Rationale
At The English School, we believe that assessment, both formative (for learning) and summative (of learning), is essential to high-quality learning outcomes. Effective assessment provides timely, comprehensive information on student achievement to both students and parents, supporting strong home/school partnerships. This enables every child to reach their full potential in both internal and external examinations.
Assessment involves gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and acting on information about student learning. It is purposeful, systematic, ongoing, and age-appropriate, providing teachers with tools to guide students toward success.
Objectives of Assessment
The primary aims of assessment are to help students maximize their potential, evaluate the effectiveness of teaching, and continuously improve learning. To achieve these goals, assessments aim to:
- Provide constructive, timely, and clear feedback to students on their progress.
- Inform teachers and parents of students' development.
- Supply data for termly progress reports on student performance.
- Enhance curricular quality.
- Encourage effective time management, fostering independent learning.
- Use assessment data to set individualized student targets and inform interventions.
- Identify individual student needs to support differentiated teaching.
- Develop knowledge, understanding, and skills for academic success.
- Offer practice with past papers for internal and external exams.
Our Approach to Assessment
Assessment is continuous in the classroom: students need to know where they are in their learning, understand their goals, and plan how to achieve them. Success criteria and improvement guidelines are shared with students, empowering them to track and understand their own progress.
Assessment for Learning (AfL)
AfL is a key part of the learning process, essential for raising student achievement. AfL strategies include:
- Sharing and reviewing learning objectives at each lesson’s start.
- Developing and sharing success criteria for self-evaluation.
- Using questioning to encourage student reflection and discussion.
- Implementing self- and peer-assessment for self-reflection.
- Providing effective feedback to guide student learning.
Assessment Procedures
The English School has established procedures for formative and summative assessments, as well as marking and feedback.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessments are ongoing evaluations of student knowledge, skills, and understanding. This daily classroom assessment informs future instruction and addresses individual learning needs. Formative assessment includes:
- Clearly defined learning objectives and corresponding assessments.
- Success criteria for students to understand improvement needs.
- Oral questioning to ensure concept retention and application.
- Recording and sharing marks via the Assessment Manager on SIMS.
- Classwork, homework, and differentiated tasks to monitor progress.
- Linking previous learning with current lessons.
- Using plenaries to consolidate learning and review objectives.
- Constructive feedback identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
Summative Assessment
Summative assessments, including common assessments, end-of-year exams, and mocks, provide a comprehensive measure of student learning.
- Years 1-3: Multiple common assessments per subject and end-of-year exams in June.
- Year 4: Five common assessments per subject; end-of-year exams and Greek, Turkish, and Maths mock exams in February/March.
- Year 5: Four common assessments per subject, external exams at year-end, and January mock exams.
- Years 6-7: Six common assessments per subject; AS exams in Year 6, A-level exams in Year 7, and internal mocks in February/March.
Summative assessments contribute 60% of the total term grade for progress reports.
Each common assessment includes:
- The topic(s) to be assessed.
- Scheduled week and date.
- Test length and format.
- Clear instructions and resources for preparation, available on Teams.
Common Assessment Tool
Parent Access:
Parents can view the Common Assessment (CA) schedule by visiting the Assessment Calendar.
Student Access Instructions
To view your individual CA schedule, follow these steps:
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Go to the English School website.
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Click on Login.
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Select the CA Tool: https://ca.englishschool.ac.cy/.
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Enter your login credentials (the same as those used for school computers and email).
Example:- Login: s151094
- Password: <>
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Click on the Common Assessment link in the left-hand panel: https://ca.englishschool.ac.cy/student/assessments.
Guidelines for Missing a Common Assessment (CA)
Students who miss a CA may be eligible for a resit if they meet any of the following criteria:
- Absence due to a school-approved trip.
- Absence for a university interview.
- Required to take university entrance exams.
- School-approved participation in a sporting or musical event.
- Not meeting the minimum number of required CAs:
- Middle and Upper School: Minimum of two CAs per subject (excluding Greek and Turkish in Year 6) per term.
- Lower School: Minimum of two CAs in core subjects (Maths, English, Greek/Turkish, and Science) and one CA in other subjects per term.
- Long-term illness (absence of more than one week) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Important:
There is only one resit session for missed CAs. Students not eligible for a resit will receive the CA as a take-home test, which will be marked and returned with feedback to support their learning. Missed CAs will not count toward the term grade in progress reports.
