Renée Forgette-Giroux

Impact of a Content Selection Framework on Portfolio Assessment at the Classroom Level

Among the various alternative approaches to student evaluation, portfolio assessment has been shown to have considerable potential in terms of its use in the evaluation of higher-order, cross-curricular skills. Despite this favourable outlook, it may nevertheless remain a passing fad due to the lack of a conceptual content selection framework and difficulties surrounding its implementation within the classroom setting. The present study reports on the conceptual issues that arose when a generic content framework was used to guide the selection of entries for assessment purposes. The framework proposed the systematic collection of evidence of the cognitive, affective, behavioural, metacognitive and developmental dimensions of students mastery of a specific competency. Data were drawn from 11 case-studies of portfolio applications by teachers from eastern Ontario, Canada. It was found that the effective integration of the portfolio into teaching and assessment practices depended largely on the flexibility of the framework and, to some extent, on the type of training or support provided to the teachers.

L’évaluation des apprentissages scolaires : une question de justesse

De nombreux chercheurs deplorent l’absence d’un modele de qualite des resultats d’eva- luation des apprentissages en salle de classe. Apres avoir precise pourquoi le modele psychometrique, avec ses criteres de validite et de fidelite, ne convient pas au domaine scolaire, les auteures proposent le concept de justesse comme critere de qualite des resultats d’evaluation en salle de classe. Ce dernier tient compte de la pertinence de la tâche d’evaluation par rapport aux habiletes visees, de sa coherence avec l’activite peda- gogique, de sa transparence pour l’eleve et de l’absence de desavantage circonstanciel. Many researchers deplore the lack of a good model for learning assessment in the class- room. After clarifying why the psychometric model, with its criteria of validity and reliability, is not appropriate for the school situation, we suggest the concept of soundness as a criterion for the quality of assessment results in the classroom. Soundness takes into account the pertinence of the assessment task relative to the targeted skills, its appro- priateness for the educational activity, its transparency for the student, and the absence of disadvantageous circumstances.

Multiple Literacies and Success for All:An Analysis of Ontario Educators’ Survey Responses

This essay reports on the survey findings of a study examining the teaching and evaluation strategies used by teachers in the classroom. The study focussed on 304 French and English schools in Ontario representing both urban and rural Ontario school boards. The essay begins with a review of the literature and highlights key points noted by educational theorists and practitioners regarding the importance and challenges of literacy education. We then move to discuss our discursive framework with regards to employing cognitive and social constructivism as theoretical lenses. Survey responses are presented under the broader categories of teaching and pedagogical practice and evaluation of teaching strategies. In analyzing the survey results, we highlight the following as being effective in the promotion of critical literacy: a teacher’s own knowledge; pedagogical skills and approaches; the level of school and off-school/local knowledge of students; the affirmation of the identity, culture and history of learners, as well as one’s knowledge of the local community.

Framework for long-life Education: Professional learning communities

The Province of Ontario, Canada, is demonstrating its deep commitment to the goal of equitable student outcomes through the development of the Framework of long-life Education and its support for implementation in schools. As shown in this research, it has built capacity among teachers, acted as a catalyst for collaborative conversations about school improvement, and focused attention on the importance of improving the achievement levels of all students. The findings from this qualitative study on the pilot implementation of the Framework show that it was instrumental in initiating capacity building among teachers, which in some schools was linked to improvement in student achievement.