Assessment and Reporting in the High SchoolMay 9, 2016

Current Assessment Practice

√ Concern, Approaching, Proficient, Exemplary

√ Letter Grade F to A+

√ IB Predicted Score 1 to 7

√ Grade Point Average (GPA) out of 4.0 with bump to 5.0

Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Surname: Livingston Given Names: Michael Date of Birth: 2-March-1997 Current Grade Level: 12 Entrance Date: August 2011 Anticipated Graduation Date: 29-May-2015 Size of Graduating Class: 31 Grade 9 Year 2011-12 Grade 10 Year 2012-13 Grade 11 Year 2013-14 Grade 12 Year 2014-15 Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits

Humanities-English B B 1.0 English B- B 1.0 IB English A HL C- C+ 1.0 IB English A HL B- 0.5

Social Studies B B 1.0 Social Studies B- B 1.0 IB Psychology SL B B 1.0 IB Psychology SL C 0.5

Geometry B- C- 1.0 Integrated Science C C+ 1.0 IB Biology HL C+ C+ 1.0 IB Biology HL A- 0.5

Integrated Science B- C+ 1.0 Algebra 2 & Trigonometry B- B 1.0 IB Mathematics

SL B- B- 1.0 IB Mathematics SL C+ 0.5

Chinese CSOL 1 B- C+ 1.0 Chinese CSOL 2 C+ C+ 1.0 IB Music HL B B+ 1.0 IB Music HL A- 0.5

High School Choir A A 1.0 Physical Education C B- 1.0 TOK & IB Studied

Year 1 B- B 1.0 TOK & IB Studied Year 2 B 0.5

Physical Education B- B- 1.0 Art 2 B+ B+ 1.0 IB Swahili A Self Taught* P P 1.0 IB Swahili A Self

Taught* P 0.5

Writing Skills C 0.5 Technology Skills C- 0.5

Life Skills B- 0.5 Life Skills B 0.5

Credits Earned 8.0 Credits Earned 8.0 Credits Earned 7.0 Credits Earned 3.0

Non-weighted GPA 2.85 2.71 Non-weighted 2.43 2.83

Non-weighted 2.57 2.77 Non-weighted 2.88

Weighted GPA 3.48

Credits Earned to Date 26.0

Non-weighted Cumulative GPA 2.71

Weighted Cumulative GPA 2.77

Shekou International School Shekou-Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518067 CHINA www.sis.org.cn

Mike Livingston Secondary School Principal

Official Transcript Shekou International School

(*The International Baccalaureate allows students to independently study literature in their mother tongue. Students exercising this option, take the IB exam in May of Grade 12. Because these courses are not taught by SIS faculty, SIS assesses them on a Pass(P) or Not Passing(NP) basis.)

*SIS does not rank students

*Courses are not weighted in Grade 11 because students do not declare level until the end of Grade 11.

Why Changeour Assessment Practice

√ Clarity - one grading scale for all HS students

√ Recommendation from parents, students and teachers who want

√ Consistent use of IB language and terminology

√ Recommendation from the IBO in our 5-Year Review (external examination)

√ SIS is an IB World School

better preparation for IB classes and assessments

SIS is still a Standards-Based school

√ Curriculum is not changing.

√ Still report on Standards (9-10) and Objectives (11-12)

√ Report Academic Achievement separately from ESLRs

√ Reassessment - cost and window

What will our Assessment Practices look like?

√ IB 7-point scale for all academic work

√ ESLRs still assessed using Ex, P, A, C

√ Teachers will still provide a comment on reports

√ 7-1 for reporting standards and objectives√ 7-1 for overall subject score

*ESLRs are not reported on transcripts

Proficient

Concern

Approaching

Exemplary

Documents and Universities

Future Transcript

*IB Core is a 3-semester course that includes Theory of Knowledge(ToK), Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity and Service. The mark in IB Core represents the mark for ToK. IB Core is not used in GPA calculation.

Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Surname: Lee Given Names: Bruce Date of Birth: 4-July-1999 Current Grade Level: 11 Entrance Date: August 2013 Anticipated Graduation Date: 26-May-2017 SIS does not rank students Starting in 2014-15 an A+ = 4.3; in 2013- 2014 an A+ = 4.0 Starting in 2016-17, SIS changed to 1-7 IB marks, and no longer calculates GPA.

Grade 9 Year 13-14 Grade 10 Year 14-15 Grade 11 Year 15-16 Grade 12 Year 16-17 Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits Course Sem1 Sem2 Credits

English A A+ 1.0 English A- A 1.0 IB English A HL A- A- 1.0 IB English A HL 6 0.5

Social Studies A+ A+ 1.0 Social Studies A A+ 1.0 IB Economics HL A+ A+ 1.0 IB Economics HL 7 0.5

Geometry A A+ 1.0 Integrated Science A+ A+ 1.0 IB Mathematics HL A A 1.0 IB Mathematics

HL 6 0.5

Integrated Science A A+ 1.0 Algebra 2 & Trigonometry A+ A+ 1.0 IB Chemistry SL A+ A+ 1.0 IB Chemistry SL 7 0.5

CSOL Level 2 A A 1.0 Chinese as Additional Language A+ A- 1.0 IB Chinese B SL A+ A+ 1.0 IB Chinese B SL 7 0.5

Writing Skills A+ 0.5 Art 2 A+ A+ 1.0 IB Visual Arts HL A+ A+ 1.0 IB Visual Arts HL 7 0.5

Art 1 Foundations A+ A+ 1.0 Physical Education A A+ 1.0 IB Core* Year 1 A A 1.0 IB Core* Year 2 6 0.5

Physical Education A A+ 1.0 Life Skills A+ 0.5

Life Skills A+ 0.5 Forensics A 0.5

Credits Earned 8.0 Credits Earned 8.0 Credits Earned 7.0 Credits Earned 3.5

Non-weighted GPA 4.00 4.00 Non-weighted GPA 4.12 4.19 Non-weighted 4.15 4.15 Credits Earned to Date 26.5

Weighted GPA 4.82 4.82

Non-weighted Cumulative GPA 4.11

Weighted Cumulative GPA 4.24

Shekou International School Shekou-Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518067 CHINA www.sis.org.cn

To Verify the authenticity of this document, email uniplacement@sis.org.cn or call +86 755 2669 3669 Mike Livingston

Secondary School Principal

Official Transcript Shekou International School

Accreditations and Memberships

WASC - Fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

IB - SIS is an IB World School (International Baccalaureate).

NCCT - National Center for Curriculum and Textbook Development

EARCOS - East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools

OACAC - Overseas Association for College Admissions Counseling

AAIE - Association for the Advancement of International Education

ACAMIS - Association of China and Mongolia International Schools

SDRC - Southern Delta Region Conference

Apple, Inc. - Apple Distinguished School

21st Century Learning International - School of the Year 2014-15

Administrators and Counselors

Head of School Dr. Dale Cox dcox@sis.or.cn

Secondary Principal Mr. Mike Livingston mlivingston@sis.org.cn

High School Counselor Mr. Michael Clancy uniplacement@sis.org.cn

IB Coordinator Mr. Mark Robertson-Jones mrobertsonjones@sis.org.cn

Contact Information

A-101, Coastal Rose Phase 2, Wanghai Road, Shekou, Nanshan Shenzhen, Guangdong PRC, 518067Tel: +86 (0755) 2669 3669 Fax +86 (0755) 2669 8102Twitter: #SISrockswww.sis-shekou.org

IB Code: 006244 CEEB/SAT Code: 694257 UCAS: 46727

Mission Statement Shekou International School provides a rigorous education in a caring community and inspires students to become principled, innovative contributors in a transforming world.

School Community SIS is located in Shenzhen, China, just across the border from Hong Kong and close to Guangzhou. SIS has more than 800 students with families coming from 40 different countries. Middle and high school students attend the Bayside campus while pre-school and elementary students attend the Jing Shan campus. • High School Enrollment: 137 students from 23 countries.

• 51% Asian, 26% North American, 22% European, 1% South American

SIS Faculty SIS employs 94 qualified teachers from 15 different countries. Most are from North America with a significant number from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. More than two-thirds of the faculty have a master’s degree or higher. The student–staff ratio is well under 10:1. There are 24 teachers in the high school, two-thirds come from the USA with the remaining faculty coming from Australia, Canada, China, France, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK. School Calendar SIS has 180 days of school, divided into two semesters beginning in mid-August and mid-January. We use an eight period rotating block where four periods meet each day for either 80 or 90 minutes.

Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation SIS sends school records directly to the institution to which its students are applying. SIS does not give confidential letters of recommendation to students. In certain cases, SIS will give transcripts to students in a sealed envelope. We encourage all institutions to verify the authenticity of SIS documents by contacting uniplacement@sis.org.cn

Graduation Requirements A Shekou International School, WASC accredited, high school diploma is awarded to students who earn a total of 24 credits in grades 9 through 12. 0.5 credit is awarded for each successfully completed semester-long course. Students may transfer in seven credits per year from another accredited school, and must also meet the subject area requirements listed below. Most SIS students exceed these minimum requirements.

Academic Profile Shekou International School (SIS) is a private, not-for-profit, co-educational, day school located in the People’s Republic of China. Established in 1988, SIS was the first international school in Shenzhen to offer an IB and American curriculum to expatriate students with English as the primary language of instruction.

2015 2016

Subject Graduation Requirements

English 4 credits

Mathematics 3 credits

Social Science 3 credits

Laboratory Science 3 credits

Physical Education/Life Skills 2.5 credits*

World/Acquired Language 2 credits

Fine Arts 2 credits*

Electives can vary

Minimum Total Credits 24 credits

* May be waived for transfer students

2015-16North America

Canada Brock University University of Windsor

United States of America Brigham Young University Cornell University Dallas Baptist UniversityDrew UniversityDrexel University Fairfield University Florida Institute of Technology Georgia Tech UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLoyola Maryland UniversityLoyola Marymount, Los Angeles Northeastern UniversityParsons, the New School of DesignPurdue UniversityRider UniversityRowan University Saint Joseph’s UniversityTexas A & M University Texas Christian UniversityTulane University, Temple UniversityUniversity of Arkansas University of California, Berkeley University of California, DavisUniversity of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of DelawareUniversity of Florida University of GeorgiaUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Southern California University of TampaUniversity of TexasUniversity of Wisconsin

Asia

China Shenzhen University, China

Hong Kong City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong University Hong Kong Polytechnic University Savannah College of Art and Design

Republic of Korea Ajou University Hanyang University Korea UniversitySeoul National University Yonsei University

Singapore Lasalle College of Arts

United Arab Emirates Rochester Institute of Technology

Europe

England City University LondonQueen Mary University of LondonRoyal Holloway University of London University of Greenwich University of LiverpoolUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of Sussex University of Westminster

Italy Bocconi University, Milan

Scotland University of AberdeenUniversity of Edinburgh

Grading, GPA, Class Size and Rank

SIS uses standards based assessment. To facilitate university admissions, SIS converts demonstrated proficiency levels into letter grades, which are awarded Grade Points (See Chart below). Courses taught by SIS  faculty are used to calculate Grade Point Average (GPA). IB Higher Level (HL) courses are weighted an additional 1.0 Grade Point. IB Core, online and self-taught courses are not used in the calculation of GPA. IB  Core is a three-semester course, consisting of Theory of Knowledge (ToK), Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS); the grade in that course is based on a student’s performance in ToK. SIS allows a limited number of courses to be graded on a Pass (P), No Pass (NP) basis. Due to its small class sizes, the Class of 2016 is 25 students, SIS does not rank students.

Descriptor Letter Grade Grade Points

Exemplary A+

A A-

4.34.03.7

Proficient B+

B B-

3.33.02.7

Approaching C+

C C-

2.32.01.7

Concern D+

D D-

1.31.00.7

Did Not Meet Minimum Expectations

F 0.0

Class of 2016, Grade 11, Semester 2, Grade Distribution The Class of 2016 was 29 students at the end of Grade 11. There are currently 25 students in Grade 12.

Total Enrollment Higher Level Total Enrollment Standard Level

Course A B C D F A B C D F

IB English A 12 3 8 1 17 7 7 3

Economics 22 14 7 1 4 2 2

Psychology 14 8 5 1 1 1

Biology 14 6 7 1 7 7

Chemistry 5 1 3 1 3 1 1 1

Physics 4 1 3 2 2

Mathematics 3 2 1 15 6 5 3 1

Math Studies 11 5 5 2

Course Offerings

English Grade 9 Composition & Lit.Grade 10 Composition & Lit.English for Academic Purposes (EAP)IB English A Language & Lit. (HL & SL)IB English B (HL & SL)

Mathematics GeometryAlgebra 2 and TrigonometryIB Math Studies (SL)IB Mathematics (HL & SL)

Science Integrated Science 9Integrated Science 10IB Chemistry (HL & SL)IB Physics (HL & SL)IB Biology (HL & SL)

Social Sudies Modern World History 1 (19th Century to World War I)Modern World History 2 (1918-1992)IB Psychology (HL & SL)IB Economics (HL & SL)

Fine Arts Art 1: FoundationsArt 2: VarietyIB Art (HL & SL)IB Music (HL & SL)Instrumental MusicChoral Music

IB Core (required of all students): Theory of Knowledge (ToK), Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS)

World Languages Chinese for Speakers of Other Languages (CSOL)Chinese Literacy Development (CLD)IB Mandarin A (HL & SL)IB Mandarin B (HL & SL)IB Mandarin Ab Initio IB Spanish Ab Initio

Life Skills Discovery and Exploration 9Health & Wellness 10

Physical Education Physical Education 9 Physical Education 10

Electives Writing Skills for Academic SuccessForensicsVirtual High School (VHS) - online coursesPamoja - online courses

University Matriculation

Class of 2015 Acceptances and Matriculations In some cases, matriculation is not known because students will not know if they meet the conditions of their offers until IB results are released in mid July, or the university calendar in the destination country differs significantly from SIS’s..

IB Results

2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of IB Students 18 18 22 28

World Average Pass Rate 78% 79% 79% 79%

SIS Average Pass Rate 71% 86% 83% 71%

World Average Diploma Score 29.5 29.5 29.9 29.9

SIS Average Diploma Score 29 32 32 31

World Average Score per Subject 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6

SIS Average Score per Subject 4.6 5.2 5.1 5.0

Descriptor Letter Grade Grade Points

Exemplary A+A

A-

4.34.03.7

Proficient B+B

B-

3.33.02.7

Approaching C+C

C-

2.32.01.7

Concern D+D

D-

1.31.00.7

Did Not Meet Minimum Expectations

F 0.0

Descriptor IB Mark Grade Points

Exemplary 7 4.3

Exemplary/Proficient 6 4.0

Proficient 5 3.3

Proficient/Approaching 4 2.3

Approaching 3 1.3

Concern 2 0.0

Did Not Meet Minimum Expectations 1 0.0

Parents and their high school students are fascinated by GPA (grade point average) and what it means in university admissions. The truth is that a large number of colleges and universities are not all that interested. Admissions officers at some of the nation’s most selective colleges say they barely look at an applicant’s GPA. “It's meaningless,” says Greg Roberts, Admissions Dean at the University of Virginia, ranked as the top public university in last year’s 150 Best Value Colleges, published by The Princeton Review and based on academics and affordability.

“It’s artificial,”says Jim Bock, Admissions Dean at Swarthmore College, the top private college in The Princeton Review’s Best Value rankings. So unimportant is the GPA that Swarthmore doesn’t bother calculating it for guidebook publishers.

Research consistently shows that a student’s high school grades are the best predictor of their likelihood of success in college. Annual surveys by the National Association! or College Admission Counseling show that most admissions officials put a high priority on grades, particularly grades in college-prep courses such as those in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

Questions?