Assessment is an ongoing process at IIS. Assessment helps gather data related to student achievements, therefore, it assists with school improvement efforts. They are linked to specific curriculum outcomes and objectives. Summative assessments will be communicated to students in a timely fashion. All assessments are transparent in grading requirements, with objectives shared with the student and students aware of the required standard.

Purpose of Assessment

1. Assess what children know, understand and can apply to their work.
2. Plan learning opportunities that reflect the needs of all children.
3. Identify children who are falling behind and therefore plan support to address their needs.
4. Identify children exceeding their age related expectations and therefore plan work to extend them further.
5. Provide parents with information about their child’s learning.
6. Provide useful data for analysis, whole school planning and accountability.
7. Identify each pupil’s strengths and the priority areas for their future learning.
8. Identify an appropriate curriculum for each pupil.
9. Identify “next steps” for each pupil and express these as clear learning objectives.
10. Identify the progress made in individual lessons or series of lessons.
11. Evaluate the progress that each pupil is making over time.
12. Evaluate and improve the teaching strategies used with each pupil.
13. Support pupils, where appropriate, to monitor their own learning.
14. Identify, celebrate and share achievement.

Principle of Assessment

1. To provide information to support progression in learning through planning
2. To provide information for target setting for individuals, groups and cohorts
3. To share learning goals with children
4. To involve children with self assessment
5. To help pupils know and recognise the standards they are aiming for.
6. To identify children for intervention
7. To complete a critical self evaluation of the school

Types of Assessments

We at IIS believe that students show their growth in a variety of ways, therefore, we utilize a variety of assessments and measurement tools in a systematic process to obtain a valid and accurate picture of each student that reflects his/her attainment of content knowledge and skills.
These assessments include:

1. Placement Tests
   All new students enrolling into grades one and above at IIS have to take these tests. These tests are aligned to the school’s curriculum and are intended to measure the skill students have in reading, writing and mathematics to determine whether their skill levels meet the prerequisites needed for the grade level they are enrolling into or not. These tests are completed on the computer at the school for grades four and above. Students enrolling into grades 1 – 3, however, will complete a test on a one-to-one basis. In addition to these tests, all students, including kindergarteners, enrolling into IIS will have an interview to ensure their readiness for the grade level they are enrolling into and to get a clear picture of their character traits.
2. Diagnostic Tests
   Tests are administered at the beginning of the year starting from grade one in language arts, Arabic language, mathematics and sciences. These assessments help us identify our students’ current knowledge and skills of the subject being assessed and therefore, they assist teacher planning and differentiated instructions.
3. Formative Assessments
   These assessments are ongoing. They provide the teachers and students with feedback regarding their progress toward achieving the learning goals.
4. Summative Assessments
   These assessments are administered at the end of a lesson or an instructional unit. These assessments are meant to judge and grade student achievement.

Frequency of Assessments:

The frequency of assessments will be determined according to programme requirements and Grade levels.

1. School Assessments
   School assigned assessments will be set according to published weekly schedules, are dependent on Grade level and are ongoing throughout the year. Components used to evaluate students and their grade may include but are not limited to:
   • Classwork
   • Homework
   • Participation
   • Assessments
2. External Assessments
   External assessments are internationally benchmarked and are scheduled depending on the international program the student is pursuing. They are set according to an annually published assessment calendar that will be distributed to the students.

Planners/Organiser

All students will be supplied with school planner at the beginning of the year starting from Grade 1. All students are required to bring their planners to school and fill in the homework required of them. Although it is the responsibility of the student to use their planner daily, home room teachers in primary and secondary levels are expected to check the planners.

Grading Policy

The goal of grading and reporting is to provide the students with feedback that reflects their progress toward the mastery of the standards and objectives.
Every assessment deserves a feedback but does not necessarily result in a recorded grade. Only some assessments result in a recorded grade. Teachers administer multiple opportunities for students to practice grade level standards prior to testing to determine a particular grade.
Only academic performance results should be used in determining students’ grades. Grades are not tools of discipline, nor should they be based on students’ attitudes or personalities. It is important for teachers, however, to provide meaningful feedback to students regarding their personalities, work habits and commitment to responsibility.
All grades will follow the same assessment distribution however the weights of assessments differ depending on grade level. Distribution is as follows:

1. First Assessment
   • Usually administered during the first month of each semester
   • Consists of quizzes, performance assessments (ex. Projects, etc), classwork, homework and class participation.
2. Second Assessment
   • Usually administered during the second month of each semester
   • Consists of a Mid-term exam, which is a paper-pencil test except for the English and Arabic languages.
3. Third Assessment
   • Usually administered during the third month of each semester
   • Consists of quizzes, performance assessments (ex. Projects, etc), classwork, homework and class participation.
4. Fourth Assessment
   • Usually administered during the fourth month of each semester
   • Consists of a Final exam, which is a paper-pencil test except for the English and Arabic languages.

Reporting

Learning is a partnership between students, parents and teachers. We at IIS follow both formal and informal procedures to report student’s achievement to both students and parents.

1. Informal Ways of Communication & Reporting
   • Parental access to the portal
   • Telephone calls
   • Emails
   • Individual conferences
   • Signed work
   • Written notes on student’s agenda
   • Weekly newsletters
   • Weekly evaluation forms (KG)
2. Formal Ways of Communication & Reporting
   • Report cards
   • Parent-teacher conferences

Distribution of report cards will be regular and parent-teacher conferences will be at specific times throughout the school year mainly at the end of October and at the end of March.

Report Cards

IIS will regularly report student progress to the students and to their parents or guardians as appropriate. Progress report cards will be developed in agreement with school procedures by school principal. The parental communication of progress will include on-going progress the student is making, any slack in student’s performance or unsatisfactory attitude and explanation of the meaning of the marks and symbols as they apply to student achievement.

Grade Books

1. Teachers of all grades record student’s grades in the electronic book on the school’s portal. They also keep a printed copy of this record book.
2. The electronic grade book documents the type of the assignment, the grade, the due date, how it is correlated to the standards, whether it is going to be counted in the month’s grade or not and whether it is going to be viewed by the parent or not.
3. All grades are posted on the electronic grade book in a timely manner, not later than five instructional days from date received with exception given for projects.

Parent-Teacher Conference

Parents and teachers will be allowed to discuss student’s performance, needs and methods of cooperation with the parents through conference scheduled throughout the year. Conferences are aimed to promote academic and social-emotional growth and development of the student. Communication between the parent and teacher will be conducted in privacy and with confidentiality.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

Any student that demonstrates any malpractice be it collusion or plagiarism is in breach of school policy. Any student, no matter the grade level will face consequences towards their actions. Parents will be contacted to be informed of incident and action taken towards the student.

Lateness Policy

All students must complete and submit assigned work. The consequence for not completing this work is that t must be completed and submitted for assessment.
Late work will be accepted but with a reasonable deduction for “late work”. Furthermore, a comment on the report card will be posted to reflect lateness (if it becomes a habit).
Although zeros are discouraged, they might be assigned only when all the previously discussed efforts were taken to encourage students to complete and turn in work.

Absences, Make-up Work and Assessment Quality

1. Make-up Work

   This work is defined as the actual work assigned on the day absent. Students will have the opportunity to make up missed work assigned during an excused school absence. Homework and class work assigned on days absent are to be completed at home and returned to the teacher for feedback. Teachers, subject coordinators or Head of Department have to contact the parents to reassign quizzes and assessments.
   The following reasons are excusable for absences:

   • Personal illness
   • Serious illness or death of a family member or close friend
   • Participation in a school approved student activities
   • Verified physician or dentist appointment
   • Emergency situation requiring an immediate action
   • An absence which has been requested in writing and approved in advance by the school administration.
2. Redo/Retake

   Students learn and progress toward mastery of content knowledge and skills at different rates. Our main goal at IIS is for all students to continue learning to achieve the learning goals outlined in the school’s curriculum therefore, students are allowed one opportunity to redo/retake a certain assignment or assessment but according to the following conditions:

   1. Redo/Retake will be permitted depending on a teacher-based decision.
   2. Students that have the opportunity to redo/retake an assignment or assessment have to submit a plan of relearning and to provide evidence of that relearning before work can be redone. This includes creating a calendar in which student’s list day-by-day what they will do to prepare. This can be done with the help of parents in lower grade levels.
   3. Parents have to sign the original, poorly done versions of assignments so they are aware that their children have requested multiple attempts to achieve the standard.
   4. Students who get C’s and B’s are allowed to redo work just as much as students who earn D’s and F’s.
   5. The mark earned on the redo will replace the previous grade or mark. Both marks cannot be averaged together. The A that a student earns on their second attempt at mastery is just as legitimate as the A earned by his classmate on the first attempt.
   6. To save time, teachers can reassess students on the standard(s) on which they performed poorly, not the entire assessment. Some re-dos can be a 10-minute interview at the teacher’s desk while the rest of the class works on something else.
   Note:
   
   • Teachers have a right to give alternative versions of the assessment if they believe a student will simply memorize a correct answer pattern or set of math answers. Redo versions can also be more demanding and during after school hours.
   • IIS reserves the right not to consider students conducting redo/retakes for school scholarships.
3. Incomplete

   A student who has a missing grade (due to absence or other reasons) in a certain marking period may be given a temporary notation of incomplete (Inc.) on the report card. However, this incomplete has to be changed into a letter grade before the following marking period. Teachers should communicate with students and parents to agree on a plan for making up the work.

Test Administration Policy for Major Assessments

1. Timing: Assessment/ exam weeks:
   • Published annually on the School Calendar
   • Grades 1 – 11 will have an exam week at the end of the first semester and second semester.
   • Grade 12 will have Mock Exams – timetable to be published annually.
2. Procedures
   • Parents will be notified of test times and dates five days before administration of the first test.
   • All students will receive an exam timetable which will outline subjects to be tested, number of exams and length of exams.
   • All major assessments will be administered at 8:00 AM.
   • Exams will assess knowledge and skills taught that semester.
   • Students are reminded to bring all the materials necessary for the test.
   • Students with special needs should be considered before the start of the test.
   • Subject teachers (of the test being administered) are not allowed to access the exam halls except for grades 1-4.
   • Students in Grades 6 – 12 are not allowed to use a pencil to answer the test.
   • Food, drinks and mobile phones are not allowed in the exam halls.
   • Heads of Departments are to ensure that all procedures are followed and that test papers are handed to Principal (or designee) a week before exam date.
   • Exams are to be handed, in a sealed envelope, to Principal (or designee) at least one week prior to the exam.
   • Teacher will ensure exams and marking schemes are included in each exam pack.
   • Examining teachers are responsible for collecting the exam prior to commencement and promptly returning, by hand, the exam to the teacher indicated on the exam paper front.

Collusion and/or cheating are not tolerated.