Provincial tests tell parents:

2. 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

3. 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 curriculum Benefits

4. Provincial tests tell Albertans: • how well Alberta students are learning the Alberta curriculum • which areas of the curriculum need improvement Benefits

5. Achievement Tests - Grade 3 English Language Arts Part A - Writing 70 minutes May Part B - Reading 60 minutes June Mathematics Timed Number Facts 6 minutes May Multiple Choice 60 minutes June

6. Achievement Tests - Grade 6 English Language Arts Part A - Writing 120 minutes May Part B - Reading 60 minutes June Mathematics Operations and Number Sense 30 minutes May Multiple Choice 60 minutes June Science Multiple Choice 60 minutes June Social Studies Multiple Choice 60 minutes June

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Teacher involvement • writing, revising and reviewing questions • setting standards • developing scoring guides • field testing • validating the tests • administering the tests • marking the tests

11. 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

12. 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

13. Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics

14. Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics

15. Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics Core Learning Outcomes • estimating mass • using a standard unit (kg)

16. Sample Question – Grade 6 Science

17. Sample Question – Grade 6 Science

18. 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

19. 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

20. School Results – Grade 3 Results

21. Grade 3 Writing • Writing

22. Participation Report • 13 students wrote both parts of the test • - 2 were ESL • - 3 were Special Education • - 8 were regular • - 1 student was absent • - 2 students were excused

23. School Results – Grade 6 Results

24. Grade 6 - Writing • Writing

25. Participation Report • 86 students wrote the tests • -33 were ESL* • -17 were Special Education • -37 were regular students • - 0 students were absent • - 6 students were excused

26. 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 looking deeper into curriculum using multiple literacies * a Mathematics goal in our 2007-2008 School Development Plan * student support team that provides ESL support and modified programming *teacher professional development focusing on writing and using multiple literacies and best practices in Mathematics Discussion

27. Areas for the School to focus on What are the areas requiring improvement? * Mathematics – skills, knowledge and multi-step problem solving *Writing is improving but still remains a focus *Reading for meaning; understanding main ideas/details; organization of ideas and relationships between form and content; associating meaning and synthesizing ideas (Informational, Narrative and Poetic)

28. Significant Factors What factors could be contributing to our students’ performance? *Increased number of ESL students and students with special needs *Number of students moving into the school throughout the year

29. Multi- Year Results – Grade 3 Language Arts 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%) 2006-2007 N=13 Total Test-Language Arts Acceptable =11 students (84.6%) Standard of Excellence=2 students (15.4%) Below Acceptable Standard=2 students (15.4%)

30. Gr. 3 Language Arts Targets for 2005-2007 • An increase 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%) 2007 – there were 11 students out of 13 students who wrote at the Acceptable Level (84.6%)

31. Multi Year Grade 3 Mathematics 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%) 2006-2007 N=13 Total Test–Mathematics Acceptable=10 students (76.9%) Standard of Excellence =2 students (15.4%) Below Acceptable Standard = 3 students (23.1%)

32. Gr. 3 Mathematics Targets for 2005-2007 • Working towards increasing the number of students at the Acceptable Standard in Mathematics 2005 there were 14 students out of 18 students at the Acceptable Level (73.7%) 2006 there were 14 students out of 17 students at the Acceptable Level (63.6%) 2007 there were 10 students out of 13 students at the Acceptable Level (62.6%)

33. Multi-Year Results – Grade 6 Language Arts 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%) 2006-2007 N= 86 Total Test – Language Arts Acceptable = 82 students (95.3%) Standard of Excellence =20 students (23.3%) Below Acceptable Standard =4 students (4.7%)

34. Gr. 6 Language Arts Targets for 2005-2007 • An increase in the number of students at the Acceptable Standard in Language Arts 2005 there were 62 students out of 68 students at the Acceptable Level (89.9%) 2006 there were 38 students out of 43 students at the Acceptable Level (70.4%) 2007 there were 82 students out of 86 students at the Acceptable Level (89.1%)

35. Multi-Year Results – Grade 6 Mathematics 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%) 2006-2007 N=86 Total Test-Mathematics Acceptable =73 students (84.9%) Standard of Excellence =20 students (23.3%) Below Acceptable Standard =13 students (15.1%)

36. Gr. 6 Mathematics Targets for 2005-2007 • An increase in the number of students at the Acceptable Level 2005 there were 62 students out of 67 students at the Acceptable Level (89.9%) 2006 there were 38 students out of 41 students at the Acceptable Level (70.4%) 2007 there were 73 students out of 86 students at the Acceptable Level (79.3%)

37. Multi-Year Grade 6 Science 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%) 2006-2007 N=86 Total Test -Science Acceptable=75 students (87.2%) Standard of Excellence=29 students (33.7%) Below Acceptable Standard =11 students (12.8%)

38. Gr. 6 Science Targets for 2005-2007 • An increase in the number of students at the Acceptable Level 2005 there were 61 students out of 68 students at the Acceptable Level (88.4%) 2006 there were 41 students out of 43 students at the Acceptable Level (75.9%) 2007 there were 75 students out of 86 students at the Acceptable Level (81.5%)

39. Multi-Year Grade 6 Social Studies 2005-2006 N=44 Total Test – Social Studies Acceptable=42 students (77.8%) Standard of Excellence=12 students (22.2%) Below Acceptable Standard =2 students (3.7%) 2006-2007 N=86 Total Test – Social Studies Acceptable=77 students (89.5%) Standard of Excellence=24 students (27.9%) Below Acceptable Standard =9 students (10.5%)

40. Gr. 6 Social Studies Targets for 2005-2007 • An increase in the number of students at the Acceptable Level 2005 there were 63 students out of 68 students at the Acceptable Level (91.3%) 2006 there were 42 students out of 44 students at the Acceptable Level (77.8%) 2007 there were 77 students out of 86 students at the Acceptable Level (83.7%)

41. 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

42. Future Plans • What plans address the areas requiring improvement and help students succeed? *Following the Class Size Initiative *Support in target area of Guided Writing and Mathematics *AISI Learning Leader and Professional Learning Communities at CJP will explore best practices in the area of writing and mathematics

43. Future Plans continued *Ongoing Professional Development in the areas of Multiple Literacies, Writing and Mathematics *Implementing the Calgary Reads program for our younger students.