Horizon
School Division remains committed in supporting the use of effective
assessments and assessment strategies in our classrooms to leverage our
students’ learning and achievement. Our most recent work in the area of
assessment is focused around utilizing the ‘Teaching and Learning Cycle’
as a framework to organize and employ effective assessments and assessment
processes within our classrooms. The ‘Teaching
and Learning Cycle’ framework was largely adapted from “The Pathways
Learning Model” found in Pathways to Understanding: Patterns and Practices
in the Learning-Focused Classroom (Lipton & Wellman, 2007). The ‘Teaching
& Learning Cycle’ provides our educators with a pragmatic and effective
approach to planning their teaching and learning activities from a constructivist
point of view. Horizon School Division continues to collaboratively
design and vet common assessment processes and assessment items to support all
aspects of the ‘Teaching and Learning Cycle’. Common assessment
items and processes are made available to all Horizon School Division’s
teachers for use in our classrooms.Instructional
Leadership is alive and well in Horizon School Division as our teachers
continue to explore and understand the ‘Teaching and Learning Cycle’ framework
and its connection to effective assessments and assessment processes.
Horizon School Division remains committed in collaboratively developing and
supporting the use of effective assessment processes and quality assessment
items in our classrooms. Our first
journey together in assessment for Horizon School Division will be the use our
common assessment processes and assessment items for Mathematics in Grades
1-9. These common assessment processes and assessment items are
designed to help Horizon School Division’s students to meet or exceed our
Provincial goals in the area of numeracy.

Adapted from Laura Lipton & Bruce Wellmen's Pathways to Understanding: Patterns and Practices in the Learning-Focused Classroom
Common Assessments (documents for teachers and staff)
Acknowledgements