Communicating Student Learning in Surrey Schools

Quality assessment and CSL is a process that honours learning as a continuous journey that focuses on growth and improvement over time and provides a window into student learning.  It is a process that ensures that assessment is fair, transparent, equitable and responsive to all learners, and includes the following essential elements:

• Learning Standards and Success Criteria: what all students are expected to know, be able to do, and understand (KDU Curriculum Model).  They are the points of reference for determining our assessment practices and communication of student learning.
  

• Learning Experiences: a variety of opportunities for all students to explore and develop the learning standards and demonstrate the success criteria
  

• Capturing Evidence of Learning: students demonstrate learning in a variety of ways; learning is captured through products, conversations, and observations (Triangulating evidence of learning).  This collection of student work is gathered over time to provide a full profile of the learner and the learning.
  

• Shared Ownership of Learning:  Students self-assess, and teachers and peers provide feedback on the evidence of learning in relation to the success criteria. This feedback identifies the student's strengths and next steps; it also guides teacher instruction. This allows teachers to clearly communicate to the learner and parents where the student is at in relation to the learning standards, what they are working towards, and ways that learning can be supported. Parents are encouraged to engage in conversations about learning with their child and provide their feedback where they feel comfortable.

These essential elements lead to transparency in the assessment process and provide students with opportunities to take ownership (voice) of their learning which leads to increased motivation and achievement.