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 processes 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 Part A - Writing70 minutesMay Part B - ReadingJune Mathematics Timed Number FactsMay Multiple ChoiceJune 60 minutes 6 minutes 60 minutes English Language Arts

6. Achievement Tests - Grade 6 Part A - Writing120 minutesMay Part B - ReadingJune Mathematics Operations and Number SenseMay Multiple ChoiceJune 60 minutes 30 minutes 60 minutes English Language Arts Science Multiple ChoiceJune60 minutes Social Studies Multiple ChoiceJune60 minutes

7. Achievement Tests - Grade 9 Part A - Writing120 minutesMay Part B - ReadingJune Mathematics Multiple ChoiceJune 75 minutes 90 minutes Science Multiple ChoiceJune75 minutes Social Studies Multiple ChoiceJune75 minutes English Language Arts

8. Achievement Tests - French Partie A – Production écrite120 minutesMay Partie B - LectureJune French Language Arts – Grade 9 Parite A – Production écriteMay Partie B - LectureJune 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics

17. Core Learning Outcomes estimating mass using a standard unit (kg)

18. Sample Question – Grade 6 Science

20. Core Learning Outcomes Air, Aerodynamics and Flight theory Identify elevators as the structure of an airplane that controls its descent

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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

25. School Results – Grade 3 Results School Targets School Results 2004 Provincial Results English Language ArtsAcceptable90.2% Excellence16.7% MathematicsAcceptable89.2% Excellence29.9%

26. School Results – Grade 6 Results School Targets School Results 2004 Provincial Results English Language ArtsAcceptable87.0% Excellence17.0% MathematicsAcceptable86.2% Excellence23.3% ScienceAcceptable88.3% Excellence28.8% Social StudiesAcceptable86.4% Excellence21.7%

27. School Results – Grade 9 Results School Targets School Results 2004 Provincial Results English Language ArtsAcceptable88.9% Excellence14.2% MathematicsAcceptable75.4% Excellence21.5% ScienceAcceptable 75.2% Excellence13.6% Social StudiesAcceptable82.6% Excellence22.6%

28. Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff What are the strengths of our instructional programs? What are the areas requiring improvement? Discussion

29. 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

30. 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