Assessment of student progress should be evaluated from multiple angles throughout the study of energy and the environment. As the overarching goal of assessment in Alberta is to support student engagement and improve student learning, most assessments can be formative. Assessments are most useful when the practice of assessing is ongoing, responsive, and includes a mix of formal and informal tools. PEEL encourages conversation and observation as key assessment tools in the practice of teaching climate change science.
Each Lesson plan includes assessment suggestions for the topic covered. In some cases, this includes worksheets or projects students can complete. In other cases, assessment may be less formal and structured.
PEEL Project Assessment considerations:
- Keep anecdotal notes on student learning
- Utilize student self-assessments
- Focus your assessment on the Alberta Education 21st Century Learner Competencies
- Assessment should reflect the Interdisciplinary and integrated nature of the learning throughout various student subjects
- As learning unfolds as new topics are introduced, educators should revisit and revise initial assessment plans to meet new objectives
- Consider both formative and summative assessment techniques
Alberta Assessment Approach
“The primary goal of assessment and communication of student learning is to help students learn better and help teachers teach better.” RockyView School Division
“Recognition that improved student learning is the primary purpose behind assessment, evaluation and reporting practice represents one of the most important changes in our classrooms today.” Foothills School Division
“Assessment happens every day, in every classroom, throughout the school year. Assessing a student’s progress is one of the most important ways we support the continued learning of our students.” Calgary Board of Education
"The key purpose of assessment is to advance student learning and guide instructional practice and planning. A continuous cycle of instruction, assessment and adjustment serves to support students in navigating their learning." Golden Hills School Division
“Teachers and students need to know what students know, how they know it, how they show it, and what they need to learn next. Student agency - active and purposeful involvement in the design of learning experiences, participation in the gathering of assessment evidence, and making empowered and informed decisions about their own learning - is critical” (Guiding Principles of Assessment in Alberta, 2014, p.3).
