IB Virtual Conference, Asia Pacific, which was held on 21-23 April 2021, brought together hundreds of passionate educators from over 40 countries to unlock the next paradigm in education. Mary Tadros, Development and assessment Senior Manager, International Baccalaureate Recognition was one of the keynote speakers and shared her passion for the MYP Assessments as “ a world-class assessment which is rigorous yet fun.”

The IB MYP eAssessment was launched in 2016 and since then it has rapidly become a leading
innovation in the education sector.

Features of MYP eAssessment 

1. Assessment in IB MYP provides evidence for evaluating student achievement using MYP subject-group-specific assessment criteria.
2. Students are pushed beyond the rote learning and memorization of content, as over 70% of the assessment aims at assessing the students’ inquiry, communication, and critical thinking skills.
3. E-assessment tests the students in fun, authentic, and interactive ways.
4. In the final year of the program, MYP eAssessment provides IB-validated grades based on examinations and course work, or portfolios.
5. Students who undertake these external assessments are eligible for the IB MYP Certificate.

Recent developments in MYP assessment

In the light of the exceptional circumstances, the IB had canceled the May 2020 assessments which left students throughout the world without IB-validated grades. This created a huge wave of dissatisfaction among the students, parents, and schools throughout the world. This year, however, the IB created 1-hour Alternative Assessment Tasks for the 5 on-screen assessments to allow the students to take the exams under a responsible adult’s supervision (preferably a parent member) if the examinations could not be facilitated within the school. The student learning engagements IB’s Alternative Assessment was the light at the end of the tunnel. This arrangement ensured the students are graded based on their assessment and receive IB-validated grades. This also brought together parents to join hands with schools and participate as active members in the process of assessment. Parents have had a better understanding of the MYP eAssessment.

MYP year 5 students on eAssessment:

Lakshya Malhotra (on preparing for assessments)

“To be well-prepared for assessments, it is recommended to be familiar with the subject criteria and level descriptors. They are crucial for scoring on assessments, allowing you to align your work with the quality examiners want. For essay-based questions such as ones in LAL and INS, having an example at hand to support your statements is essential. There are many other such pointers I could list, but the best advice is to simply pay attention in class and to make sure you retain the information from lessons.” Agastya Vishvanath (shares his experience of the Alternative Assessment Tasks) “Giving the alternative eAssessment Tasks was a very interesting and stimulating endeavour, as it required much-multifaceted thinking, on the spot analysis, and problem-solving, and also included a variety of different question formats and audio-visual sources. Preparing for it required me to not only revise content and concepts but also a variety of IB material, and gain practice answering complex questions in a short timeframe.”

Riya Manchanda (reflects on the IB MYP Alternative Assessment Tasks, May 2021)

“I personally felt that the most important requirement to excel in the Alternative Task Assessment is well-developed ATL skills, especially critical-thinking and time-management skills. Content-wise the Assessment does not expect the student to learn or prepare for anything more than he/she would have for the regular On-Screen E-Assessment. If one is prepared for that, and one is capable of applying their critical thinking skills on the spot, one should definitely score high.

“Where does the research say that the assessment world is heading?

A prominent speaker in the IB Virtual Conference, Dr. Rebecca Hamer, from the IB school Assessment principles and practice department, specializing in Assessment research and design, in the webinar on eAssessment and Research highlights the question above. And she says the world is heading towards a new framework for digital assessment that includes:
1. Digital and on-screen exams.
2. E-Marking
3. Comparative judgment
4. Automated essay scoring

student learning engagementsSource: https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/

Traditional methods of assessment in higher education, such as quizzes, tests, and examinations, still dominate in many courses, both virtually and face-to-face. However, faculty can move away from the testing culture where students are focused on letter grades and move towards a culture of deeper learning where students “learn to learn” (Spendlove & Best, 2018). This shift from these traditional means of assessment (quizzes, tests, exams) to authentic and alternative assessments is critical in virtual settings. If faculty try to assess their students the same way they did in a face-to-face setting, they will most likely find themselves frustrated, as well as frustrating their students (Eaton, 2020). When students are frustrated, stressed, and unsure of what they will be assessed on, this can increase the chance of academic dishonesty DeWitt, (2020).

What does Lancers International School do differently?

● We place a big importance on student agency, empowering the students to demonstrate their learning through their selected medium, product, or outcome.
● Based on our quarterly student feedback we know students’ preferred learning styles and engagement activities, hence we adapt our teaching to cater to the latter.
● Explaining the reason for any particular assignment or task helps the students to see their ultimate goal and carve their way through using the tools they choose.
● Providing a rubric allows the students to place their performance.
● Teachers ensure the assessments are stimulating, authentic, and relate to real-life scenarios.
● We have linked all our teaching to the UN Sustainable Development Goals which ensures international-mindedness and broadens the students’ perspectives.
● We encourage student-initiated action and support them with guidance.

The breadth and depth of the MYP ensure preparation for the rigor and the demands of the IB Diploma. MYP equips students with the research skills, report and essay writing, the Personal Project, and they need to tackle the ‘Theory of Knowledge’ or a 4,000-word Extended Essay. Being an IB Continuum school, Lancers International School equips the students with all the necessary tools to build a strong foundation for their life.

Lilit Harutyunyan
MYP Coordinator
Lancers International School