Page 27 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Mathematics, 2007

THE ACHIEVEMENT CHART FOR MATHEMATICS
The achievement chart for mathematics (see pages 28−29) identifies four categories of knowledge and skills. The achievement chart is a standard province-wide guide to be used by teachers. It enables teachers to make judgements about student work that are based on clear performance standards and on a body of evidence collected over time.
The purpose of the achievement chart is to:
provide a common framework that encompasses the curriculum expectations for all courses outlined in this document;
guide the development of quality assessment tasks and tools (including rubrics);
help teachers to plan instruction for learning;
assist teachers in providing meaningful feedback to students;
provide various categories and criteria with which to assess and evaluate student learning.
Categories of Knowledge and Skills
The categories, defined by clear criteria, represent four broad areas of knowledge and skills within which the expectations for any given mathematics course are organized. The four categories should be considered as interrelated, reflecting the wholeness and inter- connectedness of learning.
The categories of knowledge and skills are described as follows:
Knowledge and Understanding. Subject-specific content acquired in each course (knowl- edge), and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding).
Thinking. The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes,5 as follows: planning skills (e.g., understanding the problem, making a plan for solving the
problem)
processing skills (e.g., carrying out a plan, looking back at the solution) critical/creative thinking processes (e.g., inquiry, problem solving)
Communication. The conveying of meaning through various oral, written, and visual forms (e.g., providing explanations of reasoning or justification of results orally or in writing; communicating mathematical ideas and solutions in writing, using numbers and algebraic symbols, and visually, using pictures, diagrams, charts, tables, graphs, and concrete materials).
Application. The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts.
Teachers will ensure that student work is assessed and/or evaluated in a balanced man- ner with respect to the four categories, and that achievement of particular expectations is considered within the appropriate categories.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
5. See the footnote on page 28, pertaining to the mathematical processes.
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