The first run of a new assessment system has started at the Prince Albert Catholic School Division.
During the board’s regular meeting on May 25, director of education Lorel Trumier updated the board on the PSSA (Provincial Student Assessment).
Trumier said the dates for the assessments have been published on the province’s website and the assessment windows have been opened.
“We know that we started some on Monday (May 25) and some coming up on June 8th,” Trumier said.
The ELA opened on May 25 and will run until June 8. Math 5 and Math 9 run from June 8 until June 19.
The information is also available on the Prince Albert Catholic School Division’s website. Classroom Engagements for ELA 4 and ELA 10 started in May and continue through June.
The development of the new Provincial Assessment Program is attached to the end of Departmental Exams, which was announced in 2024 by the province.
“We’re in field testing and I think it’s a very valuable stage to be in where we see whether the questions are all appropriate,” Trumier said. “Obviously, having that done at the provincial level is important.”
Students’ performance on these assessments will be used in 2027-28 to inform students, parents, and teachers about the implementation of English Language Arts in Grade 4 and Grade 7 and Math in Grade 5 and 9.
“Feedback from school divisions across the province will be provided and there’ll be adjustments made so that next year when we are in implementation stage, it’ll be complete and much more thorough,” Trumier explained.
Trumier said that they are looking forward to seeing what the assessments say, but they are only one measure.
“We have our formative assessments that we do in our classrooms and our teacher observations and other assignments and that kind of thing all come to tell a story about a student achievement level. It’ll be another piece of information that we’ll be able to use to guide our instruction,” Trumier said.
The information has been provided to students and families. The memo to the board stated that school division support teams and administration have done a lot of work to prepare for these assessments.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
