IB SCHOOL IN CHICAGO

Students go beyond the collection of facts and learn how to flourish in our interconnected and globalized world. They ask challenging questions, discover what it means to learn, develop a strong sense of identity and culture, as well as the ability to communicate with and understand people different from them. Time spent with peers during Form Time and C.A.S.E. (Creativity, Action, Service, and Enrichment) continues to spark students’ holistic growth through leadership opportunities, collaborative work, and community service.

We also see students lending the knowledge they have acquired over the years to younger peers in support sessions and clubs. In Years 12 and 13, students become especially engaged in the college planning process. They continue to meet regularly with our College Counsellors, receiving guidance and support with college applications, essays, and transcripts.

On the other side of Year 13 is a new phase for students. Empowered by our personalized instruction and international curriculum, they graduate from BISC, South Loop equipped with the knowledge, skills, and ambition to achieve beyond what they may have thought possible – academically, socially, and personally.

Assessment is the gathering and analysis of information about student performance. It identifies what students know, understand, can do, and feel at different stages in the learning process; this information guides teachers in instruction. Assessment is an ongoing and daily part of school life, and the formative comments students receive develop their understanding of the skills and knowledge required to be successful in each course.

The aims and purpose of assessment are to:

• Provide information to enhance and improve learning and teaching
• Provide information for target-setting for individuals, groups, and cohorts
• Share learning goals with students
• Involve students in self-assessment
• Help students know and recognize the standards they are aiming for
• Raise standards of learning
• Identify possibilities for academic intervention
• Inform parents of their child’s progress

Regardless of previous academic achievement, students are expected to make appropriate progress and continually improve. Our teachers are highly trained in estimating and setting academic targets that challenge student learning. Teachers use students’ results to set challenging, yet achievable academic targets. High School students usually achieve short-term targets by each academic report and long-term targets by the end of the school year or the end of High School. We continually track and monitor the academic achievements of every student in every subject to ensure they are reaching their goals. Students also reflect on their academic achievement during every lesson and after homework assignments and assessments. If a teacher identifies a student whose progress is slowing, the school administers an individual learning plan to help ensure the student is back on track by the next report.

There are two semesters during the school year. At the end of each semester, students receive a grade for each subject, which reflects their attainment over the semester. The subject grades for Semester 1 and Semester 2 are published on the students’ official college transcript. Halfway through each semester, students receive a “progress grade”. This grade is not published on the college transcript and serves to demonstrate the students’ current attainment. Students receive an assessment map from for each subject at the start of the school year. The map outlines how final and progress grades are determined.