• Purpose of Assessment Policy

    Assessments are essential tools for designing instruction that support every student’s academic growth. By continuously collecting, analyzing, and reviewing student data, we are given the opportunity to make changes to our instruction so that we can reach each individual student. Our assessments are designed to evaluate students across content areas, rigor, and learning styles, ensuring a holistic understanding of their academic progress. By implementing and analyzing a variety of assessments with fidelity, we empower students to take ownership of their learning through continuous feedback and goal setting.

    Philosophy of Assessment

    At Benteen Elementary, assessments are an integral part of understanding student academic progress across all content areas. In line with the IB standards and Atlanta Public Schools district goals assessments are designed to evaluate knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, and attitudes. Students are assessed multiple times throughout the school year to track their academic growth and ensure a comprehensive understanding of their learning journey.

    We use assessment to:

    · Maintain accurate records of the academic progress of student mastery of state performance standards.

    · Help students set goals, reflect, and show ownership of their learning while providing timely and consistent feedback.

    · Support communication with families about the academic progress of the students.

    · Engage teachers and staff in data driven conversations that raise student’s academic achievement and ensure all learners have access to rigorous, differentiated instruction.

    Assessment types

    At Benteen Elementary, a wide variety of assessments are utilized to support student learning and growth. These assessments are designed to be purposeful, authentic, and reflective of our IB PYP philosophy. They help us evaluate students’ knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, and attitudes across all content areas.

    Assessment Types

    We use a variety of assessment across subjects throughout the year to monitor progress, inform instruction, and measure student mastery.

    · Diagnostic/Screener Assessments

    · Preassessments

    · Interim Assessments

    · Weekly Common Assessments

    · Unit Assessments

    · Summative Assessments

    · Performance Tasks

    Assessment Strategies

    These assessment strategies support teachers in making informed instructional decisions that promote student growth. They also empower students to reflect on their academic progress, take ownership of their learning, and set meaningful goals for improvement.

    · Observations

    · Student Reflection & Goal Setting

    · Consistent and timely feedback

    · Exit Tickets

    · Selected Response

    · Writing Response

    · Oral presentations

    · Projects

    · *Exhibition

    · Progress Monitoring

    Assessment Tools

    We use a range of tools to gather meaningful evidence of student understanding and growth.

    · Standards-based Rubrics

    · Active Monitoring Checklists

    · Standardized Assessments

    · Anecdotal Notes

    · Progress Monitoring Skill Checks

    · Curriculum Assessments

    *Exhibition: All fifth-grade students participate in the exhibition, a showcase of what they are interested in learning about during the second semester of the fifth-grade school year, allowing them to have a voice in what they would like to learn. Exhibition is a performance-based assessment that is designed to be interdisciplinary, allowing students to make connections between what they have learned in their core subjects to real world issues. The exhibition encourages students to take meaningful action based on their learning in a variety of ways, whether through service projects, personal initiatives, and/or community engagement. The goal of the exhibition is to further guide and evaluate the development of Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills and learner profiles to ensure students are prepared to succeed both academically and personally.

    The following district and state assessments are administered throughout the year. A district calendar for assessments can be accessed here.

    · NWEA MAP Assessment: Administered two times a year to measure and monitor individual student growth.

    · Amira Reading/Dyslexia Screener: Administered three times a year to students in primary grades Kindergarten through third grade, to measure and monitor student growth with foundational reading skills.

    · STAMP Assessment: Administered to students in the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program annually to evaluate Spanish language proficiency.

    · Access 2.0/WIDA Testing: Administered exclusively to students receiving ESOL services to evaluate English language proficiency.

    · Georgia Milestones: Administered to students in grades 3, 4, and 5 to assess mastery of the Georgia ELA standards.

    · GKIDS Readiness Check & GKIDS 2.0: Performance tasks given to kindergarten students throughout the school year to monitor student growth with kindergarten standards in the key domains of Reading, Math, and Approaches t Learning.

    · Write Score: Administered up to four times annually to students in grades kindergarten through fifth to evaluate their writing proficiency across narrative, informational, and opinion writing genres. Students in grade 4 will be assessed on peer editing and revision.

    Reporting

    Reports serve as communication between teachers, parents, and students on how well students are mastering the academic standards. We provide meaningful feedback consistently through parent conferences, midterm progress reports, report cards, and district assessment results. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning and progress, particularly through the use of portfolios and goal setting discussions. Our report cards

    show the academic as well as the IB approaches to learning. Students and parents are able to track academic student progress through weekly updates in Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

    Rights and Responsibilities

    Every staff member is responsible for ensuring the validity, accuracy, and well-being of all assessments. Each member of the staff is to be aware of their responsibility and roles during any given testing period. All staff members are given professional development prior to conducting assessments. The school testing coordinator is Alexa Smith, Assistant Principal. The secondary school testing coordinator Dr. Lorraine McFadden, MTSS Coach. All stakeholders have a right to be informed about the expectations and process of assessment at Benteen Elementary. Annually, Alexa Smith, Assistant Principal, presents a parent presentation on assessments.

    Assessment Policy Review

    The assessment policy will be reviewed annually by the Leadership team to ensure alignment with the IB philosophy, district expectations, and school needs. Upon revision, the policy will be made available to all stakeholders for input to ensure the success for our students. 

    Review and revised October 31, 2025