One Tool of Assessment

Alberta Learning website: http://www.learning.gov.ab.ca/k_12/testing/ It is important to remember that these achievement tests are only one of the many tools that we use to test student performance. Schools must think of achievement-testing program as contributing to the overall assessment balance. What does the AAT assess? No single test can assess everything. The AAT assess only those learning outcomes that can be readily assessed by a paper-and-pencil test. The clearest picture of the student is gained by a variety of assessment information.

• The AAT provides part of that picture
• Teachers must be encouraged to use many different assessment strategies to gain information about the student's growth and process

More information about the Alberta Achievement Testing program (AAT): In May and June, students in Grade 3 will write provincial achievement tests in English language arts (reading and writing) and mathematics. The Purpose

• To determine whether students are learning what they are expected to learn
• To inform the public about students' achievement relative to the standards
• To assist schools, school authorities, and the province in monitoring and improving student learning
• To be a part of the accountability model

• For students and parents, AAT provides feedback on how wellthe students have learned curriculum-based learning objectives .
  • On how well their classes have achieved
  • On the effectiveness of their teaching strategies
  • To compare their assessment to the provincial standard
• For principals AAT provides information:
  • On school achievement patterns in comparison to standards
  • For setting school goals, priorities and targets
  • For annual education reports
• For the superintendents and board members, AAT provides system-wide information on student achievement levels in relation to other results and other areas.
• For Government officials, AAT provide information for monitoring student learning and targeting areas for improvement through curriculum redesign or program initiatives.

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Who is expected to write the texts? All students registered in Grade 3, 6 and 9 or in their, sixth or ninth year of school (in the case of multi-graded classes) are expected to write the tests.

• Test Accommodations:

Alberta Learning provide assistance for students with special test writing needs (ex. larger print, Braille, a scribe, audiotapes, more time etc) as are consistent with the classroom environment.

• Permission to Excuse

A superintendent should excuse a student from writing an achievement test if the student is not capable or responding to the test in its original or approved modified form, or if participation would be harmful to the student. This decision is based on a recommendation from the principal, accompanied by supporting documentation. Parental involvement in the decision can also be considered. The Test Format

How are the tests developed? Classroom teachers are involved at every stage of the development and implementation including writing questions, developing scoring guides, field-testing, and marking How are the tests marked? The multiple-choice and numerical-response questions are machine scored. Written response sections of the LA tests are marked centrally, in July, by classroom teachers who have been nominated by their superintendents and have been trained by AB Learning. Top

Local Marketing of Tests

ECE has not mandated local marking. Local marking is at the discretion of the Superintendent in your region. This year TCSA is willing to provide one-day of sub costs to teachers who wish to participate, and have the approval of their principal, in the marking to mark the ELA Part A Writing section. Many schools include the AAT result as part of the student's final mark. Teachers who mark get confidential feedback on their marking. If teachers choose to mark locally, then they can use the results as part of the student's final mark. If they choose not to mark locally then they wouldn't have the results back until the fall. Classroom teachers will be able to mark students’ writing, using scoring guides like those in the bulletin, before returning tests to Alberta Learning. To support local marking, samples of students’ writing that exemplify the scoring criteria will be provided with the test materials. These exemplars are not to be shared with students, and are to be returned to Alberta Learning with the tests. Teachers have approximately two weeks from the scheduled administration date to mark their students’ tests before returning materials to Alberta Learning. If teachers are also marking Part B: Reading, they are not to put any marks on the booklet. Additional marks may disrupt the machine-scoring process. Marks awarded locally can be submitted to Alberta Learning and will be used as the first reading of a student’s response. The papers will then be marked centrally by Alberta Learning as the second reading. Both marks contribute to the student’s final mark. In case of a discrepancy between the two marks, papers will be adjudicated by a third reading that will determine the final mark that a paper is awarded. In this way, valid and reliable individual and group results can be reported. Papers that are not marked locally by teachers will be marked centrally only once. At least once a day, all markers mark a copy of the same paper for inter-rater reliability. All papers will be marked centrally in Edmonton in July. Teachers may make a photocopy of students’ writing from the Language Arts Part A test for inclusion in a portfolio of the year’s work. Copies can also be made for parents who request them. A scoring guide and secured student exemplars will be provided for teachers to complete the first-reading score on the back of the written-response booklet. All exemplars are secured and should be returned with testing materials. 

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The Results: Each school and school authority receives a detailed report of the results. The school gets two copies, one for the student’s file and one for the parents. School staff and council look at what patterns and trends occur and how their programs should be improved. School boards and jurisdictions look at district-wide programs for areas of improvement. ECE will look at results to see if changes are needed in programming or policy Example of AAT Use

• Using district data, overtime, teachers look for trends:
  • Missed questions
  • Common errors
• Teachers address what the data says and then initiate a plan to move foward.
• Teachers can also look at own class data to investigate trends. They can make decisions on how to improve instruction.
• The goal is to provide the best possible learning opportunities for the students.
• Used in these ways, the test results support continuous improvement in program and in teaching.

When discussing the results, consider:

• What are the strengths of our school?
• What are the areas requiring growth?
• What factors could be contributing to our school's performance?
• What plans can we develop to support growth?
• What trends in achievement test results cna we identify for our school over the past several years?
• What are our local achievement target for this year?

Note: Ranking of schools - Alberta Learning does not support the comparisons of schools or authorities based on achievement test scores. Instead, in evaluating the school, people should consider factors relevant to that school. Preparing for the AATs Teachers should not have to halt instruction to prepare for the test. The knowledge and skills that are assessed on the AAT are those that should be a part of each student’s daily classroom life. Many teachers feel pressured to ‘teach to the test’ to ensure that their students will do well. In contrast, teachers who work hard to follow their curriculum expectations will already be preparing their students. Student assessment is more than the high-stakes test. Standardized test scores and alternative student assessments both have an important place in our classroom. Assessment is an integral component of all teaching and learning processes. The Alberta Achievement Testing program is a tool that we can use to improve learning IF we remember that AAT is just one of many tools to assess student progress.

Balanced Assessment is the KEY!

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