Assessment and Evaluationfor Improved Student Learning

Provincial TrainingScience & Technology Grades 1 - 8

Spring 2007

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Assessment and Evaluation Policy:Updated

Assessment and Evaluation ofStudent Achievementpp. 21 – 27

Basic Considerations (p. 21)

The Achievement Chart for Science and Technology (p. 23)

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Basic Considerations:

The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning.

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Basic Considerations:

“Assessment” defined

Assessment is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources…that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations…Teachers provide descriptive feedback to guide students’ efforts toward improvement.

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Basic Considerations:

“Evaluation” defined

Evaluation is the process of judging the quality of student work on the basis of established criteria, and assigning a value to represent that quality.

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Basic Considerations:Guiding Principles

Teachers must use assessment and evaluation strategies that:

Are varied in nature, administered over a period of time, and designed to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning

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Basic Considerations:Guiding Principles

Teachers must use assessment and evaluation strategies that:

Accommodate students with special education needs, consistent with the strategies in their IEP;

Accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction;

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Basic Considerations:Guiding Principles

Teachers must use assessment and evaluation strategies that:

Ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement;

Promote students’ ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals;

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Basic Considerations:The Curriculum Expectations

All curriculum expectations must be accounted for in instruction, but evaluation focuses on students’ achievement of the overall expectations.

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Basic Considerations:Guiding Principles

A student’s achievement of the overall expectations is evaluated on the basis of his or her achievement of related specific expectations.

Overall Expectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

Building Blocks – Sign Posts- Evidence – Look Fors

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Overall Expectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

SpecificExpectations

EVALUATION

ProfessionalJudgement

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Basic Considerations:Levels of Achievement

Level 3 – Provincial standard

Level 1 – Much below standard but still a passing grade

Level 2 – Approaches the standard

Level 4 – Surpasses standard, but not beyond the grade

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The Achievement Chart

Intent of the revisions:

Promote consistency across grades and disciplines

Clearly define components

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A standard province-wide guide to be used by teachers to make judgements about student work that are based on clear performance standards, and on a body of evidence collected over time

The Achievement Chart

guide the development of assessment tasks/tools

help teachers to plan instruction

assist teachers in providing meaningful feedback to students

assess and evaluate student learning

The achievement chart is designed to:

The Achievement Chart

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The Achievement Chart

Categories Levels Descriptors Qualifiers

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Achievement Chart:Categories

•Represent 4 broad areas of knowledge and skills.•Interrelated, reflecting the wholeness and interconnectedness of learning.

Knowledge and Understanding

Thinking and Inquiry

Communication

Application

Achievement Chart:Categories

Achievement Chart:Descriptors

•Indicates the characteristic of a student’s performance with respect to a particular criteria

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Building a Rubric…

Achievement Chart:Criteria

•Subsets of knowledge and skills that define each category.•The criteria identify the aspects of student performance that are assessed and/or evaluated (i.e., the “look fors”).

Achievement Chart:Qualifiers

A qualifier is used to define each of the four levels of achievement.

Limited Some Considerable Thorough/High degree

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Between now and the date of your training session, have a discussion with your Board implementation team about the messages you heard here today and the sections of the Introduction you read at the beginning of the session.

Consider how you will use this information as part of your Board training sessions.

If you have questions that were not answered today, please bring them with you to your training session.

Next Steps

Paul Walsh, Education OfficerCAP BranchPaul.walsh@ontario.ca416 325 4393

Joanie Causarano, Education OfficerCAP BranchJoanie.causarano@ontario.ca416 325 2100

John Ryall, ManagerAssessment & Reporting UnitJohn.ryall@ontario.ca416 325 2510

We look forward to seeing you at our sessions in April!