AAC Communique is also on-line in the Newsletter Archive at www.aac.ab.ca/news.html

AAC Vision

1. Students are involved in planning and assessing their own learning.
2. Assessment is an integral part of planning for instruction that reflects the Alberta Program of Studies.
3. Assessment practices promote student and teacher self-reflection.
4. Assessment Specialists and jurisdiction representatives provide effective leadership in classroom assessment practices that support learning in their jurisdictions.
5. Universities prepare teachers to provide classroom assessment practices that support learning for their students.
6. Teachers regularly use the resources of AAC to improve classroom assessment and communication of student learning.
7. Parents know and understand classroom assessment and communication practices that support learning.
8. Assessment practices at elementary, junior high, senior high and post secondary institutions are closely aligned.

"We become teachers for reasons of the heart.
But many of us lose heart as time goes by"

Parker Palmer, "Evoking the Spirit in Public
Education", Educational Leadership, December 1998

Ah, the mid point of the school year. Is it too late for resolutions? Not for me. I have just emerged from piles of "assessment opportunities", final marks, exams and report cards. I am taking the time to reflect on where I have been and where I want to go. The difference this semester? My head knows more and to honour both my heart and my head, it is time for change.

I am intrigued by the complexities of learning in the classroom. Like many teachers, I have more students, more classes, and more individual needs appearing before me. The operative word is "more". I would like "more" for my students and "less" for me - more interest, involvement and success, less time devoted to activities that do not enhance learning. This school year started with feelings of being overwhelmed. I retreated to my "former" ways of doing things which meant I created assignments that were ineffective to assess student learning. I did not practice the teaching and assessment strategies that I intuitively knew would improve student learning.

My curiosity has led me to reconsider my assessment policies and I must go back to where I began - wanting to be a teacher. I ask myself whether my classroom practices encourage or discourage the learning of my students. What is it that I want them to learn? Do I share that information clearly? Do I explore what they want to learn? Do my students clearly know what they must to do improve the quality of their work? Is the assessment… of learning or for learning, or both?

I am creating new resolutions. I am simplifying my practice and doing more of what works. I am purging my files of activity sheets that basically taught endurance and compliance. I am using more student-generated questions to guide unit development. I begin with the end in mind. The program of studies is my best friend. I am using more exemplars, providing rubrics with the assignments and spending more class time examining criteria for the end product. I am spending less time creating and grading small assignments. I do all this to make the learning experience more meaningful for both students and myself.

But it is not necessary to reinvent my programs. Seemingly small things can make a big difference. Knowing that a mark on a product often invalidates the constructive comments I have spent time adding to an assignment, I now withhold the mark until the student has reflected on the comments. I am experimenting with different ways to have students demonstrate they have understood my suggestions and be actively involved in their own assessment. We conference, write memos back and forth and set new learning goals to check understanding, all before a number is shared for that assignment. Sometimes the number changes to reflect the depth of the change and the resulting product. The atmosphere in my classroom includes more dialogue and less frustration.

Yes, it means rethinking what marks mean. If marks are to reflect the learning that has gone into producing a quality product or performing a skill, then students should get credit for that learning. They must be able to demonstrate learning in similar assignments. I am giving them the opportunity to choose the products or performances that demonstrate their current level of knowledge and expertise instead of averaging all attempts at mastery into one blur of a mark. Less quantitative representation of learning and more quality of learning.

At times, I am uncomfortable and fall back into my old ways of presenting and assessing learning. Strangely enough, my old ways did not provide the comfort I was seeking. Yes, at times, my students are resistant to assuming more ownership for their learning. But the results have been worth it. There has been improvement in effort, attendance and more importantly, risk taking. My relationship with my students is more meaningful when I share the responsibility with them. There is less of the barrenness of routine and far more of my soul involved in the process. I have returned to the heart of my teaching.

"We become teachers for reasons of the heart. But many of us lose heart as time goes by. How can we take heart, alone and together, so we can give heart to our students and our world, which is what good teachers do?

Parker Palmer, 1998

Marlene Stevens
English Teacher,
Ernest Manning High School,
Calgary Board of Education

Alberta's Commission on Learning

Recommendation 59. Ensure that all teachers have access to high quality, performance-based and cutting edge classroom assessment materials and practices.

New Members
AAC is pleased to announce that Beaufort-Delta Education Council, Christ the Redeemer School Division No. 3, the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary have joined the AAC. Our membership now stands at 49!

2004 Fall Conference - October 21rd to 23th - Edmonton
This year's 10th Anniversary conference theme is "Assessment: Telling the Story". The conference will be held at Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton featuring two outstanding Canadian keynote speakers.

Ken O'Connor is an internationally known expert on assessment, evaluation and communication of student learning. His experiences range from classroom teaching in Toronto and Melbourne, Australia to workshop presenter and consultant in Canada and the USA. He is co-author of the highly practical resource for classroom teachers, How to Grade for Learning: Linking Grades to Standards, (Second Edition), Skylight, 2002. (see the feature article in the Spring 2002 Communique about this resource in the link http://www.aac.ab.ca/nlspring02.html )

Carol Rolheiser is an Associate Dean - Teacher Education, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Carol is a committed leader in school district/university partnerships, concentrating on both teacher development and school improvement, large-scale reform, and managing educational change. Her previous experience includes work as an elementary school teacher, district consultant, and school administrator with Edmonton Catholic Schools.

Registration details for both the pre-conference Leadership Day (October 21) and the conference will be sent to schools through jurisdiction representatives in May. To register use the conference Program Guide (brochure) or go to the AAC web site for on-line registration. Register for both events early to avoid disappointment!

Call for Presenters
The AAC 2004 Fall Conference program has practical in-depth, half-day workshops and practical breakout sessions. We are seeking workshop facilitators and breakout presenters. If you are interested, please see the workshop and breakout session topics, themes or focus to determine if you would like to be considered as a speaker. Complete and submit the Call for Presenters Application. This information and application form is available on-line at www.aac.ab.ca and through your AAC jurisdiction representative. The deadline for Call for Presenters is April 13th, 2004

Special Thanks to 2003 Fall Conference Sponsors

XEROX The Document Company Workun Garrick Partnership Architecture & Design The Coast Plaza Hotel, Calgary Nelson-Thomson Learning Royal Bank The Impress Corporation Office Depot Morgex Insurance	Fantasyland Hotel, Edmonton IKON Office Solutions Warwood Office Furnishings Capital City Savings Jostens Canada Apple Canada Lexmark
Thank you to the many member school jurisdictions that contributed door prizes for the conference.

AAC Regions and Field Services Coordinators
AAC is implementing a sustainable program to build assessment for learning capacity, local leadership and self-reliance across the consortium. The cornerstones of this initiative are a growing cadre of assessment specialists in each member jurisdiction and organizing the consortium into six regions supported by newly appointed field service coordinators.

The following profiles, provided in the last update, highlight the focus areas of each Field Services Coordinator. Coordinators can provide consultative services in their focus areas across all regions.

Field Services Coordinator - Margaret Sanders (FTE = .28) 780-586-2551 margaret.sanders@shaw.ca
Regions: Central, Calgary and Southern

• elementary services
• language arts and social studies (humanities)
• fine arts, health & life skills and second languages

Field Services Coordinator - Dale Armstrong (FTE = .28) 780-465-5760 darmstro@epsb.net
Regions: Edmonton, East-Central, and Northwest - NWT

• secondary services
• mathematics and science
• CTS and physical education
• post-secondary (universities and colleges)

AAC Resources and Captions

Resource	Caption
A Framework for Student Assessment	Lay a foundation for a balanced student assessment program in the classroom
A Framework for Communicating Student Learning	Pave the way for valid and reliable communication of student learning
How to… Develop and Use Performance Assessments in the Classroom	Discover the secrets for developing and using performance assessments and rubrics
Smerging Data: Grading… More than Just Number Crunching	Unravel the mystery of grading and reporting
Refocus: Looking at Assessment FOR Learning	Embark on the journey of assessment FOR learning

For further information about these practical resources, go to the AAC web site at http://www.aac.ab.ca/resources.html

AAC Presentations and Workshops
AAC is committed to develop high quality professional development experiences for teachers. The current presentations and workshops are available and described on the AAC web site at http://www.aac.ab.ca/presentations.html:

• Refocus: Looking at Assessment FOR Learning
• Renovating Familiar Favourites
• Assessment in Eight Different Ways
• Grading… Give 'Em What They Deserve
• Building Effective Rubrics
• Performance Assessment Works!

Using Assessment for Learning: Strategies that Improve Student Achievement (AAC - ERLC Series)

• How Can Assessment Become Effective Instruction?
• What Role Can Students Play in the Assessment Process?

Assessment MART
The Assessment MART selectively profiles assessment resources without prejudice for the interest of our readers.

A Facilitator's Guide to Making Classroom Assessment Work by Anne Davies. Publisher: Classroom Connections International, Courtney, BC. 2003. ISBN 0-9682160-5-6 $225.00

The new multimedia kit is presented as "the right answer for educators who want to introduce classroom assessment into their schools and are looking for the resources to do it successfully." Based on the work of Anne Davies and produced by the staff at Connections Publishing, the kit contains a video, an interactive CD with resource files, a copy of Making Classroom Assessment Work, and an overview booklet filled with practical steps, suggestions, and examples. Using these tools, a skilled facilitator will be able to lead professional development sessions in classroom assessment. While the resource was originally written for a "middle years" audience, reviewers including Rick Stiggins, have suggested that the sessions are easily adapted for K-12.

The resource is written for a broad audience including teachers, students, parents, and administrators with an equally broad range of assessment expertise. The multimedia kit provides 18 practical and easy to follow conversations specifically designed for a facilitator to use with a group of teachers. It is designed to engage team members in exploring key ideas related to classroom assessment, and give them the tools to make it work for them and their students.

Anne believes that when people are engaged and able to shape their own futures, more is learned. "Conversations are structured not only to inform, but also to bring educators together to share ideas about quality classroom assessment.

"Each Conversation:

• Focuses on an important aspect of assessment FOR learning for students
• Is informed through the use of reading materials, video, audio or student work
• Takes less than one and a half hours so you can complete one during a faculty meeting