WHAT'S NEW - OCTOBER 2004

CHANGES TO STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Welcome to the web site for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the web site changes monthly. The theme for this month will interest teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring the topic of changes to student assessment. The section below identifies several weblinks on the theme. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEBSITES AND ARTICLES RELATED TO CHANGES TO STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Achievement Tests
© 2004 Government of Alberta
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/testing/achievement/

This web site supplies basic information about student assessment practices in Alberta. Hosted by Alberta Learning, the web site outlines the current provincial requirements for achievement testing in Alberta. In Alberta, achievement testing is conducted at the Grade 3, 6, and 9 levels. The general purpose of testing is to support excellence in student learning. The online information provided here is organized under a variety of headings, such as General Background Information, Frequently Asked Questions, and Writing Samples.

A Lexicon of Learning: Online Dictionary
© 2004 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
http://www.ascd.org/cms/index.cfm?TheViewID=1112

As part of their professional training, teachers are expected to acquire expertise in education theory and practice. This online dictionary will familiarize teachers with the specialized vocabulary used in the classroom. This dictionary is a convenient reference for terms applying to student assessment as well as other areas of educational practice. Are you familiar with the term "authentic assessment," for example? You can check out the term at the click of a mouse. The assessment terms included here run the gamut from "achievement tests" to "validity."

Assessments and Accountability. 2000
Linn, R. L.
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed447220.html

Student assessment is frequently associated with initiatives for educational reform and demands for accountability. Assessment regimes are a favourite tool of policy makers. This ERIC Digest (ED447220) investigates student assessment within the American setting and provides a framework with which to understand the reasoning that lies behind the many initiatives calling for more assessments and greater accountability. Specifically, the digest mentions current school reforms in three main areas: (1) content standards; (2) performance standards; and (3) high-stakes accountability. The Digest does not conceal potential points of controversy surrounding student assessment. As a concluding focus, the document formulates a set of recommendations regarding how assessment initiatives can be implemented more successfully. References for further study are included.

Assessment and Evaluation
© 2004 Manitoba Department of Education, Citizenship and Youth
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/assess/

This web site originating from Manitoba provides a point of comparison for other provincial jurisdictions. The document is subtitled "Overview of the Provincial Assessment Program." This overview succinctly describes how the province organizes its assessment testing by grade level, subject area, and language-English, French and French Immersion. The rationale for the testing centers on "improving classroom instruction, student learning and school effectiveness". The present assessment arrangements in this province include some optional and some mandatory assessment tests. The overview also indicates the participation of Manitoba students in some national and international assessment activities.

Assessment: Changing the Focus
Principal Leadership, September 2003
Vol. 4, No. 1
Custer, T.J.
http://www.principals.org/publications/pl/pl_changing_focus_0903.cfm

This online article comes to grips with the notion of changing perspectives in student assessment. Custer takes the position that, at the school site level, standardized tests can serve to improve curriculum, instruction and staff development. Such tests need not be viewed as punitive or blaming. If the results of such tests are correctly understood, they furnish feedback with which to make program improvement. Custer, a school administrator from California, refers to several examples of what he considers successful assessment practices and notes the general characteristics of "a quality assessment program." Custer suggests the overall goal is to put in place "a culture of evaluation" within the school. References for further study are included. This article will be of particular interest to school administrators.

Assessment for Learning
© 2004 Saskatchewan Learning
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/branches/cap_building_acct/school_plus/pdf/afl.pdf

This seven-page document from Saskatchewan Learning presents an explanation of Saskatchewan's approach to student assessment. The information begins by dealing with the rationale for assessment-three reasons are stated. It is noteworthy that the account opts for the term "assessment for learning," which is a term typically contrasted with the term "assessment of learning". The approach elaborated here brings four main components together into one model: curriculum principles, instructional practices, effective assessment practices, and utilization of assessment information. This synopsis provides a point of comparison for student assessment policies and practices in other provincial jurisdictions of Canada.

Assessment Literacy. 2002
Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education (SAEE)
Kelowna, British Columbia
http://www.saee.bc.ca/2003_1_3.html

This short article introduces and then defines the term "assessment literacy". Assessment literacy is defined as "the understanding and knowledge associated with the effective utilization of student assessments". The article argues that what is important is no longer the student test results themselves but the use to which teachers and school administrators put the results. There is a shortage of training on what to do with the results of standardized tests. Some initiatives in Ontario demonstrate that action research can serve as a method by which such results are put to constructive use to improve student achievement. The Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education (SAEE) is a non-partisan organization dedicated to enhancing educational research in Canada that is related to school improvement.

Assessment Rubrics. 2001
Kennesaw State University
Educational Technology Training Center
Kennesaw, GA
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/rubrics.htm

This web site presents a description of assessment rubrics. In this short piece, an assessment rubric is understood as an instrument for conducting authentic assessment. The assessment rubric serves as a guide for indicating to students how their learning will be assessed. Rubrics can be designed for any subject area. When the process of designing rubrics becomes more familiar, students can become involved in the process of assessment. They can learn to practice peer assessment and self-assessment. The document also notes three common features of assessment rubrics. This web site contains several links to further resources related to assessment rubrics.

General Facts About PISA. 2001
Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC)
http://www.cmec.ca/pisa/2000/factsheet.en.pdf

The context for student assessment has grown beyond the classroom, beyond the school and the school district, and even beyond the province. In fact, it is evident that the context for some student assessment activities is national and international. This fact sheet from the Council of Ministers of Education Canada deals with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is at once a national and international arrangement for weighing student achievements. A distinguishing feature of this programme, which is sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is the international comparison of student achievements, at age 15, with regard to reading, mathematics, and science. Students from over 30 countries participate in the programme. In 2001, Alberta Learning issued a news release reporting the success of Alberta students in the PISA tests http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200112/11658.html.

COURSE OUTLINE: EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING. 2003
Faculty of Education, University of Lethbridge
Aitken, N.
http://people.uleth.ca/~nola.aitken/ed3504.html

Here is an excellent resource for learning about student evaluation. This course description, originating with the University of Lethbridge and dated Fall 2003, deals directly with student assessment. The course's first noteworthy feature is its point of departure, which makes the course description relevant particularly for Alberta teachers. The starting point is Alberta Learning's statement of required knowledge, skills, and attributes for beginning teachers with regard to student assessment. The course outline gives consideration to both theoretical and practical aspects of student assessment, mentions a relevant textbook, and treats a variety of forms of assessment commonly used in the K-9 classroom. The course outline gives emphasis to the language of testing in student assessment and acknowledges the approaches of peer and self-assessment.

The Important Thing About Classroom Assessment
AAC Communique, Spring 2004
http://www.aac.ab.ca/nlspring04.html

This online newsletter, originating with the Alberta Assessment Consortium (AAC), deals with classroom assessment by providing a book review. The book, written by Margaret Wise Brown, is entitled "The Important Book". The themes of this book center on the benefits of student assessment: that it can help students to learn; that it ought to be fair; and that it ought to be meaningful to students. The newsletter also announces that the AAC will hold a conference in Edmonton in October 2004. The conference will feature O'Connor and Rohlheiser as keynote speakers. Over 50 jurisdictions participate in the activities of the AAC.

Interview with Michael Fullan: Change Agent
Journal of Staff Development, Winter, Vol. 24, No. 1
© 2003 National Staff Development Council
Sparks, D.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/fullan241.cfm

In this interview with D. Sparks, Fullan mentions new ways of understanding student assessment. What is worth mentioning is the backdrop against which student assessment is discussed. As the conversation of this interview develops, Fullan situates student assessment within the bounds of the school as a professional learning community. Student assessment information is to be viewed as a means of improving the school's program. Comparison of student achievements in other classrooms and in other schools prevents the improvement process from becoming too narrow. At the heart of the matter is the need for a new culture of teaching. School leaders are to busy themselves with bringing about this change in school culture. This article might be of particular interest to school administrators. Michael Fullan is Dean of Education at the Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).