Department+of+Education+Nova+Scotia

**Types of Assessment**
The Program of Learning Assessments in Nova Scotia (PLANS) is comprised of various types of assessments, each type serving different purposes.

**[|Student Assessments and Examinations]**
Student assessments provide information about individual student acheivement in relation to expected learning outcomes. This information is used by teachers in supporting the student's next forward steps in learning. Several grade twelve courses have Nova Scotia Examinations (NSE) as part of the course assessment and evaluation program. NSE are administered at the end of the course and count for 30% of the student's final mark. The purpose of the NSE is to determine the success of each student in relation to the course learning outcomes. These examinations are written by all students enrolled in the course across Nova Scotia and therefore the results provide a valid, reliable, and comparable measure of student success.

**[|National and International Assessments]**
Nova Scotia participates in various National and International Assessments. The purpose of these assessments is to provide information about the performance of students in each province and in different countries around the world. Our participation in these assessments allows educators to determine whether our students are well prepared to participate successfully in the global economy. We can compare what we expect of our students with what is expected of students in the national and international arena, as well as determine how well our students perform in relation to these expectaions.

**[|Program Assessments]**
Program Assessments were carried out in the years following the introduction and implementation of the provincial mathematics curriculum. Program Assessments allow educators to
 * determine the apparent strengths and weaknesses of the mathematics curriculum
 * determine the effectiveness of curriculum implementation and delivery
 * make recommendations for further work and improvement

About PLANS
[|What is PLANS?] **It is an assessment program for Nova Scotia students.** It provides information to improve the quality of educational decision making. It provides information to identify the needs of students so that they can be supported.

[|What assessments are included in PLANS?] PLANS includes student assessments and examinations, national, and international assessments. Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies (PIRLS) ||
 * **Assessment Type** || **Description** ||
 * **Student Assessment** || Elementary Language arts, Mathematics ||
 * **Student Assessment** || Junior High Language arts, Mathematics ||
 * **Examinations** || Grade 12 English language arts, Mathematics ||
 * **National Assessments** || Pan Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) ||
 * **International Assessments** || Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

[|What students are included in PLANS?] === === Mathematics || (PIRLS) || Reading || Mathematics || Reading Science || (PISA) || Mathematics Reading Science || English English/Communications Mathematics Mathématique Mathématique Avancées ||
 * **Grade/Age** || **Assessment Type** || **Subject** ||
 * **Grade 3** || Student Assessment || Literacy
 * **Grade 4** || International Assessment
 * **Grade 6** || Student Assessment || Literacy
 * **Grade 8** || National Assessment (PCAP) || Mathematics
 * **Grade 8** || Student Assessment || Mathematics (in development) ||
 * **Grade 9** || Student Assessment || Literacy ||
 * **15-year-old students** || International Assessment
 * **Grade 12** || Nova Scotia Examination || Advanced Mathematics

[|Who develops the assessments?] Assessments for elementary and junior high schools and NSE for senior high schools are developed by Nova Scotia educators. All asssessments and examinations are developed following the Nova Scotia Assessment Development Model.

National and international assessments are developed with Nova Scotia's participation.

Guidelines for the development of all assessments are founded on principles of fair testing practices and professional measurement standards. [|Do PLANS assessments count?] Assessments in elementary and junior high and in national and international assessments do not count for students' marks.

Nova Scotia Examinations (NSE) count for 30% of a student's final course mark.

[|Who marks the assessments?] For most Nova Scotia Examinations, marking is done by the students' own teachers using marking guides provided by the department.

Some student examination booklets are selected and marked by the department to provide results at the provincial and board levels.

NSE Mathematics and NSE Advanced Mathematics (French and English) are marked by grade 12 mathematics teachers at regional sites throughout the province under the Department's supervision.

Elementary and Junior High Assessments are marked by teachers in Halifax under the Department's supervision.

[|How are results distributed?] A report is produced for each student assessment and examination. The report publishes the results from central or regional marking.

Reports on the results of PCAP, PISA, and PIRLS are published following each assessment.

A Minister's Report to Parents and Guardians is published annually on recent international, national, and provincial assessments in reading, writing, mathematics, and science.

[|What changes are anticipated?] For the 2010-2011 school year the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) will be added to the assessment schedule. This assessment is written by a random sample of grade four classes. [|Where can I get more information about PLANS?]

EARLY LANGUAGE LITERACY ASSESSMENT (ELLA)
[|What is the purpose of the Early Language Literacy Assessment (ELLA)?] The Early Language Literacy Assessment is a provincial assessment designed to inform instruction. This assessment generates information about individual student achievement as well as system performance relative to the Early Stage Atlantic Canada Language Arts curriculum outcomes. [|When will the ELLA be administered?] The ELLA 2010 – 2011 will be administered to grade 3 English program students September 27 – September 30, 2010.

[|Why is the Early Language Literacy Assessment administered so early in the school year?] The Early Language Literacy Assessment was designed to provide teachers with individual student results early in the school year that may be used in combination with classroom and school assessment results to inform first term instruction.

[|What if the students are not familiar with the types of questions on the ELLA?] The ELLA Practice Session provides students with an opportunity to view the various types of questions found on the ELLA. The ELLA Practice Session is designed as a shared reading session; students are not expected to read the story or answer the questions independently. Additional sample questions, which the teacher may adapt to any subject area, are available in the Documents section of the ELLA website ([|http://ELLA.EDnet.ns.ca]). [|I regularly assess my students, so I have information about their learning. Why do I need to take the time to administer this assessment?] The ELLA provides fair, valid, and reliable information about student performance on tasks completed independently. The ELLA student results are designed to be used in conjunction with classroom and school assessments, thereby providing teachers with additional information about student performance in listening, reading, and writing. The ELLA also provides consistent board level and provincial information about student performance in early literacy.

[|May I help a student who has difficulty with a word or section of the reading passages?] No. Reading includes the independent use of meaning, structure, and graphophonic sources of information. Therefore, students will be expected to complete the assessment without assistance. Teachers provide an introduction to each reading passage, which includes the title and the characters' names. If a student becomes stressed, the teacher will follow the instructions in the ELLA Administration and Marking Manual.

[|How will assessment results be scored?] The ELLA will be marked regionally by all grade three teachers. Regional scoring procedures are described in the Early Language Literacy Assessment Information Guide, which is available in the Documents section of the ELLA website ([|http://ELLA.EDnet.ns.ca]) ELLA scoring procedures provide teachers with informal results of individual student performance in reading, writing, and listening soon after the date of administration. This information, in addition to ongoing classroom assessments and observations, will facilitate instructional planning.

[|How will assessment results be reported?] Once regional scoring sessions are complete, results will be collected by the Department of Education. Comprehensive individual student reports will be forwarded to schools and parents. School, school board, and provincial results will be reported in the Minister’s Report to Parents and Guardians.

[|How will the Early Language Literacy Assessment be administered in combined classes?] Only the grade 3 students will write the assessment.

[|Do French Immersion students write this assessment?] No. This assessment will be written by grade 3 English program students only. If a student has transferred into the English Program from French Immersion, he/she will participate in the assessment.

[|Do English second language students participate?] This decision is made by the school, in consultation with parents, and is based on the student’s knowledge of the English language.

[|Has the assessment been vetted for bias?] Yes. All Nova Scotia assessments and evaluations are vetted carefully, using the Nova Scotia Department of Education's Bias Evaluation Instrument.

[|Do I have to remove my English language arts classroom displays (word walls etc.)?] No. Classroom displays may remain in place.

[|What if I'm not comfortable administering an oral reading record?] Notify your principal. Your principal will arrange for another teacher on staff to complete the oral reading records.

[|What is the purpose of the Practice Form and when is it used?] The purpose of the Practice Form is to establish a level of comfort with the types of listening and reading comprehension questions found on the assessment. As such, it is presented as a shared reading lesson and students are not expected to read the passage independently. A Practice Session should be scheduled within 2 weeks before the administration of the Early Language Literacy Assessment.

[|What do I do with the practice materials and poster after I've used them?] The "How To Answer A Question" poster may be kept for classroom use; the remainder of the materials may be put in the recycling bin.

[|What are the procedures for using a scribe?] Please refer to the Eligibility and Adaptations section of the Early Language Literacy Assessment Information Guide.

[|Do English Second Language students write this assessment?] Yes, if the teacher and parents/guardians feel that the student has adequate skills in English.

[|Do the students have to use a special type of pencil?] No. The student's regular classroom pencil will suffice.

[|Will the results of the Reading and Writing Survey be reported on an individual basis?] No. The Reading and Writing Survey was designed to provide a broad overview of student responses to questions about reading and writing. Results will be reported by school board and provincially.

[|What do I do with the assessment materials when I'm finished scoring?] Return all materials, except the “How To Answer A Question” poster, to the School Assessment Coordinator.

[|How does a teacher prepare for the administration of the assessment?] Teachers receive the ELLA Information Guide and ELLA the Practice Session materials well before the administration dates. ELLA The Adminstration and Marking Guide is provided to teachers 3 days before the assessment adminstration begins.

[|I'm worried that some students may not do well or may become stressed. Should they be exempted?] No. An exemption that is based on the anticipation that the student will not do well is unfair to the student. However, if a student becomes unduly stressed, the teacher may use his or her professional judgment to exempt the child from that portion of the assessment. The student should then be encouraged to try the next section.

[|If a student is repeating grade 3, does he/she participate in the ELLA?] Yes.

[|Do students with an Individual Program Plan (IPP) in Language Arts participate in the ELLA?] No. Please refer to the Eligibility and Adaptations section of the ELLA Information Guide.