Assessment Policy

South Ridge Elementary
Primary Years Programme
Assessment Policy
Revised: Apr 10, 2024 May 1, 2024 Jun 25, 2024
South Ridge Assessment Policy
Beliefs

At South Ridge Elementary School, we believe that assessment is authentic, engaging, effective and
ongoing. Teachers begin each unit by developing assessments around desired understandings and
attitudes. Teachers also use district mandated assessments embedded in their curriculum to collect data.
Classroom teachers rely on accurate assessment information to guide and determine instruction and next
steps. It identifies what a student already knows, a student's progress/needed growth and what he or she
has learned. Assessment is a collection of evidence to celebrate and determine the understanding which
is developed as a result of ongoing inquiry and thinking. The assessments are clearly stated to students
so they understand their purpose for learning. The balanced assessment system is made up of three
types of assessments: formative, interim, and summative to provide feedback on the learning process.

Purpose of Assessment

● Ensure authentic learning occurs
● Provide evidence of students' deeper understanding
● Guide instruction and determine next steps
● Plan for differentiation
● Evaluate the process as well as the product
● Provide valid, rigorous and timely results
● Set personal learning goals
● Communicate progress
● Guide future direction of the school
● Engage students in self-reflection

Types of Assessment

Formative Assessments

Formative assessments are a part of the instructional process. When incorporated into classroom
practice, they provide the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening.
In this sense, formative assessment informs teachers, students and parents about student understanding
at a point when timely adjustments can be made. These adjustments help to ensure students achieve
specific learning goals within a set timeframe. Examples of this form of assessment include but are not
limited to:

● Running records
● Journals
● Anecdotal notes
● Cooperative learning structures
● Reciprocal teaching
● Visible thinking routines
● Rubrics
● Checklists
● Discussions
● Observations
● iReady personalized lessons
● Written response to reading

Interim Assessments

Interim assessments provide teachers with a valid and reliable measure of growth for their students'
academic performance. The purpose of the interim assessment program is to provide teachers with
specific instructional information to guide lesson planning and differentiation. Examples of this form of
assessment include but not limited to :

● iReady
● District-created assessments
● QPA/QSA
● Writing prompt
● Benchmark Workshop Assessments
● End of year/benchmark math assessments
● Ready Math Assessments

Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are given periodically to determine, at a particular point in time, what students
know and what they need to learn. They occur after instruction and are used as a means to gauge
student learning and the effectiveness of the teaching program. Summative assessments also allow the
teacher to stand back to allow the students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept/central idea.
Examples of this form of assessment include but are not limited to:

● Portfolios
● Unit tests
● Exhibitions
● QPA/QSA
● Projects
● Performance assessments
● Standardized tests
● Benchmark Workshop Assessments
● Ready Math Assessments

Tools for Assessment

● Observations

● Conferences
● Anecdotal notes
● Writing samples
● Parent observations
● Student reflections
● Peer observations
● Student reflections
● Peer interactions
● Peer feedback
● Running records
● Rubrics
● Checklists
● Portfolios
● Previous student records
● Performance assessments
● Project work
● Tests/quizzes
● Open-ended tasks
● Teacher feedback
● Standardized tests (CMAS)

Principles of Effective Assessment

Effective assessments will:

● Be consistent with the school's philosophy
● Be triangulated for accurate data
● Cater to different types of intelligences and modalities
● Be ongoing
● Be authentic
● Be directly related to learning outcomes
● Assess conceptual understanding in addition to content knowledge

● Assess critical thinking
● Accurately measure student understanding
● Be varied
● Help develop understanding of the whole child, i.e., academic, social and emotional
characteristics
● Occur throughout the learning process
● Be transparent

Effective assessments should allow students to:

● Explain, apply, analyze and support their responses
● Apply knowledge in real-life situations
● Clearly demonstrate their understanding of the concept
● Reflect on their thinking and their growth
● Set personal goals
● Demonstrate creativity
● Develop critical thinking skills
● Actively participate in the creation of the assessment
● Inquire
● Feel encouraged by their success
● Be aware of the criteria for assessment and know what is expected

Effective assessments should allow teachers to:

● Use the assessment information to guide their next steps
● Plan for differentiation
● Clarify expectations
● Reflect on teaching strategies
● Monitor growth over a period of time
● Understand what a student knows and how well learning is being applied
● Gain insight into areas where students are experiencing difficulties
● Gather data to support discussions with parents and colleagues regarding student progress
● Determine the interest level of students

Effective assessments should allow parents to:

● See the evidence of student understanding and knowledge by the child's application to real
life situations
● Provide support outside of school
● Celebrate growth
● Track student progress and achievements

Reporting and Sharing Assessment Information

Assessment information should be accessible to students, parents and teachers. A variety of
assessments should be collected and shared throughout each planner. It may be done through
student-led conferences, grade-level collaborations, data folders, celebrations, and exhibitions. It is an
ongoing process that shows how students use self-assessment to determine their strengths, areas for
improvement and growing knowledge.

Conferences

Teacher- and student-led conferences occur two times per year. During student-led conferences, students
will have the opportunity to share their progress and next steps for learning in content areas as well as the
learner profile traits. Understanding of concepts and central ideas, as well as the learner profile traits, will
be reflected during this time.

Elementary Progress Reports (EPRs)

As mandated by the District, EPRs will be completed two times per year on a semester schedule.
Progress on content areas and behavior will be reported to parents.

Recording Assessment Information

Assessment information should be efficiently recorded by both teacher and student through the use of a
collection of artifacts that show understanding. The teacher and student can work together to record this
information. Students are involved in the creation of rubrics to guide their learning and record their
performance.

Recording methods include:

● Goal folders
● Concept webs
● Anecdotal notes
● Checklists
● Rating scales
● Exemplars
● Rubrics
● Running records
● Teacher feedback
● Peer feedback

Goal Folders

Each goal folder will contain data and student work. Additionally, students will track their own data, goals,
and next steps. All graded work will remain confidential and will only be accessible to staff members and
parents who are directly involved with the specific student.

Learner Profile

Each student will reflect on his or her growth and development of the learner profile traits two times per
year on a recording sheet. This sheet will be shared at conferences to provide communication and
determine next steps.

Mandatory Requirements

We at South Ridge believe that mandatory requirements for assessment will allow students to
demonstrate evidence of understanding by using a variety of forms to meet all learning styles. Evidence
needs to be provided of the learner's thought process, growth, strengths and next steps. This evidence
should lead to experiences and actions outside of the classroom, in the community and at home. We want
to inspire life-long

Teachers will administer:

● All formative and summative assessments as well as student self-reflections from all six
planners during the school year
● Informal and formal assessments necessary for student success, such as classroom
observations, anecdotal records, student discussion, conferring, conferences, running
records, etc.
● The iReady, QPA/QSA be administered as required by the District, with dates determined at
the beginning of each school year
● Ready Math assessments according to curriculum/program
● CMAS (Colorado state assessment) testing for identified grade levels
● For our MLL students, the ACCESS for ML’s test to be administered for identified grade
levels
● Any other assessments that match this criteria and as required by our state curriculum and
resources
● Benchmark Assessments
● cogAT testing for- 2nd and 5th grade