student assessment guide 2014-2015 - … assessment guide 2014-2015 this guide applies to all abu...

Student Assessment Guide 2014-2015

This Guide applies to all Abu Dhabi Public Schools

Introduction The purpose of this manual is to: • explain the different components related to assessing student performance • describe the different types of assessment in Abu Dhabi Public Schools • outline how student assessment data may inform teaching • explain how student achievement relates to reported performance • list regulations related to ADEC assessment policies • provide guidelines on the implementation and administration of assessments • explain various terms pertinent to student assessment

Note: After the publication of this guide the MoE may change the assessment framework for grade 12

Queries concerning student assessment:

1. Contact your school Assessment Coordinator

2. Send email to [email protected]

3. For technical issues with StAR/eSIS call 800 2 444 option 1

4. Call Customer Services 026150000 or [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Contents

Section Heading/Title Page

1 Student Performance 1

2 Performance Scales 3

3 School-based Data Entry 4

4 Standards of Achievement in Continuous Assessment (CA) 6

5 ADEC Examinations 8

6 Reporting Policy 9

7 Absences from Assessments 10

8 Promotion and Retention 11

9 Academic Integrity 13

10 Assessment Communication 13

11 Special Educational Needs (SEN) Students 14

12 Assessment Weightings 16

13 National and International Examinations/Tests and Studies 16

Appendix

A Subjects with/without Outcomes and Strands 17

B Continuous Assessment (CA) Summary 18

C Converting Outcome Levels to Letters A-E for Reporting 19

D Reliability and Teacher Judgements – outcomes subjects 26

E Progress Reports and the Online Statistical Tool (OST) 27

F StAR CA Templates 36

G FAQs for outcome subject teachers & Assessment Check List 42

H National & International Examinations/Tests and Studies 45

I Academic Review Committee (ARC) Forms 48

J Parent Information: New School Model (NSM) Assessment 55

K Assessment Terminology 57

1. Student Performance

ADEC assesses two elements of student performance. 1.1 Academic Performance (AP) This is used for all grades KG-12 and measures subject-specific concepts and skills based on ADEC Curriculum Frameworks and Standards or the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum. While each subject has an overall holistic judgement, some also have specific skill areas (strands) which are judged independently, e.g. Arabic: speaking and listening, elements of language, reading and writing.

1.2 Approaches to Learning (AtL) KG-G5 only These components are observable student behaviours/actions which can be categorized into:

• social e.g. relationships, cooperation in groups roles and responsibilities • emotional e.g. self-image, expressing and managing self • attitudinal e.g. being a learner, listening, contributing to the learning environment • creative and resourceful e.g. creativity, resourcefulness, expression • problem solving e.g. exploration, investigation, sharing understandings

The expectations in these areas are described in the ADEC New School Model KG and Cycle 1 Teachers Guidebooks. 1.3 Types of Assessment ADEC uses four types of assessment to measure student academic performance.

• Continuous Assessments (CA), for all grades KG-12, assess student skills and achievement using classroom tasks and assignments designed by teachers. All subjects in KG-G7, apart from Islamic Education, Activities in KG and Social Studies Civics in G1-5, use learning outcomes (LOs) to record achievement. All other subjects use letters (KG-G7) or numeric values (G8-12). All subjects in KG-G11 have CA templates which specify some or all of the assessment techniques to be used. In addition, the templates for non-outcome subjects KG-G11 also stipulate weightings for these techniques. The CA academic performance for KG-G11 students is recorded using the Student Assessment Record (StAR).

• EMSA, for G3-12, is an annual external assessment and administered at the end of Trimester 2 for G3-11 and in April for G12. Subjects assessed by EMSA are Arabic, English and Mathematics. A science assessment is also administered to G3-9. These assessments are based predominantly on content from Trimesters 1 and 2 but may include some of the previous year’s material. (See also Section 10.) Entry is done by ADEC HQ directly at the end of the year.

• Examinations, for some subjects in G6-11 at the end of Trimester 3 are developed by ADEC; The Ministry of Education (MoE) develops examinations for the end of each Trimester for most subjects in G12. G12 examinations (and continuous assessment) form what is known as the “Al Thanawiya”. For G6-11 the examinations are drawn predominantly from Trimester 3 content material and relevant skills learned during the year. Papers in mathematics (G8-11) and science (G8-9) are dual-language, English and Arabic on facing pages; whereas papers for these subjects in G6-7 are English only.

• ADEC-set assignment (XTR), for non-EMSA examination subjects in G8-11 are developed by ADEC and administered at the end of Trimester 1 only. The marks obtained are entered into eSIS mark entry screens as a separate value (XTR) and contribute up to 10% of the final end of year mark. These assignments are generally one of the techniques that form part of the continuous assessment template for a specific subject. The duration is no more than one lesson.

Student Assessment Guide 14_15 ENG Final Page 1 of 61

1.4 Assessment Policies Assessment policies appear in the ADEC Public Schools (P-12) Policy Manual September 2014 (Section 7000). 1.5 Summary of Academic Performance Assessments by Grade

Note: Continuous Assessment (CA) applies to all subjects in all grades every trimester.

Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3

ADEC-set assignment (external XTR mark)

EMSA Examinations Continuous

Assessment Only

KG-2 --- --- --- All subjects

3-5 --- English, Maths, Science, Arabic ---

HPE, Art, Music, Civics, Social Studies, Islamic Education

6 --- English, Maths, Science, Arabic

English, Maths, Science, Arabic, Integrated Social Studies

HPE, Art, Music, Islamic Education

7 --- English, Maths, Science, Arabic

English, Maths, Science, Arabic, Islamic Education

HPE, Art, Music, Integrated Social Studies

8 Geography, Islamic Education English, Maths, Science, Arabic

Geography, English, Maths, Science, Arabic, Islamic Education

HPE, Art, National Education, History

9 History, Islamic Education English, Maths, Science, Arabic

History, English, Maths, Science, Arabic, Islamic Education

HPE, Art, National Education, Geography

10 Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Islamic Education

English, Maths, Arabic

Chemistry, Biology, Physics, English, Maths, Arabic, Islamic Education

ICT, HPE, Geology, History, Geography

11L* Geography, Economics, History, Islamic Education


English, Maths, Arabic, Islamic Education, History, Economics, Geography

ICT, HPE, Biology, Physics, Sociology

11S Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Islamic Education


English, Maths, Arabic, Islamic Education, Biology, Chemistry, Physics ICT, HPE, Geology

Notes: 1 While students have ICT in G1-5 and G8-9, no assessment information will be collected or reported.

2 G11L Science Skills has no separate mark; work done contributes to the CA activities for both physics & biology. 3 Jiu-Jitsu is offered in G6-11 for Emiratis; it is assessed by CA only and is an alternative or linked with HPE. 4 Al Bayariq is offered in G10-11 for Emiratis; it is assessed by CA only and is linked with HPE. 5 Health is offered from trimester 2 onwards to G10 girls; it is assessed by CA only and is linked with ICT. ADEC determines the assessment framework for KG-G11. MoE prescribes the framework for G12.

Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Start of T3 Trimester 3

Examinations Examinations EMSA Examinations Continuous Assessment

Only

12L

Arabic, English, Maths, Biology, Physics, Geography, Economics, History, Psychology, Islamic Education




ICT, HPE

12S Arabic, English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Islamic Education

Arabic, English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Islamic Education


Arabic, English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Islamic Education

ICT, HPE

1.6 See Section 12 for details of weightings for assessment components.


2. Performance Scales 2.1 G8-12 (non-NSM grades) Academic Performance Performance is indicated by marks/100 (%) as measured against published curriculum standards. 2.2 KG-G7 (NSM grades) Academic Performance Summary performance is indicated by the Abu Dhabi Scale of Achievement (ADSA); it uses letter levels A – E.

Level Descriptors These describe performance expected to be mastered by the end of each Trimester:

Level Criterion Descriptor A Outstanding: almost all outcomes

B High: more than half outcomes

C Competent: about half outcomes

D Limited: a few outcomes

E Very limited: very few outcomes

KG-G7: Outcome Subjects Teachers determine performance based on outcomes achieved by students for Arabic, English, Mandarin (one school only), science, mathematics, integrated social studies (ISS), art, music and health and physical education (HPE). These judgements are based on expectations to be reached by the end of each Trimester and are recorded in eSIS using the Student Assessment Record (StAR). Continuous progress towards mastery is indicated by the following generic definitions:

• M = Mastered (demonstrates complete understanding of all aspects of the concept or demonstrates high level of proficiency in the skill).

• D = Developing (demonstrates complete understanding of some aspects of the concept or demonstrates some competency in the skill; some scaffolding or help may be required).

• E = Emerging (demonstrates a little understanding of the concept or rudimentary abilities of the skill; considerable scaffolding or help will often be required.)

• N = No achievement (demonstrates no understanding of any part of a concept or proficiency in a skill) To ensure a complete record is kept during the learning phase, some outcomes have no indication (“blanks”). This is to recognize that a learning outcome has not yet been taught or no judgment has yet been made, whether due to students’ level of readiness, teaching priorities or a specified teaching scope-and-sequence. At the end of every trimester the outcome levels in StAR are published into eSIS. A-E letter levels for each strand (where applicable) at the end of every trimester are calculated automatically for producing reports. (See also Section 6 and Appendices B, C and D) KG-G7: Non-outcome subjects Teachers use StAR to record student achievement by entering letter A-E levels directly for performance in assessment techniques for Islamic Education (KG-G7) and Civics/Social Studies (G1-5). While outcomes are not directly used to record performance, teachers are expected to apply standards specified in curriculum documents. 2.3 KG-G5 Approaches to Learning (AtL)

Level Frequency of meeting expectations for the grade

1 All of the time

2 Most of the time

3 Some of the time

4 Rarely

Expectations are specified in the ADEC New School Model KG and Cycle 1 Teachers Guidebooks.


3. School-based Data Entry 3.1 Data entry requirements Schools are responsible for the following data entry requirements (see 1.5 for subject details):

Grade eSIS/StAR Required Data Entry by Schools each Trimester

KG-G7 • Depending on subject, either outcomes or level A-E entered • Approaches to Learning entered as 1-4 for each strand for KG-G5

G8-11 • Continuous assessment marks • ADEC-set assignment (XTR) marks (some subjects for Trimester 1 only - see 1.5) • For T3: Examination mark

G12 • Continuous assessment mark for T1, T2 and T3 3.1.1 Deadlines for data entry are published in eSIS Calendar (accessible from the portal “How To” in eSIS). It is the duty of all teachers to ensure that all assessment data is entered and assignments are published by the due deadline. For trimesters 1 and 2 this is always the last day of school for students. It is imperative that HoFs and principals have the time to review, approve and release results in time for printing reports and delivery to parents by the end of the first week of trimesters 2 and 3. 3.1.2 Assessment communication and documents (See also Section 10). Any communications to schools (such as requests for re-publishing in StAR, modifications to deadlines, responses to general queries) will be via [email protected]. Customer Services are also in possession of FAQs relevant to student assessment but also please read Appendix G. 3.1.3 ADEC portal – Assessment Related Documents All documents relating to assessment (including this SAG) such as exam specifications, past exams, etc. will appear on the ADEC portal: P-12 Policy Curriculum & Assessment Assessment related documents Internal link: http://adecportal/sites/CA/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx External link: http://portal.adec.ac.ae/sites/CA/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx 3.2 CA entry KG-G11 and StAR 3.2.1 Defining continuous assessment (CA) CA should not be viewed as “add-on” activities solely to obtain marks/letters for a report. Classroom-based assessment is “continuous” in the sense that it should integrate student learning activities and experiences with opportunities for teachers to judge the extent of that learning. Teachers can then make decisions regarding how best to help students progress to full conceptual understanding and greater proficiency in skills. CA also has the advantage of being able to address outcomes which cannot be assessed by examinations. In line with an ADEC key strategy is the inclusion of broad transferable skills. These are sometimes referred to as “soft skills” or “21st Century Skills”. They include areas such as creativity, inquiry, evaluation, investigation, research and collaboration in teams as well as using ICT hardware and software to enhance and reinforce learning. These skills are incorporated directly within subject learning outcomes and/or form a direct part of CA activities and the techniques of assessment. 3.2.2 Homework is recognised as a valuable means to support student learning. However, the authors of homework assignments can rarely be verified. Therefore, while it should be used to measure formative/on-going learning, homework cannot be used as an assessment technique for the purposes of producing a report level/mark. Further details are in ADEC Public Schools (P-12) Policy Manual September 2014 (Section 7000).



http://adecportal/sites/CA/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx

http://portal.adec.ac.ae/sites/CA/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx

3.2.3 Using StAR for CA recording and entry. All teachers KG-G11 use the Student Assessment Record (StAR) module to record student performance. StAR is a set of screens in eSIS which allow teachers to create student assignments based on assessment techniques specified or suggested by the curriculum teams. An assessment technique is a method used to collect evidence of student achievement. StAR acts both as a record of student achievement and to send data to other parts of eSIS to automatically calculate the Trimester letter A-E or marks/100 which is then published into eSIS for producing reports. (See Section 6 and Appendices B and C.) 3.2.4 CA recording subjects with outcomes (See Appendix A for list) StAR enables outcomes to be organised into assignments assessed by a technique selected from a subject-specific list. These outcomes can come from a single strand or from multiple strands. A level (N, E, D, or M) is recorded (or left blank where no judgement is made) for each learning outcome in the assignment. These techniques are not weighted. Teachers can use this recorded data to inform their teaching and learning plans and produce progress summaries (See Appendix E). When required, eSIS uses these levels to determine strand and subject letters for reports (See Appendix C). 3.2.5 Sharing assignments and assignment bank StAR has been modified to include a screen which enables a teacher to create an assignment with a set of outcomes which can be shared with other teachers in the school of the same grade and subject. In addition, ADEC P-12 can create subject- and grade-specific assignments and put them into a common bank/pool for access by the relevant teachers. 3.2.6 Subjects without outcomes (See Appendix A for list) These subjects have subject-specific CA templates which allow the techniques to be weighted (if required). For KG-G7 letter levels (A-E) are awarded for each assignment within a technique; whereas for G8-11 raw marks (numbers) are entered in place of letters. For G8-11 the raw marks for each technique are specified by the relevant subject assessment documents and they do not need to be converted to marks/100. StAR takes into account any weighting for techniques when calculating the final letters/mark/100. 3.2.7 Approaches to Learning (AtL) for KG-G5 In future it is planned that the single entry 1-4 for each of the five components of AtL will be made by the school-designated teacher using StAR. Therefore, for 2014-2015, entries will still need to be made by HoF or Vice Principal by entering the 1-4 in the mark entry screen. This needs to be done by the stipulated deadline. 3.3 CA entry G12 G12 teachers enter CA marks/100 directly into eSIS. They do not use the StAR screens. 3.4 ADEC-set Assignment (XTR) and T3 Examination mark entry Marks/100 for ADEC-set assignments (XTR) for non-EMSA exam subjects in G8-11 (see Section 1.5) must be entered as the separate XTR field in the eSIS mark-entry screen. Examination results as marks/100 for G6-11 are entered directly into the mark entry screen (the E field) which is usually done by nominated school committee members. Grade 12 examination marks are entered by the relevant Regional grade 12 Examination Committees directly into eSIS. Student results for EMSA are entered directly by ADEC HQ and are accessible when final results are calculated at the end of the year. 3.5 Students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) KG-G7 students with Individual Education Plans (IEP): letter level entry will be by “drop-down” menu in place of indicating outcomes achieved. G8-12 students with IEPs are assessed in accordance with the ADEC Special Education Policy and Procedures Handbook. (See also Section 11.)


4. Standards of Achievement in CA 4.1 Common Standards For NSM outcome subjects, the definitions in section 2.2 for levels M, D, E and N are generic and need to be interpreted in a reliable manner when applied to a subject-specific learning outcome. Learning outcomes vary widely, from describing expectations in conceptual understanding to proficiency in practical or social skills as well as attitudes or dispositions to solving problems and researching information. In addition, they can be expressed in a precise manner or in a more general and broad way. In many cases, subject-specific support documents explain in more detail how teachers can identify emerging (E), developing (D) and mastered (M) levels of student “performance” for individual outcomes and sets of outcomes. These will illustrate to teachers the expected standards and therefore enable them to make more reliable judgements. It is expected that teachers of the same subject will engage in standardisation exercises where evidence of student products (or process) can be shared between teachers. These include written and oral work, evidence in “log” books or other products created by students. These will ensure greater alignment between teachers in making judgements of levels and should take place within a single school and across schools. This principle of “standardisation practice” also applies to teachers of subjects without outcomes where sharing of teacher judgement is of equal importance. See also Appendix D for further details about teacher judgements for subjects with outcomes. Occasionally, ADEC HQ may produce standardised assessments or materials for professional development purposes. In addition, teacher-marked work may be collected and reviewed by ADEC HQ to ascertain levels of teacher judgement and which will be followed by appropriate and supporting feedback. 4.2 Assessment Tools P-12 Sector has produced a variety of assessment tools to enable reliable judgement against standards. These include rubrics which identify outcome standards, checklists, descriptions of performance and markschemes for tests and other assessments. These tools are usually subject-specific (and Grade-related) and often linked with certain assessment techniques, e.g. investigations, inquiries, observations and projects. Further details of subject-specific assessment tools can normally be found in the relevant subject section of the ADEC portal. 4.3 Using CA achievement in outcomes and EMSA data to support teaching Good teachers regularly use student assessment data to inform their lesson planning. This includes both what students have understood and skills they can demonstrate as well as areas needing improvement. Subjects with outcome levels (NEDM) recorded offer a unique opportunity to specifically identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual students as well as groups of students. It allows teachers to provide differentiated lessons which meet the specific needs of students. Furthermore, teachers can meet other teachers who are assessing the same outcomes to standardise judgements about NEDM levels thereby improving reliability. A variety of progress reports (as tables and graphs) can be obtained from eSIS screens as well by using the Online Statistical Tool (OST) (See Appendix E). In addition, EMSA data provide further information about performance in individual questions as well as performance level descriptors for the previous academic year. It can help teachers who are teaching the same grade again or the next grade to review strengths and weaknesses in general and plan accordingly. Like CA data it can be used both diagnostically and as a potential baseline.


4.3.1 Previous year outcomes report To help inform teachers at the start of each year, teachers will be able to access the levels their students achieved in each section/homeroom they teach. They will be able to see the NEDM levels for each strand for the outcomes assessed in the previous year. Even though many outcomes may have been revised, this information will still provide a “picture” of general and specific performance which may prove invaluable both as a diagnostic tool and as a baseline. This is called a “Previous Year Outcomes Report” and is available as a pdf file. Later we hope to provide the information as a spreadsheet to enable teachers to filter relevant data. It should be accessible through the eSIS (not StAR) screen with the “Reports” tab.

Many teachers may not have the learning outcomes from the previous year. Therefore, to complement this feature teachers can access them from the ADEC portal in Assessment Related Documents. Summary Assessment data allows teachers to:

• diagnose the strengths and weaknesses/areas for improvement in understanding and skills of individual students in specific learning outcomes; this is provided by the levels N, E, D and M against specific outcomes and strands

• act on this information in a formative manner to provide effective feedback that improves student learning

• match baseline data appropriately with scope-and-sequence and other curriculum documents • review effectiveness of individual lessons such as pace, approach, organisation, learning activities,

success and relevance of learning resources • review and plan schemes of work related to scope-and-sequences (topics, themes, units, etc.) • group and re-group students to maximise learning opportunities • provide opportunities for standardising their judgements with other teachers of the same subject and

grade Assessment data allows school administrators to:

• review progress of students in sections/homerooms during the year • provide interventionist support for teachers • identify a variety of issues related to teaching and learning • coordinate effective planning and standardisation exercises • review progress of students at the end of the year • enable effective planning of resources.

Read Appendix E for further details about uses of assessment data.


5 ADEC Examinations 5.1 Purpose of examinations Examinations assess the subject-specific concepts and skills specified in ADEC Standards or MoE curriculum documents. It is important to note that no single examination can possibly assess student performance against all the learning outcomes. End-of-year examinations provide the opportunity to assess students’ knowledge, skills and an application of their understanding in a formal situation. Students also have a chance to demonstrate understanding of concepts that they might not have grasped fully during the course of the year. The examination is meant to support decisions made by teachers over the year for certain aspects of academic performance. However, it has its own significant weighting. 5.2 Examination details Examinations for G12 occur at the end of each Trimester and are constructed by the MoE. They are usually based on each trimester’s content. Examinations for G6-11 are administered only at the end of T3 and will be constructed by ADEC Committees; the material content of these examinations (ADEC curriculum and MoE curriculum) will be based on T3 material only but may include skills learned during the entire year. See Section 1.5 for subjects with exams. The specifications concerning the duration, raw mark totals, question types, skills and learning outcomes that may be assessed on the examinations will be published on the ADEC portal near the beginning of T3. 5.3 Accessibility of ADEC Examinations Examination papers are carefully constructed using the contributions of several groups of people involved in the educational process. Every attempt is made to ensure that all students, who are adequately prepared and motivated, can achieve an appropriate level of success in each examination. For Mathematics (G8-11) and Science (G8-9) papers are dual-language, English and Arabic; those for G6-7 are in English only. 5.4 Storage of student exam papers Schools are required to keep student responses to exam papers in a secure location in the school for at least one academic year. 5.5 Exam regulations concerning late entry and early exit to/from examination rooms Schools must apply these regulations to EMSA tests, XTR assignments and T3 examinations (G6-11). They do not apply to internal school tests. 5.5.1 Students taking XTR assignments must remain in class the entire lesson. 5.5.2 Students may enter T3 examinations and EMSA tests up to 15 minutes after the start. 5.5.3 Students with “excused” lateness (such as: traffic accident, traffic delay due to fog or accident, sickness

in the vehicle) are entitled to the full duration of the examination/test. 5.5.4 Students with “unexcused” lateness are not entitled to extra time. 5.5.5 Principals determine whether lateness is “excused” or “unexcused” (no other authority is required). 5.5.7 Students may leave an examination/test for a toilet break only once during and must be accompanied

by a teacher to the toilet door. 5.5.8 For an examination/test lasting at least 80 minutes, students have one opportunity to leave early: 30

minutes before the end 5.5.9 For an examination/test lasting less than 80 minutes, students have one opportunity to leave early: 15

minutes before the end


6. Reporting Policy The reporting policy (7220) appears in the ADEC Public Schools (P-12) Policy Manual September 2014. eSiS produces formal reports to parents for the end of Trimesters 1 and 2 (printed at the beginning of the following Trimester) and a final report issued at the end of the year. The form and scope of formal reports varies according to the Grade. For example, some subjects in KG-G7 contain detailed information (levels and graphic displays) regarding achievement in both strands and subject while those for G8-11 have a single mark/100. KG1 The main focus of education for KG1 students is to adapt to the life of school. They learn to work with others, to begin to understand themselves and to operate successfully in a world away from home. These early social and learning skills are the focus of learning and reporting in KG1. The reports will reflect this emphasis by only reporting on AtL. KG2-G7 For the New School Model (NSM), student performance is developmental and therefore the Trimester 1 and 2 reports for continuous assessment (CA) are for information about general progress; the Trimester 3 report is the final report and based on progress achieved by the end of the year. See Section 11 for weightings for all assessment components. Subjects with outcomes are organised into sets of related outcomes called “strands”. (See Appendix A for details). The CA reports for these subjects in these grades are determined by the levels (EDM) of student performance against the learning outcomes. All teachers who assess a subject using outcomes must understand the processes involved in converting outcome level achievement to reporting letters A-E and are therefore required to read Appendix C. G8-G11 For these students numerical marks (/100) for academic performance in continuous assessment (CA) are reported at the end of T1 and T2, but the single overall final CA mark includes an average of marks in all three Trimesters. Only the end of year level (Final Grade) is reported at end of T3. See Section 11 for weightings for all assessment components. G12 These students receive numerical marks (/100) at the end of each trimester for both continuous assessment and examinations. These are weighted according to MoE policy (See Section 11). The final mark at the end of the year includes the marks for all trimesters. The T3 mark is not reported separately . Informal Progress Reports and Parent meetings ADEC considers formal written reports to be one part of an extended dialogue between schools, parents and their children. Schools are expected to hold regular parent-teacher meetings to discuss student progress in both formal and informal settings. eSIS can produce progress reports of various forms both for individual students and for individual classes and Grades. In addition, teachers can access the Online Statistical Tool (OST) in order to collect and present more customised assessment information (See Appendix E). It is expected that these will enhance the quality of such discussions. eSIS Parent Access (Parent Assistant Module) During the academic year 2012-2013, ADEC introduced an eSIS module that allows parents to view various aspects of their child’s life in school. However, access to actual student performance would only take place after some piloting.


7. Absences from Assessments The policy on student attendance (8120) appears in the ADEC Public Schools (P-12) Policy Manual September 2014. All absences are unexcused (unauthorised) except the following “excused” (authorised) absences: • Personal illness and scheduled doctor appointment • Death of a first or second degree family member (up to 3 days) • Official summons or official school or community duty as assigned by a government agency • Family travel in order to accompany a first degree family member for treatment abroad for up to 30 days

(the period may be extended by application to HAAD) Prior to examinations students are expected to attend classes; absences for “study leave” will be classed as “unexcused” absences. 7.1 Dealing with short- and long-term excused absences

Subject Type

Duration KG-G7 Outcome KG-G7 Non-outcome G8-11 Non-outcome A class CA

assignment Provide arrangements to complete it or provide an alternative assignment/task at the soonest available opportunity.

Less than half a trimester

Teachers assess whatever outcomes are possible; final performance is based on progress by the end of the year

Teachers make judgements based on evidence available

More than half a trimester

Schools exempt the CA mark for automatic eSIS calculation.

All T1 or all T2 only

Teachers cannot enter any data. Schools do not issue report. During T3, teachers can assess any outcome including those missed in T1 or T2 to produce final letter. If T2, ADEC exempts EMSA from the final grade/mark.

Teachers cannot enter any data. Schools can exempt subject from report. If T2, ADEC exempts EMSA from the final grade/mark.

Schools exempt T1 or T2 CA mark. If T1, schools exempt XTR. If T2, ADEC exempts EMSA from the final grade/mark.

Absent all T3

ARC make judgement of appropriate strand letters based on performance in T1 and T2 and forward recommendation to Regional Office to enter A-E directly into FIN, T3 or CAF fields as appropriate.

Follow the CA procedure on left; the Regional Office enter A-E directly into CAF field (EMSA subjects) or FIN field (others) Schools exempt the exam (E) mark. If students are present for the exam only, school enters the E mark.

Schools exempt CA3 and exam (E) marks. If students are present for the exam only, schools enter the mark in the E field.

Absent T3 Exam Students take the relevant re-sit examinations in July. Students absent from the re-sit examinations and who are in danger of being retained must be allowed an opportunity for promotion by sitting school-based tests to be taken in the first week of the next academic year.

Absent for two or more

trimesters

Exemptions or make-up assignments or examinations are not allowed; student must fail the year. Parents of students with excused absence who have had appropriate fulltime education (e.g. in a private school or recognised home/tutor programme) during the absence must present evidence to the Regional Office1 for a final decision.

1 Student Services Division, Student Assessment Section 7.2 Dealing with unexcused absences • Students who are absent from CA assignments are penalised “naturally” since outcomes cannot be

assessed and marks for techniques cannot be entered. • XTR and EMSA do not have re-sits or absentees and thus students must receive a zero mark. • Students absent from T3 examinations (or re-sits) are not allowed to take re-sit examinations in July and

must receive a zero mark or letter E in the case of NSM grades.

7.3 New entrants to ADEC Public Schools Students who are accepted into ADEC public schools during T2 or T3 must be considered as excused absences for time missed. Follow the relevant procedure in the table above for the row: “All T1 or T2 only”.


8. Promotion and Retention Please also refer to the ADEC Public Schools (P-12) Policy Manual September 2014 for promotion and retention in KG & Cycle 1 (Policy 7230) and Cycle 2 & 3 (Policy 7235). Further details of policies and procedures related to academic learning support appear in the ADEC Special Education Policy and Procedures Handbook. 8.1 KG-G5 (NSM) All students in KG-G5 will be promoted to the next grade level, except in rare circumstances, to enable them to remain with students in their age cohort. 8.2 G6-7 (NSM) All students shall be promoted to the next grade except when they do not meet promotion requirements as determined by the school’s Academic Review Committee (ARC). All students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) who meet their objectives also progress to the next grade. A student fails a subject if the final letter level is E. Students who obtain an E in three examination subjects or fewer are entitled to take re-sit examinations. After re-sit examinations, all students with D or E letter levels in any subject must be referred to the Academic Review Committee (ARC) to determine their promotion/retention status. There is no automatic retention determined by the number of Ds or Es achieved. The ARC determines whether or not these students have demonstrated proficiency in a sufficient number of learning outcomes for their subjects by the end of the school year in order to pass and whether it is in their best interest to be promoted or retained. Cluster Managers must review any decision by the ARC to retain students. ARC forms for NSM grades appear in Appendix I.

The ARC must ensure that intervention plans are developed for all students who were subject to academic review, regardless of promotion status. Students transferred to other schools should have the plan forwarded to the administration of the new school. 8.3 G8-11 (Non NSM) All students shall be promoted to the next grade except when they do not meet promotion requirements.

For students who have failed one or more subjects this table summarises actions to be taken and decisions to be made:

Final Mark %

Exam subjects Non-Exam subjects Activity subjects

Before re-sit After re-sit Before extra CA After extra CA

50+ Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

47 – 49 Auto pass to 50 Auto pass to 50 Auto pass to 50 Auto pass to 50 Auto pass to 50

45 – 46 Do re-sit Decision by ARC Extra CA activity Decision by ARC No fail

44 or less Do re-sit Fail Extra CA activity Fail No fail 8.3.1 Pass mark and promotion 50 % is the minimum passing mark for all subjects except activity (Art, Music, ICT, HPE, Al Bayariq, Jiu-Jitsu and Health) which have no minimum mark but which do contribute to the final overall mark average. For every subject with a final mark of 47%, 48% or 49%, eSiS will automatically change it to 50% when the mark is saved. Students must pass all subjects to be promoted. Student Assessment Guide 14_15 ENG Final Page 11 of 61

8.3.2 Re-sit Exams and Extra CA Activities The student is eligible for re-sit exams and/or an opportunity to do extra CA activities provided they fail not more than a total of three subjects. ADEC creates re-sit exams for all exam subjects. The re-sit exam mark should be entered in the retry field next to the exam mark. For non-exam subjects, teachers must allow students the opportunity to improve their final mark by providing an alternative CA assessment activity, or preparing an internal/school-based test. 8.3.3 The Academic Review Committee (ARC) ARC consists of at least three staff and is convened by the school Principal. It should review marks of any student who has a final mark of 45-46% in one exam or non-exam subject (before and after re-sit or extra CA activity) to see if should be adjusted to 50% after reviewing the student’s progress throughout the year. If the student has two or three subjects of 45-46% then marks must remain and student fails these subjects. Students promoted who originally had a final mark in the 45-49% range must have an intervention plan in place for the following school year. Students transferred to other schools should have the plan forwarded to the administration of the new school. ARC forms for non-NSM grades appear in Appendix I. 8.4 30 day unexcused absences (G6-11) Students who miss 30 full school days (or more) without excused absence must be referred to the ARC with a recommendation for retention (in accordance with Policy 8120). 8.5 IEPs All students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) who meet their objectives progress to the next age-appropriate placement. 8.6 Multiple Retentions (all grades) Student facing multiple retentions require extra attention and must be given the necessary learning support by the school. Rule 1: Students may be retained in a specific grade only once, e.g. student fails grade 6 and then fails again

(2nd time) so s/he must be promoted to grade 7. Rule 2: Students may be retained a maximum of two different grades in their time in school. Students cannot

be retained for a third time and must be promoted, e.g. student repeats grade 7 and later repeats grade 9; s/he must now be promoted every year until grade 12.

Further details of policies and procedures related to academic learning support appear in the ADEC Special Education Policy and Procedures Handbook. Schools must ensure that these students are promoted in eSIS before the end of the academic year.


9. Academic Integrity Please refer to the ADEC Public Schools (P-12) Policy Manual September 2014 (Section 7). 9.1 Cheating This is defined in the Policy above. For Cycle 1 students the consequences of such actions should be age appropriate and conform to the ADEC Student Behaviour Guidelines. If cheating by students in grades 6-11 has been established then the following consequences should be applied: 9.1.1 CA assignments (outcomes subjects) Do not assign any NEDM levels to the outcomes (leave them blank) in the assignment. 9.1.2 CA assignments (non-outcomes subjects) Do not award any mark for the assignment. 9.1.3 T3 Exam, EMSA test or XTR Since teachers mark the T3 exams and the XTR a mark of “zero” should be entered in eSIS. EMSA is marked externally and therefore inform [email protected] with the relevant details. If the cheating occurred in a re-sit exam then the original mark remains. 10. Assessment Communications and Queries Every school should have nominated an Assessment Coordinator whose role is to be totally familiar with this Student Assessment Guide (SAG) and understand the assessment regulations and disseminate communications. They are not expected to answer technical questions (this is via 800 2 444 option 3 or by sending an email to: [email protected]). Communications and updates will be sent from [email protected] to principals, school email and to assessment coordinators. Information workshops and question-and-answer meetings will be held periodically during the year to which assessment coordinators or their representatives are expected to attend.





11. Special Educational Needs (SEN) Students 11.1 General Students identified by the Learning Support Team (LST) as having special learning needs are expected to be able to access as much of the curriculum as possible and demonstrate their learning. It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that this is facilitated through various accommodations and the development of specific Individual Education Plans (IEP) where appropriate. SEN students could also be those who are gifted and/or talented and as such exhibit performances beyond most of their peers. Details of policies and procedures related to academic intervention and learning support appear in the ADEC Special Education Policy and Procedures Handbook and supporting ancillary documentation. 11.2 Accommodations and Modifications Some students have a disability that does not permit them to access some assessments, both school-based and external (examinations). This may be due to an inability to follow instructions, read print or make written responses caused by some physical, sensory or cognitive disability. These students can be “accommodated” by providing some mechanism to enable access equal to those without such ability. These students can then be judged against the same content and performance criteria as their peers. Details of such accommodations appear in ADEC Special Education Policy and Procedures Handbook. Some students have intellectual disabilities that cannot be met by accommodations. In these cases what students are expected to learn has to be “modified”. These modifications are specific to individual students and enable them to participate meaningfully and productively along with their classroom peers and to benefit from school learning experiences. The resulting modifications to conceptual difficulty, content, skills and learning outcomes form the IEP for the students. IEP students must be assessed against the IEP criteria using the same letter/mark system that applies for other students in the same grade. This means that students with learning difficulties may achieve the same mark or grade for differentiated work undertaken at their level. 11.3 Special Circumstances and Exemptions ADEC external assessments consist of ADEC-set Assignment (XTR), EMSA and T3 examinations. They are designed to measure performance against common published ADEC standards and learning outcomes and therefore no modifications can be made to them. Therefore, students with IEPs (i.e. those who would need modifications) do not take any ADEC external assessments and will be exempted so that there is no penalty associated with not taking these assessments. ADEC HQ will exempt EMSA; the school exempts XTR and T3 exams. Any requests for accommodations to ADEC external assessments (not EMSA) for non-IEP students with special educational needs must be approved by the Regional Supervisor for Special Education at least two weeks prior to their scheduled administration. ADEC will endeavour to provide some alterations to the printed form of assessments to try to accommodate some students but inevitably these cannot meet all special needs students. Students whose special educational needs cannot be met by the requisite accommodations to any external assessment, either by ADEC or school, will be exempted. 11.4 Using StAR with SEN students This depends on whether the subject uses outcomes or not. At present all outcomes are grade-specific and are intended for all students. Students for whom the outcomes are not appropriate should be assigned an IEP with its own set of outcomes. (See 11.5 for further details).


11.4.1 G8-11 and KG-G7 non-outcome subjects There are two ways in which teachers can collect marks for StAR for students with IEPs. • Same task but different activity: Offer an alternative activity or set of criteria to judge performance in an

assignment/task which has been allocated to all students in the class. For example, a test on “energy” may be given to the whole class with a raw mark of 30; the teachers give an alternative test on energy to a student with an IEP and enter a mark. For KG-G7 students entries are made using letter level A-E.

• Task unique to IEP students: create an assignment/task for the whole class but exempt the non-IEP students and enter marks/letter A-E for the IEP students; obviously, another assignment/task has to be offered to the whole class but then exempt the SEN students.

11.4.2 KG-G7 outcome subjects Currently, it is not possible to use a set of outcomes which form an IEP and measure performance using NEDM alongside the subject-specific outcomes in StAR. Instead eSIS utilises an alternative curriculum program when students are allocated classes. This allows teachers to treat this cohort of students in a similar way to G1-6 non-outcome subjects whereby a direct entry A-E can be made. Teachers will be able to use a set of “teacher techniques” appropriate to each IEP student. 11.5 Setting up Alternative Curriculum Cohort (classes) 11.5.1 Setting up at the start of the year to use StAR. • When setting up school timetables/schedules using the eSIS Classroom Scheduler, they may have also

created “SpEd” classes, e.g. 6A*, G6 special Maths. • Students with IEPs which specify modifications (and not accommodations) can be assigned to these

alternative (alt) cohorts but are taught alongside their peers since alt cohorts and non-alt classes are scheduled together.

• The alt cohort classes are assigned to teachers and these can use StAR to enter directly A-E (KG-G7) using a drop-down menu for each technique instead of using outcomes with NEDM levels.

The setting up of alt cohorts must take place at the time that the schedules are being created and not during the year because then StAR cannot be used. 11.5.2 Setting up after the start of the year Since all students within a grade (cohort) are allocated the same set of outcomes if alt cohorts are not set up at the start of the year then StAR cannot be used. Thus if a school identifies students as SEN after the start of the year then the only way they can be treated “differently” (appropriately) is by a “work-around”: • school creates an alternative cohort (outside the Classroom Scheduler) • HoF or academic VP can enter a letter A-E directly into the level entry screens.

11.6 Setting up eSIS to print IEP stamp on Reports • First use the Special Education (SpED) screen in eSIS to enter the student’s eligibility details. This is done

by the Vice Principal or the Special Education teacher if available in the school. • All students identified by Special Education advisers as needing an IEP can have the IEP flag and the status

is set from the same screen. • If the IEP status is Accommodation, then nothing else needs to be done on eSIS; the student gets assessed

just like all other students by NEDM levels outcomes/entering marks. • If the IEP status is Modification, then an Alternative Curriculum Program needs to be added to the

student from Students/Programs. • Then from the Student Curriculum Setup and after searching for the student the Alternative Curriculum

should be calculated for the student. • Then from the StAR Screen and after picking the Alternative Curriculum from the Cohort field, entries will

be entered for the students as a letter from A- E for all subjects without having to tick outcomes. The student is assessed according to his/her IEP.

• When printing the report card an IEP stamp will be included in report the header for that student. Student Assessment Guide 14_15 ENG Final Page 15 of 61

12. Assessment Weightings The table summarises the approximate weighting/contribution of the various assessment elements. Currently, Approaches to Learning (AtL) do not contribute to the final grade level in KG-G5.

% Weightings to calculate Final Grade

Subject Type CA1 CA2 CA3 EMSA ADEC-set

(XTR) Exam(s)

Non-EMSA (KG2-5) Ongoing throughout year 100

EMSA (G3-5) Ongoing throughout year 90 10

Non-exam (G6-7) Ongoing throughout year 100

EMSA with Exam (G6) Ongoing throughout year 75 10 15

Non-EMSA with exam (G6) Ongoing throughout year 75 25

EMSA with Exam (G7) Ongoing throughout year 70 10 20

Non-EMSA with exam (G7) Ongoing throughout year 70 30

Non-exam (G8-11) 33 33 34

Non-EMSA with exam (G8-11) * 20 20 20 10 30

EMSA with Exam (G8-11) 20 20 20 10 30

G12 Exam 15 10 15 20+20+20

G12 ICT and HPE 35 30 35

* See Summary table 1.5 for details of subjects 13. National and International Examinations/Tests and Studies (See also Appendix H) National examinations include:

• EMSA (External Measure of Student Achievement) for G3-12 • PIPS (Performance Indicators in Primary Schools) for KG1, KG2 and G2

International Studies include:

• PISA (Programme in International Students Assessment) • TIMSS (Trends in Mathematics and Science Study) • PIRLS (Progress in Reading Literacy Study)

International Studies 2014-15 Academic Year

Study Stage Participation Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 Main Study A sample of Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 ADEC schools will be

required to participate with selected 15 year old students. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015

Main Study A sample of Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 ADEC schools will be required to participate with selected students from grades 4 and 8.

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 Field Trial A sample of Cycle 1 ADEC schools will be required to

participate with selected students from grade 4. Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (ePIRLS) 2016 Field Trial


Appendix A Lists of subjects with/without outcomes and Strands for Reporting The New School Model (NSM) uses student performance in learning outcomes to measure and report achievement. Even though the NSM has now reached grade 7 some subjects in KG-G7 have not yet implemented learning outcomes since they are at different stages of development. However, it is anticipated that as the NSM moves into grade 8 in 2015-2016, all subjects in KG-G8 will be using student learning outcomes. The table shows the current situation for 2014-2015.

Grade With outcomes Without outcomes

KG1-2 Arabic, English, Mathematics, Science, Mandarin * Islamic Education and Activities (Art, Music, ICT, HPE)

G1-5 Arabic, English, Mathematics, Science, Art, Music, HPE, Mandarin * Islamic Education, Civics/Social Studies, ICT

G6-7 Arabic, English, Mathematics, Science, Integrated Social Studies, Art, Music, HPE, Mandarin * Islamic Education, Jiu-Jitsu

G8-12 None All

HPE = Health and Physical Education * Mandarin (Chinese) is offered in one school only Most subjects with outcomes are organised into sets of related outcomes called strands. Each strand is reported with a letter as well as a subject letter (See Appendix C.) Those subjects described as “subject only” do have curricular strands (or domains) for teaching but these are not reported separately. Instead one overall subject letter A-E is reported.

Subject Grade Strands to be Reported

Arabic KG-G5 Reading Writing Talking and Listening Codes (K-G2 only)

G6-7 Reading Writing Talking and Listening Elements of Language

English KG-G5 Reading Writing Speaking and Listening Literacy Readiness Skills

G6-7 Reading Writing Speaking and Listening Language

Mandarin KG-G7 Reading Writing Speaking and Listening Literacy Readiness Skills (K-G2 only)

Science KG-G5 Subject only

G6-7 Concepts Investigating Scientifically Inquiry

Mathematics KG-G5 Subject only

G6-7 Mathematical Content Skills and Application

ISS G6-7 Social Studies Themes Skills

Art G1-7 Subject only

Music G1-7 Subject only

HPE G1-7 Subject only

ISS = Integrated Social Studies


Appendix B Continuous Assessment (CA) Summary This table summarises the how eSIS/StAR calculates the assessment data for reporting purposes and whether individual assessment techniques are weighted. An assessment technique is a method used to collect student performance data, e.g. test/exam, project (individual and group), practical activity, writing assignment, presentation, teacher observation. Techniques are chosen to assess specific skills or concepts. For subjects which do not use outcomes, techniques are weighted; e.g. Investigation (40%), Test (25%) and Research (35%). For each specific technique, (e.g. test), teachers create assignments (e.g. counting seashells). Individual subjects may have requirements relating to techniques, weightings, etc. these appear in Appendix F. All subjects with outcomes are organised into “strands” which are a set of related learning outcomes (in assessment literature also known as a “domain”) e.g. Science: living world, matter, working scientifically,

Language: writing, reading, etc. Mathematics: number, patterns and algebra, etc

Performance in learning outcomes is measured according to: N = no achievement, E = emerging, D = developing and M = mastered (See also Section 2.2) The subjects are organised into groups referred to as “subject types” and are usually grade-related. N-O = non-outcome subject O = outcome subject Subject

Type O or N-O Scale Technique

Weights? Derivation of the CA Report Scale per Trimester Calculation of Final CA Scale

KG-G7 O A-E No

Teachers assign outcomes to techniques and then enter levels (NEDM) against outcomes during a trimester (leaving those without any judgment “blank”). Highest level (EDM) for each outcome reached within each trimester is used with a set of boundaries to determine letters A-E for each strand. These are averaged and aggregated to form subject letter level A-E using a conversion scale. It does not matter which technique was used to assign the NEDM.

The highest level (E, D or M) assigned to each outcome at the end of trimester 3 is used to create the strand and then the subject letter A-E.

KG-G7 N-O A-E Yes

Teachers enter letters A-E for each technique used in a trimester. eSIS then uses the weights and a conversion scale to produce a letter A-E for the trimester.

The letters A-E assigned to the weighted techniques in trimester 3 (only) are used in the calculation to produce the final subject letter.

G8-11 N-O (all) % Yes

Teachers enter raw marks (not marks/100) for each technique used in a trimester. eSIS then uses the weights to produce a mark/100 (%) for the trimester.

eSIS calculates the average of the CA mark for each trimester to obtain the final mark/100.

G12 N-O (all) % Do not use

StAR

Teachers enter a single mark/100 directly into eSIS. Teachers do their own calculations for the marks they have obtained from the techniques used in the trimester.

eSIS calculates the final CA mark/100 using the marks for each trimester and according to the specified weights.

SEN KG-G7

N-O (all) A-E Yes

Teachers enter letters A-E for each technique used in a trimester. eSIS then uses the weights and a conversion scale to produce a letter A-E for the trimester. The actual assignments may differ from non-SEN students.

The letters A-E assigned to the weighted techniques in trimester 3 are used in the calculation to produce the final subject letter.

SEN G8-11

N-O (all) % Yes

Teachers enter raw marks (not marks/100) for each technique used in a trimester. eSIS then uses the weights to produce a mark/100 (%) for the trimester. Teachers can exempt SEN students from some assignments and create some just to meet their needs.

eSIS calculates the average of the CA mark for each trimester to obtain the final mark/100.


Appendix C Converting outcome levels to letters A-E for reporting This appendix explains how student achievement in outcomes is converted into letters A-E for reports. It is crucial that teachers understand the processes so that the letters A-E reported to parents are a fair reflection of the achievements made by students. This is especially relevant since letters A-E are currently reported every trimester in Abu Dhabi Public Schools. C.1 Allowing for development towards mastery Reports should reflect the full progress of a student against the learning outcomes. They must report not only on outcomes mastered but also on development towards mastery; therefore they take into account outcomes which are at “emerging” and “developing” stages. At the beginning of the year all outcomes stored in eSIS/StAR are “blank” i.e. there is no assessment information recorded. If an outcome has been assessed more than once in a reporting period then it is necessary to use only one value; eSIS uses the “highest level” reached in each trimester at reporting time, e.g. If an outcome has three judgements in a trimester: E, E, D then “D” is used. In order to allow for development it is necessary to assign mathematical values to E, D and M. eSIS assigns: E = 0.25, D = 0.5 and M = 1.0.

Thus 2E ≡ 1D and 2D ≡ 1M. N has no value (0) for the purposes of reporting but it does provide information about student progress at the time of the assessment (See 4.3 and Appendix E). Thus it is the number of Es, Ds and Ms which count towards determining achievement for reporting purposes. The number of Ns does not “disadvantage” a student; they simply are not scored. However, knowing that specific students have N for certain outcomes does provide valuable information for the teachers for planning; similarly for the Es, Ds and Ms. Assigning level values enables the number of “mastery equivalents” to be calculated per strand for a student. Examples for a Strand at the end of Trimester 1 for two students each with 7 outcomes assessed:

Student 1 Student 2

Number of “Es” and “mastery equivalents” 3E = 3 x 0.25 = 0.75 1E = 1 x 0.25 = 0.25

Number of “Ds” and “mastery equivalents” 3D = 3 x 0.5 = 1.5 4D = 4 x 0.5 = 2.0

Number of “Ms” and “mastery equivalents” 1M = 1 x 1.0 = 1.0 2M = 2 x 1.0 = 2.0

Total number of “mastery equivalents” 0.75 + 1.5 + 1.0 = 3.25 0.25 + 2.0 + 2.0 = 4.25

Please read Appendix D for further information and guidance about teacher judgments and reliability.


C.2 Strand letter determination C.2.1 Scope-and-Sequence documents ADEC P-12 policy curriculum documents include a “scope-and-sequence” (S-and-S) for each subject strand. These specify the expected target outcomes to be taught and assessed by the end of each trimester. Teachers are expected to follow these S-and-S. Content-related strands usually expect a certain proportion of outcomes to be assessed while skills-based strands might expect all of them to be taught. This does not mean that the expectations are that almost all students will be achieving mastery (M) at the beginning. Most students’ proficiencies in outcomes taught and re-taught will be expected to increase with time and support. While S-and-S stipulate which outcomes must be taught and assessed in each trimester, eSIS does not actually link them to a specific trimester; teachers can exercise some professional judgments based on student needs. However, teachers must be aware of the expectations for every strand in every subject they teach since eSIS uses the number of outcomes for mastery equivalent determination and thence letter reporting. See Appendix C3 for the S-and-S summary. Failure to follow the S-and-S closely may result in students achieving far lower (if too few outcomes are assessed) or far higher (if too many are assessed) report letters A-E than is reasonable. C.2.2 Strand boundaries and criteria ADEC uses a common set of criterion descriptors to define each of the letters A-E for each strand:

Letter Criterion Descriptor (outcomes mastered by end of the trimester)

A Almost all

B Most (more than half)

C About half

D Few

E Very few To report A-E every trimester requires a different boundary (also called “performance scale”) for each strand for every trimester. For trimester 1 (T1) the starting process for each letter (A-E) is:

1. Begin with “A” boundary using the S-and-S as a starting point for each strand (almost all descriptor)

2. Then “C” boundary uses the “about half” descriptor

3. Then “B” which is an interpolation (about half way) between “C” and “A”

4. No boundary is required for letter level “E”

5. Finally “D” is an interpolation (about half way) between “C” and “E”

The boundaries take into account that there are non-whole numbers of values (since E = 0.25 and D = 0.5) which form the “mastery equivalents”. The process is repeated for T2 and T3 following the S-and-S and expecting an incremental increase in gradual mastery of all outcomes. The total number of outcomes for T2 that are used for boundary determination is the cumulative total of the S-and-S for T2 + T1; similarly for trimester 3 all the outcomes are used.


Example for content-specific outcomes linked to a trimester: Imagine that there is a strand which has a total of 20 outcomes with S-and-S:

The S-and-S for each trimester stipulates: T1: 8 T2: 7 T3: 5

Running total (cumulative): 8 15 (8+7) 20 (8+7+5)

i.e. T1 8 outcomes should be assessed and then a further 7 (different ones) in T2 and the remaining 5 in T3.

This might lead to a set of “mastery equivalent” boundaries similar to:

Minimum “mastery equivalents” by Trimester end

Letter Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3

A 6.5 12.5 17

B 5 9.25 13.0

C 3.25 6.5 8.5

D 1.75 3.25 4.0

The cumulative totals allow for teachers to re-teach and re-assess any outcomes from trimester 1.

It should be noted that the default letter value for a strand is “E”, since the minimum number of mastery equivalents is “zero”. Example for skills outcomes strand This process has to be modified for skills-based strands, e.g. Science G6-7 “Inquiry” and Mathematics G6-7 “Skills & Application” since the letter descriptors are going to be achieved by the end of T3 and not end of T1.

The S-and-S for the strand “Skills and Application” G6-7 Mathematics stipulates: T1: 10 T2: 10 T3: 10

Running total (cumulative) is the same: 10 10 10 However for the boundaries we would have to take into account the gradual development of mastery and for this we make a professional judgement. A likely set of boundaries might be:

Minimum “mastery equivalents” by Trimester end

Letter Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3

A 2.5 5 8.25

B 2 3.75 6.0

C 1.25 2.5 4.0

D 0.75 1.25 2.0

C.2.3 Provisional boundaries As well as grade 7, several other subjects have introduced outcomes for the first time in other grades. In addition, several subjects have made revisions and amendments. Therefore, on review and looking at actual student performance for the Emirate modifications might be necessary. In all cases professional judgments are required to ensure a reasonable spread of letters A-E, such as is fairly typical of almost all assessments and studies taken internationally. P-12 Assessment Team enters “draft” boundaries at the start of every trimester so that teachers can see the provisional strand letters A-E. To start with all students will have “E” (default) and as entries are published these convert to “Ds” and “Cs” etc. as the number of mastery equivalents increases during the trimester. However, some boundaries may need to be modified just before final calculations and report printing. This will require teachers to click the re-publish button to see the final letters. In the light of this information, teachers should be careful not to adjust level judgments in order to get “favourable” distributions.


C.3 Scope-and-Sequence Summaries As stated in C.2, eSIS does not apportion certain outcomes to a specific trimester; they can be assessed and re-assessed in any trimester. The numbers in brackets for trimesters 2 and 3 contain the cumulative total (running total) C.3.1 KG scope-and-sequences

KG1 KG2

Subject & Strands T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3

English

Reading 0 4 4 (8) 0 4 4 (8)

Writing 4 4 (8) 2 (10) 4 4 (8) 2 (10)

The numbers are used for boundaries; they do not include repeats for each trimester

Speaking and Listening 3 4 (7) 2 (9) 3 4 (7) 2 (9)

Literacy Readiness Skills 4 10 (14) 8 (22) 4 10 (14) 8 (22)

Arabic

Reading 11 6 (17) 4 (21) 13 8 (21) 2 (23)

Writing 4 3 (7) 1 (8) 9 4 (13) 1 (14)

Talking and Listening 3 2 (5) 1 (6) 4 2 (6) 0 (6)

Codes 2 1 (3) 1 (4) 4 1 (5) 3 (8)

Mandarin

Reading 3 3 (6) 3 (9) 4 4 (8) 2 (10)

Writing 1 2 (3) 2 (5) 3 2 (5) 0 (5)



Mathematics 9 4 (13) 4 (17) 12 5 (17) 8 (25)

Science 9 3 (12) 5 (17) 9 3 (12) 5 (17)

The numbers stated are used for boundaries; they do not include repeats for each trimester


C.3.2 Cycle 1 scope-and-sequences As stated in C.2, eSIS does not apportion certain outcomes to a specific trimester; they can be assessed and re-assessed in any trimester.

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5

Subject & Strands T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3

English

Reading 2 6 (8) 2 (10) 3 4 (7) 4 (11) 2 5 (7) 5 (12) 3 6 (9) 4 (13) 4 4 (8) 4 (12)

Writing 8 4 (12) 1 (13) 11 4 (15) 1 (16) 8 3 (11) 2 (13) 7 4 (11) 1 (12) 7 3 (10) 2 (12)

The numbers for writing are the ones used for boundaries; they do not include repeats expected each trimester

Speaking and Listening 4 3 (7) 3 (10) 4 2 (6) 3 (9) 5 4 (9) 0 (9) 2 3 (5) 3 (8) 3 2 (5) 2 (7)

Literacy Readiness Skills 11 6 (17) 3 (20) 9 6 (15) 3 (18) 8 2 (10) 2 (12) 2 1 (3) 1 (4) 1 1 (2) 1 (3)

Arabic

Reading 10 10(20) 5 (25) 14 7 (21) 5 (26) 20 10(30) 9 (39) 21 10(31) 7 (38) 18 14(32) 6 (38)

Writing 14 9 (23) 6 (29) 17 10(27) 7 (34) 17 8 (25) 7 (32) 20 5 (25) 9 (34) 20 19(39) 7 (46)

Talking and Listening 5 2 (7) 1 (8) 1 2 (3) 4 (7) 4 2 (6) 2 (8) 4 3 (7) 2 (9) 5 2 (7) 2 (9)

Codes 6 2 (8) 2 (10) 2 2 (4) 1 (5)

Mandarin

Reading 6 4 (10) 2 (12) 10 1 (11) 0 (11) 7 4 (11) 4 (15) 9 2 (11) 5 (16) 10 2 (12) 4 (16)

Writing 3 1 (4) 1 (5) 9 1 (10) 1 (11) 11 2 (13) 2 (15) 12 1 (13) 3 (16) 11 1 (12) 2 (14)

Speaking and Listening 9 4 (13) 0 (13) 8 2 (10) 3 (13) 8 4 (12) 1 (13) 9 3 (12) 1 (13) 8 3 (11) 1 (12)


Art 6 2 (8) 4 (12) 8 3 (11) 1 (12) 8 3 (11) 2 (13) 7 5 (12) 2 (14) 8 3 (11) 1 (14)

Music 7 6 (13) 1 (14) 9 4 (13) 0 (13) 11 3 (14) 0 (14) 8 7 (15) 2 (17) 10 5 (15) 1 (16)

Mathematics 14 12(26) 8(34) 19 17(36) 13(49) 22 23(45) 14(59) 23 24(47) 13(60) 23 24(47) 19(66)

Science 10 10(20) 7 (27) 18 8 (26) 8 (34) 17 7 (24) 8 (32) 22 6 (28) 7 (35) 21 10(31) 8 (39)

The numbers are the ones used for boundaries; they do not include repeats expected each trimester

Health & PE 4 4 (8) 5 (12) 4 4 (8) 4 (12) 8 8 (16) 8 (24) 8 8 (16) 8 (24) 8 8 (16) 8 (24)


C.3.3 Cycle 2 (G6-7) scope-and-sequences As stated in C.2, eSIS does not apportion certain outcomes to a specific trimester; they can be assessed and re-assessed in any trimester. Some strands are skills-based and intended to be taught and assessed in every trimester. These appear in red in these summaries. Note: the Skills strand in Integrated Social Studies (ISS) is trimester-specific. G6 G7

Subject & Strands T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3

English

Reading 4 5 (9) 5 (14) 5 5 (10) 4 (14)

Writing 3 3 (6) 2 (8) 2 3 (5) 3 (8)


Language 5 4 (9) 5 (14) 5 5 (10) 4 (14)

Arabic

Reading 18 13 (31) 17 (48) 19 15 (34) 15 (49)

Writing 8 14 (22) 8 (30) 10 15 (25) 7 (32)

Talking and Listening 3 3 (6) 5 (11) 4 4 (8) 6 (14)

Elements of Language 11 10 (21) 9 (30) 4 4 (8) 4 (12)

Mandarin

Reading 11 1 (14) 5 (17) 10 5 (15) 4 (19)

Writing 12 1 (13) 2 (15) 6 7 (13) 6 (19)


Art 7 3 (10) 4 (14) 8 3 (11) 2 (13)

Music 12 5 (17) 5 (22) 15 5 (20) 7 (27)

Mathematics

Mathematical Content 22 30 (52) 14 (66) 20 25 (45) 16 (61)

Skills and Application 10 10 10 10 10 10

Science

Concepts 8 10 (18) 5 (23) 10 10 (20) 6 (26)

Investigating Scientifically 12 12 12 12 12 12

Inquiry 10 10 10 10 10 10

Integrated Social Studies TBD = To be determined

Social Studies Themes 8 11 (19) 8 (27) 19 TBD TBD

Skills 6 5 (11) 4 (15) 7 TBD TBD

Health &PE 2 2 (4) 2 (6) 2 2 (4) 2 (6)


C.4 Subject letter determination This requires a step to aggregate all the letters A-E for each strand into a single subject letter A-E. eSIS considers all strands to be weighted equally (worth the same) in order to calculate an average value for the final subject letter A-E. Two conversion scales are used:

Strand Conversion Strand average to Subject Letter

Strand Letter

Conversion Value Strand Conversion

Average Subject Letter

Value A 90 80 to 100 A B 70 60 to 79 B C 50 40 to 59 C D 30 20 to 39 D E 19 1 to 19 E

Here is an example showing four strands: As stated, all strands are weighted equally and so not assessing (or under-assessing) outcomes in a strand affect the final subject letter. The default value for a strand is “E”. Consider the three examples (two with three strand-subjects and one subject with four strands):

Strands Assessed Strand “Ignored”

Subject Letter

A B E C A A E B A B E E C


Appendix D Reliability and Teacher Judgements – outcomes subjects Every time a teacher makes an assessment judgement for a student there are several factors which may affect that judgement:

• The accuracy of teacher judgement (an understanding of the standards) • The context of the learning/assessing activity • The degree of engagement of a student • The level of consistency of performance exhibited by a student

For reporting purposes eSIS uses levels E, D or M for each outcome assessed. If any outcome has been assessed more than once then it uses the “highest level reached”. The table shows an example of assessments for a single outcome for five students in trimester 1:

11 Sep 30 Sep 12 Nov 26 Nov Highest Level

Student 1 N N E D D

Student 2 E D D M M

Student 3 E D M D M

Student 4 M E D E M

Student 5 D E E E D The achievements recorded for students 1 and 2 may be the result of “normal” progression or development towards mastery. However, students 3, 4 and 5 all have a lower level at the time of reporting that that achieved earlier in the trimester. The teacher must review the assessments according to the “reliability factors” listed above and make decisions as to the level most accurately reflecting the achievement for these three students. If the teacher wishes to alter a level to a lower one then this is possible since StAR allows an adjustment to be made “retrospectively” to the level in an earlier assignment. For example, if the teacher believes that Student 3 actually warrants level “D” then an adjustment can be made to the 12 Nov judgement to replace the M with D.

11 Sep 30 Sep 12 Nov 26 Nov Highest Level

Student 3 E D M D D D Similarly, with other students 4 and 5 if deemed appropriate. These changes can be made within trimesters 1 and 2 to ensure the reports at the end of those trimesters accurately reflect student achievement. Final CA report The highest level for each outcome is carried over from one trimester to another. However, any re-assessment of an outcome in a new trimester is used as the new highest level. The highest level assigned to each outcome that exists in StAR by the end of trimester 3 is used to create the final strand and subject letter. Thus, it is possible to create assignments to re-assess outcomes assessed in earlier trimesters. This allows for students who might have improved and mastered outcomes since earlier judgments were made. It might also allow teachers to review any errors of judgement due to “mis-applying” standards earlier in the year.


Appendix E Progress Reports and the Online Statistical Tool – outcome subjects

These reports may be subject to further change and enhancement during the year 2014-2015 There are three types of report produced by eSIS:

• Progress summary per student – shows levels NEDM for each strand in a subject

• Outcome progress summary for a whole grade per strand (outcome codes on the bottom) - stacked

• Outcome progress summary per strand (outcome codes on the bottom) – simple bars; this can be produced per class and Grade

0

5

10

15

20

25

1R1 1R2 1R3 1R4 1R5 1R6 1R7 1R8 1R9 1R10 1R11 1R12 1R13 1R14

Num

ber o

f stu

dent

s

"B" N E D M


Appendix E Online Statistical Tool (OST) E.1 Information and access In addition to reports produced by eSIS, ADEC provides an Online Statistical Tool (OST). This provides both current and historical data for your school and for the Emirate. ADEC HQ updates this tool with enhancements as they become available and due to user feedback. Therefore what can be viewed and the names of various “tabs” may change during the course of the year as extra enhancements are deployed. Currently, this tool is available with an English-only interface. The actual level of access depends on your position (e.g. homeroom teacher, HoF, Principal, ADEC-HQ) E.2 Access The access to the OST is via the ADEC portal:

• https://planning.adec.ac.ae/schoolsexplorer/main.aspx

• or via the “button” below in the Applications section of the portal:

• An authentication request window opens and you enter your ADEC username and password which will open the reports window:

• Clicking student performance reports takes you to the page which allows access to EMSA, CEPA and Continuous Assessment reports from Interactive Statistics tab.

• The Continuous Assessment tab takes you to NSM Grades, Non-NSM Grades or Grade 12:

E.3 NSM Grades There are three tabs:

• Current and previous academic years (not all data may be present for previous years) • Your School Level data or Overall Emirate data for comparison • Subject (letters A-E), Strand (letters A-E), Outcome (previous trimesters N,E, D, M & blank), Outcome

Live (current trimester N,E, D, M & blank) The following pages show some screen shots to illustrate some of the data available and how to manipulate it. It uses an example of learning outcomes but subject and strand letters can also be viewed. While screenshots are useful, there is no substitute for trying it yourself!


https://planning.adec.ac.ae/schoolsexplorer/main.aspx

E3.1 Example of Level Outcomes %M, D, E and Blank with School Principals access

This shows Grade 1 Mathematics Subject (has one strand only) with numbers of students and outcomes. E3.2 Drop-downs enable data to be manipulated. The default setting for the “headers” (black rectangles with down arrow) is to show all. The black line show a drop-down accessed by clicking the down arrow

E3.3 Click, drag and drop to add and remove desired header fields where you want. Set of data fields accessible. Set of data required to review and consult.

A pair of little white arrows appears where you can/want to insert the extra data field required.


Header fields can be removed as well.

E3.4 Data can also be filtered to show what you want. Grade 6 Mathematics outcomes are wanted

1 G6 ticked 2 Maths ticked

3 Gives the final: G6 Mathematics

E3.5 Converting to EXCEL and presenting data as graphs After the data is selected, and filtered, click on the “Export to Excel” icon.


Once you have opened the Excel file, it is possible to delete unwanted information, e.g. number of students

Highlight the part wanted and insert the form of graph required into the Excel File.

The graph can then be formatted as desired, put into Word or PowerPoint documents.

It is anticipated that in the future the OST will have a facility to produce and print the data directly in graphical format.


E4 Examples of Graphs: questions, responses and next steps These graphs illustrate some of the data which may be collected, reviewed and a few responses and possible next steps that can be taken. They are not meant to be exhaustive but serve to demonstrate how HoFs, Principals and individual teachers may use such “live” or historical assessment information. E4.1 English letters A-E for five Grade 6 Sections (6A-6E) in a school at end of Trimester 1

Observations/questions Possible answers/solutions Next steps

Why does 6D have no A or E students? Perhaps the teacher is not assessing the outcomes to same standard as others?

Collect and analyse distribution A-E for the separate strands and their outcomes

Why does 6E have so few A & B students but so many C?

Perhaps this teacher is teaching at a slower rate?

Review the number of outcomes assessed and compare with scope-and-sequences

E4.2 Same group as E3.6.1 but at the end of Trimester 3

Observations/questions Possible answers/solutions Next steps No Section has any Es and total number of Ds has reduced

Students are mastering proportionally more outcomes by the end of the year

Review the number of outcomes assessed and the % proportion of N, E, D, M and “blank”

6A has moved Es and Ds to Cs; similarly 6E has moved some Cs to Bs 6D has Ds unchanged but more Cs and still no As and Bs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

A B C D E

% Students in each letter A-E Band - end Trimester 1

6A 6B 6C 6D 6E

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

A B C D E

% Students in each letter A-E Band - end Trimester 3

6A 6B 6C 6D 6E


E4.3 English strand letters A-E for two sections (5A & 5D) for trimesters 1 and 3. S & L = Speaking & Listening Light colours 5A; dark colours 5D. SandS = Scope and sequence


All Es for both Sections for Writing in T1; however by T3 5A has no Es for writing

A cause for concern if teachers have not assessed enough outcomes as stated in the SandS; note E is default letter for a strand (see also C.3)

Check the SandS and look at the outcomes actually assessed

5D S&L shows a huge drop from T1 to T3

Possibly teachers may have been far too lenient in assessing these outcomes in T1; or too severe in T3; or did not assess enough outcomes in T3

Review students’ performance and engage in some standardisation exercises with other teachers (See also 4.1)

5D seems better at reading than 5A in T1 but reverses by T3 Similar to above Review outcome NEDM distribution after

end of T1 E4.4 English Reading strand outcomes for two sections (5-A & 5-C) in a school at end of Trimester 1

Observations/questions Possible answers/solutions Next steps 5-A has assessed 7 outcomes but 5-C only really 5 outcomes

5-C teacher may not have followed the SandS Review the SandS with the teacher

No student has mastered any outcome Early in the year and this may be possible for some strands but not others

Talk with teacher and perhaps do standardisation exercises (See also 4.1)

5-C has significant number of Ns compared with 5-A

5-C students less proficient; teacher may be too severe in judging N and E As above

5-C still has “blanks” in two outcomes Possible student absence Check reasons to see if due to absence or teacher organisation

0102030405060708090

100

A B C D E A B C D E

Term 1 Term 3

5A Reading 5A S & L 5A Writing 5D Reading 5D S & L 5D Writing

0102030405060708090

100

5RM

1

5RM

2

5RM

3

5RM

4

5RM

5

5RM

6

5RRT

1

5RRT

2

5RRT

3

5RRT

4

5RV1

5RV2

5RV3

5RM

1

5RM

2

5RM

3

5RM

4

5RM

5

5RM

6

5RRT

1

5RRT

2

5RRT

3

5RRT

4

5RV1

5RV2

5RV3

5-A Trimester 1 5-C Trimester 1

M D E N Blank


E4.5 As E4.4 but at end of Trimester 3


No blanks in either Section and no Ns This is good since all outcomes must be assessed by end of T3 and all students can demonstrate some level of achievement

None

Comparing Ms and Ds 5-C is achieving less than 5-A

5-C students less proficient; teacher may be too severe in judging M compared with D Review standards with teachers

No outcome has M higher than 35% Possible that the outcomes are too challenging for the students

Compare with the Emirate to see if similar distribution

No Es in 5-C and every outcome has Es in 5-C This is very suspicious Thorough review of teacher judgment of

levels NEDM E4.6 Emirate NEDM distribution for G1 Science at end of trimester 1

Observations/questions Possible answers/solutions Next steps Every outcome has some blanks but the SandS specifies only 15 for T1 Many teachers are not following the SandS Review with teachers the SandS; ensure

good communication achieved

Low % Ns May indicate that the outcomes are relatively appropriate for students

Review standards with teachers to confirm that few Ns is not due to being too lenient

Low proportion of Ms Possibly to be expected

0102030405060708090

1005R

M1

5RM

2

5RM

3

5RM

4

5RM

5

5RM

6

5RRT

1

5RRT

2

5RRT

3

5RRT

4

5RV1

5RV2

5RV3

5RM

1

5RM

2

5RM

3

5RM

4

5RM

5

5RM

6

5RRT

1

5RRT

2

5RRT

3

5RRT

4

5RV1

5RV2

5RV3

5-A Trimester 3 5-C Trimester 3

M D E N Blank

0102030405060708090

100

1ES1

1ES2

1ES3

1ES4

1ES5

1ES6

1ESY

51L

W1

1LW

21L

W3

1LW

41L

W5

1LW

61L

W7

1LW

81L

W9

1LW

101M

11M

21M

31M

41P

W1

1PW

21P

W3

1PW

41S

11S

21S

31S

41S

51S

61S

71S

81S

91S

101S

111S

121S

13

Science

N E D M B


E.5 Non-NSM Grades 8-11 This part of the OST is under construction; however, it is hoped to be able to access band scores for CA in each trimester as well as exam marks and final marks. The bands will be in 10% (90-100, 80-89, etc.) The examples below illustrate what can be produced with the data in OST. E5.1 Final Bands for G7 Science

Observations: • Greater distribution towards higher bands for the CA compared with the Exam • There are significant numbers of students who score very low marks in the Exam; could be an issue of

exam technique or degree of exam challenge • The weighting of 60% for CA compared with 40% for Exam ameliorates the low exam scores and enables

virtually all students to pass (>50%). Schools should be able to compare their students with the Emirate both during the year as well as at the end of the academic year. E.6 ADEC Expectations ADEC expects all teachers to use assessment information on a regular basis. See also 4.3. E.7 Future Developments of OST Further enhancements which may be available during this year: • Data at the level of the student so that individual tracking of students can take place to help identify

students who may need learning support. • Icons to click that enable certain graphs to be created rather than go through the steps of exporting to

Excel first.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 50-59 40-49 30-39 0-29

CA Exam Final


Appendix F StAR CA Templates F.1 G8-11 Some of these templates specify both techniques and weightings while others allow for teacher choice in both techniques used and weighing applied. They are created according to subject curriculum specifications. In addition, curriculum documents may specify the skills to be included in each technique as well as the assessment tool to be used (e.g. rubric) and the “raw mark” totals. A subject may have a slightly different template in one trimester compared with another. To meet these requirements and to allow for more than one type of assessment to be made there are two levels: technique and task (a task is a “form” of technique). Example:

Technique: Inquiry Task types: Directed inquiry, Guided inquiry and Open inquiry.

Rules 1. Where any technique has more than one task then all tasks must be used (except Example 3) 2. All weights, whether for techniques or tasks must total 100% 3. If there is a weight range (e.g. 20-50%) then a value can be chosen by a teacher between the minimum

and maximum for each technique or task (depending which has the range) to reach a total of 100%. In example 2 below any single assessment cannot be worth less than 20% (i.e. a maximum of five in total) and not more than 50% (i.e. a minimum of two in total). Teachers enter their selected weights when starting the StAR set-up for the first time.

Example 1 No Choice of technique or task or weighting

Technique Technique Weight Range Task Task Weights

G No weights

G1 15 G2 30 G3 35 G4 20

• One technique with four prescribed tasks • All tasks must all be done and each one has a prescribed weight with no range. Example 2 No Choice of technique or task but a choice of weighting

Technique Technique Weight Range Task Task Weight Range D

20-50%

D1

20-40% E E1 E2

F F1 • Three different techniques, one of which has two different tasks • Technique weight range of 20-50% means that all three must be used (and therefore all four tasks).

e.g. D = 25%; E = 45%; F = 30%. This leads to the following: D1 must be 25% (only one task); E1 and E2 must total 45% (e.g. 20 + 25, 22 + 23) – both must be chosen and minimum is 20% F1 must be 30% (only one task)

Example 3 Choice of technique (and therefore task) AND a choice of weighting

Technique Technique Weight Range Task Task Weight Range

A

0-50%

A1

20-50% A2

B B1 B2

C C1

• Three different techniques, two of which have two different tasks • Minimum technique weight of 0 allows a choice of two (50+50) or three techniques (e.g. 30+20+50). • The task weight range 20-50% means three, four or all five tasks could be chosen.

e.g. A1 30 + A2 20 + C1 50 or A1 25 + A2 30 + B1 20 + B2 25 or all five at 20 • If you do not want to use a specific technique and/or task then when setting up your template give it zero

weighting (leave it blank).


F.1.1 Calculation of trimester CA mark StAR automatically uses the weightings assigned to each task and the raw marks entered to calculate the mark/100 for reporting purposes. The teacher will have entered the raw marks into StAR as the assignments are marked during the course of the trimester. The example shows results for ONE student with four tasks.

A1 A2 B1 C1 Weight 20% 40% 25% 15%

Raw marks 15/24 14/36 9/10 36/50

Mark/100 12.5 15.5 22.5 10.5

Total CA mark 61% (sum of above) F1.2 More than one assignment per task StAR expects that there will be one mark only per task. Nevertheless, it is possible for students to do more than one assignment for a task and have both marks entered. For example, there is a technique/task called “project” and students may complete a project early in a trimester and another one later in the trimester. StAR will automatically calculate the average mark if there are two (or more) marks per task. The teacher may consider the early one has some relatively low marks because students were new to the skills required. The teacher can then either exempt the lower mark for the earlier project mark for some students or may decide to exempt the entire early project. Alternatively, the teacher may decide the using two projects is indeed a fair way to consider the student performance and leave them all. F1.3 Important note for non-outcome StAR users As well as entering values for all techniques (and sometimes tasks) in a template each trimester, it is also important to assign an assignment (task) to the correct technique. In the latter case any technique which does not have any assigned mark/letter will default to “zero” (non-NSM grades) or letter ”E” (NSM grades) resulting in students getting a lower mark/letter than expected.


F.2 G6-11 StAR Templates Non-outcome Subjects (The colour codes link the task to the technique; all weights in %; the examples refers to Section F.1)

Template Details Technique Names Tech. Weights Task Names Task Weights

Maths G8-11 (T1 & T2)

Exploration

20-50 Example 2

Exploration 1

20-40

Exploration 2

Investigation Investigation 1 Investigation 2

Test Test 1 Test 2

Maths G8-11 (T3 only)

Exploration

0-50 Example 3

Exploration 1

0-40

Exploration 2

Investigation Investigation 1 Investigation 2

Test Test 1 Test 2

English G8-9 (T1, T2 & T3)

ECART: Inquiry Process None

Example 1

Compliance 20 Process Skills 20

ECART: Product Oral Presentation 20 Product Matter 20

IST (Integrated Strand Task) IST 20

English G10-11 (T1, T2 & T3)

Product Portfolio None

Example 1

Process 30 Writing 15 Speaking 15

IST (Integrated Strand Task) IST 20 Language Language 20

Science(s) G8-11 (T1, T2 & T3) Science G8-9

Bio G10+11S+11L Phy G10+11S+11L

Che G10&11S

Inquiry

20-40 Example 2

Directed Inquiry

20-40

Guided Inquiry Open Inquiry

Practical Work Experiment Extended Research Investigation

Test Individual Test Team Test

Geology G10 & 11S

(T1, T2 & T3)

Inquiry

0-50 Example 3

Directed Inquiry

20-50

Guided Inquiry Open Inquiry

Practical Work Experiment Extended Research Investigation

Test Individual Test Team Test

Arabic G8-11 (T1, T2 & T3) ACART None

Example 1

Oral presentation 20 Reading 30 Research 20 Writing 30

Art G8-9

(T1, T2 & T3)

Analysis None

Example 1

Analysis 20 Experimentation Experimentation 20 Product Product 60

ICT G10-11 (T1, T2 & T3)

Project

0-50 Example 3

Project

15-50 Observation

Observation 1 Observation 2

Presentation Presentation

Test Test 1 Test 2


F.2 G6-11 StAR Templates Non-outcome Subjects (continued)

Template Details Technique Names Tech. Weights Task Names Task Weights Islamic Education

G6-7 (T1, T2 & T3)

Islamic Education None Example 1

Oral Performance 40 Test 30

Investigation/Project/Practical 30

Islamic Education G8-11

(T1, T2 & T3) Islamic Education None

Example 1

Oral Performance 40 Test 30

Investigation/Project 30 IE in G6-7 is a non-outcome subject and therefore is treated like G8-11 for this academic year

Al Bayariq G10-11 (T1, T2 & T3) Al Bayariq None

Example 1 Al Bayariq 100

Social Studies

G8-11 2 period subjects

(T1, T2 & T3)

Social Studies 2 None Example 1

Investigation 30 Project 30

Test 40

Geo 8, Geo 10, Geo 11L, His 9, His 10, His11L, Econ 11L, Soc 11L

Social Studies G8-11

1 period subjects (T1, T2 & T3)

Social Studies 1 None Example 1

Investigation 60

Project 40

His 8, Geo 9, Civics/Nat Educ 8 & 9

HPE/Jiu-Jitsu G8-9

(T1, T2 & T3

HPE None Example 1

HPE Technique 1 25 HPE Technique 2 25

Jiu-Jitsu Participation and Skills 50 Students not taking Jiu-Jitsu will be exempted from the subject and the weightings for HPE will become 50 + 50

Jiu-Jitsu G6, 7, 10 & 11 (T1, T2 & T3)

Jiu-Jitsu None Example 1 Participation and Skills 100

Students not taking Jiu-Jitsu in G10 & 11 will be exempted from this subject and have a period of English instead

HPE G10-11 (T1 only) HPE

None Example 1

Observation 50 Test 50

HPE G10-11

(T2 only) HPE None

Example 1 Skills Test 50 Report 50

HPE G10-11

(T3 only) HPE None

Example 1 Questioning 50 Practical Test 50

Health G10

(T1, T2 and T3) Health None

Example 1 Health Technique A 50 Health Technique B 50

Fiqh G7-11

(T1, T2 & T3) Fiqh None Example 1

Fiqh A 50 Fiqh B 50

Hadeeth G7-11

(T1, T2 & T3) Hadeeth None Example 1 Hadeeth 100

Holy Quran G7-11

(T1, T2 & T3) Holy Quran None Example 1

Holy Quran A 50 Holy Quran B 50

Prophet’s

Biography G7-9 (T1, T2 & T3)

Prophet’s Biography None Example 1 Prophet’s Biography 100

Tawheed G7-11

(T1, T2 & T3) Tawheed None Example 1 Tawheed 100

Islamic Research

G10-11 (T1, T2, T3)

Islamic Research None Example 1 Islamic Research 100


F.3 KG-5 StAR Templates Non-outcomes Subjects

Template Details Technique Names Tech. Weights

Islamic Education KG-G3

(T1, T2 & T3)

Oral Performance 30

Investigation 40

Project/Practical 30

Islamic Education

G4-5 (T1, T2 & T3)

Oral Performance 35

Test 35

Investigation/Project/Practical 30

Civics G1-3

(T1, T2 & T3) Investigation 60

Project 40

Social Studies G4-5 (T1, T2 & T3)

Investigation 30

Project 30

Test 40


F.4 Outcomes Subjects StAR Technique Templates for KG-G7

Grades 6-7 Arabic English Maths Science ISS Art Music HPE Mandarin

Analysis

Composition

Experimentation

Exploration

Inquiry

Integrated Strand Task

Investigation

Observation

Observation Drawing

Peer-assessment

Performance

Performance Task

Presentation

Product

Project

Questioning

Self-assessment

Skills Test

Test

Writing

KG-G5 Arabic English Maths Science Art Music HPE Mandarin

Analysis

Composition

Experimentation

Inquiry

Observation

Observation Drawing

Peer-assessment

Performance

Performance Task

Pisa-related Task

Presentation

Product

Project

Questioning

Science Assessment Task

Self-assessment

Skills Test


Appendix G FAQs for Principals, HoFs and teachers of outcome subjects This section includes a list of questions which have been raised by principals, HoFs and teachers together with the responses given. It is hoped to support teachers who are new to the assessment of outcomes using StAR. All references are for the main sections or Appendices in this SAG.

Questions Responses

1 Who do I contact first if I have a question about student assessment or assessment regulations? School Assessment Coordinator; See also Section 10.

2 Are the highest NEDM levels achieved for outcomes in T1 automatically carried forward by eSIS to T2 and T2 to T3?

Yes; if an outcome is re-assessed in a trimester the new level (if different) “counts” and becomes the new highest level.

3 Is there an opportunity to assess outcomes “missed” in T1 as well as those expected in T2 (and T2 in T3)?

Yes; remember that the totals used for boundaries at the end of every trimester are cumulative. (See Appendix C.2)

4 Do I need to go back and change the level of an outcome in a previous assignment if the student’s performance has changed?

No; unless you now feel you were too severe or lenient within a trimester. (See also 4 below and Appendix D)

5 What if I am initially too lenient in giving Ms instead of Ds?

The A-E letters will be too high but you can re-assess later in T3 when you more fully appreciate the standards (See Appendix D). The reverse is true if you are too severe.

6 If I intended to reassess an outcome but leave it blank, does it affect the highest level recorded?

No; whatever is the highest level within a trimester is the one used. As long as you have assessed it once, the student will be credited with that achievement level.

7 What happens if I do not assess all outcomes expected or do not publish them on time?

Students will receive lower letters A-E than expected since their mastery equivalents totals are lower.

8 What happens if I do not assess outcomes in a strand?

A completely missed strand is default “E”; overall subject letter based on the strand letters will be lower than expected. (See also Appendix C.2)

9 Is it important I know the scope-and-sequence? Yes; initial boundaries for T1 and T2 are based on the scope-and-sequence and thus not following it may lead to inappropriate grades A-E.

10 How do I take into account absent students? See Section 7.

11 Can I create an assignment for a grade and subject in StAR which can be used by other teachers of the same subject and grade?

Yes; this facility is available this year. See 3.2.5

12 Is there an “assignment bank” created by ADEC HQ which I can use which has outcomes already added?

Yes; this facility is available this year. See 3.2.5

13 How can I get a progress report for my students for a specific grade or subject?

This is available using the Online Statistical Tool (See Appendix E and also 4.3.

14 How can I use student achievement in CA to support my teaching and planning? See Section 4.3


Appendix G FAQs (continued) Questions Responses

15 Why do I need to “publish” assignments in StAR?

So that the highest level achieved can be used to calculate the letters A-E when the boundaries have been entered.

16 Why does ADEC HQ sometimes disable the “publish” button?

In the past this has been to adjust and finalise the strand boundaries and this cannot be done if teachers are publishing assignments.

17 How do I assess SEN students? See Section 10.

18 Is there a limit to the number of times one outcome can be assessed?

No; it depends solely on the number of times it is included in an assignment; some skills outcomes may need to be assessed several times.

19 Where can I find which techniques to use for assignments?

Curriculum documents; also as a list of those available to a teacher in StAR when setting up assignments.

20 Why are techniques not weighted?

A technique is solely a method to collect assessment information (using an appropriate assessment tool, e.g. rubric); student performance is based on achievement in outcomes. Currently each outcome and strand is weighted equally.

21 Do the letters A-E in T1 and T2 affect the final CA at the end of the year?

The CA for each trimester is not weighted and so the answer is “no”. However, the letters are based on progress in outcomes so a student who has low achievement in T1 and T2 may not be able to master sufficient outcomes to achieve higher letters A-E by the end of the year.

22 How can I explain to parents the main points about assessment in the NSM? See Appendix J.

23 Where can I find deadlines for assessment data entry and publishing in StAR? See 3.1.1

24 Where can I get information about outcome level performance for my students from last year?

See 4.3.1


Appendix G (continued) 2014-2015 Essential Assessment Check List - Teachers of Outcomes Subjects The methods which teachers use to assess students in Abu Dhabi by recording student achievement against learning outcomes and which are used for reporting purposes are unique. These methods do require teachers to understand certain basics to ensure students are judged both reliably and fairly. Therefore, before starting to assess and record students’ achievement both new and experienced teachers are strongly advised to use the following items as a checklist of your knowledge and understanding.

Item Description Y/N?

1 I know where to access all general assessment documents on the portal.

2 I have read and understand all references to assessment in curriculum documents.

3 I know how to judge performance levels N, E, D and M for learning outcomes in trimester 1.

4 I know why I should standardise my judgements with other teachers

5 I have read the Student Assessment Guide (SAG) and Appendices.

6 I have read the scope-and-sequence for my subject trimester 1 and know which outcomes and how many to assess.

7 I understand how numbers of “mastery equivalents” affect strand letters levels A-E.

8 I understand the principles used to create strand level boundaries.

9 I understand how final subject A-E letter grades are calculated

10 I know who to contact (and how) if I have student assessment questions.

11 I know how to set up assignments in StAR and publish them.

12 I know how to exempt students for an assignment if necessary.

13 I know how to deal with students who are absent from assignments.

14 I know how to assess students with special needs.


Appendix H National and International Examinations/Tests and Studies H.1 External Measurement of Student Achievement, EMSA (G3-12) These are standardised tests designed to measure individual student performance in all Abu Dhabi Public Schools. Test papers are psychometrically designed to indicate how students, schools and the school system are improving from year to year. EMSA assessment papers consist predominantly of multiple-choice questions with five to ten open-response items for Arabic Reading, English Reading, Science and Mathematics. For Arabic and English Writing assessments two open-ended writing tasks are provided, one of which is scaffolded. Mathematics and science papers are presented in both Arabic and English languages. Detailed results will be made available to schools via the EMSA results website and the Online Statistical Tool (OST) via the ADEC portal. Principals and EMSA coordinators are provided with the access details for their school and are required to share the data with teachers who are expected to utilise the information. Student performance is described in three ways: numerical Standardised EMSA Scores, Proficiency Level Descriptors related to each Cycle and, for inclusion in school reports, Bands A-E. Even though EMSA is taken at the end of T2, student performance on EMSA tests (G3-11) contributes to the final end of year Grade and not to the Trimester 2 CA mark. What will schools need to plan for? Information meetings for schools will be conducted in February 2015 to clarify the procedures for the administration of EMSA tests. EMSA for grades 3 to 11 will be conducted according to the following schedule:

Assessment Date Arabic Language Sunday 22 March 2015 English Language Monday 23 March 2015 Mathematics Tuesday 24 March 2015 Science (grades 3 to 9) Wednesday 25 March 2015

EMSA for grade 12 will be conducted according to the following schedule:

Assessment Date Arabic Language Sunday 19 April 2015 English Language Monday 20 April 2015 Mathematics Tuesday 21 April 2015

Collection and return of EMSA Assessment Materials The EMSA assessment materials will be available for collection during the week of March 8 to 12 at the Secure Examinations Centre (المطبعة السریة) in each region. Schools will be required to send a representative to collect the EMSA assessment materials. In February 2015, the National Assessments Section will advise schools of the dates and times for collection and return of materials. Exemptions All students with an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) are not required to take EMSA tests; they can be exempted. Students who are absent for an EMSA test will also be exempted if the absence is determined by the principal to be “excused”, e.g. medical leave with doctors’ certificates, critical family situations (e.g. death or critical illness of family member). Examples of unexcused absences are medical leave without a doctor’s certificate and non-critical travel (e.g. travel could have been postponed or taken at another time). For more information on EMSA please contact: [email protected]


H.2 PIPS (Performance Indicators in Primary Schools) A computer-adaptive assessment developed, scored and analysed by Durham University (UK) which assesses students’ abilities in English language acquisition, general literacy, early mathematics and phonological awareness. The assessments are delivered to early learners (KG1, KG2 and G2) and are used in over 30 countries. The ADEC version of PIPS provides all question instructions (written and audio) in Arabic, and requires an Arabic-speaking teacher to sit with individual students and administer the assessment. Schools will receive the PIPS program and student data files. The provisional PIPS testing window (which may be subject to change) is scheduled as follows: KG1 – November 2 to December 11, 2014 KG2 and grade 2 – April 26 to June 4, 2015 Administration of PIPS in Schools Schools will be asked to nominate a Project Manager and an IT coordinator. Nominees will be invited to training sessions relevant to the installation and administration of the PIPS assessment. Training in the administration of PIPS will be provided to schools during the following period (dates are provisional and may be subject to change):

KG1 – October 28-30, 2014 Cycle 1 – 21-23 April, 2015

For more information on PIPS please contact: [email protected] H.3 International Studies ADEC participates in the internationally-benchmarked studies described below. These tests involve sampling of students, not all students. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) This is operated by OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) • Three year cycle of testing for 15 year old students in grades 7-12 (depending on the system) which

assesses the preparedness of students to enter the labour market and to be lifelong learners • Mathematics, science, reading literacy (language of instruction), collaborative problem-solving and

attitudes to school; also school and teacher questionnaires • Representative sample of Private & Public rural and urban schools and a range of curricula • The PISA 2012 Main Survey was conducted during the 2011/12 academic year; results are available • Some schools participated in the PISA 2015 field trial study during the 2013-2014 academic year and will

be required to participate in the main study during 2014-2015 academic year. TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) This is operated by IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) • Four year cycle of testing for grade 4 (9 year olds) and grade 8 (13 yr olds) students which assesses

student achievement against common international curriculum standards • Mathematics, science and attitudes to school and learning experiences; also school and teacher

questionnaires • Representative sample of Private & Public schools in rural and urban environments and range of curricula • The TIMSS 2011 Main Study was conducted during the 2010/11 academic year; results are available • Some schools participated in the TIMSS 2015 field trial during the 2013-2014 academic year and will be

required to participate in the main study during 2014-2015 academic year.


PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study). This is operated by IEA. • Five year cycle of testing for grade 4 (9 year old) students which assesses student achievement against

common international curriculum standards • Reading Literacy (language of instruction – English or Arabic) • The PIRLS 2011 Main Study was conducted in the academic year 2010-2011; results are available • Some schools will be required to participate in the PIRLS 2016 field trial during the 2014-2015 academic

year ePIRLS (electronic Progress in Reading Literacy Study). This is operated by IEA • An innovative assessment of reading online for grade 4 (9 year olds) students • Since the internet has become a primary source of information at work, home and school many reading

curricula are acknowledging the importance of this activity • ePIRLS has been created to determine the effectiveness of students to read, comprehend and interpret

information online • Some schools will be expected to participate in the ePIRLS field trial in the 2014-2015 academic year.


Appendix I Academic Review Committee (ARC) Forms Dear Principals of G6-G11 students, Students who face retention and meet ADEC’s guidelines for academic review must be referred to the school’s Academic Review Committee (ARC). Details of the composition appear in ADEC Public Schools (P-12) Policy Manual September 2014. The relevant policy is 7235: Grade Level Promotion and Retention in Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 The forms on the next few pages offer some guidelines as to areas to be discussed by the ARC in relation to promotion and retention. Schools are required to document the decisions made by the ARC. These forms are not obligatory; however, you may find them useful. Also included is a suggested letter which could be used to inform parents of any decisions.


ARC Forms Cycle 2 NSM Grades

School Name ___________________________________________ School No. ____________

Student Name ______________________________________ Student No._______________ Grade ______

Subjects with letter E: ______________________________________________________________________

Subjects with letter D: ______________________________________________________________________

Areas for consideration by ARC Evidence/discussion

Suggested Review Considerations: Please provide supporting evidence for the final decision

Questions/items to be considered

• Is the student significantly older than the typical

student in the grade?

• Has the student been retained for more than once

previously?

• Is there any evidence of extra academic support

provided to the child during the year? (Provided by

the school or provided externally by parents or

paid tutors)

• Does the Social Worker believe the student should

be promoted? (Please explain their reasoning).

• Has the student generally completed course

requirements, such as homework, assignments,

and other assessment tasks?

• Is the student’s performance similar overall to

other students who passed the class?

• What is the student’s attendance record?

• Teacher feedback

• Student feedback

• Parent feedback

• Any other extenuating circumstances

Will the student repeat the year? ____Yes ____ No _________________________________ ___________________________________ Principal Academic Vice Principal _______________________________________ Date of Academic Review Committee meeting


Academic Review Committee: Summary of Cycle 2 NSM Students Reviewed

School Year: ________________________

School Name __________________________ School No. __________________________

Student Name & Number Date of Review Decision

(Promote/Retain)

_______________________ _______________________ ____________________ Principal Signature Academic Vice Principal Social Worker _______________________ _______________________ ____________________ Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member


Draft Letter for Principals to send to parents of Cycle 2 NSM students

[Insert Date] Dear Parents of _________________________, Student Name The Academic Review Committee reviewed your child’s performance in the following subjects:

_________________________________________________________________________________

Subjects

This review was done in accordance with ADEC’s Policy on Promotion and Retention for New School

Model Cycle 2 students, which states:

“Students shall be promoted to the next grade except where they do not meet promotion

requirements as determined by the school’s Academic Review Committee. All students

with D or E letter levels in any subject must be referred to the ARC who will determine

whether or not these students have demonstrated proficiency in sufficient outcomes in

their subjects in order to pass the year.”

The Academic Review Committee reviewed all relevant information to your child’s academic performance. Letters D or E in following subject(s): _________________________________________________________________________________ The decision of the committee is: The result of the Academic Review Committee’s decision is that your child will: _______ Be promoted to the next grade level _______ Repeat the current grade level For any questions about this decision, please contact the school to arrange a meeting with the Principal and other members of the Academic Review Committee. After meeting with the Academic Review Committee, you may request an additional review by an Appeals Committee by contacting the Regional Office of Student Services Student Assessment. Sincerely, [Insert Principal Name & Signature]


ARC Forms Cycle 2 and 3 Non-NSM Grades School Name ___________________________________________ School No. ____________

Student Name ___________________________ Student No._______________ Grade ______

Subject Failed with Final Mark of 45 or 46: __________________________________________

Decision Regarding Eligible Subjects: ___ Add marks ___ Don’t add marks

Suggested Review Considerations: Please provide rationale if the decision is made to not add marks for the eligible subject:

Questions/items to be considered

is in the best interest of the student?

• Is the student significantly older than the typical

student in the grade?

• Has the student been retained for more than once

previously?

• Is there any evidence of extra academic support

provided to the child during the year? (Provided by

the school or provided externally by parents or

paid tutors)

• Does the Social Worker believe the student should

be promoted? (Please explain their reasoning).

• Has the student generally completed course

requirements, such as homework, assignments,

and other assessment tasks?

• Is the student’s performance similar overall to

other students who passed the class?

• What is the student’s attendance record?

• Teacher feedback

• Student feedback

• Parent feedback

• Any other extenuating circumstances

Will the student repeat the year? ____Yes ____ No ______________________________________ ________________________________________ Principal Academic Vice Principal _______________________________________ Date of Academic Review Committee meeting


Academic Review Committee: Summary of Cycle 2 & 3 Non-NSM Grades Reviewed

School Year: ________________________

School Name __________________________ School No. __________________________ Student Name & Number Subject Reviewed Date of Review Decision

Add marks? Yes No

Add marks? Yes No

Add marks? Yes No

Add marks? Yes No

Add marks? Yes No

Add marks? Yes No

Add marks? Yes No

Add marks? Yes No

Note: When adding marks, the total final mark will be 50. _______________________ _______________________ ____________________ Principal Signature Academic Vice Principal Social Worker _______________________ _______________________ ____________________ Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member


Draft Letter for Principals to send to parents of non-NSM students [Insert Date] Dear Parents of ________________________________________________, Student Name The Academic Review Committee reviewed your child’s performance in

____________________________________________________________________________.

Subject

This review was done in accordance with ADEC’s Policy on Promotion and Retention for Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 students, which states:

“Students who face retention and meet ADEC’s guidelines for academic review must be referred to the school’s Academic Review Committee (ARC), convened by the Principal. The Committee will determine whether or not these students have met the minimum expectations in their subjects for the entire year in order to pass. A student must pass all subjects to be promoted.”

The Academic Review Committee reviewed all relevant information to your child’s academic performance. The decision of the committee is: _______ Pass in following subject(s): ______________________________________________ _______ Fail in following subject(s): _______________________________________________ The result of the Academic Review Committee’s decision is that your child will: _______ Be promoted to the next grade _______ Repeat the current grade For any questions about this decision, please contact the school to arrange a meeting with the Principal and other members of the Academic Review Committee. After meeting with the Academic Review Committee, you may request an additional review by an Appeals Committee by contacting the Regional Office of Student Services Student Assessment. Sincerely, [Insert Principal Name & Signature]


Appendix J Parent Information: New School Model (NSM) Assessment The purpose of this appendix is to answer four main questions which parents have about assessment in the New School Model (NSM). 1. Why change assessment and reporting for the NSM? 2. How is my child assessed? 3. How is the achievement of my child reported? 4. Where do I go for further information? 1. Why change assessment and reporting for the NSM? Before the NSM, the main way to judge student progress was by the marks they received from their teachers. There was no record of what students knew, could understand or the skills they could demonstrate. Furthermore, there were no common teacher judgments applied across ADEC schools and no way to align student progress with international standards. In order to help students learn teachers need to know:

• what student understand and can do • how to correct misunderstandings.

The NSM allows students to appreciate what they are supposed to learn and teachers to support learning for all students according to their needs. 2. How is my child assessed? Eventually, all subjects in the NSM will be based on learning outcomes. These are statements about the knowledge students are expected to understand and the sets of skills they should be able to learn and to demonstrate. There is a move away from mainly memory learning to include 21st Century skills such as:

• problem solving • creative and critical thinking • working in groups

Learning outcomes are taught and assessed regularly throughout a trimester according to guidelines provided by ADEC curriculum documents. Teachers use levels of achievement for each outcome assessed:

• E = emerging (just learning) • D = developing (getting better) • M = mastered (complete understanding or highly skilled)

In addition, N = no achievement is also recorded where a student has not yet reached emerging and requires further learning opportunities and support. These levels help to identify not only what a child knows and can do but also where they need to improve. Outcomes can be taught and assessed and re-assessed during all trimesters. This is important since learning is developmental; children do not all start at the same place nor do they progress or learn at the same rate. Some children can master some outcomes early in the year while others may not do so until towards the end of trimester 3. Indeed, some children may not master a few of them at all. The levels of achievement (N, E, D and M) are stored in ADEC’s student information system (eSIS). From eSIS, teachers can produce individual progress reports for each student to show parents how their child is progressing in the outcomes. These can be produced at any time. Regular ongoing continuous assessment (CA) provides a balance in favour of teacher assessment compared with examinations. From Grade 6 students do have examinations at the end of the year but they are weighted less than CA. In addition, from Grade 3 all students take standardized tests (EMSA) at the end of trimester 2. While homework is an important part of the learning process it is not used directly to judge progress; this must be done by the teacher observing and judging student performance in class both as individuals and as part of a group. The NSM allows for children to learn and improve throughout the year and so each trimester does not have a weight (percentage). What the child achieves by the end of the year is a measure of overall progress.


3. How is the achievement of my child reported? Previously, the demand for very many students to get high marks (as numbers or percentages) often resulted in misleading achievement because it gave the impression that most students were regarded as “outstanding”. Marks on their own do not help children learn; indeed they are often only used to put students in order (rank them). Realistic and objective assessment that uses evidence of real and measurable achievement is essential to help support all students’ learning whatever their aptitudes. For reports, we convert all the levels Es, Ds and Ms for the outcomes into letter bands A, B, C, D or E. The bands allow for a spread of performance which reflects the range of student achievements. Criteria of achievement are used for each trimester:

• A = almost all outcomes mastered • B = most outcomes mastered • C = about half outcomes mastered • D = few outcomes mastered • E = very few outcomes mastered

All subjects are reported as a single letter A-E. However, some subjects also have separate letters for each different aspect of the subject, e.g. reading, writing, skills and application. These provide further information about progress. 4. Where do I go for further information?

• Child’s teachers: subject information Teaching and assessment documents Student progress details

• School Principal: general information ADEC Student Assessment Guide ADEC Policy Manual

• ADEC Customer service: 800 2 444

Answer individual queries

• ADEC public website: www.adec.ac.ae Various documents posted regularly


http://www.adec.ac.ae/

Appendix K Assessment Terminology

Academic Integrity: set of core values (honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility) recognised by academic institutions; intended to lead to greater respect by students for the intellectual copyright of others and personal responsibility in their learning Academic Performance (AP): measurement against curriculum/subject-specific expectations; KG-G7 use five letter levels A, B, C, D and E while G8-12 use marks/100 ADEC-set assignment: task created by ADEC and administered under formal conditions at the end of Trimester 1; normally, one that forms part of a continuous assessment template of a subject; it is only for non-EMSA subjects which have Trimester 3 examinations. It contributes directly to the final grade. Also known as XTR. ADEC Standards: name given to a subject curriculum approved by ADEC; includes described standards of student performance according to Grade defined by indicators and broad outcomes Advanced Learning Plan (ALP): a plan including learning outcomes that extend the curriculum designed to challenge gifted and talented students Approaches to Learning (AtL): observable and measurable skills, attitudes, values and character traits pertinent to the learning process for KG-G5 students; classified into: social, emotional, attitudinal, creative and resourceful, and, problem solving; uses four-point scale: 1 (high) – 4 (low) Assessment: a set of systems including techniques and tools to determine levels of student performance and means of recording and reporting such performance Assessment Component: part of a subject assessment template which has a specific weighting Assessment for Learning (AfL): a means of determining where students are, where they need to go, and how best to get there; used for monitoring, diagnosing and informing what to do next (see also formative assessment) Assessment Instrument: see assessment tool Assessment Skills: ADEC has listed several separate thinking proficiencies and aptitudes that will equip students for the 21st Century; they are grouped into seven skills groups: creating (C), evaluating & reflecting (ER), handling & researching (HR), inquiring & experimenting (IE), participating (P), remembering (R) and understanding & analysing (UA); each individual skill has a rubric; these seven skill groups are either incorporated directly into the CA templates or form part of the learning outcomes for a subject; an individual skill may also be referred to as a criterion Assessment Task: continuous assessment activity which forms a part (or the whole) of an assessment technique; in turn these task activities are described by specific assignments which the students carry out; e.g. Investigation – Investigation 1 – Relationship between perimeter and area of football pitches Assessment Technique: (also known as task) a method used to collect student performance data, e.g. test/exam, project (individual and group), practical activity, writing assignment, presentation, techniques are chosen to assess specific assessment skills. For non-outcomes subjects each technique also has a specific weighting towards a Trimester CA level/mark, e.g. Problem-solving Investigation (40%), Test (25%) and Research assignment (35%); for outcome subjects weightings do not apply since achievement is measured directly by levels of mastery of outcomes. Assessment Tool: (also known as assessment instrument) means of measuring student performance in a skill, e.g. rubric, checklist, markscheme, likert scale; they are associated with assessment techniques Assignment: an assessment task or activity created in StAR to which is used to collect and record student achievement. Benchmark: example of marked student work that illustrates a specific level of student performance in one or more skills; used to help standardise teacher judgements Authentic: assessment task (technique) that challenges students appropriately and enables the full range of performance to be achieved using the assessment tools; also interpreted as tasks which are meaningful and engaging that go beyond solely remembering Boundary: minimum degree of mastery of outcomes for a strand for outcomes subjects for each letter A - E; expressed as percentage (%) of all the outcomes; each boundary is based on expectations likely to be reached by the end of each Trimester or end of the year and is based on the scope-and-sequence documents. Also called performance scale Continuous Assessment (CA): (also known as school-based or teacher assessment) assessment activities conducted in school to gather information about student learning; it usually takes place in formal settings but occasionally can be informal; it can supply information to help guide teachers planning and to provide “marks” Continuous Assessment Template: (also known as model or framework) a subject- and Grade-specific set of assessment techniques carried out in school which students must complete during each Trimester (or year) Criterion: set of level descriptors that describe student performance in one skill; also a description of each of the letters A-E in the ADSA scale. Developing: level D defining progress towards mastery in learning outcome; demonstrates complete understanding of some aspects of a concept or demonstrates some competency in the skill; some scaffolding or help may be required. For reporting purposes D is worth 0.5. Dual-language: refers to documents that are Arabic and English on facing pages; e.g. mathematics and science non-NSM examination papers


Appendix K Assessment Terminology (continued) EMSA: External Measurement of Student Achievement exams for Arabic, English and Mathematics in Grades 3-12, and for Science for Grades 3-9; uses Performance Level Descriptors to describe achievement; exams are taken in the last week of T2; purpose is to measure student and school performance against the ADEC curriculum Emerging: level E defining progress towards mastery in learning outcome; demonstrates a little understanding of the concept or demonstrates rudimentary abilities of the skill; considerable scaffolding or help will often be required. For reporting purposes E is worth 0.25. ePIRLS (electronic Progress in Reading Literacy Study): international testing of Grade 4 students’ reading in English or Arabic (depending on first language) using texts/information accessed and responded to online; students are sampled from public and private schools Evidence: record that substantiates teacher judgements of student performance; e.g. observations and notes, results of assessment techniques, contents of a portfolio Examination (ADEC): Assessment created by ADEC and administered in schools under formal conditions; marked internally by teachers or externally by appointed markers Exemption: student who by virtue of a specific learning disability is not required to undertake some assessment (e.g. EMSA tests, ADEC exams); a student with authorised (excused) absence from school/assessments may also be exempted from some assessment and therefore data entry to eSIS Formative Assessment: student performance information collected during the learning process (see also assessment for learning and informal assessment activity) Formative Evaluation: when assessment evidence is used to provide feedback to teachers and/or students about the teaching and learning process; it can also inform policy Grade: organisation of students according to their chronological age; KG, Cycle 1 (Grades 1-5), Cycle 2 (Grades 6-9) and Cycle 3 (Grades 10-12) Guidelines: regulations or practical procedures that enable a policy to be implemented in a consistent manner Homework: academic work done out of school; it may be used to support learning but not for contributing to part of a CA mark/level since authenticity cannot be guaranteed Indicator: set of expectations for student performance related to a subject and Grade; it can be sub-divided into more detailed outcomes (see outcome) Informal Assessment Activity: a technique for gathering information about learning as it is taking place; it usually occurs at the start or near the end of a lesson; e.g. quiz, verbal questioning, think-pair-share; evidence collected informs teaching but does not contribute to CA marks Learning Outcome: brief statement describing what facts a student is expected to recall, concepts to understand or skills and attitudes to demonstrate; these must be observable and measurable; some outcomes may allow for levels of achievement , e.g. emerging, developing; outcomes may be categorised as learning or assessment according to the context and purpose Level: measurement of academic performance in a skill using descriptors in a rubric and based on objective evidence; also a measure of performance using letters A-E for KG-G7 (see also mark); it is also used to describe progress towards mastery for subjects with outcomes: E=emerging, D=developing, M=mastered Mark: (see also level) a number/100 (percentage) used for CA and Exam data entry to eSIS for Grades 7-12; also a measure of “worth” for a question in a test/examination; usually one mark is allocated for one “thought process” Markscheme: set of answers each worth one or more marks (but no half marks) for an assessment technique consisting of questions e.g. test, quiz or examination; it may also include answers that should not be accepted Mastery: when a student demonstrates the expectations described by an outcome accurately all, or almost all, the time Moderation: a set of processes carried out by an assessment authority (e.g. ADEC) that may adjust a school’s or teacher’s “levels/marks” to align them with agreed standards Online Statistical Tool (OST): set of screens accessed through ADEC portal to access assessment information about CEPA, EMSA and continuous assessment; it includes NEDM distributions for outcomes as well as letter levels A-E for strands and subjects. It also enables teachers and administrators to access live outcome level data during trimesters. Performance Scale: see boundary PIPS (Performance Indicators in Primary Schools): KG-G2 student computer adaptive assessment for English and Arabic literacy, phonological awareness and mathematics; administered to every student on entry to public school and at end of Grade 2 PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study): international testing of Grade 4 students’ reading in English or Arabic (depending on first language); students are sampled from public and private schools PISA (Programme in International Student Assessment): international testing of 15 year olds in reading literacy (in language of instruction), mathematics, science and problem-solving; data on attitude to school is also gathered; students are sampled from public and private schools Portfolio: collection of (all or samples) marked student work for one or more assessment components (a portfolio is not itself an assessment technique)


Appendix K Assessment Terminology (continued) Record: information that registers student progress using evidence collected from various sources; some records may be kept by teachers or stored directly in eSIS or in its assessment modules Reliability: intrinsic reliability is how well a test/exam/question is able to accurately assess student understanding (i.e. if given on a second occasion provides the same result); extrinsic reliability is how well a marker applies a rubric or uses a markscheme; extrinsic reliability provides the greater and more immediate challenge Report: summative feedback to parents about student performance and progress; usually created at the end of a Trimester but issued at the beginning of Trimesters 2 and 3 and at the end of the year Rubric: a scoring tool describing several levels of student performance in one or more skills (criteria) School-based (or teacher) Assessment: see Continuous Assessment Scope-and-sequence: a subject- and grade-specific document specifying the learning outcomes to be taught and assessed in each trimester. Also referred to as S-and-S. SEN: Special Educational Needs Specifications: detailed description of an assessment technique (e.g. examination); it includes outcomes, assessment tools, statement of format, duration and style of question or description of activities Standardisation: means to ensure teachers apply assessment tools (e.g. rubrics) to the same standard; by reviewing benchmarked materials or marking and re-marking common pieces of student work; teachers are expected to conduct standardisation exercises whereby they share pieces of student work marked individually then discussed to arrive at a common standard. Strand: a set of related learning outcomes (in assessment literature also known as a “domain”); e.g. Science: living world, materials; Language: writing, reading, etc.; AtL: emotional, attitudinal, problem-solving. Each strand is reported as a letter A-E and are weighted equally to arrive at an overall subject letter A-E Stream: a means of classifying parts of strand; e.g. Reading (strand) - concepts about print (stream) Student Assessment Record (StAR): a special set of eSIS screens with subject assessment templates which specify assessment techniques and weightings (non-outcome subjects only); it allows teachers to allocate tasks and assignments to the specified template as well as create their own assignments and include anecdotal notes; teachers record student performance during each trimester and then publish the results to the “eSIS mark entry screen” at the end of each reporting period Summative Assessment: student performance information collected after the learning process; e.g. at the end of a lesson, topic, programme of learning or Trimester; also known as assessment of learning Summative Evaluation: use of assessment evidence to establish a student’s academic standing relative to some set of established criteria; it may use evidence from formative and/or summative assessment Test: assessment task created and marked by teachers; it is usually written but may be a physical or oral performance; it may be designed to measure individual or group performance; quizzes are short tests; tests may form part of a CA model/template or be extra teacher-designed assignments to collect further information TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study): international testing of Grades 4 and 8 students in mathematics and science; students are sampled from public and private schools Validity: generally refers to how well a question/test/exam actually assesses the intended learning outcomes or set of outcomes; teacher-designed assessments provide the greatest challenge (see also authentic) Weighting: where an assessment is composed of more than one component the contribution each one makes to the whole is its weighting; it is expressed as a percentage (%)


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