Assessment & Evaluation

Children show us what they have learned in a number of ways. I will give your child multiple ways to demonstrate their understanding as often as I can. I won't just be marking a test, but instead, listening to what they know, watching them, letting them work with others to communicate understanding, etc.

Quoting the Ministry of Education Growing Success document, page 39:

ELICITING INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENT LEARNING

Teachers use a variety of assessment strategies to elicit information about student learning. These strategies should be triangulated to include observation, student-teacher conversations, and student products. Teachers can gather information about learning by:

• designing tasks that provide students with a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning;

• observing students as they perform tasks;

• posing questions to help students make their thinking explicit;

• engineering classroom and small-group conversations that encourage students to articulate what they are thinking and further develop their thinking.

Teachers then use the information gathered to adjust instruction and provide feedback. Homework tasks designed to help students practise and consolidate new learning can also provide assessment information that both teachers and students can use to adjust instruction and focus learning.

The Achievement Charts

When Ontario teachers assess and evaluate children we look at four different categories, or The Achievement Charts, to determine if students know the content and then, use or apply the content in an appropriate manner for their grade level. The Achievement Charts are part of the Ontario Curriculum, which is mandated by the Ministry of Education.

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject-specific content (knowledge) and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding).
For example, student may do the following when demonstrating their Knowledge and Understanding skills: list, identify, distinguish, recognize, explain, etc.

Communication

The conveying of meaning through various forms.
For example, students may do the following when demonstrating their Communication skills: presentation, write, retell, draw, imitate, etc.

Thinking

The use of critical and creative thinking skills and or processes.
For example, students may do the following when demonstrating their Thinking skills: gather information, classify, develop, sort, select, question, etc.

Application

The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts.
For example, student may do the following when demonstrating their Application skills: solve, judge, create, relate, analyze, etc.

Assessment

Valid information gathered regarding students' progress.
Observations, day-to-day work completed, conversation between student and teacher.
Descriptive feedback given to give your child in a timely manner which allows for your child to improve their skills.

Evaluation

Assigned grade after the completion of learning.

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