The last week or so has been focused on assessment here at SPH Kemang Village and it has been quite interesting.  To begin with, it is great to be working at a school that has an assessment policy and strategy based on some of the most recent research in the field.  The discussion and guidance that is offered, all with the intent of aiding the students learning as much as possible, is fantastic as a new teacher.  There were also examples given that help in how to set up your mark book based on a rubric.  Everything in the junior school is marked on a four point rubric based on “not meeting expectations”, “approaching expectations”, “meeting expectations”, and “exceeding expectations”.  It is definitely still a work in progress to sort out how all the pieces fit together, but I really appreciate that there is a system with intent and goals.  Marc Bergen, one of the leaders at SPH Kemang gave a great session yesterday on the importance of and strategies for formative and summative assessment.  One of the aspects I appreciate the most is that there are experienced teachers who are using these assessment techniques that are willing to talk and share about what they are doing.  One of my greatest hopes in coming to this school was to learn from other experienced teachers and so far it looks like the right place for that.  Hopefully, in future posts, I can discuss in more detail how the four point system works for me and ways it may be helpful for others.  What do you think of grading entirely on a rubric system?