IB marks in IBMYP U.S. History range from 7 (high) to 1 (low). This quarter’s mark is based on the most recent IB-aligned assessments, a short constructed response and an extended writing essay. 

From the William J. Palmer IB Program Assessment Policy:

Formal IB Assessment and Classroom Grades

"In the International Baccalaureate program (grades 6-10), assessments are designed by local schools and teachers following IB guidelines. IB students are also assessed throughout their courses and receive classroom grades reported through Zangle (District 11’s electronic grading system). In high school, semester grades earned become part of the student’s transcript that may be reported to colleges, employers, and others."

Assessment models, sample work, and feedback to students

In the Middle Years program, summative assessments are designed by classroom teachers as there are no formal assessments externally set by the IB for 6^th through 10^th graders. In MYP courses, summative assessments target the official IB Aims and Objectives of the relevant subject, whether or not formal IB assessment criteria are used.

Assessment in the MYP*

Internal assessment

Assessment in the MYP is best described as internal, as opposed to external, because the assessment tasks, strategies and tools are designed, developed and applied by teachers working with students in their schools. The IB believes that teachers are best placed to assess the work of their MYP students; the assessment model supports the professional judgment of the teacher in deciding the levels of achievements of individual students.

The MYP does not provide externally set examinations, tests or other assessments.

Criterion-related assessment

The MYP assessment model is also described as criterion-related, as it is based upon pre-determined criteria that all students will have access to. The MYP identifies a set of objectives for each subject group, which are directly related to the assessment criteria of that particular subject group. The level of student success in reaching the objectives of each subject group is measured in terms of levels of achievement described in each assessment criterion.

The kind of generic application of broadly constructed criteria that is used in MYP assessment practices is called “criterion-related” assessment. This differs from the term criterion-referenced assessment in that it does not require a mastery of each descriptor and better describes the MYP “best-fit” approach.

Even though the MYP prescribes objectives and assessment criteria that are described as final (to be used to determine student grades at the end of the programme), the MYP assessment model insists on students being monitored and assessed throughout the programme using criteria that are related to the objectives. This formative assessment is a feature of all teaching and learning in the MYP and is viewed as a necessary and important part of the learning process.

By assessing students as they engage with subject content, teachers identify student learning needs in order to better inform the learning process. Essentially, the teacher prepares learning experiences for the learner with the purpose of extending their knowledge and understanding, and developing their skills and attitudes. For assessment to be effective, direct interaction between teacher and student is essential. In so doing, teachers will gain a better understanding of their students’ needs and development, including their misinterpretations, and can provide further experiences to extend learning. All assessments must allow for timely feedback to students on their learning and their processes of learning.

Assessment in the MYP should not be confined to the final part of a learning period, such as a unit of work. It should be planned in the first stage of creating an MYP unit of work and used throughout it. Assessments will take place frequently and will be designed to extend student learning. These can be planned from the start of a unit, although they will be liable to change as the teacher engages with students to determine the next stages of learning.

In summary, when creating MYP units of work, teachers must ensure that assessments:

• support the learning process by being integral to it
• are aligned with the subject’s objectives and placed in context, as provided by the areas of interaction
• gather information from a variety of perspectives, using a range of tasks according to the needs of the subject and the nature of what is being assessed
• are appropriate to the age group and reflect the development of the students within the subject.

Summative assessment

The purposes of summative assessment are to support learning and also to contribute to the determination of an achievement level; this usually happens at the end of a learning period such as the end of an MYP unit of work, a semester or a school year. As students are assessed continually in the MYP, teachers will be in a position to determine a level of achievement that is also supported by evidence from assessments undertaken during a learning period.

The influences of the areas of interaction

In all IB World Schools offering the MYP, the areas of interaction form an integral part of the written, assessed and taught curriculums. As such, the areas of interaction will be an integral part of the assessment of student work.

Teachers are not expected to allocate grades for the areas of interaction. However, as teachers assess student work, the areas of interaction influence the assessment in various ways.

Humanities assessment criteria

The subject-group guides give aims and objectives reflecting the influence of the areas of interaction and provide examples of their integration. The areas of interaction should therefore impact on formative and summative assessment conducted according to each subject group’s assessment criteria.  The objectives and assessment criteria in some subject groups focus specifically and explicitly on aspects of the areas of interaction. MYP humanities assessment criteria place special emphasis on Approaches To Learning (ATL) skills.[1]

A copy of the Humanities assessment criteria can be found at the bottom of this page.

Quarter One Assessment in IBMYP World History:

Students will be assessed on historical writing skills.  A grading scale and sample paper will be posted after students complete the assessment.

---

[1] Approaches to learning (ATL) represents general and subject-specific learning skills that the student will develop and apply during the programme and beyond. The focus of this area is on teaching students how to learn and on helping students find out about themselves as learners so that they can develop learning skills.

*Infoprmation taken from various IB documents including MYP: From Principles into Practice.

File IBMYP Humanities Assessment Criteria.doc (DOC 10 KB)
File Humanities conversion charts.doc (DOC 68 KB)
File ib marks descriptors.pdf (PDF 158 KB)
File score out of 20 on the ib rubric.doc (DOC 37 KB)

	pdf file: You need Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 7 or higher) to view this file. Download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader for PC or Macintosh.
	doc file: You need the Microsoft Word program, a free Microsoft Word viewer, or a program that can import Word files in order to view this file. To learn more about the free Microsoft Word Viewer, visit the Microsoft Word website.

"Be the change that you want to see in the world." ~ Mohandas Gandhi
School District 11

Teacher Websites ©2012 Edline