ASSESSMENT PHILOSOPHY:

Pak Shamaa School is a well reputed educational institute, offering the British Curriculum. The main objective of assessment at PSS is to provide students with feedback on their learning, in order to allow students to learn and improve further. Teachers are expected to use assessment results to inform their planning of further learning experiences. Frequent, regular, continuous assessment is integral to all teaching and learning,

WE BELIEVE ASSESSMENT SHOULD:

    • Be varied – using a variety of tools and strategies, both formal and informal
    • Be done formatively as well as summative
    • Allow for all students to be successful
    • Be differentiated according to the needs of students
    • Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding and broad interpretation of concepts learned
    • Be transparent to all stakeholders – with clear criteria for success
    • Allow for student choice — putting the student at the Centre
    • Assess all elements of the programs offered – not just knowledge and skills
    • Drive instruction, guide learning and inform curriculum planning
    • Lead to reflection about learning
    • Provide opportunities to give timely feedback on the learning process
    • Involve teachers, students, peers and parents.

ASSESSMENT IN THE PRIMARY

Assessment – How will we know what we have learned? Assessment is integral to all teaching and learning.

It is central to the primary year’s goal of thoughtfully and effectively guiding students through the five essential elements of learning:

  1. The acquisition of knowledge
  2. The understanding of concepts
  3. The mastering of skills
  4. The development of attitudes
  5. And the decision to take action

The prime objective of assessment is to provide feedback on the learning process!

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT

Most of the ongoing assessment is formative in nature, meant to inform planning and instruction. Formative assessment is an assessment for learning and plays an integral part in the teaching and learning cycle.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Most of the ongoing assessment is formative in nature, meant to inform planning and instruction. Formative assessment is assessment for learning and plays an integral part in the teaching and learning cycle.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Summative assessment tasks are designed to give information on what students can do, know and understand at the end of a unit of work. Each Unit of Inquiry or stand-alone unit of work in any subject has a summative assessment task(s) at the end of the unit, feedback on which is reported to head of wing for parents to see.

ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND STRATEGIES

We use a wide variety of assessment tools and strategies, always aiming for the tool or strategy that is most appropriate and will give us the most reliable information. We aim to give all students the opportunity to be successful and to be able to show what they know, can do and understand.

SAMPLES OF TOOLS AND STRATEGIES ARE:

  1. Observation
  2. Written responses
  3. Checklists
  4. Oral test
  5. Class activities and small projects 6. Quizzes
  6. Class presentations
  7. Quizzes

REPORTING PROCEDURE AT PRIMARY

School follows the following reporting cycle throughout each school year:

Monthly reports based on class activities and results are attached in students’ file.

Written reports or result cards are published in December, March and June

Exam coordinators receive an Internal Memo from principal before term or semester Examination. All assessment dates for term exam are published by exam coordinators„ School offers three semesters or terms in an academic year.

SCHEDULE OF THE TERM ASSESSMENT ARE AS FOLLOW:

1st Term assessment (Term Duration August – December)

First Term assessment will be conducted in December.

2nd  Term assessment (Term Duration January — March)

Second Term assessment will be conducted in March.

3rd Term assessment (Term Duration April – June)

Final term assessment will be conducted in June.

Final result is prepared on the basis of performance of the students in Term Exams and final Exam.

RESULT MEETING:

After compilation of result in every term, exam coordinators have result meeting with principal in the presence of heads of different wings. Individually all classes and students are discussed in result meeting. School declares result of every term. Different strategies are designed for improvement of Examination system and Students weaknesses.

HOW DO STUDENTS RECEIVE RESULT CARD?

Teachers give feedback to students within two weeks after the assessment date. The feedback focuses on the Term exam and Exam meeting with principal and heads of wings.

WHAT IF THE ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL IS VERY LOW?

If the achievement level is very low or if the Examination Team or teachers feel that the student has performed considerably less than expected:

  1. Teachers will make strategy to improve student’s learning.
  2. Teachers will also be contacting parents to intervene.
  3. In addition, the student is required to complete the task and they will be encouraged to put more effort towards studies.
  4. In some cases, Examination team will issue warning to students in accordance with their poor performance.
  5. The student might be required to complete the task during class lesson time or at home

PARENT TEACHER MEETING (PTM)

After the result of first and second terms, School arranges PTM. Parents are invited to meet with their child’s teachers to discuss academic progress and social-emotional development of the student There is also opportunity to meet with Subject teachers. Teachers share evidence of progress and strategies forward, as well as address ways in which parents can support their child at home.

WHAT IS THE HOMEWORK POLICY?

All students are expected to continue their learning outside of their classroom. This could be revising what is learnt in class or working of tasks that are assigned to be completed outside of class. Teachers assign homework of maximum two or three subjects in one day. Homework schedule is pasted in every class.

STRATEGIES FOR INTERNAL ASSESSMENT:

  • The following list illustrates some practices that school uses for internal assessment:
  • Student self-evaluation supported by the teacher
  • Systematic use of detailed assessment criteria like performance based weekly assessment to measure the students’ progress.
  • Assessment tools which are primarily used for summative assessment adapted to use as formative assessment

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION:

Assessment is a continuous process of evaluating teaching and learning. It is an essential tool that is used to improve and assist learning.

Through assessment students will be informed about their development in learning and will be able to identify what needs to be done to improve further. Strengths and weaknesses are identified through assessment, although it never seeks to catch students out. Assessment results enable teachers to adjust and design lessons that support all students and provide challenging experiences in the subject taught. Assessment also provides feedback on the students’ approaches to learning and informs planning for approaches to teaching, Lower Secondary will appear for External Examination Cambridge Checkpoint Examination for core subjects (English, Mathematics, and Science). The external exams support curricular goals and encourage appropriate student learning.

AIM OF THE EXTERNAL EXAMINATION:

  • To help children to develop a range of knowledge and skills, providing a solid foundation upon which to build later stages of education.
  • To deliver a progressive learning framework appropriate for students in the primary phase.
  • To identify students’ strength and weaknesses from test-result analysis.
  • To provide a statement of achievement for all the students. 

EVALUATION:

The policy will be reviewed with whole staff, student, parent and community input as part of the school’s three-year review cycle.