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Two years ago, the Alberta Assessment Consortium (AAC) authored a discussion paper on the topic of public assurance. While the paper captured the context of the day, much has transpired in Alberta over the past two years.
In May 2013, changes to provincial assessments were announced. The provincial achievement tests (PATs) are being replaced with student learning assessments (SLAs), beginning with the Grade 3 pilot in September 2014.
- The new assessments will be administered at the beginning of the school year.
- The SLAs will be informative in nature—designed to provide information to teachers, students and parents about individual student strengths and areas for growth.
- The assessments will have a digital component, and information will be provided to the teacher within a very short time frame.
- There will also be a performance assessment component, designed to capture evidence of student learning that can’t be easily captured through other means. The performance component will be scored by the classroom teacher using rubrics and exemplars provided by Alberta Education.
There is no crystal ball. Two years ago, it was not possible to know exactly where the discussion would go. Some of what was advocated in the discussion paper has transpired; some has not. All in all, this promises to be an exciting time as we transition from the PATs to the SLAs.
This article proposes four key actions that will support the assessment transitions we seek within the context of a public assurance model. Excerpts from the original AAC discussion paper are referenced (shown in italics) along with a commentary providing linkage to the current context.
1. Expand the Range of Assessment Methods
Performance assessments are meaningful, real-life tasks that enable students to demonstrate what they know and can do in situations set in real world contexts. Performance tasks are well suited to assess skills such as reasoning, inquiry, issues analysis, problem solving, oral communication and digital and technological fluency. (p 9)
Within the public assurance landscape, performance assessment will be a preferred assessment method. Many learner outcomes can be assessed only through performance assessment. This statement is true for our current programs of study, and it will most assuredly be the case for the competency-focused curriculum of the future.
Performance assessments have the added benefit of deeply engaging students in their learning. Well-designed performance tasks respond to students’ need to have a real-life application for what they are learning. These tasks encourage innovation and problem solving, and require the application of critical thinking and metacognitive skills.
The inclusion of a performance component in the new SLA is a significant shift in provincial assessment. Perhaps the best way to help students prepare for this new dimension is to integrate performance assessment into the fabric of the classroom assessment plan. The AAC website (www.aac.ab.ca) contains a wealth of performance assessment tasks, based on high-priority Alberta learner outcomes. Many AAC performance tasks also provide instructional support and opportunities for formative assessment, thus providing balance within the assessment process.
However, teachers need to look beyond simply preparing for the SLA; the real benefit in the regular use of performance assessment will be found in seeing the opportunities for students to develop the three Es of Inspiring Education—helping them become engaged thinkers and ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit. AAC performance tasks are a natural fit and a time saver for busy teachers.
2. Explore New Ways to Capture, Record and Communicate Evidence of Student Learning
Expanding the range of assessment methods will also require exploring new ways to record, capture, collect and store the evidence of learning. Digital portfolios provide options that were simply unavailable in a previous era. Technology applications can be used to capture observations of students engaged in learning; record conversations with students about their learning; display student performances and products; and share student self-reflections about their learning thus providing multiple means for informing teacher professional judgment in regard to student achievement levels. (p 10)
Within the public assurance landscape, we will need to take a courageous look at the way we report student learning. Even today’s most technologically advanced student reporting systems still retain elements of traditional reporting structures.
What will communicating about student learning look like in the new world of Inspiring Education? What infrastructure will be required? What support will teachers and leaders require in order to manage the multifaceted collection of evidence of student learning?
We may have more questions than answers at this point because we are in uncharted territory and thus cannot rely on historical models. The answers may become evident as we experiment with technology applications and create our own exemplars of what it means to capture and interpret evidence of learning within a new curricular framework—and through the lens of teacher professional judgment.
While the focus of this article is on public assurance and that tends to place our focus on summative assessment, it should be remembered that the real benefits for student learning are found in formative assessment. Reporting structures must not be the proverbial tail wagging the dog.
3. Support the Assessment Capacity of Teachers and Leaders
Teacher professional learning opportunities would be provided to support teachers in the administration of the measures, development of protocols surrounding the use of exemplars of student work, as well as with strategies to promote strong literacy and numeracy practices. The professional learning component has the added benefit of enhancing assessment capacity across the province. (p 10)
Within the public assurance landscape and within the context of curriculum redesign, the breadth and depth of the shifts required to enact the vision of Inspiring Education will bring an element of “newness” to every educator in Alberta. Just as every new driver requires coaching and time to master new skills, so too will assessment expertise increase as teachers engage in purposeful, collaborative inquiry and work together over time to grapple with assessment questions and issues.
Professional learning opportunities will be essential in scoring the performance component of the new SLAs. Ruth Sutton offered the following comment in the 2012 AAC discussion paper.
The problem of variable interpretation of results is tackled by requiring teachers to share their expectations and evidence of learning, and then to ‘moderate’ their judgements, reaching a collective rather than an individual decision. (p 2)
While the quote above has application to the SLA, the need to support sound assessment practice goes beyond formal provincial assessments. Consistent with the essential conditions identified by Alberta’s Education Partners (2010), professional learning in assessment must be a key consideration in moving forward with curriculum redesign and through the scaling-up phase as new provincial programs of study are introduced. Any professional learning model must clearly support professional conversations and learning among teachers about the entirety of the learning/assessment process.
4. Involve the Community in the Conversation
Consistent with the province wide public consultation process that has occurred in recent years, the proposed public assurance model has the potential to provide credible evidence of student learning in regard to what Albertans value in their education system. It also has the potential to support teachers in building classroom assessment capacity, providing a focus on learning and growth for all who are involved in the process – students, educators, schools, communities and the province. The shift from external accountability to public assurance will serve to enhance Alberta’s position world-wide as a leader in the field of education and learning. (p 16)
Within the public assurance landscape, we leave our communities behind at our peril! For the past few years, system leaders in Alberta have been engaged in conversations about Inspiring Education, and while there has been extensive conversation with various stakeholders, our reach has not yet been wide enough. The current public debate in social media reveals a wide range of strong opinions on various educational issues, providing evidence that the conversation about the impact of Inspiring Education is only just beginning. Purposeful ways must be found to help communities understand the shifts and the benefits of a new system.
Looking Ahead
There is much to celebrate as Alberta moves toward a new model of provincial assessment with enhanced classroom assessment practices consistent with the vision of Inspiring Education.
Is it possible to design alternative assessments that can both support learning and at the same time, assure the public that Alberta students are receiving a high quality, world class education? It is the view of the Alberta Assessment Consortium (AAC) that it is not only possible, but highly desirable. Assessment authors and researchers from around the world agree. (p 3)
After many years of preparation, we are now in a position to be able to create a public assurance system that more closely matches our preferred future. Just imagine the possibilities for Alberta students!
Bibliography
Alberta Assessment Consortium. 2012. A New Look at Public Assurance: Imagine the Possibilities for Alberta Students. Edmonton, Alta: Alberta Assessment Consortium.
Alberta Education. n.d. Student Learning Assessments; sla_update_winter2014pdf. Available at http://education.alberta.ca/department/ipr/curriculum/student-learning-assessments.aspx (accessed February 2, 2014).
Alberta’s Education Partners. 2010. A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions. Edmonton, Alta: Alberta’s Education Partners.
Sherry Bennett is the executive director of the Alberta Assessment Consortium.
