Education, Culture and Employment. (2001). Student Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting. A Departmental Directive. NWT. The principles that guide assessment: Assessment will measure how well students are learning knowledge, and development skills and attitudes in relation to instruction and program. All assessment will be:

• Ongoing
• Fair
• Appropriate
• Consistent
• Inclusive

Terms: The process of assessment, evaluation and reporting is an important part of all teaching and learning practices.

• Assessment - is the process of collecting and interpreting information about what a student knows, is able to do and is learning to do
• Evaluation - is the process of making judgements and decision based on interpretation of the information
• Reporting - is the process of summarizing and communicating the information and related decisions

Reasons: Why is assessment necessary? All assessment, evaluation, and reporting practices support decisions about:

• Student placement
• Program development
• Student promotion

In addition, system-wide assessments inform:

• Educational decision-making
• Policy development

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Who decides what is assessed and how? Classroom-based: Most often, teachers decide what to assess, and how to assess it. They design instruments to measure how well students are learning the knowledge, skills, and attitudes being taught in the classroom. Throughout the year, teachers assess students often, and use a variety of methods to:

• Help teachers plan
• Identify effective teaching metholds
• Provide clear evidence of what is working
• Identify where improvement is needed
• Help students to understand what they have learned and how well they have learned it
• Improve student learning

System-Wide: From time to time, teachers may also be required to administer system-wide assessments. (See Alberta Achievement Testing program information.) These assessments are designed to:

• Validate what is already known about student achievement
• Provide new information about teaching and learning
• Present a framework for informed discussion about standards of achievement and expectations

Who is responsible for improving student achievement? Student learning is supported by:

• Parents - who are their child's first teacher, and who continue to be involved and support their child throughout the school years
• Students - who are motivated, and take responsibility for their own learning
• Teachers - who continue to improve their own knowledge and skills in assessment, evaluation, and reporting
• Administrators - who provide leadership to create a positive learning environment
• Education authorities - who represent and promote community values, visions, and cultures

Teachers, administrator and other professionals are responsible for regularly reporting student progress in relation to the curriculum for each grade, or for an individual education plan. Decisions and directions resulting from assessment must be reported to students, parents, the public, educators and other education decision-makers with:

• Integrity
• Accuracy
• Openness

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Types of Assessment - the process of collecting, in many different ways, information about student achievement and growth

• Formative: (ongoing, daily/weekly assessment) - e.g. student activities, centre activities, problem of the week, student reflection, self-assessment, homework
• Summative (unit or topic assessment, a final or culminating assessment)
  • Authentic - a performance task
  • Cumulative - an activity that integrates subjects or assesses multiple outcomes, unit test
  • Checklist - a checklist of all specific outcomes

Assessment FOR Learning

At TCSA, we believe that one of the most effective ways to raise student achievement is through the effective use of assessment FOR learning (diagnostic and formative assessment) strategies. According to the Alberta Assessment Consortium (of which all TCSA regional teachers are members - www.aac.ab.ca id assessment/password Tåîchô), Assessment FOR learning is defined as:

assessment experiences that result in an ongoing exchange of information between students and teachers about student progress toward clearly specified learner outcomes (also called diagnostic and formative assessment; refers to information not used for grading purposes)

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Assessment FOR Learning is about helping students

1. know where they are in their learning (current achievement),
2. know where they are going (expected achievement or learning goals)
3. know how to progress to reach their expected goals

There are many Assessment FOR Learning strategies that teacher can use to increase achievement. Black and Wiliam (1998) make three recommendations (Refocus, AAC)

1. Change a classroom culture
   • a. Student need to have access to assessment information.
   • b. Feedback to a student needs to be provided information about the particular qualities of their work and ways to improve it.
   • c. Teachers should avoid comparing students.
   • d. Teachers should avoid focus on rewards, grades or class rankings. These practices degrade intrinsic motivation.
2. Have students self-relect
   • a. Use self and peer-assessment. Self-reflection is an essential component to learning
   • b. Students need to be aware of their goals and be able to identify ways they can go about to reach these goals.
3. 3. View assessment and teaching as the same thing
   • a. Effective programs of assessment FOR Learning is more than adding few strategies to classroom practice.
   • b. Assessment must work to inform instruction.

There are several starting points to foster change. The AAC document titled Refocus (in schools and online) provides teachers with many example, including:

• student involved testing
• feedback from teachers to students
• questioniong to promote learning
• developing a shared vision of success
• peer coaching and self-reflection
• planning for assessment FOR learning

A variety of sessions and in-services will continue to ocur through the year to allow teachers to develop a shared understanding of assessment practices and participate in professional dialogue with peers. Additional information and teaching resources are available at www.aac.ab.ca Members: Tåîchô Password: assessment

Balanced Assessment is the KEY!

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