Purpose and rationale

The Assessment Policy defines the aims, principles, and practices of assessment within our IB DP community.

It reflects our commitment to providing high-quality education that fosters inquiry, reflection, and lifelong learning. It also aligns with the IB assessment philosophy and the Norwegian national curriculum.

Aims and objectives

• support and enhance student learning and achievement
• provide feedback to students, teachers, and parents on the progress and outcomes of learning
• encourage students to develop the IB learner profile attributes and the approaches to learning skills
• develop students’ awareness of their own strengths and areas for improvement
• promote academic honesty and integrity
• inform curriculum planning and instruction
• meet the requirements of the IB and the Norwegian national curriculum

Principles and practices

The major principle behind our assessment policy is that student should be able to reach their maximum potential with the support of a professional and continuous assessment. 

We believe that students learn better if they: 

• Assessment is learning informed by assessment. It is an integral part of the teaching and learning process that involves students, teachers, and parents.
• Assessment is varied and balanced. It includes a range of formative and summative assessment strategies that are aligned with the aims and objectives of the curriculum and the subject guides.
• Assessment is valid and reliable. It measures what it intends to measure and provides consistent and accurate information about student learning.
• Assessment is transparent and fair. It follows clear criteria and standards that are communicated to students and parents in advance. It also respects the diversity and needs of students and ensures that they have equal opportunities to demonstrate their learning.
• Assessment is meaningful and constructive. It provides feedback that is timely, specific, and actionable. It also encourages students to reflect on their own learning and set goals for improvement.

Students

• engage actively and responsibly in the assessment process
• complete all assessment tasks to the best of their ability and on time
• follow the academic honesty policy and avoid any form of misconduct
• seek and use feedback to improve their learning
• reflect on their own learning and set goals for improvement
• students have to attend formative and summative activities. If for some reason they are absent, the school requires formal documentation to facilitate for a retake

After the student’s 18th birthday, reports are no longer available for parents without the candidate’s permission.

Teachers

• plan and implement assessment tasks that are aligned with the curriculum and the subject guides
• provide clear criteria and standards for assessment tasks and communicate them to students and parents in advance
• use a variety of assessment methods and tools to collect and record evidence of student learning
• provide timely, specific, and actionable feedback to students and parents on the progress and outcomes of learning
• monitor and evaluate student learning and achievement and use the data to inform curriculum planning and instruction.
• report student achievement using the IB system
• collaborate with colleagues and the IB coordinator to ensure consistency and moderation of assessment practices

Parents

• support and encourage their children’s learning and achievement
• respect the academic honesty policy and avoid any form of misconduct
• communicate with teachers and the IB coordinator about any concerns or questions regarding assessment
• attend parent-teacher conferences and review student reports
• provide feedback to the school on the assessment policy and practices

Assessment strategies and tool are focused on developing the approaches to learning, with focus on self-management and communication skills based on the understanding that all teachers are language teachers.

To scaffold the development of these skills the school provides support in the form of an activity calendar, unit plans, and monthly calendar on Managebac, Extended essay, TOK and CAS handbook with timelines for students and teachers.

Moreover, in all subject’s internal moderation of marked student coursework is annually applied to ensure IB standards are met and the students work is awarded in accordingly.

The nature of the subject determines how this manifests itself. Language teachers view/listen to audio recordings other group subjects review student investigations in light of IB assessment rubrics to agree upon competence level displayed by the student.

Formative assessment

Ongoing assessment that provides feedback to students and teachers on the progress of learning. It helps students to identify their strengths and areas for improvement and to set goals for improvement. It also helps teachers to adjust their teaching strategies and to provide differentiated support.

Examples of formative assessment include quizzes, tests, homework, classwork, oral presentations, discussions, and peer- and self-assessment.

Summative assessment

Summative assessment employs the use of grades 1- 7 in accordance with the subject specific criteria.

End-of-unit or end-of-term assessment that provides feedback to students and teachers on the outcomes of learning. It helps students to demonstrate their achievement of the curriculum objectives and to prepare for the final examinations. It also helps teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching and to report student achievement.

Examples of summative assessment include projects, essays, reports, portfolios, and exhibitions.

Internal assessment

Teacher-marked assessment that is moderated internally and by the IB. It is a component of the final grade for each subject and contributes to the award of the IB diploma. It reflects the nature of the subject and allows students to apply their knowledge and skills in authentic contexts.

Examples of internal assessment include oral activities, written tasks, investigations, and experiments.

External assessment

IB-designed and IB- marked assessment that is administered at the end of the programme. It is a component of the final grade for each subject and contributes to the award of the IB diploma. It ensures comparability and consistency across schools and regions.

Examples of external assessment include written examinations, and essays.

• IB assessment criteria: Subject-specific criteria that describe the levels of achievement for each assessment component. They are based on the aims and objectives of the curriculum and the subject guides. They are used by teachers and the IB to assess student work and to determine the final grade for each subject.
• IB assessment descriptors: General descriptors that describe the levels of achievement for the overall performance in each subject. They are based on the IB grade boundaries and the IB grade descriptors. They are used by the IB to award the final grade for each subject and to calculate the total points for the IB diploma.
• Norwegian assessment criteria: They are used by the school to report student achievement to the Norwegian authorities and to award the Norwegian high school diploma.
• Assessment of the core: Procedures and systems used to assess the core components are describe in the Extended essay, TOK and CAS handbooks.

Subject assessment

Our academic year is divided into two semesters.

In the beginning of each period, the subject teacher is responsible for publishing a plan where topics, criteria, and major assessment timeframes are included. The teacher is also responsible for explaining the criteria to the students. This plan is published on the Managebac platform at the beginning of each period.

At the end of every period, students and parents will receive a more thorough summative and formative assessment in all subjects. These reports will be made available to students and parents/guardians.

These reports are monitored by the IB-coordinator and contact teacher and students and parents will be called to the IB-coordinator for individual talks on how to improve if necessary. Students and parents are always welcome to make appointments with subject teachers and/or the IB-coordinator for individual talks.

Automatic progression from IB1 to IB2 is dependent upon achieving a grade 2 in all academic subjects by the end of IB1 and on track with TOK, CAS and EE.  

IB grades

IB assessment is summative by nature and grades are based on several components in every subject; some of these are graded by the teacher while others are externally graded. 

Students sit their external exams in May the final year.

To ensure students are well prepared, the school organizes mock exams prior to the final exams and smaller mocks for students in IB1 at the end of the school year. 

The grading system on the IB-programme ranges from 1 to 7 where 7 is the highest grade.

Grade descriptors as follows:

• 7  Excellent performance
• 6  Very good performance
• 5  Good performance
• 4  Satisfactory performance
• 3  Mediocre performance
• 2  Poor performance
• 1 Very poor performance

Engagement grade

In addition to a subject grade, students receive a grade for engagement in their subjects:

A – Good

Consistently: 

• attends class regularly
• is punctual
• comes to classes prepared
• completes homework regularly
• participates in class regularly
• completes in-class assignments
• works well independently and with others and has a positive attitude towards learning 

B - Requires Attention

At least one of the criteria above needs requires significant attention. 

C - Unacceptable

Student’s level of effort and motivation are unacceptable, and the student is not reaching his/her potential.

TOK and EE

The TOK-teacher is responsible for explaining the assessment criteria in the subject.

The EE coordinator will explain the overall assessment criteria for the extended essay and the designated supervisor will explain subject specific criteria and provide formative assessment during the different stages leading up to the completion of the EE.

The EE coordinator will explain all expectations and deadlines to be met during the process in connection with the introduction of the extended essay. 

For TOK and EE grades range from A to E with A being the highest grade.

The descriptors are the following: 

• A –  Excellent performance 
• B –  Good performance 
• C – Satisfactory performance
• D  – Mediocre performance
• E  – Elementary performance

Failing condition: Note that if a candidate attains a grade E in either TOK of EE (or in both) the student will not obtain the diploma.

Theory of Knowledge/Extended Essay matrix from 2015.
Source: Implications of the changes to the diploma programme matrix for the extended essay, addendum to pages 21-22 of the extended essay guide (2013 version)

CAS

The CAS handbook outlines the requirements for this course.

CAS is internally assessed, and students need to provide evidence for having achieved all learning outcomes of CAS to obtain the diploma. 

Source: Samordnaopptak.no

Extra points for languages and natural sciences

Du kan få inntil 4 språk- og realfagspoeng. I tabellen under ser du hvilke fag fra IB du kan få poeng for. Du får ikke poeng for engelsk, skandinaviske språk eller språk på Ab initio-nivå. 

Du må ha karakteren 3 eller bedre for at fagene i tabellen skal gi språk- og realfagspoeng.

University requirements for Norwegian universities: at least 20 points in the diploma, grade 3 or more in all subjects, pass in TOK and EE and satisfy CAS requirements. In addition to documented competence in Norwegian (Note Norwegian B SL is not sufficient).

Student reports

Formal reports that provide information on student achievement and progress in each subject and in the core components (TOK, EE, CAS). 

They are issued twice a year, at the end of each semester. They include the IB predicted grades, and the teacher comments. They are shared with students and parents as hard copies and available on the IB platform used at the school (Managebac).

Parent-teacher conferences

Formal meetings that provide an opportunity for students, parents, and teachers to discuss student achievement and progress, to share feedback, and to set goals for improvement. 

They are held twice a year, after the issuance of the student reports. They are scheduled by the school and are conducted face- to-face.

IBIS

The IB information system that is used by teachers and the IB coordinator to record and submit student data, assessment marks, predicted grades, and moderation samples to the IB. 

It is also used by the IB to provide feedback, results, and certificates to the school and the students.

School’s Managebac

The school’s information system that is used by teachers and the IB coordinator to record and share student data, assessment marks, predicted grades, and feedback with students and parents. 

It is also used by students and parents to access student reports, schedules, calendars, and other resources.

VIS

In accordance with the whole school assessment policy, term grades are published on VIS.

Passing requirements

A candidate will obtain the IB Diploma ir he or she

• is rewarded with at least 24 points including TOK and EE
• is rewarded with at least 12 points in the HL subjects
• is rewarded with at least 9 points in the SL subjects
• has met the CAS requirements
• is rewarded with minimum grade D in TOK and EE
• is rewarded with no less than grade 2
• is rewarded grade 2 in no more than two subjects
• is rewarded grade 3 in no more than three subjects

Retakes

A candidate who is not rewarded with the IB Diploma can register for a retake session in one or more subjects.

Retake sessions are in November  the same year (registration before July 29th), or in May the year after (registration before November 15th).

Innlandet fylke offers one free retake session.  All requests for retakes must be directed to the IB-coordinator before the dates outlined above.

Inclusion policy

As outlined in our inclusion policy and consistent with a universally designed curriculum in relation to barriers to learning, the student has the right to counselling, monitoring, and support by the Educational and Psychological Counselling Service PPT. Consequently, different language options and learning strategies are employed to support inclusion.

Admissions policy

Our admissions policy is designed to help support student achievement. To this end there is a required grade average, which based on experience is an appropriate indicator of student’s ability to succeed when entering the IBDP. 

At the same time our policy recognises the individual nature and circumstances of students’ previous experience. The policy therefore outlines how, at the discretion of the coordinator, students with a lower-than-expected grade average can also be considered for the diploma programme. 

Moreover, our policy explains how students’ progress is reviewed before advancement to DP2 and where appropriate alternative arrangements are made to help students achieve.

Language policy

Language at Elverum IBDP is based on principles supporting inclusion as described in a policy that embraces individually tailored assessment. This approach helps ensure relevant and appropriate feedback/feedforward irrespective of a student’s current level of learning.

Furthermore, active student participation in assessment through self and peer evaluation helps to ensure students feel included as part of the process of assessment for/as learning of their work rather than assessment as something that is done to them. 

This approach is not only seen as important to promote learning and understanding but helps a sense of student ownership of their learning which is deemed to further support inclusion.

This document will be reviewed annually. the IB-coordinator is responsible for the reviewing process of the document. 

This document was last reviewed in June 2024.