Assessment

When I was elementary and high school my experiences with assessment varied from positive to negative. I remember receiving a low mark on my report card in elementary school and keeping that report from my parents. I was ashamed at my grade and didn't want my parents to see it. Eventually my teacher called and let my parents know that she stilled hadn't received my signed copy of the report card. My parents saw it, saw the grade, and then told me that it was okay and we'll work on it.

Assessment can be scary. It can also be a happy moment. Whenever I received positive feedback throughout my early years I became happy, proud even! Later on in life they introduced rubrics, or at least I understood what a rubric was, and assessment changed. I know knew what I was being evaluated on. I usually took a gander at the rubric and then ignored it; just focusing in on the instructions for the task. Finally in university I actually sat down and looked at the rubric and thought, "I should give this a shot".

In school I never really knew if I was being evaluated against the course expectations or the other students in my class. I feel like as you get older the assessment portion of schooling seems to shift toward an evaluation of my progress compared to the evaluation of another student's. For example, if Sally does the best work in class, and Cindy does the work, my teacher would figure out where exactly I would fit in. In Teacher's College you learn that assessment is supposed to by the evaluation of a student against the course curriculum and criteria. This is a more fair way of assessing a student's progress as you have a clear standard that a student is supposed to meet and the teacher can measure a student's performance in relation to this standard.

I believe that assessment should be as fair and unbiased as possible. The teacher should provide constant feedback to the student so that they can continually grow. Reporting should provide anecdotal evidence of a student's performance rather than a generic statement.

My BeFunky Collage (Online Image). Created here.

Blog Post #2

I've always known that assessment was a critical part of both the student and teacher's life. The act of assessing from the student's point of view seemed pretty easy, it's write, it's wrong, or it's somewhere in between. As a teacher candidate it doesn't seem so black and white. There are so many different categories to be assessed and so little time! There are 6 learning skills and work habits outline on page 11 of the Growing Success document that us novice teachers will be grasping for the next several years. Students are now being graded on: responsibility, organization, independent work, collaboration, initiative and self-regulation. When I was a student I didn't know that these were talents that I was being assessed on. Maybe they weren't at the time, maybe they were. All I know is that education has changed since I was in high school and it has changed for the better! The learning skills and work habits that students are now assessed on are a phenomenal addition to evaluation, but also somewhat daunting as a new teacher. All of these skills can be applied to regular life and make education that much more relevant. 

Did you know that there is a difference between assessment as learning and assessment for learning? I didn't until about 6 weeks ago. There's an additional type of assessment which is of learning; this is the one that you're probably used to. All throughout my university career I have gone through assessments of my learning; these were projects, papers, quizzes, exams, etc. My professors just wanted to assess my learning. Sometimes, my professors would assess the class for learning. This would typically entail a practice quiz that the teacher used to see how well the class was retaining information. If we collectively performed poorly in an area, he or she would review that material and help us better understand what we needed help with. The only time I ever encountered assessment as learning was when I collaborated with a classmate. Assessment as learning is typically peer-on-peer learning, learning from each other, or learning on your own / -self-reflection. Just so you know, everything has been flipped upside down! I think it's great too. Students in elementary and high school are now going through more assessment as learning than any other form of assessment. I feel like this type of evaluation of peer and self is such a great way to learn. I always felt that when I taught others, I was also learning or thinking about the topic more, which was beneficial to myself and my peer. Additionally, teachers are assessing for learning more too. This means that the teachers are using their evaluations to better understand how the students are performing or retaining information. This means that assessment of learning is at the top of the pyramid, or simply used less often. If you think about it, this new way makes so much sense. Assessment as learning also plays so well into the learning skills and work habits! Just brilliant. 

EDBE 8Y01 Digital Portfolio: AER Strategy Form                  Name:
GROWING SUCCESS POLICIES	My Professional Learning Goals 1 goal for each	Strategies For Meeting  My Goals  1 strategy for each	Curated  Resources  minimum of 2 sources for each
POLICY Fundamental Principles	To learn how to ensure fairness in assessment and evaluation.	I will work with my associate teacher and ask her advice on how to best create a lesson based on the learning goals and success criteria.	- Growing Success - Learning for All
POLICY Learning Skills & Work Habits	To learn how to be a more effective teacher in relation to selfregulation.	I will work with my associate teacher and collaborate with my colleagues to find out tips, tricks and proven strategies.	- Growing Success - FSL Curriculum Doc - Associate teacher - Peers
POLICY Performance Standards: The Achievement Chart	To learn how to better assess a student’s “thinking”.	I will consult official documents on the MoE web site to discover more.	- Growing Success - FSL Curriculum Doc
POLICY Assessment FOR Learning & AS Learning	To learn different strategies for the assessment as and for learning.	I will search through the Growing Success document to better understand the material and speak to both my associate teacher and peers for their input.	-               Growing Success -               Assessment for, as and of learning -               Associate teacher -               Peers
POLICY Evaluation	To learn how to better evaluate a student who has trouble turning in work.	I will consult the Growing Success document for policy on communication as well as search for ways to keep constant communication with parents.	- Growing Success - Communication Document - Learning for All - Associate teacher
POLICY Reporting Student Achievement	To learn the duties of a FSL teacher.	I will speak to the FSL teacher at my practicum placement and consult the MoE web site for official policy.	- Report Card template - Growing Success - French Curriculum
POLICY Students With Special Education Needs	To learn how to better accommodate a student with ADHD.	I will search the MoE web site and use the textbook for our cognition class. I will also speak with the Spec. Ed. Department head at my practicum placement.	-               Bennett, S., & Dworet, D., with Weber, K. (2013). Special education in Ontario schools. (7th ed). St. David’s, ON: Highland Press. -               Learning for All - What Works?
POLICY English Language Learners	To learn how to better accommodate ELLs.	I will speak to my associate teacher for advice as well as those at my placement who work more closely with ELL students. Additionally I will consult the Growing Success document for more information on accommodations.	- Growing Success - Supporting English Language Learners - Learning for All - ELL department head - Associate teacher - Peers

What is the same / different in the Kindergarten Addendum?

Growing Success 1-12 2010	Growing Success Kindergarten 2016
Fundamental Principles	Same same, not different.
Learning Skills & Work Habits	Different in both. Focus on developing self-regulation skills in Kindergarten.
Performance Standards: The Achievement Chart	Achievement chart and performance standards not in the Kindergarten document. Demonstrating literacy and mathematics behaviours, problem solving and innovating. Focus is on "Key learning, growing in learning, next steps in learning".
Assessment for Learning and as Learning	Kindergarten: Educators engage in assessment for learning as they observe and document evidence of children’s learning (through the process of “pedagogical documentation”)1 and provide descriptive feedback to the children that is designed to help them move forward within their zone of proximal development. Educators engage in assessment as learning when they support children in setting individual goals, monitoring their own progress, determining next steps, and reflecting on their thinking and learning, to help them become confident, autonomous learners. Higher: based on curriculum expectations
Evaluation	Higher: Eval is student achievement of overall expectations. Evaluation involves the judging and interpreting of evidence of learning to determine children’s growth and learning in relation to the overall expectations outlined in The Kindergarten Program (2016).
Reporting Student Achievement	K: no letter grades / percentages • The Kindergarten Communication of Learning: Initial Observations will be issued at the end of the first reporting period, between October 20 and November 20. The Kindergarten Communication of Learning: Initial Observations is intended to provide parents with an overview of initial observations of their child’s learning and early evidence of growth in learning in relation to the overall expectations in The Kindergarten Program (2016) and with information about appropriate next steps to further the child’s learning. • The Kindergarten Communication of Learning will be issued at two points in the school year: • at the end of the second reporting period, between January 20 and February 20, reflecting the child’s growth in learning since September; and • at the end of the third reporting period, towards the end of June, reflecting the child’s growth in learning since January/February.
Students with Special Education Needs: Modifications, Accommodations and Alternative Programs	K: IEP with Accommodations Only If the child’s IEP requires only accommodations to support learning, educators will not check the “IEP” box. Key learning, growth in learning, and next steps in learning are based on the expectations in The Kindergarten Program (2016). IEP with Modified Expectations If the expectations in the IEP are based on but vary from the expectations of the regular program, educators must check the “IEP” box for the frame and include the following statement: “Program expectations have been modified to meet the needs of the child.” 16 GROWING SUCCESS – THE KINDERGARTEN ADDENDUM IEP with Alternative Learning Expectations Where a child’s IEP identifies alternative learning expectations, the educator must check the “IEP” box for the frame and must include the following statement: “Key learning, growth in learning, and next steps in learning are based on alternative learning expectations in the IEP.”
English Language Learners: Modifications & Accommodations	When a child’s learning and growth in learning are based on expectations modified from the expectations in The Kindergarten Program (2016) to support English language learning needs, educators will check the “ESL” box for the frame. Educators will not check the “ESL” box to indicate only: • that the child is an English language learner; or • that accommodations have been provided to support learning.

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