Assessment for Learning Provincial Assessments Tables of Specications 2008

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Math Assessment Table of Specications

The 2009 Math Assessment will serve as a transition between the old curriculum and the new. The Grade 5 and 8 assessments will need to reect changes that have been made to the curriculum in terms of expected outcomes, math strands, processes, and ways of assessing student learning. The Math 20 assessment will remain similar to past years with several anticipated changes occurring for the 2011 assessment. The following framework summarizes the structure of the AFL Math Performance Assessment. At each of the three grade levels, there are several pieces required for the completion of the performance portion of the assessment. These include:

a booklet containing 20 30 multiple-choice questions (40 for Math 20); a 1-page worksheet of 8 constructed response computation questions (Grade 5/8); a 2-page worksheet of 5 - 10 constructed response short answer questions (Grade 5/8); a one page insert of 2 open ended estimation questions; and, a booklet of 1 or 2 multi-question open-ended levelled math challenges.

Computations Worksheet (no calculator) Constructed Response Short Answer Estimations

making estimations communicating strategies

Performance Pieces

Grade 5
8 5 10 2 2 2 20 30

Grade 8
8 5 10 2 2 2 20 30

Math 20
----2 2 1 40

Math Challenges Multiple-Choice Questions

Within the multiple-choice questions, consistency is maintained across grades by having a nearly identical number of questions at each level of difculty (Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Medium Hard, and Hard) and in each of the levels of thinking (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, and Above). Questions classied in the Above category will be either at the Evaluating or the Creating level of Blooms Revised Taxonomy. The number of questions at each level of difculty and level of thinking may vary by as much as one question each year.

Short Answer/Multiple-Choice
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Above Very Easy Easy Medium Medium Hard Hard

Grade 5
SA 1 1 4 3 1 1 2 4 2 1 MC 3 6 12 6 3 4 7 12 5 2

Grade 8
SA 1 1 4 3 1 1 2 4 2 1 MC 3 6 12 6 3 4 7 12 5 2

Math 20
5 10 20 3 2 5 10 17 5 3

Level of

Total

10

30

10

30

40

The questions in each of the various assessment pieces will be further classied according to which of the processes inherent in the teaching, learning,

and doing of mathematics will be measured. These processes include: communicating (C), making connections (CN), mental mathematics and estimations (ME), problem solving (PS), reasoning, (R), and visualization (V). The seventh process, technology (T), will not be included in the classications. A minimum of ve questions will inform each process. Longitudinal stability is attempted by having the same number of questions at the various levels in each of the curricular strands. The number of questions from each strand of the grade level curricula is based on the number of outcomes within that strand. Each of the two larger strands (Numbers and Shape & Space) has been combined with one of the two smaller strands (Patterns & Relations and Statistics & Probability) in order to allow for some exibility for item development. In the nal assessment document, each strand should have somewhat comparable levels of thinking and levels of difculty. Again, the number of questions at each level of difculty and level of thinking may vary by as much as one question each year.

Short Answer and Multiple-Choice Questions (Gr. 5 and 8) Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Above Very Easy Easy Medium Medium Hard Hard Totals (Short Answer/Multiple-Choice)

15 11

2 4 8 5 2 3 5 8 4 1 1

6 5

13 10

2 3 8 4 2 2 4 8 3 2 2

Level of

As the 2009 Math 20 assessment will be developed prior to curriculum changes at that level, the table of specications for the multiplechoice items will remain identical to previous years.

Statistics & 6 4

Patterns &

Number

Shape & Space

Multiple-Choice Questions (Math 20) Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Above Very Easy Easy Medium Medium Hard Hard Total 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 4 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 4 1 2 4 1 0 1 2 3 2 0 8 0 2 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 1 5 1 0 4 0 0 1 0 3 1 0 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 2

Level of

1 3 5 0 1 1 3 4 1 1 10

Thinking

Difculty

Circles 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2

Angles

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Grade 4 Table of Specications Reading Performance Assessment

For the purpose of the Assessment for Learning Reading Assessment Program the following types of text will be utilized: literary texts (narrative, script, and poetry), and informational texts (explanatory, persuasive, and procedural). The theme of the texts will be in keeping with the Ministry of Education three broad areas of learning: Building Lifelong Learning; Building a Sense of Self and Community; and, Building Engaged Citizens. Questions in this assessment have been designed in relation to seven reading strategies compiled from the English, French Immersion, and fransaskois programmes. Existing English Language Arts Curricula
Foundational Objective Students will practise the behaviours of effective strategic readers (and) read a variety of texts for a variety of purposes. Objective Relate their understanding of texts to personal experiences, purposes, and other texts Explain their own point of view and provide evidence from text and experiences Apply cueing systems to construct meaning: pragmatic (e.g., formal vs. informal language), textual (e.g., story elements and key ideas in exposition), syntactic ( e.g., structure of word order, verbs, pronoun references and rules for agreement), semantic (e.g., context clues, prexes, comparisons, synonyms), and graphophonic (e.g., contractions, compound words) Connect new information with prior knowledge to make sense of new ideas and experiences

Assessment Framework
Strategies (as compiled from the English, French Immersion, and Fransaskois programmes) 7. Understanding and personal connections Extending and applying new understandings or strategies (relate their understanding of texts to personal experiences, purposes, and other texts) 1. Cueing Systems Using cueing systems to construct meaning (pragmatic, textual, syntactic, semantic, and graphophonic), and other cues and conventions including visual cues 9-11 Multiple Choice # of times Informed Reading Assessment Items Written Reader Response (condtructed response)

2. Connect to prior knowledge Connecting and constructing meaning (making connections to prior knowledge and experiences that relate text to self, text to other texts, and texts to world) 3. Making inferences/predictions Making, conrming, and adjusting predictions and inferences based on textual information and prior knowledge

9-11

Multiple Choice

Conrm or reject predictions and inferences based on textual information.

9-11

Multiple Choice

Existing English Language Arts Curricula

Assessment Framework

Foundational Objective

Objectives

Strategies (as compiled from the English, French Immersion and Fransaskois programmes) 4. Key ideas and nding supports Noting key ideas and what supports them (determine main and supporting ideas using prior knowledge, predictions, connections, inferences, and visual clues)

#of times informed

Reading Assessment Items

Determine main and supporting ideas using prior knowledge, predictions, connections, inferences, and visual cues

9-11

Multiple Choice

Students will practise the behaviours of effective strategic readers (and) read a variety of texts for a variety of purposes.

Recall AND organize, and summarize information Conrm or reject conclusions based on textual information Respond to and discuss meanings, ideas, and effects in a range of texts Begin to interpret gurative language

5. Recall & Paraphrase/Summarize/Synthesize/ Draw conclusions Recalling, paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing/ drawing conclusions 6. Authors message and craft Recognizing and/or evaluating authors message including distinguishing fact from opinion, purpose, craft, and technique. (Discuss effects such as imagery, visual techniques, gurative language, and word choice.)

9-11

Multiple Choice

9-11

Multiple Choice

Select and use the appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (viewing, listening, and) reading. (Outcome-3.1) Select and use the appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (viewing, listening, and) reading. (Outcome-3.1) Select and use the appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (viewing, listening, and) reading. . (Outcome-3.1) Select and use the appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (viewing, listening, and) reading. . (Outcome-3.1) Select and use the appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (viewing, listening, and) reading. . (Outcome-3.1)

By the end of grade 4 students use (viewing, listening), and reading strategies including accessing prior knowledge and understanding.

Connecting and constructing meaning (making connections to prior knowledge and experiences that relate text to self, text to other texts, and texts to world) (Strategy #2) Making, conrming, and adjusting predictions and inferences based on textual information and prior knowledge (Strategy # 3)

9-11

Attend to and use appropriate strategies and language conventions. Students will develop their abilities to recognize and use the appropriate language strategies and cueing systems to construct and communicate meaning before, during, and after (viewing, representing, listening, speaking, writing, and) reading. (Goal 3.0)

By the end of grade 4 students use (viewing, listening), and reading strategies including making predictions and inferences. (making connections, visualizing inferring?) By the end of grade 4 students use (viewing, listening), and reading strategies including identifying key ideas and supporting details

9-11

Noting key ideas and what supports them (determine main and supporting ideas using prior knowledge, predictions, connections, inferences, and visual clues) (Strategy # 4) Recalling AND paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing or drawing conclusions. (Strategy #5)

9-11

By the end of grade 4 students use (viewing, listening), and reading strategies including summarizing, and paraphrasing and drawing conclusions. By the end of grade 4 students use (viewing, listening), and reading strategies including differentiating fact from opinion. By the end of grade 4 students use (viewing, listening), and reading strategies including recognizing text structure and elements (e.g., imagery, cause-effect, sequence, problem, goal, solution)

9-11 Recognizing and/or evaluating authors message including distinguishing fact from opinion, purpose, craft, and technique. (Discuss effects such as imagery, visual techniques, gurative language, and word choice). (Strategy #6)

9-11

elect and use the appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (viewing, listening, and) reading.. . (Outcome-3.1) Understand and apply the language cues and conventions (i.e., pragmatic, textual, syntactical, lexical/semantic/ morphological, graphophonic, and others) as they (view, listen, represent, speak, write, and) read. (Outcome 3.3)

By the end of grade 4 students use (viewing, listening), and reading strategies including using cueing systems to construct meaning. (Are cueing systems not present in Outcome 3.1?)

Using cueing systems to construct meaning (pragmatic, textual, syntactic, semantic, and graphophonic), and other cues and conventions including visual cues) (Strategy # 1) 9-11

By the end of grade 4, students (view, listen, and) read using some cues and conventions to construct, monitor, and conrm meaning including using pragmatic, textual, syntactic, semantic, graphophonic, and other cues.

Grade 7
For the purpose of the Assessment for Learning Reading Assessment Program the following types of text will be utilized: literary texts (narrative, script, and poetry), and informational texts (explanation, persuasive, and procedural). The theme of the texts will be in keeping with the Saskatchewan Learning three broad areas of learning which are as follows: building a disposition for learning, building a sense of self and connection to others, and building engaged citizens.

Goals Comprehend and Respond. Students will extend their abilities to read, comprehend, and respond to a range of contemporary and traditional gradelevel texts from First Nations, Mtis, and other cultures in a variety of forms (oral , print, and other texts) for a variety of purposes including for learning, interest, and enjoyment. (Goal-1.0)

Outcomes Read and demonstrate comprehension and interpretation of grade-appropriate texts including traditional and contemporary prose, ction, poetry, and play texts from First Nations, Mtis, and other cultures including thoughtful and critical response to content and craft (Outcome 1.4)

Indicators Comprehend and respond to (visual, multimedia, oral, and) print texts including stories, novels, poems, articles, drama that support the development of critical and creative thinking: Understand ideas: construct and justify meaning in text Respond to and Interpret texts

Strategies Extending and applying new understandings or strategies (relate their understanding of texts to personal experiences, purposes, and other texts). (Strategy #7)

Select and use the appropriate strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after (viewing, listening, and) reading.. . (Outcome-3.1) Understand and apply the language cues and conventions (i.e., pragmatic, textual, syntactical, lexical/semantic/morphological, graphophonic, and others) as they (view, listen, represent, speak, write, and) read. (Outcome 3.3)

Select and use a range of strategies to construct, monitor, and conrm meaning including using cueing systems to construct meaning.

Using cueing systems to construct meaning (pragmatic, textual, syntactic, semantic, and graphophonic), and other cues and conventions including visual cues) (Strategy # 1)

Recognize the particular purpose (pragmatic cues), typical structures and patterns (textual cues), and sentence and word patterns such as SV, (syntactical), lexical/semantic/morphological and graphophonic cues in oral, print, and visual/multimedia texts.

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Grade 5 English Language Arts Writing Objectives (current program)

Foundational Objectives Students will express thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a variety of forms (oral, written, and representational) for a variety of purposes and audiences. Students will learn about and practise the skills and strategies of effective writers (including using the pragmatic, textual, syntactical, semantic/lexical/morphological, graphophonic, and other language cues and conventions).* Learning Objectives Write narratives, explanations, instructions, descriptions, stories, short biographies, researched reports, letters, poems, and journal entries with increasing condence, clarity, and uency. Before Writing: Focus a topic Choose a form for audience and purpose Formulate general and specic questions to identify information needs Organize ideas and information During Writing: Write single and multiple-paragraph compositions Provide sufcient details to support main point Demonstrate an understanding of written language conventions After Writing: Revise for content, organization, and clarity Check for complete and clear sentences, interesting and precise words, correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and legible writing

*Most students in Grade 5 are expected to understand the following concepts about the language cues and conventions.
Pragmatic Cues and Conventions Demonstrate sensitivity to appropriate language use when communicating. Convey ideas clearly considering audience, purpose, time, and place. Use appropriate language for audience, purpose, time, and place. Engage the audience. Select and use language appropriate in form and tone to recognize and honour people and events. Textual Cues and Conventions Choose forms appropriate to purpose and audience. Write clear and focused paragraphs with ideas in an effective sequence. Develop topic with facts, details, examples, and explanations. Clarify and support ideas with sufcient evidence and details. Organize ideas in ways that clarify and shape understanding. Use transitional expressions to link ideas. Defend opinions with supporting details and reasons. Write multi-paragraph compositions with clear introductions, sufcient supporting details to support point of view, and logical conclusions. Paraphrase and summarize information sources and cite author, title, and dates of sources. Recognize and use favourite forms of self-expression.

Syntactical Cues and Conventions Recognize the role of word order and punctuation in communicating meaning. Vary word order (i.e., Subject + Verb, Subject + Verb + Object, Subject + Linking Verb + Completer). Keep compositions in one tense. Use clear, complete, and well-formed sentences that express complete thoughts. Use conjunctions to connect ideas. Eliminate fragments and run-on sentences. Vary sentences in length and type (i.e., telling, exclaiming, questioning). Experiment with more complex sentences to create interest and variety. Use strong and vivid verbs and effective adjectives and adverbs. Use verbs, qualiers, and pronouns correctly. Use conjunctions to connect ideas. Use a colon to separate hours and minutes, to introduce a list, use quotation marks around the exact words of a speaker and titles of poems, songs, stories, and so forth. Use apostrophes and commas in series. Use correct capitalization. Semantic Cues and Conventions Find expressions or terms that serve purpose and suit audience. Use words accurately according to context. Eliminate unnecessary repetition and synonyms or pronouns to ensure coherence and clarity in texts. Use descriptive and gurative language in appropriate context. Select words for appropriate connotation. Know and apply Canadian spelling conventions using a variety of strategies and resources when writing and proofreading. Experiment with words to create interest and variety. Graphophonic Cues and Conventions Know and apply Canadian spelling conventions and strategies (such as structural analysis, syllabication,) and spelling patterns when writing and proofreading. Use dictionaries and other spelling aids. Other Cues and Conventions Write legibly in cursive using correct letter formation and consistent size and spacing.

Grade 5 English Language Arts Goals and Outcomes (proposed curriculum)

ELA Goals Compose and Create (3.0). Students will develop their abilities to represent, speak, and write to explore and present thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a variety of forms for a variety of purposes and audiences. Outcomes Create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore identity (e.g., What I believe), social responsibility (e.g., Teamwork), and efcacy (e.g., This is Our Planet) (2.1) (13). Indicators Use words, symbols, and other media, including appropriate technology, to express understanding of topics, themes, and issues related to identity, social responsibility, and efcacy.

By November: Create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore identity, social responsibility, and efcacy (e.g., What I believe) (2.1) (N-14). By March: Create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore identity, social responsibility, and efcacy (e.g., Teamwork) (2.1) (M-9). By June: Create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore identity, social responsibility, and efcacy (e.g., This is Our Planet) (2.1) (J-13). By the end of grade 5, students use representing, speaking, and writing strategies inSelect and use the appropriate strategies to communicate meaning before (e.g.,.), dur- cluding: ing (e.g.,.), and after (e.g.,.) representing, speaking, and writing (3.2) (23). Before: focusing and narrowing topic, identifying and gather information from several sources, generating and developing ideas using a variety of strategies such as brainstorming, formulating questions, consulting a text, website, or adult, organizing ideas (e.g., webbing, creating a graphic organizer, outlining), exploring and expanding on a topic through discussion, making a plan, rehearsing the sequence of events or ideas before speaking, establishing a purpose During: using composing and drafting strategies including adding supporting detail, adding examples from personal experience and reading/viewing/listening to support or illustrate main ideas, creating effective leads and powerful conclusions, organizing ideas and information following a plan or referring to a model, making transitions, making specic reference to texts, including charts and illustrations in reports, building suspense and character in narratives, sequencing ideas in beginning, middle, and end After: rereading, rewriting, identifying strengths or need changes, editing for completeness, clarity, effect, and unnecessary repetition, adding transitions to make ideas ow, adding and deleting in response to questions and feedback, proofreading for conventions, spelling, and presentation, using proofreading resources, recopying or word processing to publish (23).

Understand and apply the pragmatic (e.g.,.), textual (e.g.,.), syntactical (e.g.,..), semantic/lexical/morphological (e.g.,..), graphophonic (e.g.,.), and other language cues and conventions (e.g.,.) as they represent, speak, and write texts (3.3) (24).

By the end of grade 5, students represent, speak, and write for a known audience, using familiar formats and conventions including: pragmatic cues including considering what and why representing, speaking, and writing; demonstrating awareness of audience and use appropriate tone/voice/role for audience and purpose, using consistently common conventions of social interaction, know that representing, speaking, and writing can serve many purposes such as informing, telling a story, describing, explaining, persuading textual cues including identifying text form and its medium; choosing and using a variety of text forms such as exposition, narration, description, persuasion, and letter, using paragraphs prociently, creating effective leads that hook audience, organizing ideas with a main focus and effective and sufcient supporting detail, using common conjunctions and transition words [e.g., for example, next, however], creating powerful conclusions in compositions and presentations syntactic cues including formulating complete sentences of varied length (average length in speech 9; average length in writing 8), varying sentence length and structure for effect, using correct punctuation and capitalization including periods, question marks, exclamation marks, quotation marks, colon, commas; apostrophes, and underlining of titles, making subject-verb, noun-pronoun agreement, using present, past, future, and conditional tenses, using connecting words, identifying and correcting run-on sentences and fragments, experimenting with sentence combining semantic cues using precise appropriate and descriptive words that convey meaning and images, spelling correctly common multi-syllable words and use a variety of spelling strategies including morphological chunks [i.e., prexes and sufxes], attending to correct spelling daily work, noticing misspelled words and making corrections when revising, use standard Canadian spelling consistently for words studied graphophonic cues including using a variety of spelling strategies [pp.271-272] and spelling common high frequency words in daily writing using Canadian spelling) other cues including speaking condently and reading aloud in a clear voice with appropriate volume, pace, and expression; using gestures, eye-contact, and facial expressions to enhance meaning; writing legibly using correct letter formation and joining in cursive writing correctly, using audio visual supports to support presentations and representations. By March: Reect on and assess viewing, listening, reading, representing, speaking, and writing experiences and the strategies used, including apply specic criteria to assess and setting goals for improvement. (M-22) Note: Metacognition is the ability to reect on ones own thought processes and cognitive strategies. Fifth graders often regulate cognitive processes to maximize learning and memory. They can make decisions about the types of strategies to utilize and whether or not they comprehend or understand.

Assess and Reect on Language Abilities (4.0). Students will assess their own language skills, discuss the skills of effective viewers, representers, listeners, speakers, readers, and writers, and set goals for future improvement.

Reect and Set Goals Identify strengths in viewing, listening, reading, representing, speaking, and writing and set goals to enhance the development and improvement of the skills and strategies in each (4.1) (25).

Grade 8 English Language Arts Writing Objectives (current program)

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2010 Science Assessment Table of Specications

The 2010 AFL Science Assessment will span the old and the new. The assessment at Grade 7 will align with the renewed science curriculum planned for release in Fall 2008. At Grade 10, the assessment will focus on learning objectives outlined in the current curriculum document. Conversion of Grade 10 Science to an outcomes-based curriculum is anticipated to take place prior to administration of the 2010 AFL Science Assessment. Curricula at both grades 7 and 10 align with the Common Framework of Science Learning Outcomes - Pan-Canadian Protocol for Collaboration on School Curriculum used in most jurisdictions across Canada.

The Science assessment at each of the two targeted grade levels will consist of a performance component containing both closed- and open-response assessment items, as well as a contextual opportunity-to-learn, closed-response component. It is anticipated that the performance component of the assessment will be administered over two one-hour periods and that the opportunity-to-learn questionnaire will be completed during an additional 30 minute session.

Assessment items will be designed to equally address the four units of study outlined in the curriculum at each grade level. Learning outcomes and objectives in Life, Physical, and Earth and Space Science will be assessed in a manner that takes into account four Foundations of Scientic Literacy (Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Science, Technology, Society and the Environment) and four Learning Contexts (Scientic Inquiry, Technological Problem-solving, STSE Decision-making, and Cultural Perspectives). Content, as well as learning processes, attitudes and perspectives are integral aspects of effective science instruction and learning and are emphasized in provincial science curricula as represented below:

Foundations of Scientic Literacy

Assessment items at each grade will be included in such a way as to represent questions from three levels of difculty (Easy, Medium, and Hard) and ve levels of thinking (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analysing, and Above [Evaluating/Creating]). Consistency across grades and across curricular strands will be maintained by including essentially the same number of items from each level of difculty and each level of thinking. The number of items included for each level may vary by 1 - 2 questions in order to accommodate some exibility in the item development process.

Remembering Understanding Applying Analysing Above (Evaluating/ Creating) Total Easy Medium Hard Total

Grade 7 Selected-response Constructed-re(SR) sponse (CR) 8 0 16 0 24 2 8 2 0 4 56 16 32 8 56 8 0 4 4 8

Grade 10 Selected-response Constructed-re(SR) sponse (CR) 8 0 16 0 24 2 8 2 0 4 56 16 32 8 56 8 0 4 4 8

Difculty

Thinking

Grade 7 Life Science - Interactions within Ecosystems Life Science - Sustainability of Ecosystems

Grade 10

Physical Science - Mixtures and Solutions

Earth and Space Science - Earths Crust

Remembering Understanding Applying Analysing Above (Evaluating/creating) Total

SR CR SR CR 2 0 2 0 4 0 4 0 6 6 2 2 2 2 0 0 14 16 4 8 2 14 0 1 1 2 16 4 8 2 14 16 2 14 16 0 1 1 2 2

SR CR SR CR SR CR SR CR SR CR SR CR 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 16 4 8 2 14 16 0 1 1 2 4 8 2 14 16 2 14 16 0 1 1 2 4 8 2 14 16 2 14 16 0 1 1 2 4 8 2 14 16 2 14 16 0 1 1 2 4 8 2 14 16 2 14 16 0 1 1 2 4 8 2 14 16 2 14 16 0 1 1 2 2

Thinking

Difculty

Easy Medium Hard Total

Earth and Space Science - Weather Dynamics

Physical Science - Heat and Temperature

Physical Science - Motion in Our World

Physical Science - Chemical Reactions