IB Middle Years Programme eAssessment wins international award

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) eAssessment has been awarded Best Use of Summative Assessment and was highly commended for Best Transformational Project at this year’s eAssessment Awards, which highlights the very best practice, research and innovation within eAssessment.

Up against stiff international competition in the category, including the French Ministry of Education, judges commented that the MYP eAssessment “was impressive in how the examinations are designed to assess students’ higher thinking skills which previously had been harder to do using paper testing” and that it “clearly demonstrates that it is possible to successfully deliver online summative assessment in schools anywhere in the world”.

Dr Sue Wilkinson, IB’s Head of eAssessment, said: “We are so proud that the MYP eAssessment has been recognised for its innovative examination techniques which make learning and assessment more meaningful. image015.pngThe eAssessment is a key stage in the IB journey to developing students who are independent and critical thinkers with the skills to create a better world”.

Beyond rote memorisation

The MYP eAssessment, which is regulated by Ofqual in the UK, is for MYP Year 5 students and goes beyond rote memorisation—75% focuses on inquiry, communication and critical thinking skills.

Wilkinson said: “Students are challenged to connect what they have learned with what they might learn next, collect data, analyse results and apply big ideas to solving real-world problems. As such, a image017.pngsingle examination provides an effective assessment of the broad range of knowledge, skills and concepts needed to thrive and succeed in the 21st century”.

Different types of tasks are used within the on-screen examinations to test specific skills meaning that student’s achievement against all subject objectives is thoroughly tested. For example, a short essay assesses writing capabilities, creating an infographic to assess communication skills.

Commenting on the relevance of the eAssessment for MYP students, Angela Brassington, an MYP coordinator at Munich International School said: “Students prefer the on-screen examinations because this reflects how they learn on a daily basis. The on-screen examinations are media rich and dynamic, so questions can be designed that require much more creative responses or responses that require students to manipulate data and present new understandings, in a way that is not possible on paper”.