Assessment

In education, the term assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students. In ESL program at Vinschool, during the teaching and learning process, we apply both formative and summative assessment flexibly to collect evidence of students' learning.

Formative Assessment Formative assessments refer to tools that provide in-process evaluations of student learning so that instructional approaches and academic support can be adjusted accordingly. Formative assessments are commonly considered to be “for learning” as it informs future instructional decisions and improves teaching techniques. They identify misconceptions, struggles, and learning gaps along the way and assess how to close those gaps. Formative assessments are diverse in terms of forms. Typical examples range from formal quizzes to informal questioning techniques. It is unnecessarily implemented by teachers to learners. Students can assess themselves, peers, or even the instructor, through writing, quizzes, conversation, and more. Formative assessments generally just need to be checked, not graded, as the point is to get a basic read on the progress of individuals, or the class as a whole. Below are examples of some common methods for gathering daily insights into a student’s level of proficiency: Classroom observation and class profiles Feedback session (entry and exit slips, quizzes and polls, written summaries, critical reflection statements, comprehension demonstration projects) A variety of other formative assessment techniques can be found in Classroom Assessment Techniques. At Vinschool, formative assessments are expected to be “fully integrated in different stages of the period, through extensive use of assessment methods suitable for different objectives and groups of students” (extracted from Vinschool’s Classroom Observation Rubrics)

Summative Assessment Summative assessments are part of student performance assessment. They are said to be “of learning” because they evaluate academic achievement at the conclusion of an instructional period. In the ESL curriculum, summative assessments include: Progress Checks and End-of-term Assessments. Different from formative assessments, Progress Checks and End-of-term Assessments are graded and scored. They involve tests, assignments and projects. The information of summative assessments are fully provided on the curriculum mapping platform.

Assessments and Weighting A. PRIMARY 1. Number of recorded scores: Stage Subject # of scores (per semester) Assessment format 1 ESL 2 1 Progress Checks, 1 End-of-term tests (The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 50 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes) 2 ESL 2 1 Progress Checks, 1 End-of-term tests (The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 55 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes) 3 ESL 2 1 Progress Checks, 1 End-of-term tests (The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 75 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes) 4 ESL 2 1 Progress Checks, 1 End-of-term tests (The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 80 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes) 5 ESL 2 1 Progress Checks, 1 End-of-term tests (The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 85 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes) 6 ESL 2 1 Progress Checks, 1 End-of-term tests (The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 95 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes) 2. How to use the scores: ●     End-of-term assessment: Grade 1 – 5, the End-of-term-1 test score will be written in the Vinschool’s report card and sent to Parents; End-of-term 2 test score will be written in the MOET’s gradebook. ●     Mid-term assessment:       +) Grade 1-2-3: based on the results of the Progress Checks, Writing Portfolio and Raz Plus reading performance, teachers give comments and classify students’ competence into 3 levels: Working towards the standards, Meeting the standards and Mastering the standards.                  +) Grade 4-5: Mid-term score is the Progress Check score. B. SECONDARY 1. Number of recorded scores per semester: Stage Subject Weighting: 1 Weighting: 2 Weighting: 3 # of score Assessment format # of score Assessment format # of score Assessment format Stages 4 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 80 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes Stage 5 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 85 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes Stage 6 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 95 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes Stages 7 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 115 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes Stage 8 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 120 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes Stage 9 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 120 minutes; Speaking: 7 minutes Stage 10 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 130 minutes; Speaking: 6-9 minutes Stage 11 ESL 4 Ongoing assessments are decided by Teachers. 1 Progress Check 1 The test is used system-wide and is designed under the supervision of the Academic Department. Listening – Reading – Writing – Use of English 170 minutes; Speaking: 6-9 minutes *Grade 12: 4 ongoing assessment scores (Weighting 1), 1 Mid-term test (Weighting 2), 1 End-of-term test (Weighting 3) 2. How to calculate the semester GPA: Semester GPA = [n Scores with Weighting 1 x 1] + [1 Score with Weighting 2 x 2] + [1 Score with Weighting 3 x 3]/(n+5) Note: n = the number of scores with Weighting 1