Standards for Evaluation

Objective

Ensure understanding of the responsibilities for student evaluation as outlined in the Education Act and in Board Policy GK.BP - Student Assessment, Achievement and Growth.

Responsibility

The Education Act requires:

1. the Board of Trustees to give students the opportunity to meet the standards of education set out by the Minister of Education by providing policy direction to the Superintendent of Schools and holding the Superintendent of Schools accountable for policy implementation;
2. the Superintendent of Schools, as the Chief Educational Officer, to give students the opportunity to meet the standards of education set out by the Minister of Education and to implement the Board of Trustees’ policy as it relates to this responsibility by establishing an administrative regulation that assigns responsibility for various aspects of policy implementation;
3. the principal to ensure that students are given the opportunity to meet the standards of education as set out by the Minister of Education and to supervise the evaluation and advancement of students; and
4. teachers to give students the opportunity to meet the standards of education set out by the Minister of Education and to regularly evaluate students and periodically report results of the evaluation to the student, their parents/guardians and the principal. 

Regulation

1. Evaluation of student learning must be valid and reliable.
   
   
2. Teachers must ensure that professional judgments about student achievement and performance are based on:
   1. appropriate programming;
   2. clearly stated curricular or Individualized Program Plan (IPP) outcomes, criteria and standards;
   3. the use of a variety of assessment strategies;
   4. direct evidence of student work completed; and
   5. the student’s most consistent level of achievement against a broad range of learner outcomes, with consideration given to the most relevant evidence.
3. Teachers must provide: 
   1. opportunities for parents/guardians to be engaged as partners in their child’s learning;
   2. multiple opportunities and ways for students to demonstrate their learning; and
   3. timely and ongoing communication.
4. Principals must work with their teachers to comply with the following:
   1. evidence of student achievement has been collected by the teacher;
   2. communication plans for reporting student achievement and growth to parents/guardians are developed and aligned with school-wide assessment and intervention plans;
   3. a student has been given multiple opportunities and ways to demonstrate his/her learning;
   4. follow up has occurred to determine the reason when a summative assessment item (assignment, test, project, etc.) is missing or incomplete, and that opportunities for the student to fulfill the requirement of the summative assessment item (assignment, test, project, etc.) are provided;
   5. if the student continues to be unsuccessful, the student/parents/guardians will be informed and the teacher will solicit a solution in consultation with the student’s parents/guardians to hold the student accountable and/or plan for further learning;
   6. teachers will engage in ongoing, timely communication with parents/guardians/students and the principal regarding missing or incomplete work; and
   7. providing 4. b−f have been followed, the teacher can assign the student a mark of zero for that missed summative assessment item (assignment, test, project, etc.).
5. To determine a grade/mark for a student at the end of each reporting period, teachers use their professional judgment based on all relevant evidence.
   
   The following table provides the grade/mark descriptors to be used for students in Grades 1 – 9.  For students in Grades 10 – 12, percentages will be the only grade/mark descriptors used for formal reporting.
   
   

   Written Performance Descriptors	Letters	Percentages
   The student has demonstrated exemplary performance in relation to the learner outcomes.	A	80 - 100
   The student has demonstrated proficient performance in relation to the learner outcomes.	B	65 - 79
   The student has demonstrated adequate performance in relation to the learner outcomes.	C	50 - 64
   The student has demonstrated limited performance in relation to the learner outcomes.	D	0 - 49

   
   If not enough evidence has been collected from the student for the teacher to make a summative evaluation of the student’s learning, the principal/designate, in consultation with the teacher, may assign an appropriate code as per the Guide to Education.

6. The Superintendent of Schools will, from time to time, prescribe Division standards for communicating student achievement and growth.

References