FEATURE FOCUS: EXAMS
across the UK recognise MYP eAssessment grades in lieu of GCSEs. Research has also shown that students participating in the MYP outperform non-IB students in key academic skills including maths and reading.
To receive the prestigious certificate, students at ACS Egham are required to complete on- screen assessments and submit an ePortfolio, as well as meet our school’s learning objectives in community service work.
We continue to be inspired by some of the service learning projects that our students have initiated here at ACS Egham. One of our previous students, Daniel, received a prestigious global award from the IB for their work to address the hunger crisis in Brazil by fundraising and distributing food and hygiene baskets to communities throughout Rio de Janeiro. Community projects like these help to develop a broad range of personal attitudes that go beyond academic success, helping our students learn to respect themselves and others, as well as the world around them.
making (design, science, history, English); Graph It (mathematics, visual arts); and sustainable upcycling (arts, design, geography). All of this also helps to develop important personal attributes in our students, such as being reflective and inquisitive, open-minded and risk- takers. We believe that these characteristics are all needed in order to become responsible citizens in an increasingly interconnected society.
Nurturing a love of learning
When students ask the question, “Why do we have to learn this?” “Because it will be on the test,” is no longer a good enough argument. Students must understand why their learning is relevant and connected. By focusing on conceptual learning, students in the MYP understand the purpose of what they are learning.
Another important aspect of the MYP is student autonomy and agency: lessons are an exchange between students and a teacher. This heightens students’ engagement in their studies, where they are encouraged and supported to develop their own questions, conduct independent research topics, and present their learnings in the way that best suits them in formats that go beyond just writing. Throughout the five years of the MYP, students are given diverse opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and new skills. From delivering a talk, creating an informative film to developing a presentation, students are empowered to present their ideas in the way that best suits their learning style, which can also support those who have learning difficulties or special educational needs.
Meaningful assessment
Assessment is a fact of life in education – the challenge is to make that assessment meaningful and valuable. Some schools in the UK are already deciding to do away with GCSEs, which sees students pack two years’ worth of knowledge into one intensive exam period. This format can narrow down the curriculum in such a way that it limits the amount of information students can learn in lessons. Furthermore, the weight placed by universities on GCSE exam results also means that one single exam has the potential to define a young person’s future at the age of just 16. By contrast, the MYP is inherently more
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flexible and designed to be more individualistic than other curriculum frameworks. It consists of a variety of ongoing assessment techniques. Using formative assessment, our teachers at ACS Egham are able to continuously adapt their day- to-day teaching according to how their students are progressing, alongside summative assessment at the end of each unit or semester, which is used to determine what students have achieved or learnt.
During the MYP, the assessment of each student is framed as an overall trend: once students reach their final year, teachers review both written and anecdotal data from across the five middle years at secondary school to evaluate where a student started and where they ended up. As a result, teachers have a more meaningful and holistic understanding of students’ overall progress.
Preparing for the next step For students who need a more formal qualification at the end of secondary school, MYP students can participate in the externally- verified eAssessment, which, like the five year programme, is focused on concepts, inquiry, and authentic real life applications. The British system requires students to pass maths and English at 16, and both the government and universities
From our perspective, an added bonus of the eAssessment is the opportunity for our students to complete an assessed Personal Project before they progress to their final years of school. This longform assessment enables them to apply the knowledge, skills and concepts that they’ve learned as well as develop new interests and skills in an individual inquiry into a personally relevant topic. One of our students, Connor, worked with a company that creates special glasses for colour blindness to roll out glasses for fellow students at ACS Egham to use. In the intense competition for university places, completion of a Personal Project equips our students with the skills to be able to thrive academically, emotionally and culturally at university or college.
Summary
In short, at ACS Egham, we believe that the holistic assessment style of the MYP offers a genuine academic alternative that not only enables students to flourish but opens the door to many more post-16 opportunities around the world. The forward thinking and meaningful approach of the MYP helps to nurture resilient, internationally minded young people who leave us being more than prepared for the next step in their lives.
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