Page 14 - Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools. First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12. 2010

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GROWING SUCCESS | assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Fairness in assessment and evaluation is grounded in the belief that all students should be able to demonstrate their learning regardless of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, geographic location, learning style, and/or need for special services.
(Volante, p. 34)
Inclusive education is central to the achievement of high-quality education for all learners and the development of more inclusive societies. Inclusion is still thought of in some countries as an approach to serving children with disabilities within general educational settings. Internationally, however, it is increasingly seen more broadly as a reform that supports and welcomes diversity amongst all learners.
(UNESCO, p. 5)
We know that parents have an important role to play in supporting student learning. Studies show that students perform better in school if their parents or guardians are involved in their education. This is the basis for the principle that students and parents should be kept fully informed about the student’s progress. It is essential that schools have procedures in place to ensure that parents are
aware of the expectations for their child in the various grades. Principals play a key role in developing these procedures, which should be designed to create the conditions for student success by ensuring that parents have the information they need to interpret their child’s report card and to work with teachers to improve their child’s learning.
Teachers have a leading role to play in the implementation of the seven fundamental principles. On a daily and hourly basis, teachers make professional judgements that ensure effective implementation of these principles, making decisions with respect to individual students and groups of students that have profound implications for them. How students feel about themselves as learners and whether they enjoy learning and strive for excellence are closely related to their teachers’ professional skills both in differentiating instruction and assessment and in helping students understand how they
can improve. Teachers create environments in which all students feel valued and confident and have the courage to take risks and make mistakes. In their important professional role, teachers show students that they care about them, and model a love of learning that can deeply influence their lives. Teachers’ professional judgements are at the heart of effective assessment, evaluation, and reporting of student achievement.