Page 13 - Guidance Education 11-12 (2006)

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Assessment and Evaluation of Student Achievement
Basic Considerations
The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Information gathered through assessment helps teachers to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in their achievement of the curriculum expectations in each course.This information also serves to guide teachers in adapting curriculum and instructional approaches to students’ needs and in assessing the overall effectiveness of programs and classroom practices.
Assessment is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources (including assignments, demonstrations, projects, performances, and tests) that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject.As part of assessment, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback that guides their efforts towards improvement. Evaluation refers to the process of judging the quality of student work on the basis of established criteria, and assigning a value to represent that quality.
Assessment and evaluation will be based on the provincial curriculum expectations and the achievement levels outlined in this document.
In order to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of student learning, teachers must use assessment and evaluation strate- gies that:
• address both what students learn and how well they learn;
• are based both on the categories of knowledge and skills and on the achievement level descriptions given in the achievement chart on pages 16–17;
• arevariedinnature,administeredoveraperiodoftime,anddesignedtoprovideoppor- tunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
• areappropriateforthelearningactivitiesused,thepurposesofinstruction,andtheneeds and experiences of the students;
• arefairtoallstudents;
• accommodatetheneedsofstudentswithspecialeducationneeds,consistentwiththe strategies outlined in their Individual Education Plan;
• accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction (English or French);
• ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement;
• promotestudents’abilitytoassesstheirownlearningandtosetspecificgoals;
• includetheuseofsamplesofstudents’workthatprovideevidenceoftheirachievement;
• are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the course or the school term and at other appropriate points throughout the school year.