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Prepared by & date: Reshma Ravindrakumar, Examinations Officer – August
Next update due: June 2025
Al Najah Private School believes that assessment is an integral tool that drives learning and teaching. Assessment allows us to identify what students understand, know, can do and where they are in the learning process. Students should be central in the assessment process in order to drive their own self-evaluation skills and promote critical thinking. In addition, assessment at ANPS should provide the opportunity for students to evaluate their individual learner profile attributes. Teachers and leaders at ANPS aim to use assessment data and feedback to inform curriculum planning, enhance learning, identify gaps in knowledge and skills and help students take their next steps successfully.
How assessment is used at ANPS:
Assessment is a daily part of the life of the school. Assessments, through monitoring of children's work are used, and marking and feedback is used by teachers to inform their teaching and ensure that children know their next step and what they need to do to improve. More formal methods of assessment provide feedback on pupil progress and ensure a rigorous approach to curriculum delivery.
The purposes of assessment are:
ANPS uses a range of diagnostic tests to identify how a student is learning and where their strengths and weaknesses lie. Students complete benchmark assessments at the beginning of each academic year for core subjects (Arabic, Math, Science and English). The results of these assessments help teachers to diagnose problems in students understanding or gaps in skills, and to help teachers decide next steps in their teaching. These assessments are repeated at the end of the year and results are compared to measure progress and check if students have mastered specific standards and are ready to move on.
ANPS also makes use of GL Education Progress Tests to understand students' potential, track their progress and identify any barriers to learning they may have. These English, Math and Science tests are completed at the end of the year to measure the progress of the students. Reports are produced with standards set against UK national averages. This allows us to identify where are learners stand in comparison. Reports track progress at individual and cohort level which helps to identify possible gaps in learning and inform planning moving forward for this cohort.
Formative assessment is carried out by teachers every day in every lesson. It allows teachers to understand pupil performance on a continuing basis. This type of assessment is used to assess knowledge, skills and understanding, and is used to identify gaps and misconceptions. It enables teachers to identify when pupils are struggling, when they have consolidated learning and when they are ready to progress. It also enables teachers to identify if children are exceeding expectations. Teachers are then able to provide appropriate support or extension as necessary. The methods of formative assessment we use include; the use of questioning, marking of pupils' work using our marking guidelines (see marking policy) and observational assessment. Formative assessment enables teachers to evaluate teaching of particular objectives of the curriculum and plan future lessons accordingly. For pupils, formative assessment helps them to measure their knowledge and understanding against the lesson objective and success criteria. They can then identify how they can improve.
Summative assessment enables teachers to evaluate both pupil learning and the impact of their own teaching at the end of a period of time. It provides evidence of achievement against the objectives of the curriculum. It is useful in informing teaching and learning in subsequent lessons. This type of assessment is shared with parents at parent/teacher meetings and through report cards which enables them to support their child's learning.
Assessment tasks are prepared and administered at regular scheduled intervals to measure student learning at an individual and cohort level. These are usually completed at the end of a unit to assess the students understanding. These tasks are devised to include a balanced measurement of the skills required in the subject area and are measured against specific criteria of each year group. They are marked to a consistent standard and moderated within grade levels and as a whole school. Results of these assessments are analyzed in order to improve teaching by informing teachers and departments of student learning gaps.
An internal assessment calendar is created by the Examinations Officer and shared with all teachers to indicate key dates for assessments. This ensures students do not have too many assessments on any day/week. All students are informed of assessment dates.
ANPS students partake in a range of mandatory international assessments set by ADEK including of PISA, TIMMS, PIRLS and PBTS. These are run at regular intervals set by the organizations running the tests.
Grades 10-12 complete external iGCSE, IAL and IB exams at the end of their course. These exams are set by various exam boards and all exams are run in line with the official guidelines released by Pearson, Cambridge and International Baccalaureate.
The examinations are marked in the UK by trained examiners. They are recognized globally and prepare students for further study.
Moderation is necessary to ensure accuracy and consistency of teachers' judgements against assessment criteria. Professional Development meetings are arranged for teachers to compare judgements and agree standards within their department and as a whole school. ANPS also partners with other schools to ensure that our judgements are accurate and consistent.
If a student is too unwell to attend for any formative or summative assessment, a re-sit assessment will be scheduled for the student the week after. Students will be notified with the date of the re-sit exam upon their return to school. A sick certificate must be provided for their absence to qualify for the make-up assessment. This should be sent to their teacher, supervisor and Ms. Reshma (Exams Officer). We do not allow re-sit assessments for any final exams.
We expect all students to uphold the highest standards of integrity in their academic work. This includes, but is not limited to, the following principles:
Staff training is arranged when there are changes to assessment processes to ensure all staff have a good understanding of assessment. Staff members attend training and department meetings for their subject to ensure they stay well informed of good practice for assessment and moderating.
Violations of the academic honesty policy will be taken seriously and addressed promptly. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, the following:
ANPS is committed to fostering a culture of integrity and honesty. To support this commitment, we:
Parents receive a written report at the end of each term. In KG, this comments on the child's academic progress against a set of objectives. In Primary grades students will receive a grade per subject with a written comment by the subject teacher addressing their progress in each subject. Middle and High school students report card gives details of their achievement in each subject with details of their grade in term and final assessments. All assessments are revised in class with students by teachers after marking has been completed. This is an opportunity for students to see their errors and the areas they need to revise for future assessments. Term assessments are sent home to assist with final exam revision. Final exams are kept in school after students have revised them.
Parent/teacher meetings take place twice per year. During these meetings teachers discuss student attainment, recent report card and assessment results. Parents have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the next step targets for their child with the teacher.
Staff are available via email to discuss parents' concerns and a meeting can be arranged if required and if the teachers schedule allows it. If a member of staff has concerns over a child they will contact the parents.