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<p><strong>Definition: </strong>The term “Assessment” refers generally to the gathering and interpretation of information related to a student’s learning abilities, learning attainments, learning strengths and learning needs.</p>
<p>Assess the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process</p>
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<p>Regularly evaluate students</p>
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<p>Periodically report the results of the evaluation to students and their parents</p>
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<p>In fulfilling this requirement, schools develop assessment procedures, which provide an accurate account of a student’s progress and achievement.</p>
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<p>In Mount Sion CBS Secondary School, as well as focusing on material relevant to terminal examinations, teachers engage in a broad range of teaching strategies and methodologies which provide our students with a deep appreciation of their respective subject areas.</p>
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<p><strong>Aims of Assessment</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Students</strong>: Assessment should enable students to:</p>
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<p>Improve their achievement levels</p>
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<p>Direct their own learning</p>
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<p>Become motivated to achieve their full potential</p>
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<p>Receive feedback in a timely and constructive manner</p>
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<p><strong>Teachers</strong>: Assessment should enable teachers to:</p>
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<p>Assess progress of students and thereby adapt teaching plans as required</p>
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<p>Evaluate their students’ learning needs</p>
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<p>Establish baseline data in relation to a student’s attainment in subjects</p>
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<p>Ascertain whether it is appropriate for a student to continue studying in any given subject area</p>
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<p>Identify appropriate levels of study - Higher, Ordinary or Foundation – for students</p>
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<p>Improve students’ ability to improve the standard of their work</p>
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<p>Assist in the identification of students who may need to be referred for additional learning support</p>
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<p>Assess a student’s eligibility for additional services and to inform consultations with NEPS or private psychologist where necessary.</p>
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<p>Provide the students and parents with information regarding progress</p>
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<p>Evaluate teaching and learning styles and outcomes</p>
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<p><strong>Parents</strong>: Reporting of assessment should enable parents to:</p>
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<p>Become actively involved in their son’s learning</p>
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<p>Understand and encourage their son’s progress in the different subjects</p>
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<p>Use the feedback to motivate and guide their son through school years</p>
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<p><strong>Policy</strong></p>
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<p>It is school policy at Mount Sion CBS Secondary School to encourage and support ongoing assessment as part of the teaching and learning process. In this regard, there will be a clear calendar of reporting students’ progress to parents/guardians. As part of ongoing assessment, teachers are expected to keep an account of the progress of students in the variety of tasks which may occur in the teaching/learning process.</p>
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<p><strong>Policy Objectives</strong>: The primary objectives of the policy are to:</p>
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<p>Facilitate improved teaching and pupil learning</p>
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<p>Create a consistent and standardised assessment procedure for monitoring and reporting achievement in the school</p>
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<p>Co-ordinate assessment procedures within departments on a whole school basis</p>
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<p>Ensure that each student realises his/her full academic potential in a learning environment</p>
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<p><strong>Forms of Assessment</strong></p>
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<p><strong>1. Informal Assessment </strong></p>
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<p>The most common forms of assessment used in the school are of an informal nature, and these take place regularly in the classroom. These informal assessments are at the discretion of individual teachers who will use them constructively for learning to take place. Timely feedback and constructive advice are vital components in this process. Where appropriate, teachers will keep records of these assessments to provide an insight into a student’s progress over time and to fully inform the learning process. Informal assessment methods include:</p>
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<p>Worksheets & written classwork</p>
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<p>Question and answer sessions in class</p>
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<p>Essays & assignments</p>
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<p>Reading & writing in class</p>
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<p>Sample examination questions</p>
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<p>Homework – written or learned</p>
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<p>Revision sheets</p>
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<p>Show Me Boards</p>
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<p>Spelling Tests & Listening Comprehension</p>
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<p>‘Pass the Ball’ question games</p>
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<p><strong>2. Formal Assessment </strong></p>
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<p>There are many types of formal assessment that take place in the school environment:</p>
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<p><strong>Monthly/End of Topic Test – </strong>These forms of assessment will be conducted at the discretion of the teacher. They are presented on a monthly, end of chapter or end of topic basis. These formal tests are a vital component in providing feedback to teachers, students and parents on the level of each student’s attainment and learning in that specific subject area. Constructive feedback will be given by teachers to students who partake in these tests, and the results of these tests will be used in the school’s formal reporting structure where appropriate.</p>
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<p><strong>House Exams</strong></p>
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<p><strong>1st, 2nd and 5th Years</strong>: 1<sup>st</sup> year students will have exams pre mid-term in October and a mark only report without comments will be sent to parents. Students will sit their <em>Christmas Exams </em>in regular class time in early December. The <em>Summer Exams </em>will take place at the end of May with reports and comments sent to parents. The duration of these exams may vary from subject to subject. The purpose of these exams is to (i) measure student learning and attainment in each subject area and (ii) give students experience in sitting formal exams similar in nature to the state examinations.</p>
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<p>All house exams will follow the same operating rules as state exams. The results of these <em>Christmas Exams </em>and <em>Summer Exams </em>will be reported in the <em>Christmas Reports </em>and <em>Summer Reports </em>respectively.</p>
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<p><strong>3rd Year and 6</strong><sup><strong>th</strong></sup><strong> Years</strong>: Students will sit exams in regular class time at Christmas. These class exams will be based on comprehensive Junior Cert and Leaving Cert course content, covered to date in each subject area. 3rd and 6th <em>Christmas Reports </em>will include the results of these Christmas Exams.</p>
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<p>3rd and 6th Year students will undertake Pre Junior and Pre Leaving Cert Mock Exams in February each year to prepare them for their state examinations in June. Where Psychological Assessments recommend that students receive Reasonable Accommodations in State Examinations, Mount Sion CBS will make every effort possible to extend this facility to those students in Pre Exams. This will be determined by the financial and personnel resources available to the school at that particular time. These mock exams are seen as being very beneficial to the students to enable them to (i) measure their progress in their Junior Cert and Leaving Cert years and (ii) gain valuable experience in time management and answering techniques.</p>
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<p>The results of these mock exams will form the basis for the Pre Junior Cert and Pre Leaving Cert Reports sent out by the school. In cases where there have been marked under-performances by individual students, the Career Guidance and/or the Deputy Principal/ Principal may engage with the student in relation to their attitude to their studies and encourage improvement.</p>
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<p>Since external assessment for both Junior and Leaving Certificate begins in April no further school based formal assessment takes place. However the teacher’s own assessment record is of vital importance in guiding the students’ preparation. Students in 3rd Year and 6th Year do not sit any formal house exams at the end of May and do not receive Summer Reports<em>.</em></p>
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<p><strong>Transition Year</strong>: Students do not sit any formal state or house exams in the school. Their Christmas and Summer Reports are based on continuous assessments in the classroom as determined by their individual subject teacher. As Transition Year is focused on experiential learning and personal development, the forms of assessment used may vary from the standard practices used in other years. Sources of assessment and affirmation in Transition Year include participation in special projects and reports from work experience</p>
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<p><strong>State Exams: </strong>The Junior and Leaving Certificate Examinations will be conducted in early June by the State Examinations Commission under the aegis of the Department of Education & Skills. The school will strive to ensure that all 3rd and 6th Year students participate - as directed by the State Exams Commission - in the many assessments that make up the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert exams. These assessments which may include orals, course work, practical work, portfolio work amongst others, will be operated in accordance with the regulations set down by the State Examinations Commission.</p>
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<p><strong>Incoming First Years</strong>: All incoming first years undergo formal assessment of verbal and numerical proficiency during February preceding initial enrolment. Using established assessment instruments, school personnel identify students from this cohort who may lag behind their peer group and make recommendations to the Principal in relation to the provision of Learning Support. The findings from these assessments are strictly confidential and are used for no purpose other than the identification of learning challenges. All classes in first year are formed on a mixed ability and random basis.</p>
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<p><strong>General Guidelines: </strong>The form that these informal and formal assessments will take, are dependent on the subject area being assessed and will vary from subject to subject. Certain forms of assessment may oftentimes be peculiar to a particular subject. All forms of assessment above will strive to meet the additional needs of students in the classroom when they arise. Classroom strategies such as differentiated assessment, visual aids, hearing aids, spelling waivers, increased time and dictionaries amongst others, may be used from time to time, as determined by the individual subject teacher.</p>
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<p>Students and parents have little opportunity to assess students’ academic progress against an established benchmark until the Junior Certificate at the end of Third Year. Where feasible, and as determined by each department plan, common assessments across a year group will be used in each subject area. This will provide for increased cooperation and a common benchmark across each subject area. Having clearly defined targets for each year would greatly facilitate students changing class and teachers taking up a class in mid-cycle.</p>
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<p>Students are expected to treat all of the above forms of assessment with respect. Any student who willingly fails to participate fully, or who acts in a disrespectful way towards any form of assessment in the school will be subject to school disciplinary procedures.</p>
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<p><strong>Assessment for Learning </strong></p>
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<p>Assessment should support learning as well as measure the outcomes. Effective assessment for learning enables pupils to understand how to improve their work by:</p>
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<p>Helping them to understand the assessment criteria before an assignment is begun</p>
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<p>Telling them what they have done well and what they could improve on</p>
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<p>Telling them how to improve their work</p>
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<p>Making available examples of work which do meet the criteria so they can see how to improve their own work</p>
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<p><strong>The Conduct of Examinations:</strong></p>
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<p>In order that school examinations (a) have a validity and integrity and (b) that they serve as a preparation for other more formal occasions, it is essential that in-school examinations be well administered.</p>
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<p>To this end:</p>
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<p>Proper answer booklets will be provided</p>
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<p>Papers should be properly presented, clearly laid out and well copied</p>
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<p>The rules for each examination event and each examination centre will be clearly stated and full compliance expected. This will normally be done by the House Examinations Co-ordinator</p>
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<p>Supervisors should be diligent in their duties</p>
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<p>Students may not leave the exam centre before 2/3 of duration of the examination.</p>
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<p>Where a student violates the rules and protocols for an examination, they will be cautioned by the supervising teacher in relation to any further violation. The student may be removed to an alternative venue.</p>
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<p><strong>Assessment and Reporting </strong></p>
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<p>There are different methods whereby the results of formal and informal assessments will be reported to parents.</p>
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<p><strong>Student Journal: </strong>Students will record all continuous assessment results in their journals for all subjects. The teacher may communicate the outcome of any assessment to the parents/guardian of a student by writing a note in the student’s journal. The parent/guardian is expected to acknowledge receipt of this note by countersigning it.</p>
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<p><strong>Direct Contact: </strong>The teacher may decide as they see fit to contact the parent/guardian directly with respect to the outcome of any assessment undertaken by a student</p>
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<p><strong>Signature of Parent on Assessment: </strong>The teacher may send the corrected assessment itself home with the student to be viewed and signed by the parent/guardian.</p>
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<p><strong>Parent Teacher Meetings: </strong>There are Parent Teacher Meetings for all Year Groups throughout the academic year. At these meetings it will be possible for teachers to relay the outcomes of varying assessments to parents/guardians of individual students to generate an accurate picture of the student’s progress.</p>
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<p><strong>Written reports: </strong>Formal written reports are posted to the parents/guardians of students on two occasions during the academic year, depending which year group they are in. 1st, 2nd, Transition Year and 5th Year parents/guardians will receive their Christmas Report in December before the Christmas holidays, and their Summer Report during the summer holidays. Parents/guardians of 3rd and 6th will also receive a Christmas Report in December, but will then receive another report in April with the results of their Pre Junior and Pre Leaving Cert Exams. 3rd and 6th Year parents/guardians do not receive a Summer Report.</p>
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<p>This policy has been ratified by the Board of Management</p>
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