When you hear the word ‘assessment’, what do you think of? Formal written exams followed by a grade? The must-be-done-but-no-one-wants-to-do part of learning? At YCIS Shanghai, assessment is so much more than that!

There are many reasons why we use a wide range of assessments at school. Assessment is an important part of learning, helping teachers determine whether educational goals are being met, and if not, why not. However, assessment is only useful when follow-up action is taken to identify areas of growth and challenge. Studying for a test only to forget all about it a week later is not a good use of time for students or teachers!

So, what does the school year look like? 

Assessment is an ongoing process, taking place during every unit of study in every subject, every week of the school year, during every lesson—even if the children are not aware of it. At the start of the year, students undertake assessments so that teachers have a baseline from which to measure their progress. Teachers observe students and their responses during lessons throughout the year, liaising with parents where necessary. ‘Cold tasks’ are quick assessments undertaken at the start of a new unit of study, before new material has been taught. The same assessment is repeated at the end of the unit, then called a ‘hot task’, enabling teachers to confirm that the student’s understanding has developed and any gaps in knowledge have been addressed.

What do we do with assessments? 

Using ongoing data effectively helps ensure that resources, planning, and curriculum at YCIS Shanghai are well suited to all students. Teachers and school leaders discuss assessment data together, using it to identify needs for further development or further extension for students. This could take place at the level of the individual student, or across groups, such as those in one skill area, one class, or one year level.

Assessment data helps identify the need for additional support, whether in the form of resources or extra staff to further support students in a small group environment or at an individual level. We continually monitor and reassess all students throughout the unit of study to ensure that these measures enable students to meet their full potential.

In Primary, Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) assessments help us measure a student’s potential. They have been used for over 30 years in over 70 countries and enable us to compare our data against the expected achievement of an average child for each age group. CEM assessments identify the highest performing 25% of students in each year level, the middle 50%, and the lowest-performing 25%. Most of all, it helps our Primary teachers to respond to individual educational needs. This focus on meaningful assessment ultimately leads to outstanding IB results and university successes.