Assessment at Clemente

Assessment at Clemente

Assessments administered in Clemente classrooms are centered on 4 major sets of standards: the Common Core State Standards, College Readiness Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and IB Assessment Criteria. Instruction is targeted at improving student capacity in these three areas and building toward mastery, so that students are prepared for college and the gate-keeper exams that must take as juniors and seniors. The major exams that we prepare students for are:

• ACT (measures the College Readiness Standards) – scores used for college admissions
• EXPLORE and PLAN (9th and 10th grade versions of ACT, with age-appropriate standards)
• PARCC (a brand-new assessment of the Common Core State Standards)
• COMPASS (administered to entering college freshmen, to determine their math placements)
• IB Assessments (measuring a full range of student competencies in each subject)

Responsibility for preparing students is distributed across all departments. The table below shows which standards are used to plan instruction in each area.

	English	Humanities	Math	Science	Arts	PE	Spanish
CCSS Reading	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
CCSS Writing	*	*		*	*	*	*
CCSS Math			*
NGSS Science				*
CRS	*	*	*	*
IB Criteria	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

To ensure that students have adequate opportunities to demonstrate mastery on these skills, we developed an assessment calendar for each subject area. Students will engage in similar types of assessment each quarter, giving them a chance to learn from mistakes and improve their performance. In-class assignments and smaller assessment will also align with the IB Rubrics, providing further opportunities for growth.

Our 2013-14 assessment calendar can be accessed here.

A description of each type of assessment can be found here.

Upon authorization (anticipated in 2015-16) we will also implement the IB Diploma Programme. This intensive pre-university coursework has a separate set of assessments, culminating in final exams during second semester of senior year. Scores on these IB Assessments will determine whether students receive an official IB Diploma, and can also earn them credit at many universities.

Grading Within the IB Framework

As an IB Candidate School, our grading system has changed compared to previous years. Currently, we are utilizing 2 categories in Gradebook: IB Domains (70%) & Daily/Weekly Assignments (30%).

IB Domains: measures what students can do

• Based on IB Rubrics (from the Middle Years Programme)
• Are converted to percentages that range from 50 to 100
• Cannot be “made up” but can be replaced or improved over time

Daily/Weekly Assignments: includes smaller assignments, practice work

• Might be graded for accuracy or effort
• Score ranges depend on the individual teacher
• Can sometimes be made up

We believe that emphasizing scores in the “IB Domains” category will help our grades more closely match student learning and performance. These grades may start out low at the beginning of the marking period, but will increase if students work hard to learn the skills being tested. Some tips for making sure students increase their scores include:

• Focusing on what the IB Rubrics say, and making sure to address all points in their work
• Figure out what their weaknesses are, and getting help from their teachers on these
• Participating fully in class and doing all of the practice work.