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 processes 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

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 Sense May

Multiple Choice June

60 minutes

30 minutes

60 minutes

English Language Arts

ScienceMultiple Choice June60 minutes

Social Studies

Multiple Choice June60 minutes

Achievement Tests - Grade 9

Part A - Writing 120 minutes

May

Part B - Reading June

Mathematics Multiple Choice June

75 minutes

90 minutes

ScienceMultiple Choice June75 minutes

Social StudiesMultiple Choice June75 minutes

English Language Arts

Achievement Tests - French

Partie A – Production écrite 120 minutes

May

Partie B - Lecture June

French Language Arts – Grade 9 Parite A – Production écrite May

Partie B - Lecture June

60 minutes

120 minutes

75 minutes

French Language Arts – Grade 6

Students in Francophone and French Immersion programs write the French language arts tests in addition to the English language arts tests. These students also write the translated versions of the mathematics, science and social studies tests.

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

Sample Question – Grade 9 Social Studies

From Clewson, Elmer U. Our Economy: How It Works. Menlo Park, Calif.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1980. Used on the Internet with permission of Dr. Elmer U. Clawson.

Sample Question – Grade 9 Social Studies

From Clewson, Elmer U. Our Economy: How It Works. Menlo Park, Calif.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1980. Used on the Internet with permission of Dr. Elmer U. Clawson.

Sample Question – Grade 9 Social Studies

Core Learning Outcome

Interpreting information to determine the main idea.

From Clewson, Elmer U. Our Economy: How It Works. Menlo Park, Calif.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1980. Used on the Internet with permission of Dr. Elmer U. Clawson.

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

School Targets

SchoolResults

2004Provincial

Results

English Language Arts

Acceptable

90.2%

Excellence 16.7%

Mathematics Acceptable

89.2%

Excellence 29.9%

School Results – Grade 6

Results

School Targets

SchoolResults

2004Provincial

Results

English Language Arts

Acceptable

87.0%

Excellence 17.0%

Mathematics Acceptable

86.2%

Excellence 23.3%

Science Acceptable

88.3%

Excellence 28.8%

Social Studies Acceptable

86.4%

Excellence 21.7%

School Results – Grade 9

Results

School Targets

SchoolResults

2004Provincial

Results

English Language Arts

Acceptable

88.9%

Excellence 14.2%

Mathematics Acceptable

75.4%

Excellence 21.5%

Science Acceptable

75.2%

Excellence 13.6%

Social Studies Acceptable

82.6%

Excellence 22.6%

Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff

What are the strengths of our instructional programs?

What are the areas requiring improvement?

Discussion

Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff

What trends in achievement test results can we identify for our school over the past five years?

What factors could be contributing to our students’ performance?

Discussion

Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff

What are our school achievement targets for this year?

What plans can we develop to address the areas requiring improvement and to help students to do their best?

Discussion