Page 16 - Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools. First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12. 2010

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LEARNING SKILLS AND WORK HABITS IN GRADES 1 TO 12
LEARNING SKILLS AND WORK HABITS IN GRADES 1 TO 12
POLICY
The development of learning skills and work habits is an integral part of a student’s learning. To the extent possible, however, the evaluation of learning skills and work habits, apart from any that may be included as part of a curriculum expectation in a subject or course, should not be considered in the determination of a student’s grades. Assessing, evaluating, and reporting on the achievement
of curriculum expectations and on the demonstration of learning skills and work habits separately allows teachers to provide information to the parents and student that is specific to each of the two areas of achievement.
An example of when it is not possible to separate the evaluation of the learning skills and work habits from the evaluation of a student’s achievement of a curriculum expectation may be found
in the health and physical education curriculum. That curriculum includes Living Skills expectations, which students are expected to achieve in the context of their learning in the Active Living, Movement Competence, and Healthy Living strands of the curriculum. The Living Skills expectations require students to demonstrate certain aspects of the learning skills and work habits outlined in the table on page 11, and a student’s demonstration of those skills and habits is to be evaluated as part of the evaluation of the overall expectations in the three strands of the curriculum. A second example is found in the mathematics process expectations in the mathematics curriculum. One of those expectations requires students to develop and apply problem-solving strategies. While the achievement of this expectation requires the application of some aspects of the learning skills and work habits for “Organization” (see p. 11), student achievement of this expectation is evaluated as part of the learning in the mathematics curriculum. In fact, achievement of the curriculum expectations in many curriculum areas is closely tied to learning skills and work habits. Clearly identifying the focus of such curriculum expectations and the evidence that will be collected to assess and evaluate their achievement will assist teachers in making decisions about whether the demonstration of a learning skill or work habit should be part of the evaluation of a curriculum expectation.
It is expected that teachers will work with students to help them develop the learning skills and work habits identified in the following table. For each of the skills and habits, the table provides examples of associated behaviours, which are designed to guide teachers in the instruction, assessment, and evaluation of the learning skills and work habits. The sample behaviours are intended to assist but not restrict teachers in their efforts to help students become effective learners, and will look different at the various grade levels.