Page 34 - Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools. First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12. 2010

28
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING AND AS LEARNING
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING AND AS LEARNING
POLICY
Assessment is the process of gathering information that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject or course. The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning”. As part of assessment for learning, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement. Teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning.
This section sets out policy regarding the use of assessment information for the purpose of improving learning. (The use of assessment information for evaluation purposes is discussed in Chapter 5.)
Teachers will obtain assessment information through a variety of means, which may include formal and informal observations, discussions, learning conversations, questioning, conferences, homework, tasks done in groups, demonstrations, projects, portfolios, developmental continua, performances, peer and self-assessments, self-reflections, essays, and tests.
For Grades 1 to 12, assessment is based on evidence of student achievement of the provincial curriculum expectations. Teachers will ensure that students’ demonstration of their achievement is assessed in a balanced manner with respect to the four categories of the achievement chart (see p. 17), and that achievement of particular expectations is considered within the appropriate categories. All specific expectations must be accounted for in instruction and assessment. (Note: Evaluation focuses on students’ achievement of the overall expectations, as explained on p. 38.)
As essential steps in assessment for learning and as learning, teachers need to:
• plan assessment concurrently and integrate it seamlessly with instruction;
• share learning goals and success criteria with students at the outset of learning to ensure that students and teachers have a common and shared understanding of these goals and criteria as learning progresses;
• gather information about student learning before, during, and at or near the end of a period of instruction, using a variety of assessment strategies and tools;
• use assessment to inform instruction, guide next steps, and help students monitor their progress towards achieving their learning goals;