Assessment and Evaluation
Assessment and evaluation of student learning at PCA is conducted in accordance with the Ontario Ministry of Education (2010) “Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools” seven fundamental principles:
1. are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students.
2. support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Metis, or Inuit.
3. are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles, preferences, needs, and experiences of all students.
4. are communicated clearly to students at the beginning of each course.
5. are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning.
6. provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement.
7. develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.
Assessment
Assessment is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources (including assignments, demonstrations, projects, performances, and tests) that accurately reflect how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject or course. The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning”. Information gathered through assessment helps teachers to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in their achievement of the overall curriculum expectations in each course. This information also serves to guide teachers in adapting curriculum and instructional approaches to students’ needs and in assessing the overall effectiveness of programs and classroom practices.
As part of assessment for learning, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback that guides their efforts towards improvement. Descriptive feedback helps students learn by providing them with specific information about what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and what specific steps they can take to improve. Multiple opportunities for feedback and follow-up are provided during a student’s course to allow for improvement in learning prior to assessment of learning (evaluation).
Evaluation
Evaluation refers to the process of judging the quality of student work on the basis of established criteria and assigning a value to represent that quality. In Ontario secondary schools, the value assigned will be in the form of a percentage grade. Although all curriculum expectations in a course are accounted for in instruction, student evaluations focus solely on a student’s achievement of the overall curriculum expectations in his or her course. Evidence of student achievement for evaluation is collected over the duration of a course and is based on observations, conversations, and student products. Evaluation is based on assessment of learning that provides evidence of student achievement at strategic times throughout each course, typically at the end of a module of study.
Examples of Strategies for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Performance
Assessment as Learning | Assessment for Learning | Assessment of Learning |
The student completes a short true/false quiz on a lesson recently completed. The results provide valuable feedback for the student to reflect on, and opportunities to advocate for, their own learning. The student can retry the quiz many times. | The student completes an assignment for a part of a unit that is graded by the instructor for a mark. The instructor gives feedback on the student’s progress and may adjust future learning activities where necessary. | The student completes an online multiple-choice test at the end of the unit. |
The student reviews a video presentation by another student. The presenting student will use the comments to reflect on their own learning and progress and seek advice and guidance from the course instructor. | The student prepares a short video presentation on a piece of research completed. The instructor assesses the presentation and provides additional instruction for the student’s further learning. | The student prepares an essay for submission and it is graded by the instructor according to the Success Criteria defined for the Learning Goals for that particular topic. |
The instructor assigns a unique short exercise to a particular student based on that student’s performance so far. The instructor uses the exercise to help identify areas of strength and need for that student and provides feedback to the student. The student will comment on the feedback. | The student is assigned a topic to research and the work is presented in the course forum. The instructor provides valuable feedback on the student’s progress through that particular block of instruction. Students reading the forum can also gain insights into their own learning. | The student completes an end of unit assignment and the instructor assesses the work relative to the specific learning expectations. |
International Student Assessment
Before we can begin your enrolment please be advised that all international students require an Equivalency or PLAR assessment (including PCA English competency test and subject matter testing for course-level placement).