AP 281 - Standardized Assessment

Background

The administration of ability and achievement tests is a part of the formative assessment used by teachers, schools, and the Division to inform instruction, support students, and provide information necessary to the development and monitoring of the goals in the Division’s CIAP.

More specifically, standardized testing should be implemented:

To obtain diagnostic information that will aid in planning the most appropriate instruction for each student in the classroom;
To serve as one criterion to assist school staffs and individual teachers in setting priorities and allocating resources for students and their programs;
To determine the need for more extensive, individual assessment;
To compare student performance with criterion-referenced standards in the provincial curriculum;
To compare class data with national norm-referenced standards;
To monitor individual student progress in basic skills achievement over a number of years; and
To provide information necessary to the development and monitoring of student learning goals in the Division’s Strategic Plan;

Procedures

1. Standardized assessment used across the Division shall be determined by:

1.1. Ministry of Education (e.g. Programme for International Student Assessment, Early Development Instrument, Early Years Evaluation)

1.2. Director (e.g. Fountas and Pinnell and Canadian Achievement Tests 4)
Learning Superintendents1.4 Superintendents of Curriculum and Instruction (e.g. letter and vocabulary acquisition, Valued Added Pre and Post tests)

2. Standardized assessments used at individual schools to measure student and learning performance on Division or local school learning goals will be approved by the principal in consultation with the Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.

3. Standardized assessments used to measure the ability and/or achievement of individual students will be approved by the Superintendent of Student Services.

4. Teachers and students have an important role to play in this testing program. Cooperation by each is essential, to obtain results that are valid and worthwhile to the student, teacher, home, school, and Division.

5. The results of standardized assessments will be used according to the intended purpose of each.

Reference: Sections 85, 87, 108, 109, 175, Education Act

February 8, 2011