Section+C+-+Curriculum+-+Overview

Section C: Curriculum -- Overview ** How does the support system (pastoral care/homeroom/advisory) for Diploma Programme students integrate with and complement the delivery of the Diploma Programme? **

Homeroom at this school is primarily for attendance and daily announcements, and is not part of the support system for students in a systematic way. A student’s counselor is generally the primary contact for pastoral care, as well as for advice about college/university or other post-high school options. We have four full-time counselors at the high school; students work with the same counselor throughout their four years of high school. The counselors convene regular lunchtime meetings involving all teachers of students about whom significant academic and/or personal concerns have been raised. These meetings may or may not involve the student and/or parent, depending on the nature of the concerns, and the possible interventions to be discussed. The IB coordinator is often involved in providing support to IB Diploma students, and attends these meetings when an IB student is involved.

Depending on the nature of the support needed, a number of other staff may also be involved, for example, the school psychologist, the Academic Support teacher, and/or the nurse. All of these are full-time positions. The school psychologist assists the teachers and counselors as needed, and can also perform diagnostic testing. Students with learning difficulties are referred to the Academic Support teacher, who can provide a range of interventions depending on the student’s individual situation. The nurse can provide care and guidance both for acute and chronic conditions. For example, the IB Coordinator may work with any or all of these staff members in preparing school applications for accommodations for Special Educational Needs (Form D1).

** Describe the system in place for the induction of students into the Diploma Programme, and how each student’s programme of study is put together. **

In November of each year, the IB DP Coordinator and the AP (Advanced Placement) Coordinator conduct an evening information session for parents and students regarding both programs. In January or February, the two coordinators conduct an information session for all grade 10 students. This session also includes a panel of current students. Around the same time, teachers also discuss their course options and recommendations with each of their students. The DP Coordinator meets individually with each prospective full Diploma candidate, and collects a personal statement from each student, discussing the student’s reasons for choosing to pursue the IB Diploma. In these meetings, the coordinator and the student discuss the student’s reasons for choosing the Diploma Program, the regulations concerning a course of study in the DP, and the student’s level of motivation and commitment.

Enrollment in the Diploma Program is non-selective; while teacher recommendations are given strong weight in determining a student’s program of study, a negative recommendation will not exclude the student from the program. An IB student’s program of study is determined jointly by the student, his or her parents, the IB Coordinator, and the student’s counselor. Many factors are considered, including teacher recommendations, the student’s academic record, the regulations concerning an IB Diploma course of study, and the student’s goals for tertiary education.


 * === Standard C1 === || === Requires significant attention === || === Shows satisfactory development === ||
 * === A comprehensive, coherent, written curriculum, based on the requirements of the programme and developed by the school, is available to all sections of the school community. === || === === ||= ====X==== ||

Atlas Rubicon is the vehicle for our school's curriculum.
 * === Practices === |||||||||| === Degree of implementation === ||
 * || === Low === ||||||  || === High === ||
 * **1. A comprehensive, coherent curriculum is available in written form to all sections of the school community (including students, teachers, parents, administrators and members of the governing body).** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Atlas timelines, unit plans, assessments mapped to standards and benchmarks.

However, Atlas is password-protected, accessible only to faculty.

Parents and students receive curricular information in a variety of ways. As noted in the school questions under Section B, we are in the process of implementing a 7-year curriculum review cycle, with a midpoint smaller-scale review as well. Teachers of IB courses participate in these reviews, and IB curriculum documents are used.
 * Course description book -- [|SAS-PDHS-Course-Catalogue-2011-2012.pdf]
 * Teacher blogs and wikis -- [|SAS Pudong HS blog page home]
 * Syllabi and course information documents ||
 * **2. The curriculum is developed with consideration for students’ previous learning experiences and future educational needs.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Most departments have common standards in Atlas for K-12, with course-specific benchmarks.
 * Vertical articulation is a component of curriculum review.
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **3. The curriculum clearly identifies the skills, concepts, knowledge and attitudes to be taught over time.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Most departments have common standards in Atlas for K-12, with course-specific benchmarks.
 * Scope and sequence is a component of curriculum review.
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **4. The curriculum places appropriate demands on students according to their age and stage of development, and incorporates issues that are relevant to them.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Most departments have common standards in Atlas for K-12, with course-specific benchmarks.
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **5. The curriculum encourages students to become aware of individual, local, national and global issues.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|Student survey -- learning about issues.pdf]
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **6. The curriculum promotes all the attributes of the IB learner profile.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|Student survey -- learner profile.pdf]
 * [|Parent survey -- Learner Profile.pdf]
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **7. The curriculum encourages students to develop strategies for their own learning and assessment, and to assume increasing levels of responsibility in this respect.** ||||  || X ||   ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * This is a feature of the taught curriculum, not so much of the written curriculum.
 * Some elements of our new (draft) strategic plan -- [|Draft_Strategic_Plan_13_Mar_2011.pdf] -- place increased emphasis on these goals, specifically,
 * From Core Values -- We believe that when individuals take responsibility for their own decisions, they are empowered to create a positive impact.
 * From Strategic Objectives -- By 2016, all students will continually and confidently explore, discover, express and pursue personal aspirations.
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **8. The curriculum provides ample opportunity for student inquiry and the presentation of ideas.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|Student survey -- critical thinking.pdf]
 * [|Parent survey -- critical thinking.pdf]
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **9.** **The curriculum provides opportunities for students to work both independently and collaboratively.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **10. The curriculum is sensitive to cultural, gender, linguistic, ethnic and religious differences.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **11. The curriculum is regularly reviewed in the light of programme developments.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:

When there are changes to IB courses during times that do not coincide with our SAS review cycle, we still work to make sure that our courses reflect current IB standards, by using IB curricular materials, workshop attendance, and the purchase of new resources.

For example, for the changes in Group 1 and 2 courses starting in Fall 2011:
 * We sent 10 teachers from our English, Chinese and French/Spanish Departments to the initial training workshops in January 2011 in Hong Kong and Singapore.
 * These teachers collaborated with teachers from our sister campus to prepare presentations on the changes. These presentations were made as part of a two campus professional development day. Examples of these presentations are attached below.
 * [|English A Lit changes 8 Feb.pdf]
 * [|Chinese Lang and Lit 8 Feb.pdf] ||
 * **12. The school takes advantage of local community organizations and the expertise of other adults to foster learning within the scope of the curriculum.** ||||  || X ||   ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * This is primarily done through events like alumni speaker panels and Career Day, rather than within the context of our classes.
 * [|career day agenda.pdf]
 * [|Career Day speakers.pdf]


 * There are some opportunities for students to get out of school, quite a few for extra-curricular activities and projects, significantly fewer for field trips related to curricular topics. Our location far from the city center, and other logistical and cultural issues are obstacles to curricular field trips. ||
 * **13. Where appropriate, the curriculum provides for learning experiences to be made visible to others through displays, posters, public performances etc.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Public performances and displays in the traditional sense are most common in the Arts, though most classrooms also display student work, and some work is displayed on bulletin boards.
 * Many courses have blogs or wikis that feature student work, or student discussion.
 * Extended Essays are kept in the Library for reference. ||
 * **14. The school actively supports the development of the mother-tongue language of all students.** ||||  || X ||   ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * We currently offer Chinese A1 and A2 as regular taught subjects, and will offer both Chinese A Literature and Chinese A Language and Literature starting in Fall 2011.
 * [|Chinese magazine Dec 2010.pdf]
 * We currently have students studying Dutch, Korean, Spanish, and Swedish as School-Supported Self-Taught languages, and in the past have also had students study French, German, and Japanese at this level.
 * We have had one student earn a bilingual diploma by writing a History EE in Spanish. She was supported by two faculty members, a Spanish teacher in the formal supervisory role, and a History teacher consulting on content-related questions. (We understand that in the future this will no longer be a route to a bilingual diploma.)
 * Other mother-tongue initiatives are more or less isolated instances. However, in connection with Standard C2.7, that all teachers are language teachers, we do have a shared understanding of the benefits of additive bilingualism. Teachers may allow students to adapt projects to include mother tongue and home cultural elements.
 * English 9 poetry project -- audio in Spanish, with English subtitles -- Santi Ortiz video
 * Two IB Theatre students staged a production in Mandarin as part of this year's Fringe Festival -- [|Cross-talk] ||
 * **15. The school provides opportunities for students to learn at least one language in addition to their mother tongue.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Two years of study of a language other than English are required for graduation.
 * We have a wide range of course offerings in Chinese, French, and Spanish.
 * [|Chinese dept course offerings flowchart.pdf]
 * [|World language dept course offering flowchart.pdf] ||
 * **16. The school provides appropriate information about the programme to potential students and advises them in their choice of courses.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Information about the program is available in the course description book -- [|Course description book -- IB and AP.pdf]
 * The IB and AP Coordinators make presentations to parents and to students regarding these programs.
 * [|AP IB Parent_night Nov 16 2010.pdf]
 * [|IB AP student presentation 2011.pdf]
 * The DP Coordinator meets individually with each new prospective full Diploma candidate during the course selection process. ||
 * **17.****There is a balance of subjects on offer in the school as well as an appropriate student schedule that provides for student access to the full diploma.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|IB Course Offerings 2011-12.pdf]
 * [|SAS PD HS Course Catalog.pdf]
 * [|2010-2011 Master Schedule Aug 16.pdf]


 * With very few exceptions, math and Mandarin B, our HL and SL courses are co-listed and taught together. This is dictated by scheduling constraints, and our broad range of course offerings, including AP and general HS courses in addition to IB DP courses. However, this co-listing does place significant additional demands on teachers and students.


 * Some students and parents have expressed a desire for additional IB courses to be offered. The course offerings of the school are studied every year by each department and by the HS Articulation Committee, and at the present time, we feel that the present offerings provide a range of choice in each subject area group, and are appropriate for our enrollment and staffing. ||
 * **18. The school supports the central role of TOK by assigning adequate staffing and time for student learning and assessment, and establishing links to other subjects.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * We have 2 sections each of TOK Year 1 and TOK Year 2, with between 35-40 full Diploma students in each group. Both TOK Year 1 sections meet at the same time, which allows for flexible groupings of students, depending on the learning activities for the day. Both TOK Year 2 sections also met during the same time block.
 * TOK meets for approximately 60 hours each year.
 * TOK Year 1 meets all year long using flexible groupings and scheduling (to reach approximately 60 hours of teaching time in Year 1) to promote concurrency of learning. TOK Year 1 is the only SAS course earning 0.5 credits which is scheduled in this fashion. Because of staffing constraints, this model may change in starting in the fall of 2011 so that TOK will meet full-time starting half-way through Year 1. However, students will still have time for the Hexagon Core elements in their schedule, and we are working purposefully to make sure that key elements of TOK are still part of the students' experience from the time they start the programme.
 * Teachers from different subject areas make guest presentations in TOK, and in general, connections from TOK to each subject area are strong. The connections made in each class vary, depending on the teacher.


 * A unique testament to our TOK teachers and program is a "TOK thank you book" that the current Y2 students recently presented to their two TOK teachers -- [|TOK Thank You book.pdf] ||
 * **19. There is an appropriate and varied CAS programme.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Online student CAS portfolios created using ManageBac
 * [|SAS Pudong HS ASA Matrix 2010-11.pdf]
 * Student-created video giving overview of CAS activities and objectives [|Student CAS video] ||
 * **20. The school provides guidance to students on progression to higher education and other career opportunities.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|SAS Pudong HS Counseling Program Map.pdf]
 * [|Academic Four Yr Timeline.pdf]
 * [|College Handbook - class of 2012.pdf]
 * [|UniQUest Workbook 2010.pdf]
 * [|College visit list.pdf]
 * [|Parent 11 Coffee 1-22-09.pdf]
 * [|senior retreat master 2010 last draft.pdf] ||

The statement of conclusions
C1.5 Broad range of opportunities for students to engage with authentic issues. C1.18 Strong TOK program that develops students' critical thinking, engagement with issues, and which binds together the different areas of the IB Hexagon. C1.19 Strong CAS program, with a very wide range of activities in all areas. C1.20 Strong college and career counseling program, providing guidance and support to students seeking post-secondary opportunities all over the world. ||
 * === Strengths === ||
 * C1.8 Strong emphasis in the DP on developing critical thinking across the curriculum.

Programs like Career Day and the HS VIsiting Author can be expanded and tied more explicitly to curriculum. The construction of the planned Performing Arts Center will give us more flexibility in terms of hosting larger-scale events. Technology can be used to facilitate these connections with the community, in order to overcome difficulties relating to travel and scheduling. || This is an area where we hope that increased offerings of approved online Group A courses will also help us. ||
 * === Practices in n **eed of strengthening** === || === Proposals for improvement === ||
 * C1.7 Encourage student responsibility and autonomy through the school's curricular materials || This should be an element of our internal curriculum review, especially in light of our new (draft) strategic plan. ||
 * C1.12 Use additional resources in the community to foster learning || Greater collaboration between Chinese teachers and teachers in other departments may allow us to cultivate a broader range of connections to the community.
 * C1.14 Support for mother-tongue maintenance and development in languages other than English and Chinese || To be truthful, the number of other significant initiatives underway make it unlikely that we will be able to significant additions to our programs in this area in the near future. However, we can continue to promote the inclusion of mother tongue elements in student projects, where appropriate.


 * === Standard C2 === || === Requires significant attention === || === Shows satisfactory development === ||
 * === The school has implemented a system through which all teachers plan and reflect in collaborative teams. === ||  ||= X ||

At present, the level of implementation varies from department to department and teacher to teacher, though with the introduction this year of our draft assessment policy, it is expected that this will become more systematic.
 * === Practices === |||||||||| === Degree of implementation === ||
 * === === || === Low === ||||||  || === High === ||
 * ** 1.All teachers are provided with the appropriate documentation, including relevant IBO publications, in preparation for all planning activities. ** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * All teachers teaching IB courses have OCC accounts -- [|teacher survey OCC.pdf]
 * Past exams and markschemes are placed on a secure section of the school server, with access only to teachers of IB courses.
 * The IB DP Coordinator updates teachers on other communications from the IB, e.g. from the Coordinator notes, surveys, IBIS news updates, presentations at IB Asia-Pacific Regional Conference.
 * [|teacher survey IB information.pdf] ||
 * ** 2. Planning at the school takes place collaboratively. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * We have monthly after-school department meetings. This time is used for a variety of purposes, including both curricular and managerial issues.
 * Departments meet with their colleagues at our sister campus once or twice a year.
 * For some courses, collaborative planning is very much the norm, but this varies by course, teacher, and department. ||
 * ** 3.Planning at the school enables all teachers to gain an overview of the students’ whole learning experience. ** ||||  || X ||   ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * IB teachers meet during each year of the program to discuss the progress of each full Diploma candidate.
 * The Y2 meeting takes place after teachers have submitted preliminary predicted grades for university applications. At around the same time, students complete a self-reflection which includes a student-generated predicted grade for each class. In the attached presentation, "T PG" refers to the preliminary predicted grade from the teacher, and "S PG" refers to the student-generated prediction. [|Y2 fall PG meeting.pdf]
 * The Y1 meeting takes place after the conclusion of the first semester, and also includes comments from a student self-reflection. [|Y1 midyear teacher mtg.pdf]
 * Counselors convene meetings for the teachers of students of concern.
 * In Powerschool, teachers can see current grades and assessment information for all their students. ||
 * ** 4.Planning at the school is based on agreed expectations for student learning and in the context of a coherent programme. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * This is generally true even in courses where the day-to-day collaborative planning is less strong. Semester exams for different sections of the same course are common. ||
 * ** 5. Planning at the school accommodates a range of learning needs and styles, as well as varying levels of competencies. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * A concern for individual students' needs is a strength of the faculty.
 * As noted elsewhere, we have two full-time ESOL teachers, a full-time Academic Support teacher, and a full-time Academic Support aide, who work directly with students, and who also work with teachers on appropriate differentiation strategies.
 * [|Student survey -- teacher consultation&help.pdf]
 * [|Parent survey - consultation&help.pdf] ||
 * ** 6. Planning at the school addresses assessment issues throughout the planning process. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:

In our external exam classes (IB and AP), we do feel that assessment issues are thoroughly integrated into planning. || ESOL teachers engage in co-planning with Grade 9 and 10 core subject teachers, send ELL Tip of the Week emails, and make mini-presentations at monthly faculty meetings. As noted elsewhere (e.g. Standard B1, Practice 6), a large majority of the HS faculty is involved with the IB program, in varying capacities. This allows for teaching and learning strategies appropriate to IB to inform the teaching and learning throughout our HS Program.
 * ** 7. Planning at the school recognizes that, in practice, all teachers are language teachers and consequently appropriate consideration is given to their responsibility in facilitating communication. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|ELL PD plan 2009-10.pdf]
 * [|ELLPD Overview Sept 2009 HS faculty.pdf]
 * [|Semester 1 ELL Tips.pdf]
 * [|SIOP checklist.pdf]
 * [|ELL Tip of the Week 21 Oct 2010.pdf]
 * [|ELL Tip of the Week 18 Jan 2011.pdf] ||
 * ** 8. Planning at the school includes the discussion and use of teaching and learning strategies appropriate to the objectives of the separate components of the Diploma Programme. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|Student survey -- course goals & requirements.pdf]
 * [|Parent survey -- course goals and requirements.pdf] ||

The statement of conclusions
C2.5 Planning that takes individual needs into account -- we feel that that a concern for individual student's needs is a strength of the faculty and part of the mind-set of the school. We have assessed ourselves at the third level of implementation, because we feel more explicit evidence of this could be developed. ||
 * === Strengths === ||
 * C2.1 Access to current IB curricular materials in planning

2. We have begun discussions about making changes in our daily timetable to possibly allow for more regular common planning time. Since our homeroom time is not used for pastoral care, one possibility is to redistribute this time for other purposes. 3. Some Wednesday afternoon meeting times could be set aside for cross-departmental (e.g. grade-level) planning. Subjects such as math and language, where the students are in mixed-grade classes, may be more difficult to work into this. 4. An assessment calendar could help teachers become more aware of what is going on in each of their students' classes, and also help balance students' workloads. We have had some discussions about this, and note that this is not just a matter of creating a document or Google calendar, but may also involve a shift in the culture of the school. ||
 * === Practices in need of strengthening === || === Proposals for improvement === ||
 * C2.3 Planning that takes the student's whole learning experience into account || 1. More structured common planning time -- the range of courses offered makes it difficult to do this in the context of the regular school day.


 * === Standard C3 === || === Requires significant attention === || === Shows satisfactory development === ||
 * === Teaching and learning at the school empowers and encourages students to become lifelong learners, to be responsible towards themselves, their learning, other people and the environment, and to take appropriate action. === || === === ||= ====X==== ||


 * === Practices === |||||||||| === Degree of implementation === ||
 * === === || === Low === |||||| === === || === High === ||
 * ** 1. Teaching and learning at the school builds on what students know and can do. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Diverse course offerings
 * Moderation of assessment by teachers teaching a common class.
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * ** 2. Teaching at the school allows students to become actively responsible for their own learning. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * We note the connection to C1.7. Both that practice and this one address students taking responsibility for their own learning. As noted there, at this school, this is more a feature of the taught curriculum rather than the written one.
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * ** 3.Teaching at the school uses a range and balance of teaching strategies to meet the objectives of the programme. ** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Teachers use a range of strategies and types of learning activities in all courses, IB, AP, Grade 9/10, and general HS courses.
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * ** 4. Teaching and learning at the school recognizes and reflects multiple perspectives. ** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * ** 5. Teaching and learning at the school addresses the needs of students who have reached different stages in their development and those who have different learning styles. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * The level of differentiation varies from teacher to teacher and class to class.
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * ** 6. Teaching and learning at the school is supported by a range of appropriate resources, including ICT. ** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * We are fortunate to have the resources to provide a wide range of instructional materials in each course.
 * We are in the process of implementing a 1-1 laptop program. By fall 2011, this will cover grades 6-12. The implementation of this program has been accompanied by a range of professional development opportunities, including conferences, outside consultants, and frequent sessions led by our tech staff or other teachers sharing their expertise and knowledge. ||
 * ** 7. Teaching at the school engages students as critical thinkers with developing views of their own. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|Student survey -- critical thinking.pdf]
 * [|Parent survey -- critical thinking.pdf] ||
 * ** 8. Teaching and learning at the school encourages students to take appropriate action in response to their own needs and the needs of others. ** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Peer tutoring program coordinated by the Counseling Office -- students can request a peer tutor or be referred by a teacher.
 * [|Application to be a peer tutor.pdf]
 * [|Peer tutor request.pdf]
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **9. Teaching at the school meets the needs of students who are not proficient in the language(s) of instruction.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Writing Center, available by appointment or drop-in, to serve high school students with individual writing feedback and conferencing.
 * Teachers provide scaffolding to ensure that spoken and written texts are comprehensible.
 * Teachers differentiate instruction to provide access to grade-level content for all students.
 * Two full-time ESOL teachers provide embedded professional development about teaching English language learners (ELLs), in the form of workshops, emails and co-teaching.
 * In-class support is provided for ELLs targeted in 9th and 10th grade classes with greatest need (largest number of ELLs) which takes the form of co-planning, co-teaching and co-assessing.
 * ESOL Academic Literacy class in grades 9 & 10 provides direct, content-based English language instruction for a small number of students (~5%). This course takes the place of another foreign language class.
 * A list of students receiving ESOL support and their level of support is shared with all high school teachers
 * Some documents for parents of ELLs are translated into Chinese and Korean.
 * Teachers regularly communicate with parents of students who receive ESOL support via email, phone and face-to-face meetings


 * Push-in and pull-out support are only provided to students in Grades 9 and 10 per Board policy, though the Writing Center is open to all students. ||
 * ** 10. Teaching and learning at the school promotes the understanding and practice of academic honesty. ** ||||  || X ||   ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Our student handbook spells out our policies and the consequences for plagiarism and cheating. [|Student handbook -- plagiarism.pdf]
 * [|EE intro -- citations.pdf] ||

The statement of conclusions
C3.4 Recognizing multiple perspectives ||
 * === Strengths === ||
 * C3.3 Range and balance of teaching strategies -- this is something that we believe in, and practice across the curriculum. The introduction of the 1-1 laptop program is also leading the introduction of additional strategies and types of learning activities


 * === Practices in need of strengthening === || === Proposals for improvement === ||
 * C3.10 Understanding and practice of academic honesty || Our current policies and approach to academic honesty deal primarily with the consequences for cheating and plagiarism, and we recognize a need to promote academic honesty in a more positive sense and to work to make it more a part of the culture of the school. Our National Honor Society chapter has discussed the adoption of an Honor Code, but it might be more appropriate for this to be a school-wide initiative. ||


 * === Standard C4 === || === Requires significant attention === || === Shows satisfactory development === ||
 * === There is an agreed approach to assessment, and to the recording and reporting of assessment data, which reflects the practices and requirements of the programme. === ||  ||= X ||

As noted elsewhere, as of this year, we have a draft written assessment policy. The overarching philosophy of the draft assessment policy states:
 * === Practices === |||||||||| === Degree of implementation === ||
 * === === || === Low === ||||||  || === High === ||
 * **1. There is a written assessment policy in place that is available to all sections of the school community.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * [|SAS Assessment Policy (draft).pdf]
 * The draft policy document also contains this 5-year implementation timeline -- [|Assessment implementation timeline.pdf] ||
 * **2. Assessment at the school is viewed as being integral with planning, teaching and learning.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Shanghai American School believes that assessment is an integral component of the educational process; the primary goal of a balanced and consistent assessment program is to support and enhance student learning.

And two of the six principles of assessment are:
 * The primary purpose of assessment is to support, guide, improve and motivate learning for all students.
 * Effective assessment is essential to high quality instruction. ||
 * **3. Learning expectations and integral assessment strategies are made clear to students and parents.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * Course syllabi, blogs, wikis
 * [|Student survey -- course goals & requirements.pdf]
 * [|Parent survey -- course goals and requirements.pdf] ||
 * **4. The school uses a balanced range of strategies for formative and summative assessment, which are reviewed regularly.** ||||  || X ||   ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Courses do generally have a balanced range of assessment strategies. As part of the roll-out of the assessment policy draft, we have specifically considered the role of formative assessment. However, there is no formal review of assessment strategies used. ||
 * **5. Learning at the school involves students in both peer- and self-assessment.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **6. The levels of students’ current knowledge and experience are assessed before embarking on new learning.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **7. Students are provided with regular and prompt feedback to inform and improve their learning.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * See evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **8. Assessment at the school provides students with regular opportunities for reflection on their own learning.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Once a year, IB Diploma students do a formal reflection on their progress in each of their subjects, and each Hexagon Core area.
 * See also evidence in each subject area. ||
 * **9. There are efficient systems for recording data about student learning, which are in keeping with the requirements of the programme.** ||||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * We use Powerschool for recording assessment data from each class.
 * College application information is tracked in Naviance.
 * Standardized test results, e.g. SAT, are kept in the student's file, and recorded in Naviance.
 * Our school reporting uses the A-F scale. Teachers report IB predicted grades separately to the IB Coordinator and the HS Counselors. In the fall of Year 2, the DP Coordinator meets individually with each full Diploma candidate to review teacher predicted grades. This happens in conjunction with the detailed reflection and self-assessment noted in the previous practice. ||
 * **10. The assessment process allows for meaningful reporting to parents about students’ progress.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * Except for the first 4 weeks of each semester, parents and students have online access to current grade information and teacher comments via Powerschool.
 * Powerschool allows teachers to update grades and comments at any time, and to comment on overall progress as well as individual assessments. However, the mandate to provide narrative comments is fairly narrow and some parents have expressed a desire to see more narrative comments. ||
 * **11. Assessment data is analysed to provide information about the individual needs of students.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * As noted elsewhere, IB teachers meet during each year of the program to discuss the progress of each full Diploma candidate. Individually tailored interventions are planned where appropriate.
 * Teachers can refer a student of concern (IB and non-IB) to the Academic Support teacher or the student's counselor. This can lead to meetings involving teachers, the student and/or parents, and also to the development of a Learning Intervention Plan (1st level intervention) or Learning Support Plan (2nd level intervention). ||
 * **12. Assessment data is analysed to inform the evaluation and subsequent modification of teaching and learning strategies.** ||||  ||   || X ||   ||
 * Evidence:
 * As a faculty, we feel strongly that we do this on a regular and ongoing basis, though this is frequently done on an informal, non-documented basis. ||
 * **13. Student learning is regularly assessed against the objectives and assessment criteria specific to each subject.** ||||  ||   ||   || X ||
 * Evidence:
 * IB students regularly submit work that is assessed against IB criteria.
 * Past IB exam papers and questions are regularly used, in both formative assessment and internal school summative assessments.
 * We have 4 days of mock exams every year. This allows students to write mock exams for most papers in a relatively formal exam setting, while minimizing the loss of instructional time. Other mock exam papers may be written in class. [|Mock exam spring 2011.pdf]
 * Many classes have formal mocks for internal assessment, e.g. mock orals in languages, practice portfolio projects in math.
 * Students and parents report a high degree of understanding of course goals and requirements
 * [|Student survey -- course goals & requirements.pdf]
 * [|Parent survey -- course goals and requirements.pdf]


 * IA moderator feedback generally indicates a good knowledge of the objectives and assessment criteria. Last year, only 4 IA components were in the range allowing for a Category 3 EUR request to be filed.
 * [|Theatre SL Portfolio feedback.pdf]
 * [|Psychology IA feedback.pdf]


 * Further evidence is given in each subject area, including evidence from non-IB courses. ||

The statement of conclusions

 * === Strengths === ||
 * C4.13 Regular assessment against the objectives and assessment criteria in each subject area -- the evidence here submitted pertains to IB courses, where it is also supported by our results. However, we feel that this is a strength which extends beyond just our DP courses. ||


 * === Practices in need of strengthening === || === Proposals for improvement === ||
 * C4.4 Balanced range of formative and summative assessment, reviewed regularly || On the whole, we feel that most individual teachers and individual courses do have a balanced range of formative and summative assessment. In particular, we have spent a significant amount of time and energy this year, looking particularly at formative assessment, including different means of formative assessment, ways of reporting formative feedback, and the role of formative assessment in a balanced assessment program.

However, in terms of this practice, there is little in the way of systematic review of assessment practices, so this is where we feel that subsequent steps should be taken. ||