IB Elementary

PYP INCLUSION POLICY LANGUAGE POLICY PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY PYP ASSESSMENT POLICY PARENT INFORMATION PACKET

Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools PYP Inclusion Policy

The Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools Admissions Policy

Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools’ admission policy is non-sectarian and does not discriminate against any student on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability or any other ground that would be unlawful if done by a school. Admission to Our World Neighborhood Charter School will not be limited on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, English proficiency level, athletic ability, disability, race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion or ancestry. Any child who is qualified under New York State law for admission to a public school is qualified for admission to any Our World Neighborhood Charter School. OWNCS will ensure compliance with all applicable anti-discrimination laws governing public schools, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and § 2854(2) of the New York Education Law, governing admission to a charter school.

Our World Neighborhood Charter School Commitment to Inclusion

Inclusion is an ongoing process that aims to increase access and engagement in learning for all students by identifying and removing barriers.

(Learning diversity in the International Baccalaureate programmes; 2010)

All students enrolled in Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools in Kindergarten to Grade 5 will be enrolled in the school’s Primary Years Programme (PYP). As part of its mission, OWNCS is committed to developing students into globally-minded citizens who understand, appreciate and respect people different from themselves. Thus, OWNCS is committed to creating culturally, ethnically, racially and socio-economically diverse school communities where adults and children from all different backgrounds will come together within one community which celebrates both our shared values and our unique individual identities.

Our World Neighborhood Charter School’s educational program is one of inclusion: students of all backgrounds and abilities are educated together in classrooms of heterogeneous learners. Students with disabilities, English language learners and struggling students receive supports and interventions with their grade-level peers within the general education classrooms through instructional differentiation and scaffolding by the content area teacher and additional supports and modifications provided by interventionists pushing into the classroom. Our commitment to inclusion ensures all students have access to the PYP and are held to the same expectations and performance standards so that all can realize their best possible selves

Support for Struggling Students

Teachers and specialists frequently assess the students to determine each child’s individual needs and provide any special services, modifications, accommodations, and/or materials they require to access the curriculum and achieve their highest potential. A teacher may refer a struggling student to the School’s Student Intervention Team (SIT). The SIT provides a school-based mechanism to enable school personnel to meet the needs of individual children within the school who are having difficulty in the educational setting. It is a team comprised of an administrator, instructional coach, classroom teachers, social worker, special education teacher, reading specialist, parents, and ELL teacher, as necessary, which implements the schools’ Response to Intervention (RTI) process. The team is child-centered and facilitates a process that results in the implementation of accommodations, services, and interventions that will enable the child to be successful in school. Classroom teachers provide records of observation, assessment data, intervention data and other information for review by the SIT.

The SIT will review the student’s behavior and academic performance, interview the student’s teacher(s), and consult with the student’s parents and offer recommendations. The SIT may use the Pre-Referral Intervention Manual (PRIM) to guide the identification of RTI strategies. The options to be considered exist along a wide continuum of support, ranging from mild accommodations to extensive intervention and may be available within the school, the district of residence or located elsewhere in the community. The SIT has the responsibility to: (1) Review any problems (academic/developmental, behavioral, social/emotional) interfering with the child’s performance in school; (2) Brainstorm solutions; (3) Make recommendations to meet the child’s needs; and (4) Monitor/review results of the recommendations. The monitoring and review process takes place approximately every 6 weeks after the SIT analyzes internal assessment results, including i-Ready, Running Records, and other internal assessments.

If there is no improvement in the student’s academic or other areas of concern the student will receive intensive academic intervention including from intervention specialists like the Reading Specialists, ELL teachers, Special Education teachers and counselors and the utilization of specific reading intervention programs—such as Wilsons Fundations and Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention or the promotion of the home-school connection to address needs.

A referral to the Committee for Special Education will be considered only when it is clearly demonstrated and documented that the interventions, curriculum modifications, prevention strategies, and remedial services are insufficient to address the student's needs.

Throughout the year, teachers and instructional specialists with oversight and support from the Principal and instructional coaches will evaluate the progress of the struggling students from their performance on ongoing student assessments and student classroom observations. The workshop model facilitates instructional staff being able to make real time modifications to the lesson plans and instructional strategies to address the needs of struggling students. The performance of struggling students will also be measured using formative and summative assessments and standardized assessments like the i-Ready and the New York State assessments. Analysis of assessment data will allow the instructional team to see progress or lack of progress and particular areas in which progress was or was not made.

Students with Special Needs

OWNCS provides instruction to students with disabilities in the most inclusive environment possible with their non-disabled peers to the extent appropriate and subject in all instances to the requirements and restrictions included in each student’s IEP prepared by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) of the student’s district of residence and in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations (e.g., IDEA). OWNCS will ensure that the special education programs and services as indicated on each student’s IEP will be provided directly to the student during school hours. OWNCS will provide support services to students to ensure that IEP mandates and measurable goals are met. OWNCS will not place a student in a learning environment that is inconsistent with the IEP. Students with disabilities will also be expected to participate in, and receive credit for, nonacademic, extracurricular and ancillary programs and activities with all other students to the extent allowed by the IEP. Students with disabilities will receive all notices concerning school-sponsored programs, activities, and services.

At OWNCS, the least restrictive environment includes special education teacher support services and Integrated Co-Teaching Classrooms for its students with disabilities. Our World Neighborhood Charter School’s counseling staff provides IEP-mandated counseling to SWD in addition to providing counseling services to other students within the general education population. Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools work with the NYCDOE to ensure that students receive speech language pathology and audiologist services; psychological services; physical and occupational therapy; and other related services as needed by its enrolled SWD’s IEPs. Special education students in Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools receive their adapted curriculum work and other therapies, such as speech-language therapy and occupational therapy in a setting that is in accordance with their IEPs. The school will ensure that the teacher of a student with a disability is knowledgeable about the student’s needs and will help implement any modifications or accommodation as determined by the CSE of the student’s district of residence. In any event that Our World Neighborhood Charter School is unable to provide services in accordance with the student’s IEP, it will rely on the school district of the student’s residence to provide services.

English Language Learners

Our World Neighborhood Charter School uses the approach of sheltered instruction for teaching content to English language learners in strategic ways that make the subject matter concepts comprehensible (i.e. provide access to mainstream, grade level content—not watering down the subject matter) while promoting the students’ English language development. Research of ESL programs indicates successful performance on ELA assessments is based upon the development of both oral proficiency and cognitive academic language proficiency. Academic language proficiency includes the language skills required for literacy and complex thinking such as reading comprehension, writing mechanics, critical thinking skills, study skills, and academic vocabulary. Strategies that promote the acquisition of cognitive academic language proficiency include: sheltered English instruction. We expect that our classroom teachers, through targeted professional development as well as through push-in support with a trained ELL teacher, will build their own capacities in integrating sheltered strategies in the classroom. Content instruction is provided in English with sheltered English instructional methods to make content comprehensible. Sheltered English Instruction is "a means for making grade-level academic content more accessible for English language learners while at the same time promoting their English language development."

The ELL teacher plans and works collaboratively with the classroom teachers to integrate language and content and infuse socio-cultural awareness to scaffold instruction for students learning English. Students’ language learning is promoted through social interaction and contextualized communication, which can be readily generated in all subject areas. The ELL teacher will guide students to construct meaning from texts and classroom discourse and to understand complex content concepts by scaffolding instruction—beginning instruction at the current level of student understanding and moving students to higher levels of understanding through tailored support. The tailored support can include such strategies as adjusting their speech (paraphrasing, giving examples, providing analogies, elaborating student responses) to facilitating student comprehension and participation in discussions whether otherwise discourse might be beyond their language proficiency level. Another way the ELL teacher works in sheltered instruction within the classroom is by adjusting instructional tasks so they are incrementally challenging (pre-teaching vocabulary before a reading assignment) and students learn the skills necessary to complete tasks on their own. Through these strategies, teachers can socialize students to the academic language setting.

Classroom teachers are also able to develop their own individual capacities to effectively teach the ELLs in their classrooms. Sheltered instruction requires effective collaboration between the ELL and classroom teacher, supported by professional development for all teachers working with ELLs—not just the ELL teacher. Through collaboration and professional development, the classroom teachers are also able to deepen their knowledge of and skills in sheltered instruction strategies that effectively reach ELLs, helping them develop English language without falling behind in content knowledge.

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At Our World Neighborhood Charter School, we believe it is the responsibility of all educators, supported by the community to develop optimal learning environments for all learners to ensure each of our learners will have access to the IB PYP.

Committee and Review Process

A committee will review this policy on an ongoing basis. These positions are voluntary and, when necessary, may be appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or his/her designee. The following roles are standing positions on the committee:

IB Program Coordinator
Principal, Special Education Teacher, ENL Teacher, General Education Teacher
Chief Academic Officer

The IB program coordinator will ensure that the inclusion policy is reviewed by staff at a minimum of every two years to reflect the current needs of the school’s population and to ensure consistency with IB expectations. All staff will commit to following and reflecting on the policy throughout the school year. It will be available on the school website for all stakeholders to view.

Our World Neighborhood Charter School Language Policy

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Candidate School

All teachers in Our World Neighborhood Charter School are language teachers. We believe language is the key to all learning. Language learning is a life-long process and essential in developing interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Furthermore, we believe that all students should have the opportunity to learn a second language and that mother-tongue languages should be honored. This enables students to have a better understanding of the world in which we live and promotes a more global perspective. As communication in our world changes rapidly, we are committed to adapting language instruction to reflect the evolution of language in a modern world.

This document describes our philosophies with regard to language and language development:

It provides the school with a framework that will promote consistency in our approach between grade levels and between subjects.
It provides parents with information about our principles and practices and assists them in understanding the curriculum.
It assists teachers in the planning, presenting and evaluation stages of teaching.
It is a tool for teachers to use to reflect on their language practice and guide professional development.

The points in this policy describe what we value and what we aspire to achieve as we continue to grow in our beliefs and practices. These practices may not YET be reflected in all of the points described in this policy, but it is our goal to put these principles into practice as we continue to grow.

Language Philosophy

Language is the major element that connects the curriculum. We believe that language is a vehicle for transdisciplinary learning and inquiry, and as such, provides a learning environment that promotes, generates and supports effective communication and language development. We understand that since language is central to learning, all teachers are, in practice, language teachers with responsibilities to facilitate effective communication.

Additionally, we believe that the IB Learner Profile is an integral part of learning within the PYP and MYP. It represents the qualities of effective learners and what makes students internationally minded. The five essential elements of the PYP (knowledge, skills, attitudes, concepts, and action) together with the overarching Learner Profile attributes informs the planning, teaching and assessing of all languages.

Language learning extends beyond the classroom and has close connections to the school library. The library has been organized in a way that labels books which highlight specific Learner Profile attributes. The librarian highlights these attributes monthly to support the language development in the classrooms. The teacher plans collaboratively with other classroom teachers and single-subject teachers.

Language of Instruction

English is the primary language of instruction in Our World Neighborhood Charter School. All core curricula and instructional resources, including Units of Inquiry and the Programme of Inquiry, are written and presented in English. Through a variety of teaching methodologies that focus on inquiry teaching and collaboration, all areas of language arts instruction are addressed. Students are engaged in a wide variety of learning experiences in which they are actively involved in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Language is embedded in the curriculum and language learning is meaningful and relevant.

The focus of language is its application across the subject areas and throughout the transdisciplinary Programme of Inquiry (POI). The Programme of Inquiry provides an authentic context for learners to develop and use language. Wherever possible, language is taught through the relevant, authentic context of the Units of Inquiry. Language is used as a tool to construct meaning and develop an understanding of the world.

Language is essential to the development of social, emotional and cognitive skills. Language is used in multiple ways within a variety of contexts and for varied audiences. It has certain conventions that are essential, yet allow individuals to express themselves creatively.

The PYP classrooms are also connected to the broader world through technology. Students conduct research and communicate through printed media as well as through electronic networks in order to access information, communicate globally, and locate multimedia resources.

Language development allows students to acquire and apply a set of skills and attitudes as well as gain an understanding of the use of language. Language consists of strands (oral language, visual language and written language) which operate interactively. Each of these strands addresses both expressive and receptive aspects of language acquisition. The acknowledgement of both the expressive and receptive aspects ensures that teachers will be aware of the need to provide a balanced language program. In the PYP Language Scope and Sequence (Making the PYP Happen, 2009), the strands of oral, visual and written language have been described separately and are represented by four continuums: listening and speaking; viewing and presenting; reading; and writing.

Language skills can be further developed by challenging each student’s level of understanding and providing models of effective communication on an ongoing basis. There are different developmental stages as well as learning styles that need to be taken into account when learning a language. Individual students will progress through these stages at their own pace. Developing confidence as a communicator is critical in all students’ language development.

The Our World Neighborhood Charter School’s Scope and Sequence documents (based on both New York State Next Generation Learning Standards as well as the Primary Years Programme’s Language Scope and Sequence documents) identify the key expectations considered essential in language learning. The Our World Neighborhood Charter School Parent and Student Handbook as well as the Scope and Sequence documents found in Making the PYP Happen are the documents that guide our expectations and work with students.

Principles and Practices of Teaching Language

We believe that students become good communicators when:

Students are engaged in a wide variety of activities in which they actively listen, speak, read and write.
The language curriculum is embedded in the Our World Neighborhood Charter School curriculum and language activities are meaningful and relevant. (The teaching of elements of language such as text structure, grammar, spelling and vocabulary are taught as much as possible within the context of the Units of Inquiry and have relevance within that context.)
The teaching of elements of language such as text structure, grammar, spelling and vocabulary are taught as much as possible within the context of the Units of Inquiry and have relevance within that context.
The learning environment is positive, supportive and encourages verbal expression.
Students are involved in assessing their work and receive continuous feedback from both adults and peers.
Mother tongue development is valued and supported.
Students and teachers view language as a system with patterns and structures that operate as tools for communication in different settings and situations.
Differences in the developmental stages and learning styles of students are acknowledged and utilized when planning curriculum and instruction.
The teacher models effective oral and written communication strategies.

Spanish Instruction/Language B

Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools incorporates Spanish as Language B. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade receive instruction in Spanish weekly. Student instruction is provided by certified Specialist teachers who specialize in the area of Spanish. The purpose of this instruction is to immerse students in the Spanish language and expose them to the unique perspectives and practices provided by learning a second or other language.

Students learn the target language through a variety of activities and methods. The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) five C’s of World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons and Communities) are incorporated as well as the language strands of oral, visual and written communication. The language components of listening, speaking, presenting, reading, writing, and viewing across all grade levels are an important part of instructional experiences in Spanish.

Other Components

Classrooms support Spanish language learning through conversations and connections as appropriate.
When applicable, attempts are made to incorporate meaningful Spanish connections to the Units of Inquiry.
The Spanish-speaking world is explored through study and conversation that may include both the customs and geography of those regions.
Technology is incorporated to enhance and expand learning when applicable.
A variety of teaching resources including audio, video, authentic texts, and realia are used when applicable in the instruction of Spanish.
Student work may be displayed.
Labeling objects within the classroom in Spanish is a continuing and growing practice as is the incorporation of Spanish within the daily school-wide announcements.
Students and their families are provided opportunities to connect with the larger Spanish-speaking community through interactions and events. Some examples may be, but not limited to: conversations with visiting native speakers, classroom parent volunteers and participation in the schoolwide Multicultural Fair - a celebration recognizing the world cultures and heritages represented in our community.
Professional development and collaborative time are provided on a regular basis for the elementary World Language staff under the supervision of the Our World Neighborhood Charter School elementary school Principal.
Resources and teaching materials are continually evaluated, updated and expanded.
Common assessments are given at the second and fifth grade levels. Second grade is interpretive in format while fifth grade is interpersonal and oral in format.

Mother Tongue Support

We encourage parents and students to continue to communicate in their mother tongue whenever possible. We believe that the continued development of the mother tongue language is crucial for cognitive development and in maintaining cultural identity. It enables our school community to develop intercultural awareness and understanding, and enables students to maintain esteem for the language, literature and culture of their home country.

It is inherent in our mission to strive to support the diverse population within the Our World Neighborhood Charter School community. As students with differing languages and cultures enter our schools, appropriate resources may be purchased and provided for use by students and teachers. Additionally, a variety of resources, in mother tongue languages, will continue to be purchased through our annual library and PYP budgets.

We encourage parents to use their mother tongue outside of school as a way to maintain their child’s connection to their culture. Through school events, we celebrate the diversity of our student body and provide opportunities for students and families to share their cultures and heritages with each other. Parents are invited into the classroom and to school events whenever possible to share their language and culture. Staff members continue to create connections with families in order to foster positive relationships that create a connection to a student’s first language. Students may be encouraged to be language “experts” in their mother tongue as we are committed to creating a school environment that supports all students in their language development.

English Language Learners

Our World Neighborhood Charter School is committed to supporting ELLs (English Language Learners) in many ways. Upon entrance into the school, all families complete the Home Language Survey. Any student whose home language or first language is not English is then interviewed by the ELL teacher to determine the student’s oral proficiency in English. Once this screening process is completed, the ELL teacher conducts a formal assessment of any student who speaks little or no English to determine the student’s level of English proficiency by administering the NYS Identification Test for ELLs (NYSITELL). The approach that the ELL teacher will use to support ELL English acquisition in conjunction with the classroom teacher is one of sheltered instruction. Sheltered instruction is an approach for teaching content to ELLs in strategic ways that make the subject matter concepts comprehensible (i.e. provide access to mainstream, grade level content—not watering down the subject matter) while promoting the students’ English language development. Research of ESL programs indicates successful performance on ELA assessments is based upon the development of both oral proficiency and cognitive academic language proficiency. Academic language proficiency includes the language skills required for literacy and complex thinking such as reading comprehension, writing mechanics, critical thinking skills, study skills, and academic vocabulary. Strategies that promote the acquisition of cognitive academic language proficiency include… sheltered English instruction.

The ELL teacher will plan and work collaboratively with the classroom teachers to integrate language and content and infuse socio-cultural awareness to scaffold instruction for students learning English. Students’ language learning is promoted through social interaction and contextualized communication, which can be readily generated in all subject areas. The ELL teacher will guide students to construct meaning from texts and classroom discourse and to understand complex content concepts by scaffolding instruction—beginning instruction at the current level of student understanding and moving students to higher levels of understanding through tailored support. The tailored support can include such strategies as adjusting their speech (paraphrasing, giving examples, providing analogies, elaborating student responses) to facilitating student comprehension and participation in discussions whether otherwise discourse might be beyond their language proficiency level. Another way the ELL teacher works in sheltered instruction within the classroom is by adjusting instructional tasks so they are incrementally challenging (pre-teaching vocabulary before a reading assignment) and students learn the skills necessary to complete tasks on their own. Through these strategies, teachers can socialize students to the academic language setting.

Beyond the push-in and pull-out support, we continue to provide experiences and support within the classroom to build relationships with families. The primary instructional model used in the classroom—the workshop model—supports peer support and ELLs are frequently partnered with an English proficient student within the collaborative component of the workshop model to provide support and assistance. Assignments/learning experiences will be adapted as needed to ensure students are able to participate and be engaged in daily classroom activities. Classrooms may include labels in both English and the mother tongue of the student. In addition, tools may be created to support effective classroom communication, which may include technology that translates or word walls that consist of common phrases.

Future assessments of the student’s English language proficiency are conducted in the Spring using the NYS English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT), the only assessment used to determine ELA proficiency and exit from ELL status.

Assessment of Language

Language comprehension, both written and oral, are assessed on an ongoing basis. The results are used to inform instruction. A variety of formal benchmark assessments are used throughout the year to assess student language progress. These assessments are indicated in the Our World Neighborhood Charter School Assessment Policy (See the Assessment Policy document for more specific information related to assessment.).

Our World Neighborhood Charter School Primary Years Programme Academic Honesty Policy

What is Academic Honesty?

The IB defines academic honesty as “a set of values that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and assessment.” Academic honesty is embedded in the Primary Years Programme standards and practices (2014).

Standard C3: Teaching and learning reflects IB philosophy.
C3.4 Teaching and learning promotes the understanding and practice of academic honesty.
C3.5 Teaching and learning supports students to become actively responsible for their own learning.

Academic honesty is reflected in one’s respect for one another’s intellectual property and the completion of “authentic” pieces of work which are “based on [the individual’s own] original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged.” (Academic Honesty in the IB Educational Context). At Our World Neighborhood Charter School, students demonstrate academic honesty by acknowledging responsibility for the production of their own work, recognizing the work of others, and maintaining honor and trust in the learning environment.

Background and Our Philosophy

At Our World Neighborhood Charter School, academic integrity is expected of every student in all their academic undertakings, whether in their formal coursework or in their school relationships and interactions with respect to the educational process. We believe that academic integrity is reflected in adherence to a set of values and expectations that are grounded in the concept of honesty with respect to the intellectual efforts of oneself and others. Academic honesty is key to communicating and facilitating a student’s acquisition of knowledge, understanding of concepts, and mastery of skills. We believe that the education of all students is a collaborative effort in which all stakeholders (teachers, parents, guardians, and administration) and community members play an important role. Therefore, at Our World Neighborhood Charter School, all stakeholders are responsible for modeling, teaching and practicing academic honesty in order to support the growth and development of students who act with integrity and honesty and hold themselves accountable for their own actions. We consistently encourage and model the practices of academic honesty while embracing the Learner Profile Attributes and Attitudes.

Academic Honesty and the Learner Profile

Our World Neighborhood Charter School strives to promote students’ sense of self and regard for others. We work to develop lifelong learners, who embody the IB Learner Profile and the IB PYP Attitudes. While students are engaged in constructivist and inquiry-based learning, working on assessment tasks, using technology, and/or communicating and reflecting on their work, they are expected to demonstrate principled behavior. Independence, responsibility, and integrity are crucial in preparing students to show confidence in their own work and respect for the work of others.

Since the Learner Profile is the foundation of the Primary Years Programme, and serves as the cornerstone of the Our World Neighborhood Charter School Academic Honesty Policy, students are encouraged to be:

Inquirers who acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research.
Knowledgeable as they explore concepts, ideas and issues.
Principled as they act with integrity, honesty and take responsibility for their actions.
Open-minded as they seek and evaluate a range of points of view.
Risk takers who articulate and defend their opinions and beliefs.
Thinkers who make ethical decisions.
Communicators who use a variety of resources to research and share their personal thinking.
Balanced as they understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance.
Reflective as they give careful consideration to their own learning and experiences.
Caring as they show empathy, compassion and respect to the needs of others.

These qualities, when applied to learning and student work, establish skills and behaviors which support practices displayed within the classroom and in everyday life. These practices are introduced, modeled and used throughout the entire school community.

What is Academic Honesty in the PYP

As the Learner Profile Attributes and Attitudes are the basis for the development of academic integrity in our students, Our World Neighborhood Charter School students who demonstrate academic integrity and honesty are those who:

Take responsibility for their own work
Work individually unless otherwise instructed
Recognize the difference between individual work and group work
Give credit to other people working in the group
Not copy other people’s work
Reference sources according to agreed-upon (age-appropriate) bibliographic formats for each grade.
Use information technology and library resources responsibly.

Consequences for Academic Dishonesty in the PYP

Academic dishonesty includes behaviors such as plagiarism, collusion and misconduct during assessment. There are no academic consequences for students in the PYP for engaging in academic dishonesty until the 4th grade. However, teachers are vigilant about regularly correcting and providing advice and guidance to students when they engage in academic dishonesty. When handling issues involving academic dishonesty, the teacher and student will discuss opportunities and choices to make better decisions in the future. Supporting the student and helping them understand the importance of academic honesty is essential to the continued growth of the student. The following are the consequences for deliberate incidences of academic dishonesty in Grades 4 and 5:

Consequences for deliberate plagiarism

First incident

Students have the opportunity to correct the error
The teacher will lead a reflection session with the student
IB coordinator will be informed
Parents will be informed

Second incident

No opportunity to correct error
IB coordinator to be informed and lead a reflection session
Parents to be invited into school
Student signs a formal letter of commitment about future conduct.

Third incident

Suspension from school for a time to be decided by the Principal

Consequences for Collusion/Misconduct during assessments

First incident

A reflection of behavior to be completed, guided by the teacher
Parents will be informed
IB coordinator will be informed

Second incident

A reflection on behavior to be completed, guided by the IB Coordinator
Parents will be invited into school
Student will sign a letter of commitment about future conduct

Third incident

Suspension from school for a time to be decided by the Principal

Roles and Responsibility in Supporting Academic Honesty

Faculty (including teachers, Student Support services team, administration and support personnel):

Communicate appropriate collaboration versus collusion with each assignment.
Teach a recognized citation convention for written and non-written works.
Demonstrate and model academic honesty in presentations, etc.
Report and record academic dishonesty through a referral and school notes.
Assure that students in their class understand that when they submit a task as their own, they are representing that have not received nor given aid on assignments or assessments. Teachers can opt to ask students to use their signature to explicitly assure this point if needed.
Minimize temptation for academic misconduct in assignments/assessment situations.
Communicate with students, parents, counselors, administrators, about concerns and academic misconduct offenses.
Involve students in reflection/discussion in the instance of academic misconduct.

Students:

Confirm understanding of academic honesty with signature on Academic Honesty Parent/Student Agreement each year.
Report academic misconduct violations to a trusted school employee.
Strive to produce authentic work.
Understand that putting his/her name on an assignment certifies it as his/her own work, cited appropriately.
Minimize academic misconduct temptation by balancing time appropriately.
If an incident of academic misconduct occurs, either intentional or unintentional, complete a reflection process with the teacher.
Understand proper citation expectations for assignments
Ask for guidance when unsure.

Administration:

Support academic honesty policy and investigate all counselor/teacher reports of academic misconduct.
Ensure that all staff, students and parents understand definitions, responsibilities, and repercussions.
Ensure the academic honesty policy is applied consistently throughout the school.
Provide staff development and guidance on academic writing and referencing systems that are available.
Provide teachers with material to guide students in maintaining academic honesty.
Investigate academic misconduct when necessary.
Make parent and student contact to reflect on academic misconduct incidents.

Parents, guardians, and/or outside support:

Read and sign the Academic Honesty Parent/Student Agreement.
Encourage child to practice academic honesty.
Encourage child to cultivate a culture of academic honesty at home and in school.
Address concerns of academic misconduct/academic misconduct with their child and school personnel if necessary.
Monitor hired tutors to assure authentic student work.

Communication Plan

Our World Neighborhood Charter School’s Academic Honesty Policy will be published on the school website and in the Student Handbook. It will be discussed with students and parents early in the school year and referred to often throughout the school year when opportunity arises.

Review of the Academic Honesty Policy

This policy will be reviewed and updated annually by the Our World Neighborhood Charter School elementary school Principal, PYP Coordinator, Pedagogical Team and school administration.

Our World Neighborhood Charter School PYP Assessment Policy

Statement of Belief

At Our World Neighborhood Charter School, assessment is integral to teaching and learning. We believe the overarching purpose of assessment is to provide all our stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, administrators and the greater community) with feedback on the learning process. Assessment involves the gathering and analysis of information about student performance and is designed to inform curriculum and instructional practice. It identifies what students know, understand, can do, and feel at different stages in the learning process. Students and teachers should be actively engaged in assessing the students’ progress as part of the development of their wider critical thinking and self-assessment skills. The PYP approach to assessment recognizes the importance of assessing the process of inquiry as well as the product(s) of inquiry, and aims to integrate and support both. (Making the PYP Happen, 2009). Our World Neighborhood Charter School’s assessment protocol is ongoing, authentic, varied and purposeful and includes diagnostic, formative and summative components. It is a collaborative and informative process that involves students, families, teachers and community. Instructional and curricular decision making is driven by our assessments.

The Purpose of Assessment

Through the use of authentic assessments, we have objective measures by which we can communicate to students and parents the strengths and areas of growth for students, individually and collectively (by class, grade, schoolwide and by accountability subgroup). Assessment data allows students to be an active part of the learning process through reflection and demonstration of their understanding. It allows them to understand their performance in relation to the grade level expectations and reflect on their progress towards developing themselves as learners as articulated in the Learner Profile and fostering the Learner Profile Attributes that support the development of a positive attitude towards people, the environment and learning. Parents see evidence and gain information concerning their child’s status in relation to grade level expectations and state norms, while supporting and celebrating their child’s learning. For teachers, regular assessments inform instruction by helping them gather objective information needed to adjust instruction or to reteach for continued learning and allow them to communicate progress with students and families. Administrators use assessment to build a sense of community within the school and communicate the school’s progress.

Types of Assessment

Diagnostic assessment/Pre-assessment

Knowledge of a student’s prior knowledge informs instruction within the classroom. Prior to teaching, a diagnostic or pre-assessment helps teacher and students find out what the students already know and can do and informs how instruction must be differentiated in order to meet different entry points in a classroom of heterogeneous leaners.

Formative Assessments

Formative assessment is a part of the learning process and is used to provide timely feedback to master necessary skills and concepts in preparation for the summative assessment task. Formative assessments allow teachers to gauge student progress toward meeting the NYS Next Generation Learning Standards and the IB standards.

Teachers will use multiple forms of formative assessment which may include, but not limited to: running records, homework, classwork, exit slips, student observations, agree/disagree, graphic organizers, think-pair-share, and quizzes. Regular student reflections, both written and spoken, are also forms of formative assessment.

Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are given to gauge the student’s progress in major concepts or areas of instruction. Teachers will use a variety of summative assessment tasks which may include end of unit tests, essays, presentations, portfolios and a variety of projects.

New York State Assessments

All students in Grades 3-5 take the mandated New York State Assessments in ELA, math and science (Grade 5). Students identified as English Language Learners annually take the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test until they score high enough to exit from ELL status.

The following table outlines Our World Neighborhood Charter School’s assessment protocol in the PYP:
Assessment/(Grade)	Purpose	When Administered
NYS ELA/(3-5)	Identify students’ ability to meet or exceed grade level standards in reading, reading comprehension and writing.	April*
NYS Math/(3-5)	Identify students’ ability to meet or exceed grade level standards in mathematical computation, mathematical reasoning and problem-solving	April*
NYS Science/(5)	Identify students’ ability to meet or exceed grade level standards in science content and use of scientific tools	April/May*
NYS Alternate Assessment/(K-5)	Identify SWD’s ability to meet or exceed grade level standards in all areas, if required by their IEPs	January-March
Home Language Information Survey (HLIS)/(K-5)	Identify those students who may be eligible for ESL programs as identified by home language	Upon enrollment
NYS Identification Test for ELLs (NYSITELL)/(K-5)	To measure language proficiency in English; to determine entitlement to ESL/Bilingual programs for students whose home language is other than English.	Once in Sept. if required by the HLIS
NYSESLAT/(K-5)	To measure student progress in developing English language proficiency & determine if an ELL’s proficiency has been met to be removed from ESL services	May
iReady (Reading and Math)/(K-5)	iReady will be used for two purposes: (1) benchmarking to determine progress of students towards benchmarks and to modify instruction to address identified gaps and (2) to monitor year-to-year growth.	Beginning in September, three times per year
Running Records (K-5)	An assessment tool used by teachers to evaluate students’ reading and comprehension. They are used to help find students’ reading levels, check their fluency and find weaknesses in comprehension.	Every 4 to 6 weeks
Phonemic Awareness Assessment (Teacher Generated)/(K-2)	To assess the phonics and phonics-related skills which have a high rate of application in beginning to read. Results are used to plan instruction for students and to develop instructional groups.	Every 4-6 weeks
On Demand Writing/(K-5)	To assess a student’s ability to write an authentic piece of writing in one setting.	Every 4-6 weeks
Teacher Generated Assessments /(K-5)	Teacher-developed assessments (tests, quizzes, homework or other graded and ungraded assignments) administered to assess students’ mastery of material covered in class at a given point within a unit of study.	The administration is determined by the teacher.
Curricular End of Unit Assessments /(K-5)	Commercial or teacher-developed summative assessments covering material from an entire unit of study. Gauges to what extent students have achieved specific standards.	At the end of each unit. The timing of the administration of the assessment is dependent upon the length of the units.
Quarterly Benchmark Assessments/(K-5)	Benchmark tests in Math, Science and Social Studies which provide an assessment of students’ progress towards attainment of standards that were taught during the previous quarter.	At the end of each quarter.
Portfolios/(K-5)	To showcase student work, reflect and document growth and achievement over time.	Ongoing

Assessment of the Essential Elements of the PYP

The five essential elements of the PYP are assessed through the units of inquiry and are recorded on the planner for each unit. These assessments are both formative and summative ones.

Knowledge: assessment of the knowledge learned in each unit is done through the summative assessment. It reflects an understanding of the central idea.
Skills, concepts, and attitudes: each unit provides opportunities for different skills, concepts, and attitudes. Reflection on growth in these areas is recorded on the planners and self-assessments are done by the students.
Action: student actions that are initiated beyond the scope of the unit are recorded on the planner.

Assessment Review

We will review our assessment policy annually as part of the end of year annual curriculum review and analysis of progress towards accountability goals.

Our World Neighborhood Charter School is a candidate school* for the PYP. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students. * Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes visit http://www.ibo.org.

Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools

Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools educate students to become independent thinkers and lifelong learners.