Primary Years Programme
Curriculum framework

Assessed curriculum—How will we know what we have learned?

Strategies and feedback

Teachers use a range and balance of school-based assessment strategies and feedback techniques, including:

• writing samples
• benchmarks and continuums
• structured observations
• anecdotal records
• performance tasks
• rubrics or guiding descriptors
• portfolios of work
• student/teacher/parent conferences.

Portfolios provide one method of documenting student achievement and progress through the curriculum. Both students and teachers select material for inclusion in an individual portfolio, which may include:

• samples of the student’s work showing development over time
• information about any extracurricular achievements undertaken by the student
• self-assessments carried out by the student.

Where possible, these strategies provide an effective means of recording students’ responses and performances in real-life situations where there are genuine problems to solve. These authentic assessment strategies are sometimes used in conjunction with other forms of assessment, such as standardized tests, in order to assess both student performance and the effectiveness of the programme.

All assessment is carried out by teachers within the school. The IB does not set examinations nor does it moderate grades.