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 curriculumBenefi
ts
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
Part A - Writing 70 minutes
May
Part B - Reading June
Mathematics Timed Number Facts May
Multiple Choice June
60 minutes
6 minutes
60 minutes
English Language Arts
Achievement Tests - Grade 6
Part A - Writing 120 minutes
May
Part B - Reading June
Mathematics Operations and Number
SenseMay
Multiple Choice June
60 minutes
30 minutes
60 minutes
English Language Arts
ScienceMultiple Choice June60
minutesSocial Studies
Multiple Choice June60 minutes
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
Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics
Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics
Core Learning Outcomes
estimating mass
using a standard unit (kg)
Sample Question – Grade 6 Science
Sample Question – Grade 6 Science
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
SchoolResults
2006Provincia
lResults
English Language Arts
Acceptable
82.4% 89.8%
Excellence
Below Acc.
17.6%
17.6%
15.6%
10.2%
Mathematics Acceptable
82.4% 90.2%
Excellence
Below Acc.
17.6%
17.6%
30.1%
9.8%
Participation Report
17 students wrote both parts of the test
-6 were ESL
-1 was Special Education
-10 were regular
- 3 students were absent
- 2 students were excused
School Results – Grade 6
Results
SchoolResults
2006Provincia
lResults
English Language Arts
Acceptable
88.4% 87.6%
Excellence
Below Acc.
18.6%
11.6%
17.7%
12.4%
Mathematics Acceptable
92.7% 82.7%
Excellence
Below Acc.
26.8%
7.3%
17.0%
17.3%
Science Acceptable
95.3% 86.7%
Excellence
Below Acc.
41.9%
4.7%
31.4%
13.3%
Social Studies Acceptable
95.5% 86.8%
Excellence
Below Acc.
27.3%
4.5%
25.8%
14.5%
Participation Report
43 students wrote the tests
-16 were ESL*
- 7 were Special Education
-20 were regular students
Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff
What are the strengths of our instructional programs?
*a three year Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) which focused on Science
*student support team that provides ESL support and modified programming
*teacher professional development through in-services and workshops with ESL Centre of Inquiry
Discussion
What are the areas requiring improvement?
*Timed Math Facts in Gr. 3
*Shape and Space
*Focus on Perimeter/Area; extending a pattern and statistics in Gr. 6
*Focus on reading narrative and poetic passages in Grade 3 and 6
*Distinguishing and supporting facts vs. opinions in Social Studies
Areas for the School to focus on
What factors could be contributing to our students’ performance?
*More ESL students
*Number of students moving into the school throughout the year
Significant Factors
Multi- Year Results – Grade 3 Language Arts
2004-2005 N=18
Total Test – Language Arts
Acceptable = 16 students (84.2%)
Standard of Excellence = 2 students (10.5%)
Below Acceptable Standard = 2 students (11.1%)
2005-2006 N=17
Total Test-Language Arts
Acceptable =14 students (63.6%)
Standard of Excellence=3 students (13.6%)
Below Acceptable Standard=3 students (13.6%)
Language Arts Targets for 2006
An increase of 10% in the number of students at the Acceptable Standard in Reading
2005 there were 13 students out of the 18 students who wrote at the acceptable level (72.2%)
2006 –there were 14 students out of the 17 students who wrote at the acceptable level (82.4%)
Multi Year Grade 3 Mathematics
2004-2005 N= 18
Total Test-Mathematics
Acceptable=14 students (77.8%)
Standard of Excellence=3 students (16.7%)
Below Acceptable Standard = 4 students (22.2%)
2005-2006 N=17
Total Test –Mathematics
Acceptable=14 students (82.4%)
Standard of Excellence =3 students (17.6%)
Below Acceptable Standard = 3 students (18.6%)
Multi-Year Results – Grade 6 Language Arts
2004-2005 N=68
Total Test – Language Arts
Acceptable =62 students (91.2%)
Standard of Excellence = 2 students (11.6%)
Below Acceptable Standard=6 students (8.7%)
2005-2006 N= 43
Total Test – Language Arts
Acceptable = 38 students (88.4%)
Standard of Excellence =8 students (18.6%)
Below Acceptable Standard =5 students (11.6%)
Multi-Year Results – Grade 6 Mathematics
2004-2005 N=67
Total Test – Mathematics
Acceptable =62 students (89.9%)
Standard of Excellence=22 students (31.9%)
Below Acceptable Standard= 5 students (7.2%)
2005-2006 N=41
Total Test-Mathematics
Acceptable =38 students (70.4%)
Standard of Excellence =11 students (20.4%)
Below Acceptable Standard =3 students (5.6%)
Multi-Year Grade 6 Science
2004-2005 N=68
Total Test – Science
Acceptable=61 students (88.4%)
Standard of Excellence=19 students (27.5%)
Below Acceptable Standard=7 students (10.1%)
2005-2006 N=43
Total Test -Science
Acceptable=41 students (95.3%)
Standard of Excellence=18 students (41.9%)
Below Acceptable Standard =2 students (4.7%)
Science Targets for 2006
90% of the Gr. 6 students will meet the acceptable standard on the Science test.
2006 Results – Total Test 41 students (95.3%); Knowledge 42 students (97.7%); Skills 39 students (90.7%)
Multi-Year Grade 6 Social Studies
2004-2005 N=68
Total Test – Social Studies
Acceptable =91.3% (63 students)
Standard of Excellence=21.7% (15 students)
Below Acceptable Standard =7.2% (5 students)
2005-2006 N=44
Total Test – Social Studies
Acceptable=77.8% (42 students)
Standard of Excellence=22.2% (12 students)
Below Acceptable Standard =3.7% (2 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 area of Guided Writing
*AISI- staff PD to explore multiple literacies to support the students learnings
Future Plans
Future Plans continued
*Professional development for teachers in Multiple Literacies
*Focused work on writing by bringing in authors
*Implementing the Calgary Reads program for our younger students.