Assessment Research

Creating Accurate Classroom Assessments

Self Assessment

Descriptive Feedback

Grading

Reporting in Nova Scotia

Provincial Assessments

Assessing Technology Integration and Use

Inside the Black Box by Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam is a key article that reviews assessment research and the impact assessment has on student motivation and achievement. This is a must read article to understand how our views of assessment and learning have evolved as a result of recent research. You can access this article on EBSCO.  The article was published in October 1998 in Phi Delta Kappan. In September 2004, Black, Wiliam and their colleagues published a follow-up to their original ground breaking article and more recently Wiliam has had additional work printed. These too are available from EBSCO.  Some other articles that you may wish to look up for your own personal reading include Richard Stiggins articles on the Assessment Crisis and Leadership for Excellence in Assessment.

Canadian Anne Davies has recently done some work in Nova Scotia that is effecting our practices.  She too follows the same type of philosophy about assessment as Stiggins and also has a wonderful website with practical ideas.  Her books are available on the ALR and have been distributed to schools as part of Writers in Action, Active Readers and Literacy Success. 

R. Stiggins has recently developed what he refers to as his assessment manifesto.  In this document, he brings his thoughts together with years of research and practical experience. 

Alberta Assessment Consortium- Canadian site containing resources useful for schools on assessment for learning practices and materials.

Fair Assessment Practices in Canada- Created by a collection of nationally renowned educational organizations and endorsed by the Canadian School Boards Association, the Canadian Teachers Federation, the Canadian Association for School Administrators, and the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, this document puts forward a number of practices and guidelines that can be used to ensure that the assessment of students in Canadian classrooms is authentic, accurate, and fair.

Guidelines for Grading that can still support student learning and success but that also recognize the reality of report cards and providing a numerical or letter grade mark. The information in this article by Ken O'Connor, is explored more fully in his book How to Grade for Learning.  Find more on grading in that section of this site.

The Department of Education has developed a comprehensive list of assessment resources on the web. Also of interest to teachers are the provincial assessments and the background information on these assessments. 

All Things Assessment is a site devoted to research on assessment with no commercial input.  The site also provides an opportunity for assessment dialogue and is monitored by many assessment researchers.