Provincial tests tell parents:
 how their child compares against
provincial standards
 whether the child is learning what he or
she is expected to learn
Benefits
Provincial tests help schools:
 monitor student progress in relation to
school achievement targets
 improve classroom instructional processes
by identifying relative strengths and
weaknesses
 develop action plans to increase student
understanding in specific areas of the
curriculum
Benefits
Provincial tests tell Albertans:
 how well Alberta students are learning the
Alberta curriculum
 which areas of the curriculum need
improvement
Benefits
Achievement Tests - Grade 3
English Language Arts
Part A - Writing
70 minutes
May
Part B - Reading
60 minutes
June
6 minutes
May
60 minutes
June
Mathematics
Timed Number Facts
Multiple Choice
Achievement Tests - Grade 6
English Language Arts
Part A - Writing
120 minutes
May
Part B - Reading
60 minutes
June
Operations and Number Sense
30 minutes
May
Multiple Choice
60 minutes
June
60 minutes
June
60 minutes
June
Mathematics
Science
Multiple Choice
Social Studies
Multiple Choice
Achievement Tests - Grade 9
English Language Arts
Part A - Writing
120 minutes
May
Part B - Reading
75 minutes
June
90 minutes
June
75 minutes
June
75 minutes
June
Mathematics
Multiple Choice
Science
Multiple Choice
Social Studies
Multiple Choice
Achievement Tests - French
French Language Arts – Grade 6
Partie A – Production écrite
Partie B - Lecture
120 minutes
May
60 minutes
June
French Language Arts – Grade 9
Parite A – Production écrite
Partie B - Lecture
120 minutes
May
75 minutes
June
Students in Francophone and French Immersion programs write the French
language arts tests in addition to the English language arts tests. These
students also write the translated versions of the mathematics, science and
social studies tests.
Tips for parents
 achievement tests are like any other test
 excessive test rehearsals and coaching
should be discouraged
 one way parents can help their children is
by supporting their development of strong
reading skills
Achievement tests
 achievement tests are aligned with the
curriculum
 the best preparation for achievement tests
is classroom instruction based on the full
range of learning outcomes in the Alberta
curriculum
Test accommodations
 may include larger print, Braille,
audiotapes, a scribe, more time
 help students with special test writing
needs do their best
 are aligned with daily instructional
practice as outlined in the individual
program plan
Teacher involvement
 writing, revising and reviewing questions
 setting standards
 developing scoring guides
 field testing
 validating the tests
 administering the tests
 marking the tests
Use of test results
 no single test can assess everything
 large scale provincial testing is intended
for use in conjunction with classroom
assessment strategies
 the clearest picture of student growth and
development is gained when a wide variety
of assessment information is considered
Report cards
 the teacher is responsible for classroom
assessment
 teachers and school jurisdictions decide
whether or not to use the results for the
students’ final grades
Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics
Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics
Sample Question – Grade 3 Mathematics
Core Learning Outcomes

estimating mass

using a standard
unit (kg)
Sample Question – Grade 6 Science
Sample Question – Grade 6 Science
Sample Question – Grade 6 Science
Core Learning Outcomes

Air, Aerodynamics and
Flight theory

Identify elevators as
the structure of an
airplane that controls
its descent
Sample Question – Grade 9 Social Studies
From Clewson, Elmer U. Our Economy: How It Works. Menlo Park,
Calif.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1980. Used on the Internet
with permission of Dr. Elmer U. Clawson.
Sample Question – Grade 9 Social Studies
From Clewson, Elmer U. Our Economy: How It Works. Menlo Park,
Calif.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1980. Used on the
Internet with permission of Dr. Elmer U. Clawson.
Sample Question – Grade 9 Social Studies
From Clewson, Elmer U. Our Economy: How It Works. Menlo Park,
Calif.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1980. Used on the
Internet with permission of Dr. Elmer U. Clawson.
Core Learning Outcome

Interpreting
information to
determine the main
idea.
Provincial Expectations – Achievement Tests
 Alberta Learning has shifted away from an
expectation on achievement tests that 15%
of students achieve the standard of
excellence and at least 85% achieve the
acceptable standard.
 emphasis now placed on continuous
improvement – comparing results to stated
targets and performance over time
School Results – Grade 3
School
Targets
School
Results
2004
Provincial
Results
English Language Arts Acceptable
90.2%
Excellence
16.7%
Acceptable
89.2%
Excellence
29.9%
Mathematics
Results
School Results – Grade 6
School
Targets
School
Results
2004
Provincial
Results
English Language Arts Acceptable
87.0%
Excellence
17.0%
Acceptable
86.2%
Excellence
23.3%
Acceptable
88.3%
Excellence
28.8%
Acceptable
86.4%
Excellence
21.7%
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Results
School Results – Grade 9
School
Targets
School
Results
2004
Provincial
Results
English Language Arts Acceptable
88.9%
Excellence
14.2%
Acceptable
75.4%
Excellence
21.5%
Acceptable
75.2%
Excellence
13.6%
Acceptable
82.6%
Excellence
22.6%
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Results
Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff
 What are the strengths of our instructional
programs?
 What are the areas requiring improvement?
Discussion
Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff
 What trends in achievement test results
can we identify for our school over the
past five years?
 What factors could be contributing to our
students’ performance?
Discussion
Next Steps: School Councils and School Staff
 What are our school achievement targets
for this year?
 What plans can we develop to address the
areas requiring improvement and to help
students to do their best?
Discussion