Assessment, Evaluation, & Reporting in Ontario Schools
by scott young
1. 7 fundamental principles
1.1. Fair, transparent, and equitable
1.2. Support all students
1.2.1. Include: special education needs, language learning; First Nation, Métis, or Inuit
1.3. Relate to curriculum expectations and learning goals
1.3.1. Match: interests, learning styles preferences, and needs
1.4. Clearly understandable by students and parents - throughout the school year or course
1.5. Administered to provide a variety of opportunities for students to demonstrate the range of their learning
1.6. Clear, specific, meaningful feedback and timely to support improved learning and achievement
1.7. Develops student self-assessment skills to enable autonomous learning; where students can set specific goals, and plan their learning
2. Ontario Curriculum Policy: Grades 1 to 12
2.1. Assessments and evaluations are based on content and performance standards
3. Knowledge and skills categories:
3.1. Evaluating Knowledge and Understanding by: grade/course/specific (knowledge), comprehension (understanding)
3.2. 1. Thinking: critical creative thinking skills and/or processes
3.3. 2. Communication: conveying meaning through various forms
3.4. 3. Application: skillfully using knowledge to make connections of various contexts
4. Assessment Framework: 3 key processes
4.1. Establish where the learners are going in their learning
4.2. Establish where they are in their learning
4.3. Establish what needs to be done in their learning
5. Inclusive education & societies
5.1. High-quality education enhances inclusive societies
6. Essential steps in assessment for and as learning, teachers need to:
6.1. Plan assessments to be integrated within instruction
6.2. Start by conveying learning goals and success criteria with students to ensure understanding of success criteria
6.3. Collect data about student learning continuously during instruction, using a variety of strategies and tools
6.4. Use assessment to inform instruction, guide next steps, and help students monitor their progress towards achieving their learning goals
6.5. Analyze and interpret evidence of learning
6.6. Assist students to develop skills of peer and self-assessment
7. The achievement chart:
7.1. Provides the framework for curriculum expectations (all subjects/grades)
7.2. Guides high-quality assessment tasks and tools (including rubrics)
7.3. Assists in planning instruction for learning
7.4. Is the basis for consistent and meaningful feedback
7.5. Establishes categories and criteria to assess and evaluate learning
8. ACHIEVEMENT CHART: grade 9 to grade 12 categories
8.1. 50–59% (Level 1)
8.2. 60–69% (Level 2)
8.3. 70–79% (Level 3)
8.4. 80–100% (Level 4)
9. Primary purpose: to improve student learning
10. Success dependent on
10.1. Creative differentiation of fair instruction
10.2. Assessment meeting the needs of all students
10.3. Effective leadership from school systems to coordinate and support the work of teachers
11. Source: "GROWING SUCCESS assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools" First Edition, covering grades 1-12 (2010) - Ontario Ministry of Education
12. Guiding philosophy
12.1. "All students can demonstrate their learning regardless of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, geographic location, learning style, and/or need for special services"
13. 5 strategies that teachers and students use collaboratively to support student learning:
13.1. Use specific and timely descriptive feedback
13.2. Identify and clarify learning goals and success criteria
13.3. Use effective classroom discussions and other learning tasks that elicit information about student learning
13.4. Provide feedback that helps learners move forward
13.5. Use targeted instruction and guidance, to engage students
13.6. Help students to understand what it means to “own” their own learning, and empower them to do so
14. Examples: Potential Assessment Accommodation Requirements
14.1. Extended time limits
14.2. Verbatim scribing
14.3. Oral responses
14.4. Alternative settings
14.5. More frequent brakes
14.6. Assistive technology
14.7. Large font size
14.8. Colour cues
14.9. Task reduction
15. Formative Assessment "for" learning
15.1. Occurs during a learning activity
15.2. Monitors student learning
15.3. Provides students with feedback
15.4. Occurs several times during a course unit
15.5. Usually provides students with a wide range of question formats
15.6. Purpose: to improve learning and achievement
16. Summative Assessment "of" learning
16.1. Occurs at the end of a learning activity
16.2. Evaluates student learning
16.3. Scores results
16.4. Occurs a few times during the course or academic year
16.5. Usually constrained to a limited selection of question formats
16.6. Purpose: to measure or audit learning attainment
17. Examples: Diagnostic & Formative Assessments - "for" & "as" learning
17.1. Class discussions
17.2. Checklists
17.3. Questionannaires
17.4. Journals/Progress notes
17.5. Peer/Self-evaluations
17.6. Observations
17.7. Interviews
18. Examples: Summative Assessment "of" learning
18.1. Written tests
18.2. Creative assignments
18.3. Presentations
18.4. Portfolios
18.5. Written reports
18.6. Projects/products
18.7. Examinations
18.8. Peer/Self-evaluation
19. Diagnostic Assessment "for" learning
19.1. Occurs before instruction begins so teachers can determine students' readiness to learn new knowledge and skills
19.2. Teachers obtain information about students interests and learning preferences
19.3. Used to determine what students already know to help teachers plan instruction and assessment in a differentiated and personalized way
19.4. Purpose: to understand if planned learning goals are appropriate
20. Formative Assessment "as" learning
20.1. Students foster their own capacity to assess themselves - providing and receiving feedback to and from other students
20.2. Occurs frequently with support and guidance from the teacher
20.3. Purpose: develops autonomy and independence in learning
21. Choose Appropriate Assessment Tools to Match Strategy
22. PHILOSOPHY
23. STRATEGY
24. TOOLS
25. EXAMPLES
