  • Celebrate learning and student accomplishments

Documentation and Reporting

Portfolios are a collection of student artifacts that represent individual learning (not evaluative data).

  • Portfolios will be used to document student growth and provide a continuum for students to track their learning process and define their growth as a learner.  Each grade level will establish essential agreements for what will be included in the portfolio. (Portfolio agreements document)

  • Portfolios may be in a binder or digital format.

  • Conferences:

    • Parent-teacher conferences
    • Student-led conferences
      • Students select items from their portfolio to share. They discuss what they learned and how it ties into an IB Learner Profile or Unit of Inquiry. Students can select items and learning goals, with help from their teacher, before the parent conference. This is completely student led and a celebration of student learning.
  • Report cards
    • Available every trimester
    • Infinite Campus portal available to monitor student grades
  • Exhibition (Fifth Grade Students)

Mandatory Assessment

All teachers will be required to administer and promptly record the following assessments based on their assignment/role.

  • CMAS/ELA/Math – Grades 3rd – 5th
  • CMAS – (Science 5th) (Social Studies 4th)
  • DLM – Alternative test for students with severe needs
  • GOLD – Kindergarten (beginning of the year)
  • Star 360 - at least once a month for reading and math with some given more frequently based on student need
  • WIDA ACCESS for English Language Learner Students
  • CogAT- 2nd grade students and new students to the district (2nd -5th)
  • The TOMAGS - math assessment for GE
  • Assessments tied to grade level units of inquiry

Resources

  • International Baccalaureate Organization. (2018).  Assessment in the Primary Years Programme.
  • Aligns with Weld-RE-4 Attributes and Indicators - Mastery Learning

First Draft 12/07/2011

Adopted 8/21/2012

First Revision 1/17/2012

Second Revision 5/7/2012

Review and Revision 9/23/15

Review and Revision 3/16/18

Review and Revision  2/17/2021

Review and Revision 9/14/2021