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Provincial tests tell parents:. how their child compares against provincial standards whether the child is learning what he or she is expected to learn . Benefits. Provincial tests help schools:. monitor student progress in relation to school achievement targets
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Provincial tests tell parents: • how their child compares against provincial standards • whether the child is learning what he or she is expected to learn Benefits
Provincial tests help schools: • monitor student progress in relation to school achievement targets • improve classroom instructional practices by identifying relative strengths and weaknesses • develop action plans to increase student understanding in specific areas of the curriculum Benefits
Provincial tests tell Albertans: • how well Alberta students are learning the Alberta curriculum • which areas of the curriculum need improvement Benefits
Achievement Tests - Grade 3 English Language Arts Part A - Writing 70 minutes May Part B - Reading 60 minutes June Mathematics Timed Number Facts 6 minutes May Multiple Choice 60 minutes June
Achievement Tests - Grade 6 English Language Arts Part A - Writing 120 minutes May Part B - Reading 60 minutes June Mathematics Operations and Number Sense 30 minutes May Multiple Choice 60 minutes June Science Multiple Choice 60 minutes June Social Studies Multiple Choice 60 minutes June
Tips for parents • achievement tests are like any other test • excessive test rehearsals and coaching should be discouraged • one way parents can help their children is by supporting their development of strong reading skills
Achievement tests • achievement tests are aligned with the curriculum • the best preparation for achievement tests is classroom instruction based on the full range of learning outcomes in the Alberta curriculum
Test accommodations • may include larger print, Braille, audiotapes, a scribe, more time • help students with special test writing needs do their best • are aligned with daily instructional practice as outlined in the individual program plan
Teacher involvement • writing, revising and reviewing questions • setting standards • developing scoring guides • field testing • validating the tests • administering the tests • marking the tests
Use of test results • no single test can assess everything • large scale provincial testing is intended for use in conjunction with classroom assessment strategies • the clearest picture of student growth and development is gained when a wide variety of assessment information is considered
Report cards • the teacher is responsible for classroom assessment • teachers and school jurisdictions decide whether or not to use the results for the students’ final grades
Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics Core Learning Outcomes • estimating mass • using a standard unit (kg)
Sample Question – Grade 6 Science Core Learning Outcomes • Air, Aerodynamics and Flight theory • Identify elevators as the structure of an airplane that controls its descent
Provincial Expectations – Achievement Tests • Alberta Learning has shifted away from an expectation on achievement tests that 15% of students achieve the standard of excellence and at least 85% achieve the acceptable standard. • emphasis now placed on continuous improvement – comparing results to stated targets and performance over time
School Results – Grade 3 Results
Participation Report • 43 students wrote both parts of the test • -5 were ESL* • -4 were Special Education* • -36 were regular • *Some students were double coded.
School Results – Grade 6 Results
Participation Report • 21 students wrote the tests • -4 were ESL* • -5 were Special Education* • -13 were regular students *Some students were double coded
Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff • What are the strengths of our instructional programs? *balanced literacy – teacher commitment to guided reading daily *students are higher on informational items due to deliberate purchase of non-fiction resources for guided and home reading *lots of hands-on materials, use of Blanche Lamont resources and purchase of Key Materials for test-taking practice *student support team that provides ESL support and modified programming Discussion
What are the areas requiring improvement? *how to retrieve information from a passage i.e. opinion to support a statement character motivation author’s purpose *increased focus on visual literacy i.e. graphic organizers, pictures, graphs and charts to interpret, organize and present knowledge *writing-conventions (Gr. 3) -sentence structure (Gr. 6) -organization and content
Areas requiring improvement • *Math-number concepts • i.e. fractions, regrouping, decimals • *Social Studies-skills and knowledge
What factors could be contributing to our students’ performance? *More children are writing the test- higher populations in both Grade 3 and 6 *More movement of children into the school especially in Grade 5/6 *More ESL students
Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff • What are our school achievement targets for this year? *5% more students will be at the acceptable standard *5% more students will be at the excellence standard Discussion
What plans address the areas requiring improvement and help students succeed? *Following the Class Size Initiative *Support in target areas-Guided Reading and Guided Writing *AISI- staff PD to explore most effective ways of using inquiry to improve student achievement *casino money used to purchase home reading materials, to sponsor an artist in residency and to purchase Blanche Lamont materials
Continued • *Professional development for teachers in Math • *Focused work on writing by bringing in authors • *Purchase of new Social Studies materials
