Developing an IB-aligned Assessment Policy

The Latin word 'assidere', from which we get our word 'assess', means 'to sit beside'. The idea of a group of people passing judgement or comment in many other languages comes from the same parent Proto-Indo-European word, *sed:

• The more obvious romance language words that gave us session, sitting, preside and president - all sharing the concept of applying rules and guiding processes (the judge sits in session).

• The Greek ancient words of hédos and hédra - sitting, dwelling or gathering places where assemblies or councils of people could commentate on the issues of the day.

• Sanskrit sádas, an assembly of people (usually seated).

• A range of Baltic, Slavic, Celtic and Germanic words - all cousins of 'assess' and all meaning some variation of sitting, often in groups to discuss, deliberate or pass judgement.

So with the history of our word 'assess' being so rich in imagery of sitting together to discuss, to reach agreement, and to find common ground and consensus, why is the word 'assessment' (-ment, the suffix of ongoing or completed action) today so weighted with expectations of isolation, loneliness, difficulty and pleasing others? When did assessment and testing become synonymous?

Whatever your and your school's views on assessment, there is a hugely important culture at play here. Reviewing, creating or developing this culture relies on considered development of the policies around assessment. For IB school leaders and coordinators, knowing where to start, what conversations to have, who with, and what the minimum requirements of an IB school assessment policy are, can be really overwhelming. Download this free handbook for IB school leaders to help guide your conversations and craft a meaningful, authentic policy that both reflects and shapes your school's culture of learning and growth.

Developing IB Policy Handbook - Assessment.pdf

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Written by an experienced IB school leader and evaluator, this free resource aims to encourage your collaborative conversations in school. It will guide you through forming your core review team, uncovering the true assessment practices in your school (when leadership aren't looking), and the mindsets, attitudes and beliefs of your community when it comes to assessment. It will prompt you to consider what your ideal assessment culture should look like, and how you can structure this professional inquiry into one that produces an authentic assessment policy.

Download your free handbook to help guide IB school leaders through developing an Assessment Policy

Whether you believe in an assessment culture that places 'sitting beside' as high status, or one that focuses on the test methodology on repeat to enjoy short term gains, you need to be honest as a community about it. Your policies reflect and shape culture, and without an authentic one that considers all of the points raised in this handbook, your school could be in danger of cultural drift. This free handbook is one of five in the IB Leadership series, aligned to the five IB-mandated policies required.