Assessment and Evaluation

THE PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT

The main purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. It is not intended to simply audit student learning but rather to provide students, teachers, and parents with feedback that will help the student achieve success.

Quality assessment should:

• motivate students to improve learning;
• identify areas and strategies for improvement in learning and teaching;
• inform teachers about the effectiveness of instruction

The process of assessment and evaluation should:

• have a clearly identified purpose;
• be fair to all students;
• respect students' individual needs and interests;
• provide various ways for students to show what they know and can do (performance tasks, journals, presentations, tests, assignments, and so on)

EXPANDING THE VISION OF ASSESSMENT IN MATHEMATICS

Mathematics teaching is more challenging now than it has ever been. Students in a mathematics classroom are required to:

• perform algorithm computations proficiently;
• understand mathematical concepts;
• make connections between mathematics and their world;
• develop learning skills;
• create and test conjectures;
• communicate mathematically;
• create mathematical models and apply them to solve problems;
• draw and justify conclusions orally and in writing; and
• draw out the "big ideas" of mathematics through teacher facilitation.

A paper and pencil test is just one assessment method. A variety of assessment strategies is required to assess knowledge and understanding; thinking and inquiry skills; communication; and application of knowledge as well as to ensure that students with all learning styles are assessed in an appropriate manner.

ASSESSMENT TERMINOLOGY

If assessment is to help students learn, then it is important to understand the different purposes served by diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment.

Diagnostic Assessment – Diagnostic assessment identifies what students know and can do before instruction and identifies areas where students require more instruction and practice. Further, diagnostic assessment:

• occurs at or near the beginning of a unit, when new skills and concepts are being introduced;
• helps the teacher make important instructional decisions based on what students already know and can do;
• should not be counted toward a student's report card grade.

Formative Assessment – Formative assessment provides feedback to students on their progress and suggests how they could improve performance. It should be done continuously throughout the course. Further, formative assessment:

• is most helpful when the feedback tells students what they are doing well and what they can do to improve;
• directs students toward quality work;
• provides data for evaluation purposes

Summative Assessment – Summative assessment occurs toward the end of a unit or course. Further, summative assessment:

• provides opportunities for students to synthesize their knowledge and skills in a more complex performance;
• represents the essential learning ("big ideas") of the unit or course;
• provides significant data for evaluation data.

Thus, assessment is a cycle of diagnosing strengths and needs; giving feedback to build and improve; and evaluating based on synthesizing assessment data about student progress with the essential learning of the unit.

EXPANDING THE VISION OF ASSESSMENT IN MATHEMATICS

Mathematics teaching is more challenging now than it has ever been. Students in a mathematics classroom are required to:

• perform algorithm computations proficiently;
• understand mathematical concepts;
• make connections between mathematics and their world;
• develop learning skills;
• create and test conjectures;
• communicate mathematically;
• create mathematical models and apply them to solve problems;
• draw and justify conclusions orally and in writing; and
• draw out the "big ideas" of mathematics through teacher facilitation.

A paper and pencil test is just one assessment method. A variety of assessment strategies is required to assess knowledge and understanding; thinking and inquiry skills; communication; and application of knowledge as well as to ensure that students with all learning styles are assessed in an appropriate manner.

THE PROVINCIAL REPORT CARD

Student achievement is formally communicated to students and parents with the Ontario Provincial Report Card, Grades 9–12. The report card provides a record of the student's achievement of Curriculum Expectations in the form of a percentage grade for each course. The report card also includes teacher comments and an evaluation of the student's Learning Skills in each course.

The final grade for each course is determined as follows:

• 70% of the grade is based on assessments and evaluations conducted throughout the course, reflecting a balanced assessment program. The assessment methods used could include tests, quizzes, performance tasks, presentations, portfolios, journals, projects, assignments, etc.
• 30% of the grade is based on a final evaluation in the form of an examination, performance assessment, essay, or any other method suitable to the course content and administered near the end of the course. The final evaluation may also be a combination of several of these forms.

A student's final grade should reflect his or her most consistent level of achievement as opposed to an average of all marks received.

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES AND TOOLS

Checklist – A checklist is a form that is used to keep track of a student's work or progress. A student might find a checklist useful to ensure that all the requirements of a task are completed. A checklist is often very simple and indicates whether a behaviour, item, or characteristic is present.

Culminating Task – A culminating task often occurs at the end of a unit or term, and requires that students integrate their knowledge and skills to solve a complex, multi-stage problem or task. This could take the form of a performance assessment, assignment, or project.

Performance Assessment – Performance assessment requires students to perform, create, produce, or investigate something. It attempts to tap higher-level thinking and problem-solving skills. In contrast to traditional forms of assessment, performance assessments are not scored "correct" or "incorrect" by comparison to an answer key but instead require the teacher to apply scoring criteria to determine levels of performance. Some examples of performance assessment include open-ended problem-solving questions, investigations, and experiments.

Portfolio – A portfolio holds evidence of a student's skills, ideas, achievements, interests, and reflections. In addition to containing a student's work, a portfolio should include the student's reflections about that work. Portfolios help students establish ownership and direction of their own learning.

Rating scale – A rating scale lists criteria or characteristics to be related and then uses simple descriptors or numeric values to indicate the degree (or frequency) with which the characteristic is present. For instance, a teacher might rate the level of a student's participation in group activities on a continuum from "never" to "always."

Rubric – A rubric is a scoring scale that specifies the criteria on which a student's performance will be assessed and describes levels of performance for those criteria. A generic rubric lists general descriptors of level of achievement. A task-specific rubric lists the more precise criteria for a specific performance task. Rubrics are used as one of several assessment tools that teachers need to use. It is best used when students are working on complex tasks such as investigations, performance tasks, projects, or major assignments.