Assessment

IB in 3 - MYP Assessment FAQ 1 Video
The above video, produced by Diane Smith at Le Jardin Academy, helps explain MYP Assessment.

Dear Parents,

Abbotsford Middle School, as an authorized IB-MYP (International Baccalaureate-Middle Years Program), school uses MYP Assessment policies.

Assessment, the evaluation of the ability of a student, is an important aspect of the MYP.  Assessment is a process in which students and teachers engage in an ongoing exchange of information about student learning. This exchange has three purposes:
• to optimize student learning
• to inform and guide teaching practices
• and to provide students, parents, and teachers with meaningful, valid information about a student’s progress and levels of achievement.

In MYP assessment, teachers organize continuous assessment over the course of the programme taking account of specified criteria that correspond to the objectives for each subject.  The MYP offers a criterion-related model of assessment.  This means that students’ results are determined by performance against set standards.

Teachers use varied and valid assessment tasks that allow students to demonstrate achievement according to the requirements within each subject.  These may include:
• Open-ended; problem solving activities and investigations
• Organized debates
• Hands-on experimentation
• Analysis
• Reflection

Assessment strategies provide feedback on the thinking processes as well as the finished piece of work.  There is also an emphasis on self-assessment and peer-assessment within the program.

An MYP overall achievement level for the all subjects will be reported on - Language Acquisition (French); Language and Literature (Language Arts); Individual and Societies (Social Studies); Mathematics; Design (Home Economics, Wood Working); Arts (Digital Music); Sciences; Physical and Health Education.  When determining the student’s MYP achievement level, teachers report on the highest, most frequent level of achievement, not an average of achievement scores. 

Your child will have completed several MYP projects/assignments and will bring them home to review with you throughout the year. The projects/assignments will be sent home with a completed rubric, assessment table, or feedback which shows how your child has performed against the MYP-IB’s assessment criteria for the subject.  The MYP assessment measures each individual student’s progress against the objectives, like a growth chart at a doctor’s office.

If you have any questions please contact your child’s teacher. For more information about the MYP please see www.ibo.org.