Grade 7 Provincial Math Assessment

Why is Assessment Changing? Countries around the world are in the midst of assessment reform because: 1. We know more about: How students learn Supporting learning through feedback Importance of engagement

Why is Assessment changing? 2. Purpose of school has shifted Ranking/sorting into “classes” and jobs to learning for all with a goal of independent, self-directed learners.

Classroom assessment promotes learning when it: Is embedded in the learning Involves sharing learning goals with students Helps students recognize the standards/outcomes with the students Involves students in self-assessment Provides feedback which leads students to recognize their next steps and how to take them The basis is giving students confidence that they can improve Involves both teachers and pupils reflecting on assessment data

Strategies—Watch for more of these types of assessments: Checking for understanding Thinking prompts or “tasks” Rubrics Learning Logs Interactive Notebooks Graphic Organizers Portfolios Student record keeping Students communicating their learning

Purpose of the Assessment 1. “Is to enhance student learning and engagement through classroom-based assessment processes that build student awareness and confidence in learning.” 2. “Summarize data and report on the levels of achievement in key areas in that Middle Years students have attained by the end of January. These key areas are based on what most Manitobans regard as vital for all students: a reasonable level of reading, writing, number skills and student engagement.”

Purpose of the Assessment Audiences: 1. The Learning Team—students, teachers and parents. 2. Larger community—the school, school division, the Department Assessment information about each student reported in January can be used to plan the specific next steps in the student’s learning and support the ongoing dialogue with parents. Taken from: Middle Years Assessment Gr. 7 Mathematics Support Document

What will be assessed? Number sense and skills: a conceptual understanding of number and of some of its representations and solving problems using knowledge of: Fractions Decimals Number representations Number patterns Mental math strategies

About the assessment: Based on Grade 7 outcomes, not an assessment of past outcomes Is to inform and guide instruction Numbers skills relate to patterning in numbers and mental math rather than just computational math alone Begins on the first day and goes until the end of January

About the assessment: Will be integrated into daily classroom practice Lends itself well to the use of portfolios to be shared at Student Conferences Invites the participation of all stakeholders—teachers, students and parents