Evaluation systems in Canada

Pierre Brochu

Council of Ministers of Education (Canada)

Asunción, Paraguay

September 2011

Topics

• Organization of the education systems in Canada

• Summary of provincial and territorial assessment

programs

• The Pan-Canadian Assessment Program: Purpose,

Organization, Results

• Canadian Participation in International Assessments

• Early Childhood Education in Canada

Canada by the numbers

• Education is compulsory until the age of 16 (18 in

Ontario and New Brunswick)

• Generally, education is structured as follows:

– Pre-K and Kindergarten

– Primary (Grade 1 to Grade 6)

– Junior High (Grade 7 to Grade 9)

– Senior High (Grade 10 to Grade 12)

– College

– University

• Overall, there are over 14,500 schools across

Canada. Kindergarten education is integrated into

the compulsory education system.

Education in Canada

• Education is the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces

and territories

• There is NO federal ministry of Education

• Provinces and territories:

– fund schools

– determine curricula

– determine assessment system

List of assessments

• Programme pancanadien d’évaluation (PPCE)

• Programme pour le suivi des acquis des élèves

(PISA)

• Programme international de recherche en lecture

scolaire (PIRLS)

• Enquête internationale sur la maîtrise de l’ordinateur

et de l’information (EIMOI)

• Programme pour l’évaluation internationale des

compétences des adultes (PEICA) English School System:

Grade 2: R, W

Grade 3: M

Grade 4 (E, FI): R, W

Grade 5 : M, S (FI)

Grade 6 (FI): S

French School System:

PIRLS

K: ÉPE-AE

Grade 2: R

Grade 3: M

Grade 4: R

Grade 5: R, W, M, S & T

PIRLS, TIMSS

Grade 3: R, W, M

Grade 6: R, W, M

PIRLS

Grade 4: R (odd years)

Grade 5: M (odd

years), W (even years)

PIRLS

Grade 4: R, W, M

English School System:

PIRLS

Grade 3: R, W, M

Grade 6: R, W, M

French School System:

PIRLS Grade 3: M

Grade 6: R, W, M

Grade 4: R, W, M

PIRLS, TIMSS

Grade 3: ELA, FLA, M

Grade 6: ELA, FLA, M,

S, SS

Grade 3: ELA, FLA, M

Grade 6: ELA, FLA, M,

S, SS

Grade 3: ELA, FLA, M

Grade 6: ELA, FLA, M,

S, SS

English School System:

PIRLS

Grade 1: R

Grade 2: R

Grade 3: ELA, M

Grade 6: ELA, M

French School System:

PIRLS

Grade 6: M, FLA

PIRLS

Grade 3: R, N

Grade 4 (FI): R (in F)

PIRLS

Kindergarten: EYE-TA

Grade 3 (E, FI, F): R, W, M

Grade 6 (E, FI) : R, W

French school system:

PIRLS, TIMSS

Grade 4: W

Grade 6: R, W, M

English School System:

PIRLS, TIMSS

Grade 6: ELA, M

SUMMARY OF JURISDICTIONAL ASSESSMENTS

KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 6

English School System:

PCAP, PISA

Grades 7: R, W

Grade 8: M

Grade 9: R, W

Grade 10 (FI): OP

Grade 12(FI): OP

French School System:

PCAP, PISA

Grade 8: R, W, M, S & T

Grade 10: ESL

PCAP, PISA, TIMSS

Grade 9: M

Grade 10: OSSLT

PCAP, PISA

Grade 7: R (odd years),

TEL

Grade 8: M (odd years),

W (even years)

Grade 10: R (odd years)

Grade 11: M (odd years),

W (even years)

Grade 12: ELA, B, C, P, M

English School System:

PCAP, PISA

Grade 9: R, W

Grade 12: ELA, M

French School System:

PCAP, PISA

Grade 9: R, W

Grade 12: FLA, M

PCAP, PISA, TIMSS

Grade 9: ELA, FLA, M,

S, SS

Grade 12: ELA, FLA,

SS, M, B, C, P, S

English School System:

PCAP, PISA

Grade 9: ELA, M, S (periodically)

Grade 12: M, C, B, P, ES, H, G, E, F, FI PCAP, PISA

Grade 7: M, EWL

Grade 8: R, W

Grade 12: M, ELA,

FLA

PCAP, PISA

Grade 9 (E, FI, F) : M

PCAP, PISA

Grade 7: R, W, M

Grade 10: ELA, FLA, M, S

Grade 11: SS, CS

Grade 12: ELA, FLA, M, FNS, B,

C, EL, FI, F, G, GL, GM, H, J,

MC, P, PU, SP

French school system:

PCAP, PISA, TIMSS

Secondary 2: W

Secondary 5: W, ESL (W)

English School System:

PCAP, PISA, TIMSS

Secondary 5: ELA, FSL

(R, W)

SUMMARY OF JURISDICTIONAL ASSESSMENTS

GRADE 7 TO GRADE 12

PCAP

Grade 7: R, W, M

Grade 10: ELA, FLA, M, S

Grade 11: SS, CS

Grade 12: ELA, FLA, M, FNS, B,

C, EL, FI, F, G, GL, GM, H, J,

MC, P, PU, SP

Grade 9: ELA, FLA, M,

S, SS

Grade 12: ELA, FLA,

SS, M, B, C, P, S

Grade 9: ELA, FLA, M,

S, SS

Grade 12: ELA, FLA,

SS, M, B, C, P, S

The Pan-Canadian Assessment

Program

• Assesses Grade 8 students

• Administered on a 3-year cycle

• Administered in English and in French

• One major domain and two minor domains

• Three subject areas: reading, mathematics and science

• All provinces and one of the territories participate

• Low-stakes assessment

• Sample size of about 32,000 students

• Two-level sampling:

– random selection of schools

– random selection of classrooms

• Contextual data:

– Student Questionnaire

– School Questionnaire

– Teacher Questionnaire

Canadian participation in

international assessments

• Programme for International Student Assessment

(PISA)

• Programme for International Reading Literacy Survey

(PIRLS)

• Programme for the International Assessment of Adult

Competencies (PIAAC)

• Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

(TIMSS)

• Teacher Education and Development Study in

Mathematics (TEDS-M)

• International Computer and Information Literacy Study

(ICILS)

• Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

Early Childhood Education and Care

Ministers have committed to knowledge-sharing on early childhood learning and development through CMEC

• 2008, CMEC Learn Canada 2020, “All children should have access to high quality early childhood education that ensures they arrive at school ready to learn”

• 2011, CMEC Working Group on Early Childhood Learning and Development under development

– Focus on expanding the collective knowledge of its members on early learning in education, building on four themes:

• Governance

• Training and Capacity

• Curriculum/Quality Environments

• Assessment/Evaluation

Early Childhood Education and Care

Systems are in transition • rising interest across provinces and territories in early childhood

programming

• recognition of cooperation between ministries responsible for health, child care and education

ECE program availability • typically 4 or 5 years of age, in all provinces and territories

• programs vary in intensity, some full-day, half day or both

• play based learning programs

Early Childhood Education

Culture of Assessment in Canada’s ECE programs • diverse approaches

• general purpose of assessment…of learning, as learning, for learning

• developmentally appropriate, collaborative, and dynamic (evolves with the student, accounts for context)

• outcomes/indicators: what children should be able to do by the end of kindergarten

• examples: observation, checklists, performance tasks, rubrics, self-assessment

Early Childhood Education

Widely used tools in Canada: • The Early Development Instrument (EDI)

– population based, provides information on:

• physical health and well-being

• social knowledge and competence

• emotional health/maturity

• language and cognitive development

• general knowledge and communication skills

• The Early Years Evaluation (EYE)

– child based, provides information on:

• awareness of self and environment

• cognitive skills

• language and communication

• social skills

• behaviour and approaches to learning

• physical development

Resources

• www.cmec.ca

• http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/

Attachments/107/Cartagena2007-

CanadianDelegationReport.en.pdf

• p.brochu@cmec.ca