Langley Learning Blog
Throughout the Langley School District, many of our teachers are working on implementing new and improved ways of assessing students that are more in line with the Ministry of Education’s redesigned curriculum. This includes replacing traditional marks and letter grades given for individual assignments to using a more “standards-based” approach to assessment that involves assessing student growth around the curricular competencies using proficiency-based language and assessment. If you would like to learn more about standards-based assessment, or assessment practices in general, check out some of the excellent articles below:
Grades vs. Comments: Research on Student Feedback – “Are comments on student work superior to grades? It depends.” Read more to find out why!
Transferable Skills Scales – Check out the link for a set of transferable skill scales that can be used in almost any discipline. Benchmark sheets are linked to the level 4s, explaining what the skill looks like and giving examples at all levels.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QEsF7oI1838lkacXYlUCSiRBuMorT1aWST2RVjC7XAE/edit
Homework in a Standards-Based Classroom – A great piece that discusses the role of homework in a Standards-Based Classroom, and frankly, in any classroom!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mc2zx7aq3EFq4IjA21R5JLw6tx4qFz_A3i2VFHKdvZM/edit
Standards-Based Learning Scales for Teachers – A great rubric for teachers to use to self-evaluate and reflect how they are doing on the learning journey towards a standards-based classroom.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EGCBf4occ0ipk6pIWWy9VsCU_9ThUbnb_DPtTuBYmmk/edit
And here are a couple of articles/resources that assist with the topic of differentiation in the classroom:
Rescuing Differentiation from the Checklist of Bad Practice – “High challenge: teaching pupils with a range of attainment, abilities, experiences, competence, knowledge, skills, confidence, fluency……is differentiation the answer? Are we unknowingly guilty of setting lower expectations?”
Rescuing Differentiation from the Checklist of Bad Practice.
Differentiating by readiness in a Standards-Based Classroom – “In a standards-based class we know precisely where Ss are in relation to our targets, so we must respond by differentiating instruction & practice. Here’s a simple template (w/ example) to help organize & plan based on results of assessment.”
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16JmCTWYwqkCkKbsbnEOH3vfKBTUwpD6f8vxK5TAKW84/edit