ASSESSMENT POLICY
Document name: Assessment Policy
Document type: Policy
Date of creation: September 2025
Location(s):
Position responsible for this document: Director of Studies
Main stakeholders: Principal, Vice Principal, Director of Studies, Director of Boarding and Pastoral Care, Faculty.
Review cycle: Annual
Most recent update: September 2025
At Harrow New York, the values of Courage, Honor, Humility, and Fellowship are central to how we assess student learning. Our assessment framework not only measures academic performance but also fosters personal growth in line with these values. Courage is demonstrated as students are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, engage with complex ideas, and take intellectual risks. Honor emphasizes academic integrity and responsibility, with students reflecting on their learning and owning their progress. Humility is developed through regular feedback, encouraging students to embrace growth, recognize their strengths, and identify areas for improvement.
Fellowship promotes collaboration, where students learn to value diverse perspectives and work together toward shared success.
At Harrow New York, we follow the International Baccalaureate's Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) frameworks. This means your child's learning is evaluated using clear, specific criteria rather than comparing their performance to other students. Instead of ranking students against each other, we measure each student's progress against established learning standards. This approach allows us to:
• Focus on individual growth and achievement
• Provide meaningful feedback on specific skills and knowledge
• Support every student in reaching their potential
• Celebrate diverse strengths and learning styles
Theseassessmentcriteriaguideeverythingwedointheclassroom.Ourteachersusethemtodesign engaging units and daily lessons that help students develop as curious, competent, compassionate changemakers the heart of our school's mission. This framework ensures that every student receives the support they need to succeed, regardless of their starting point or learning pace.
For students in the MYP (Pre-Shell to Fifth Form), assessments are criterion-referenced, meaning students are evaluated against defined standards of excellence. Emphasis is placed on inquiry, conceptual understanding, and skills development.
Our approach includes a balanced mix of formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments provide ongoing feedback, helping guide student progress, while summative assessments evaluate students' mastery of key concepts and skills at the end of units or courses.
It is requiredthat each department has its ownspecificpolicyonfeedbackandassessmentto reflect the nature of the subject and the practice associated with it. It is recognised that, just as the nature of the work that is set will vary between (and to some extent, within) departments, so there will be variation of practice in the type of feedback provided and the type of assessment conducted.
Each departmental policy must cohere with the guidelines and principles below:
▪ The purpose of providing feedback is to help students to improve their knowledge and understanding of a subject; this aim should lie at the heart of a department’s approach to assessment;
▪ Teachers should encourage students to reflect upon the feedback that they receive, ensuring that they have sufficient time for the purpose inside and outside the form room, and to implement its recommendations and suggestions in future work;
▪ Feedback and assessment should enable teachers and heads of department to be confident in their knowledge of an individual’s attainment, relative to the grade boundaries in the public examinations;
▪ Feedback is likely to take a variety of forms and may involve annotated work or verbal feedback (for example, in lessons or via an audio file) but elements of it must be personalised and it should always enable a student to identify both areas of strength and areas for development;
▪ There is not an expectation that every piece of work will be quantitatively assessed;
▪ Teachers should assess students’ progress at least once every three weeks in a way that generates a quantitative mark (in numerical or letter form) and qualitative formative feedback; such assessment should take place on agreed and appropriate criteria known to the students
▪ Quantitatively measured performance indicators should be recorded by teachers to allow reflection on students’ progress over time and for reference;
▪ Teachers should aim to return marked work to students promptly and within a reasonable timeframe.
MYP Assessment
Assessment in MYP comes with its own language and a unique grading system. All MYP subjects have students working towards four objectives - labeled as Criterion A, B, C and D. While these objectives are not the same in each subject, there are always four, labeled as A, B, C, D (see graph below). Each MYP assessment task (formative or summative) will be addressing one or more of these objectives. In their comments, our teachers will be indicating areas in which your child made progress, as well as ways in which your child can improve towards these course objectives.
Individuals
Science Knowing and understanding Inquiring and designing Processing and evaluating Reflecting on the impacts of Science
Mathematics Knowing and understanding Investigating Patterns Communicating Applying Mathematics in
Physical & Health
Education
real world contexts
Knowing and understanding Planning for performance Analysing and performing Reflecting and improving performance
Arts Investigating Developing Creating/ Performing Evaluating
Design Inquiring and analysing Developing ideas Creating the solution Evaluating
Grades and Reporting
Accompanying grades are based on a scale from 1-8 for each criterion as follows:
• 1-2 indicates limited progress/performance;
• 3-4 indicates progress/performance that is approaching expectations;
• 5-6 indicates progress/performance that is meeting expectations; and
• 7-8 indicates progress/performance that meets expectations while demonstrating deep understanding.
Course Grades
Individual criterion grades on various assignments and assessments are then combined by teachers to determine a course grade, which will be updated at the end of each term. At this time, teachers make a professional, evidence-based judgment as to where your child’s performance best fits against each of the four criterion in a given subject. These four criterion grades are then added up to get a total score out of 32 possible points (i.e., 8 points x 4 criteria = 32). The total score is then compared to grade boundaries set by the IB to give students their overall grade for semester according to the table below:
7 A to A+
Excellent level of work that demonstrates outstanding performance, a comprehensive understanding of concepts and contexts, and the ability to apply knowledge and skills with independence and expertise.
24-27 6 B+ to A- Solidly meeting expectations. Work shows considerable understanding of the subject matter and skills, with
19-23 5 B- to B
15-18 4 C to C+
10-14 3 D+ to C-
6-9 2 D- to D
consistent application and significant evidence of critical and creative thinking.
Meeting expectations. Work shows a sound understanding of the subject matter and skills, with consistent application and some evidence of critical and creative thinking.
Adequately meeting expectations. Work demonstrates an understanding and application of concepts but requires further development.
Approaching expectations. Work demonstrates basic understanding and application of concepts but may have some limitations or require further development.
Somewhat limited understanding and performance. Work shows slight progress, but with gaps in knowledge and skills. 0-5 1 F
Very limited understanding and performance. Work shows minimal progress, with significant gaps in knowledge and skills.
In the MYP (Pre-Shell – Fifth Form), assessments are criterion-based, ensuring fair evaluations with feedback aligned to the IB’s global standards. We will use Toddle as the platform for managing all assessments, including assignment submissions, student reflections, feedback, and reporting. Teachers will align assessments with IB criteria, track progress, and communicate directly with both students and parents through the platform.
Approaches To Teaching & Learning
At Harrow New York, all of our teachers are dedicated to embedding the International Baccalaureate’s Approaches to Teaching and Learning (ATL) into every aspect of our curriculum. We believe in inquiry-driven, student-centered learning that encourages critical thinking, collaboration, and personal responsibility. Our teachers actively cultivate the five key ATL skill areas:
• Communication
• Social (Collaboration)
• Self-management (Organization, Affective, Reflection)
• Research (Information literacy, Media literacy)
• Thinking (Critical thinking, Creative thinking, Transfer) These ensure that each student develops a well-rounded set of competencies. Through engaging, real-world applications and concept-based learning, we empower our students to become reflective, independent learners. This holisticapproachnot only promotesacademic excellence but
also nurtures the personal growth needed to succeed in a rapidly changing global landscape. At Harrow New York, the integration of ATL ensures that every student takes ownership of their learning journey, preparing them to thrive in both higher education and life beyond the classroom.
Feedback & Reporting
Constructive and timely feedback is central to student growth. Toddle enables real-time feedback, allowing teachersto leavecomments, grades, and reflections onstudent work.Students canengage in self-assessment and peer reviews, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Student-led conferences will also be a regular feature. Students will take ownership of their learning, showcasing their work and reflecting on feedback using Toddle. This empowers them to plan their next steps and actively engage with their progress.
Term reports are issued during the academic year and include a grade-in-progress. Additionally, a Progress Report is issued at the midpoint of the first term. Final report cards are issued at the end oftheacademicschoolyear.Allreportsareavailableonline.Familiesmayalsochecktheacademic progress of their child(ren) in Toddle at any time through the gradebook.
Reporting Procedures
Harrow New York provides structured reporting periods to ensure students and parents receive timely updates on academic progress.
Reporting Structure
October
October
Progress Report
Parent-Teacher Conferences
December Term 1 Report
March Term 2 Report
June Term 3/Final Report
Standardization and Moderation
Comment on progress-to-date and ATL skills
Best fit criteria and subject grades, ATL skills
Best fit criteria and subject grades, ATL skills
Best fit final criteria and final subject grades, ATL skills
To ensure consistency and fairness, Harrow New York implements:
• Internal standardization: Teachers collaborate to ensure alignment with IB expectations.
• External moderation: For DP coursework, IB examiners assess selected samples.