Any language arts evaluations should give students opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do with language, and should be seen as invitations to show what students have learned in a context that has significance to them. These evaluations should be culturally sensitive, be appropriate to the task at hand, and require students to perform, create, or produce something.
Evaluation should become the tool for planning and teaching. Students should be asked to evaluate their own learning and to set goals for future learning.
When students use language in meaningful situations to accomplish specific goals, consideration should be given to the content and the process that the students use to accomplish the final product (content + process = product). Teachers should consider each aspect when they are evaluating students' work to arrive at a judgement (e.g., student needs scaffolding support for comprehending main ideas) or to determine a percentage or letter grade (e.g., 78% or B+). For example, if students were involved in a project that included research, teachers might consider students' ideas (what knowledge they learned and shared), the strategies and procedures they used to find and share their ideas (e.g., inquiry process, writing process), and the quality of the final product (e.g., written, oral, and visual aspects of their final reports or presentations).
| Content Evaluation | Process Evaluation | Product Evaluation |
| Evaluates the knowledge of students | Evaluates the actions, behaviours, skills, or strategies of students | Evaluates primarily the artifacts that students create to demonstrate their understanding of language content and processes |
The data collected on assessment forms can be used to evaluate students' progress.
| Assessment Techniques | Description | Evaluation |
| Observations, Checklists, and Anecdotal Records | Teacher observes students for interests, responses, and interactions. | Judgements are based on collected information. |
| Conversations, Conferences, and Interviews | Teacher talks with students. | Judgements are based on conference data. |
| Retellings and Journals | Teacher asks students to retell main ideas, details, or story, or to give responses. | Judgements are based on data collected with rubrics, rating scales, or checklists. |
| Inventories and Running Records | Teacher documents what students say and do as they read, listen, or view. | Teacher often scores or analyzes for miscues and comprehen-sion. |
| Performance Tasks, Projects, Demonstra-tions, and Informal "Tests" | Teacher and students assess responses and products. | Judgements are based on rubrics, rating scales, or anecdotal notes. |
| Folders and Portfolios | Teacher and students assess portfolio contents. | Judgements are based on items chosen from portfolios. |
Folders and Portfolios
Folders and portfolios are collections of students' work that exhibit the individual "student's efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting the contents, the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of students' self-reflection" (Paulson, 1991). Portfolios can be placed in three-ring binders or folders and students can have regular scheduled times to update their portfolios.
Folders and portfolios can be an important part of the assessment and evaluation process. These tools also help students become more accountable, more independent, and more responsible for their learning. Folders and portfolios can assist in reporting, and can be used as a basis for conversation between the teacher, the student, and the parent.
Students can also take time to reflect on what they have achieved, what they are including in their portfolios, and the goals that they have set for themselves. Folders and portfolios can include a number of work samples that reflect the objectives of the curriculum, the students' processes and products, and self-evaluations (including personal achievements and goals). After a parent-student-teacher conference, parent comments can be added.
Typically, a kindergarten, grade 1, or grade 2 folder or portfolio might include:
Typically, a grade 3, 4, or 5 folder or portfolio might include:
In addition, the folder or portfolio might include additional assessment forms (e.g., rubrics, checklists, rating scales) and reflections about the portfolio samples, such as the following:
Name:
Date:
Portfolio Sample:
Comments on Sample:
Teacher, student, and parents can use portfolios as a continuous review of students' progress. Portfolios can help everyone see what the students know and can do, what they have learned, and what they need to learn. Having students keep a table of contents and planning time for them to use and review their portfolios regularly (e.g., every week) ensure that students develop the habit of evaluating their own work and making decisions about how they can move forward. Samples and reflections accumulated over a certain period help build a shared vision of progress.
Quizzes and Tests
When developed to complement instruction, informal classroom quizzes and tests can be used judiciously to determine if the objectives for a unit are being met and to set future instructional goals. Any quiz or test should reflect the type of tasks students have been doing in class, and students should understand the purpose and the format of the assessment before they encounter it. Quizzes and tests are appropriate for the upper grade levels of the Elementary Level.
Report cards are a part of school communication with parents. Although report card formats vary across the province, there is usually space for a letter, number grade, check mark, or comments in language arts or particular language arts strands (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing). These grades or marks are often complemented with anecdotal information (teacher comments), portfolio samples, and parent-student-teacher interviews. Regular reporting can be supported further with regular newsletters to parents that describe the units of study, the activities students are involved in, and the skills and strategies students are learning.
How teachers determine grades, marks, or comments should be based on the objectives and reflect the knowledge, process, and product evaluations used throughout a reporting period. Sample student progress reports and a sample letter for a student-led conference are provided on the following pages. Teachers are encouraged to adapt these samples to suit their purposes.