Earlier this week the province announced that they are working with education partners to develop a Saskatchewan student assessment program that will provide data on how students are doing in core subject areas.
This comes from the Provincial Education Plan as a guiding principle. “We will work closely with the Ministry and our staff in the coming months to ensure assessments go well,” Saskatchewan Rivers Director of Education Neil Finch said in a statement to the Herald.
The goals of assessment are to provide a fair and objective measure of how students are doing, help guide instruction and assist schools, divisions and government in improving student achievement. The ministry will be collaborating with PEP partners to further develop the assessment approach for Saskatchewan.
This includes exploring a common approach to reading.
Learning and assessment is one of four priorities in the PEP along with Indigenous education, mental health and wellbeing and student transitions.
The PEP was developed with the education sector, Indigenous organizations, post-secondary education institutions and School Community Councils representing parents.
The PEP for 2020-2030 was released in November, 2023 after several delays.
“We want our students to receive the foundational skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a growing province,” Education Minister Everett Hindley said in a press release.
“A provincial assessment program will help us identify how kids are doing in the classroom so we can provide teachers and students with the building blocks needed to have the best learning experience. We look forward to working with the education sector to get back to basics with a renewed focus on K-3 reading.”
Assessments will be implemented in a staggered approach. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, Grade 5 and 9 students will participate in an annual mathematics assessment, and Grades 4, 7 and 10 students will participate in an English language arts assessment. All other Canadian provinces currently have their own assessment programs, based on their respective curricula.
All 27 school boards endorsed the priorities in the plan, including both Saskatchewan Rivers and the Prince Albert Catholic School Division, during the 2022-2023 school year.
The Province says that the priorities unite partners in a shared vision, focus efforts on improved results and encourage collaborative work across the province through four key priorities Learning and Assessment – improve student outcomes through effective assessment and instruction, Indigenous Education – support Indigenous student success, Mental Health and Well-Being – equip students with tools and resources for mental health and well-being and Student Transitions – focus on student and family engagement and prepare students for their future.
The plan builds on many initiatives already underway in the education sector such as Following Their Voices, Leading to Learn, the Integrated Youth Strategy and early learning programs.
Other work being done to support priority areas like mental health and well-being include Mental Health First Aid training for school divisions and the Mental Health Capacity Building initiative, which provides school-based community mental health promotion and prevention.
The Daily Herald reached out the Prince Albert Catholic School Division and did not receive a response for deadline.
