ASSESSMENT & REPORTING

Background

This Administrative Procedure includes objectives and principles for assessing and reporting student progress.  It provides an overview of District and Ministry philosophies of how assessment and reporting can support student learning. 

Procedures

1. The primary goal of student assessment is to provide authentic and timely feedback to support student growth and teacher instruction.
2. Students and parents have the right to ongoing assessment and reporting information that provides an authentic understanding of student strengths and learning needs.
3. The Principal, in consultation with the staff, is responsible for the development of overall school procedures on the assessment, and reporting of student learning.
4. The District is responsible for ensuring that school assessment procedures reflect District values and comply with the School Act and Ministerial Orders.
5. The school and District are required to review information about student assessment and reporting to determine future directions for staff professional development and strategies to support student learning.
6. Assessment shall:
   1. Reflect the BC Ministry of Education Curriculum
   2. Use multiple strategies to gather assessment information that are appropriate for students’ developmental backgrounds, including their cultural and linguistic backgrounds
   3. Make the purpose of the assessment clear to the learner
   4. Be accessible to all learners, including those with unique needs
   5. Include assessment ‘of’ and ‘for’ learning
   6. Incorporate the option of student self-assessment and reflection
7. Reporting shall:
   1. Occur five times per year (3 formal and 2 informal) as stipulated by the School Act.  Decisions about the timing of reports may be made at the school level
   2. Include information about learning behaviors and academic progress
8. Elementary/Middle
   1. Students will be assessed using the Ministry proficiency scale.
   2. Principals have the option of sending formal reports electronically or by paper.
   3. Report card comments are to provide information about what the student is able to do, areas of future growth as well as ways to support the student in their learning.
   4. Students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are to receive comments that directly relate to the goals in their IEP.  They will be assessed with the use of letter grades/proficiency scale.
   5. Where it is determined that a student requires substantial course/program modification, alternative forms of communication that may not involve letter grades/proficiency scale are to be employed.
   6. Proficiency scale assessments are to be based solely on student achievement in relation to curricular competencies and do not include learning behaviors.
   7. Information about learning behaviors is to be embedded into comments.
   8. Final assessments based on the proficiency scale are to documented on the student personal record card by the classroom teacher.
   9. Letter grades for students in grades 4-8 will not be documented but can be communicated to parents orally upon request.
   10. The practices of age-appropriate placement and promotion with intervention are supported in Elementary and Middle schools.When students struggle, the school- based learning services team will meet to determine a support plan and where appropriate the creation of an IEP.
   11. “Incomplete” (I) may be used at any time to indicate that additional time is needed for the student to meet the learning objectives.This is to be accompanied by a written plan to document the learning needed.Parents must be informed.
   12. “Standing Granted” (SG) may be used when completion of normal requirements is not possible and a sufficient level of learning has occurred to warrant, consistent with the best interests of the student e.g., serious illness, hospitalization, late entry, or early leaving.‘Standing Granted’ may only be granted by the Principal.
9. Secondary
   1. Formal reports shall be completed using the MyEducation platform.
   2. Students in grade 9 are to receive letter grades based on BC Ministry of Education Guidelines.
   3. Students in grade 10/11/12 are to receive percentages based on BC Ministry of Education Guidelines.
   4. Letter grades and percentages are to be based solely on student achievement in relation to curricular competencies and are not to include learning behaviors.
   5. Comments are to provide information about what the student is able to do, areas of future growth and ways to support the student in their learning.
   6. Students with IEPs are to receive comments that directly relate to the goals in their IEP.  They are to be assessed with the use of letter grades/proficiency scale.
   7. Where it is determined that a student requires substantial course/program modification, alternative forms of communication that may not involve letter grades/proficiency scale are to be employed.
   8. Information about learning behaviors are to be embedded into comments.
   9. Final assessments based on the proficiency scale are to be documented on the student personal record card by the classroom teacher.
   10. “Incomplete” (I) may be used at any time to indicate that additional time is needed for the student to meet the learning objectives.  It is to be accompanied by a written plan to document the learning needed.  Parents must be informed.
   11. “Standing Granted” (SG) may be used when completion of normal requirements is not possible and a sufficient level of learning has occurred to warrant, consistent with the best interests of the student e.g., serious illness, hospitalization, late entry, or early leaving.‘Standing Granted’ may only be granted by the Principal.