Our Moral Purpose | ||||||||||
As Catholic Educators in Ontario we are called by virtue of our beliefs, traditions, Catholic Social Teachings and by the Catholic Graduate Expectations to foster the search for knowledge as a lifelong spiritual and academic quest. Our goal is to develop students who are:
These skills, values, attitudes and actions are even more critical for students navigating the challenges of the 21st Century. To be successful in our quest, we must embrace the most effective methods of teaching and learning available to us for our students.
Research has clearly demonstrated that good assessment practices have the highest impact on improving student achievement of any strategy ever studied. For this reason, in the Durham Catholic District School Board we are committed to building the collective capacity of our learning community to implement the most current, and effective assessment strategies.
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Assessment and Student Success | ||||||||||
THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION IS TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING.(Growing Success)The Seven Fundamental PrinciplesTo ensure that assessment, evaluation, and reporting are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of learning for all students, teachers use practices and procedures that:
How can assessment improve student well-being and achievement?
#1. Use assessment to inform instructional decisions in the classroom and school.
When educators use reliable tools to collect data about student learning at the beginning of a learning cycle they can use that information to inform their planning and instructional decisions. When reviewing data gathered educators can answer questions such as:
Conducting diagnostic assessments at midpoints in the learning cycle helps educators to make appropriate adjustments to instruction. Conducting such assessments near the end of learning cycles assists in evaluating and reflecting upon the teaching and learning that has taken place.
#2. Use assessment to motivate students to continue to try and to learn.
Student motivation to continue to try is a critical aspect of effective assessment. Contrary to popular belief, students are not motivated to work harder by low or failing grades unless they are confident that they can improve. It is therefore important for educators to be mindful of conducting and using assessment in a way that will encourage a productive response from students. The emotional reaction of students to assessment results will determine what the student does next. As educators in the 21st Century we want students to adopt a growth mindset to ensure their ongoing success.
“Our goal as educators is to ensure each student achieves a minimum of a years growth in a year of schooling. When students are not progressing as expected — closer monitoring and investigation should take place.” – Tracy Barill, Director of Education |
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What does the Policy Say | ||||||||||
WHAT ARE THE MINISTRY AND BOARD ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION AND REPORTING POLICIES THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED? Secondary School Educators in the Durham Catholic District School Board must be familiar with and adhere to the following policies regarding assessment, evaluation and reporting:
Specific and important aspects of these Ministry and Board policies and Program/Policy Memoranda are highlighted in this document.
COMMUNICATION OF LEARNING Although there are designated formal reporting periods, communication with parents and students about student achievement should be continuous throughout the year, by means such as ongoing descriptive feedback through assessment for, as and of learning; parent-student-teacher conferences; portfolios of student work; student-led conferences; phone calls and informal reports.
A student’s level of achievement should never come as a surprise to a parent/guardian. |
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Assessment For Learning | ||||||||||
Assessment for Learning is the ongoing process of gathering and interpreting evidence about student learning for the purpose of determining where students are in their learning, where they need to go and how to best get there.
Assessment for learning is a high yield instructional strategy that takes place while the student is still learning and serves to promote learning. Diagnostic Assessment is an essential part of Assessment for Learning. Diagnostic assessments help teachers determine where individual students are in the acquisition of knowledge and skills so that instruction can be personalized and tailored to provide the appropriate next steps for learning.
Ontario Ministry of Education PPM 155 — Use of Diagnostic Tools in Support of Student Learning: Teachers will use their professional judgement, as defined in Growing Success, when selecting and using diagnostic assessment tools. Teachers must utilize diagnostic assessment during the school year, selecting tools from the board’s approved list. In selecting and using diagnostic assessment tools from the board’s list, teachers shall determine the following:
In using diagnostic assessment tools, teachers will ensure that:
Students with Special Needs The IEP is a working document. In order to improve student learning and achievement, it is important to review and revise the IEP on a regular basis to ensure its effectiveness. This process must be ongoing and not limited to reporting periods.
The use of diagnostic assessment data is key to supporting the creation of honourable, realistic, and achievable goals within the IEP. Teachers are expected to include current diagnostic assessment data on the IEP:
Parents must be given a copy of the IEP, or revised pages, whenever a revision is made.
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Assessment As Learning | ||||||||||
When teachers employ the use of Assessment as Learning strategies (i.e., co-construction of learning goals and success criteria and the provision of timely, descriptive feedback) they support and develop student metacognition. These strategies engage students in monitoring their own learning, using feed- back to determine next steps and setting individual learning goals. This is a productive response. |
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Assessment Of Learning | ||||||||||
Growing Success provides a comprehensive and positive approach to instruction, assessment, evaluation and reporting which needs to be read in its entirety and discussed in order to be fully understood. The following points are being offered as specific highlights that should be noted by all educators:
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Board Approved Diagnostic Assessments | ||||||||||
NUMERACY
Tool: Intermediate Assessment for Learning Documents
Ideally, these should be given to the students in the first week of the course. Teachers can begin with the Thinking tasks. Students should work at vertical non-permanent surfaces in groups of 3 on each of these tasks. Teachers can circulate around the groups and use conversations and observations to help inform them of where their students are. After each task is finished, teachers should make a note of the approximate level of Thinking for each student (using the guidelines provided).
These tools are not meant to be a placement test. Teachers can update these results (based on conversations, observations and products) throughout the semester. Although this diagnostic tool would typically be administered through the Math department, sharing the results of this diagnostic with other departments, particularly those who have a strong numeracy component, is encouraged.
Tool: Brightspace (Virtual Learning Environment by D2L) Teachers can select a variety of questions from different strands and achievement charts categories from the Primary, Junior and Grade 9 EQAO Mathematics tests. These questions can be used to help assess students’ prior knowledge as they begin a unit.
LITERACY A number of formal and informal diagnostic tools have been used by secondary school teachers across the Board. Based on individual student behaviours/needs, teachers may gather valuable student data to inform instruction through use of any of the following:
Teachers are encouraged to access the Board website (Teaching and Learning page) or contact their Teaching and Learning Consultants for more information on the appropriate use and potential benefits of any of the assessments listed.
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Important Dates for 2023-2024 School Year | ||||||||||
First Semester IEPs Sent Home by: October 19, 2023 Parent Teacher Interviews: Week of October 16 2023 Half-Credit Courses (Careers/Civics) End Date: Friday November 3 2023 Mid-term Marks: Friday November 3 2023 (to Chairs); Tuesday November 7 2023 (to Administration) Electronic Report Card Distribution: Friday November 10, 2022 Final Marks: Tuesday February 6 2024 (to Chairs); Thursday February 8 2024 (to Administration) Electronic Report Card Distribution: Monday February 12 2024 Transmission to OCAS/OUAC by ICT: Thursday February 15 2024 Grade 9 Mathematics Assessment Semester 1 - January 11 2023 - February 3 2024 Semester 2 - June 7 2024 - June 28 2024 OSSLT Semester 1 - November 2 2023 - December 7 2024 Semester 2 - March 1 2024 - April 26 2024
Second Semester IEPs Sent Home by: March 22 2024 Parent Teacher Interviews: Week of March 18 2024 Half-Credit Courses (Careers/Civics) End Date: Friday April 12 2024 Mid-term Marks: Friday April 12 2024 (to Chairs); Tuesday April 16 2024 (to Administration) Electronic Report Card Distribution: Friday April 19 2024 Final Marks: Tuesday June 25 2024 (to Chairs); Tuesday June 25 2024 (to Administration) Electronic Report Card Distribution: , Friday June 28 2024 Transmission to OCAS/OUAC by ICT: Thursday July 4 2024 |
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Exam Days and 30% Final Evaluation | ||||||||||
Designated exam days are stated below. The mark breakdown for courses must be based on 70% formative assessments and 30% summative assessments. “This (formative) portion of the grade should reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration should be given to more recent evidence of achievement” (Growing Success, p. 41). And… “Thirty percent of the grade will be based on a final evaluation administered at or towards the end of the course… will be based on evidence from one or a combination of the following: an examination, a performance, an essay, and/or another method of evaluation suitable to the course content. The final evaluation will allow the student an opportunity to demonstrate comprehensive achievement of the overall expectations for the course” (Growing Success, p. 41). Secondary Exam Schedule – Semester One Wednesday January 24, 2024 – Period 1 Thursday January 25, 2024 – Period 2 Friday January 26, 2024 – Period 3 Monday January 29, 2024 – Period 4 Tuesday January 30, 2024 – Conflict day
Secondary Exam Schedule – Semester Two Wednesday June 19, 2024 – Period 1 Thursday June 20, 2024 – Period 2 Friday June 21, 2024 – Period 3 Monday June 24, 2023 – Period 4 Tuesday June 25, 2024 – Conflict day |