The third question, “How will we know what we have learned?” represents the learned curriculum which includes effective assessments. Assessment is central to the PYP goal of thoughtfully and effectively guiding students through the five essential elements of learning: the acquisition of knowledge, the understanding of concepts, the mastering of skills, the development of attitudes and the decision to take action. The PYP approach to assessment recognizes the importance of assessing the process of inquiry, recognizes the importance of assessing the products of inquiry, and aims to integrate and support both.

 

PYP teachers employ a variety of assessment strategies (examples include student presentations, portfolios, projects, written tests, student self-reflections, peer reflections, interviews, demonstrations and many others) to find out not only if students learned what they were expected to learn from the written curriculum but also what actual learning took place instead of, or in addition to what was expected. Teachers and students use the results of assessments to set goals for further learning and to think about ways to improve their teaching and learning strategies. Most importantly, students will be involved in developing the criteria of assessment with the teacher and will understand how he/she will be assessed before many assessments take place. This partnership will lead to a much greater understanding of assessment, develop better self-assessment, and raise personal achievement expectations. This is part of the PYP goal to increase students’ awareness of their own learning.

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