An external review recommends that the provincial student assessment program should continue in its present format and offers suggestions to strengthen student learning.
The review, conducted in the fall of 2018 by RMJ Assessment, indicates that overall, the program is functioning well, and the current practices provide a strong foundation upon which to build and refine the program.
“Since the assessment program was implemented 10 years ago, Island students have made tremendous gains,” said Education, Early Learning and Culture Minister Jordan Brown. “Teachers and staff have used the data to set school goals, plan interventions and bring precision to teaching. These recommendations will help us to ensure that Prince Edward Island continues to be one of the highest achieving provinces in Canada.”
Minister Brown said the report has been widely shared with educators and stakeholders. All recommendations will be considered carefully and many recommendations will be acted on immediately.
“We will be bringing groups together soon to plan how we can improve assessment of secondary literacy, communication with stakeholders, and supports to ensure that as many students as possible can participate in provincial assessments,” the minister said. “The feedback from individuals and groups will be used to improve the assessment process and the student experience.”
In 2017, the provincial government in its Speech from the Throne called for a review of the province’s overall approach to student assessments in order to stay current with best practices and reflective of the overall needs of learners.
Visit the Review of Prince Edward Island’s Provincial Common Assessment Program and Report Highlights.
Media contact:
Jean Doherty
Senior Communications Officer
Education, Early Learning and Culture
jmdoherty@gov.pe.ca 902-314-5702
Backgrounder
The main findings of the report include:
- Continue with assessments to students in Grades 3 and 6;
- Continue with the reading assessment in Grade 3 and the reading and writing assessment in Grade 5 to French Immersion students;
- Continue with provincial math assessments in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 11;
- Reintroduce a language arts or literacy assessment in Grades 9 or 10;
- Continue with provincial assessments to all students annually toward the end of the school year, and at the end of each semester for semestered courses;
- Develop a framework document and a communications plan to clearly explain the purpose of the program, the intent of the various reports, how the reports can be interpreted, and what follow-up can be taken to to improve student learning;
- Establish firm guidelines for student exemptions, monitor implementation and look into expanding adaptations for students taking the assessments;
- Continue participation in the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA);
- Review priorities regarding assessment staffing needs and hire French Immersion staff to manage the primary and elementary assessments.
The report indicates that PEI’s assessment program is consistent with models used in most Canadian jurisdictions and notable countries.
The review process included data and document reviews and Canadian and international jurisdictional scans. More than 1200 parents, teachers, staff, partners and the public took part in an online survey.
Hundreds of parents, students, principals, teachers and learning partners took part in focus groups.
Approximately 25 department staff took part in interviews, as well as representatives of the PEI Teacher’s Federation, Holland College, UPEI, PEI Home and School Federation, Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, La Commission scolaire de langue francaise, Lennox Island First Nation and the Mi’kmaq Confederacy.