Assessment

= = =__ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION & 21st CENTURY SKILLS__=

=Assessment=

Covenant Christian School is committed to three levels of accountability, assessment and evaluation criteria. They are [|AISI] [|UDL] and [|Emerge- One to One]

Evaluation of course work involves a number of assessment techniques. Universal Design of Learning means that we intentionally create many different access point for students to learn as well and accept many different valid expressions that demonstrates a students understand of a taught concept or outcome of learning. (Check out this video if you have access to youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJMkcL6Do0Q&eurl=http://eduwikius.wikispaces.com/D.I.)

Each of our courses in Jr High is broken into Units of Studies. Each unit has a number of “building block” assignments to be assessed, Each block is assigned a numerical number. For example a significant chapter test may be worth 25% of the final course mark. A series of quizzes only worth 10%. There are also several unit projects or activities. All projects are presented with rubrics and when possible exemplars, Each project is broken down into a manageable time lines, and when group work is involved, amble time is designated during class time. With these different blocks, we can aviod the large Unit Test of the past and focus on students values and attitudes, skill development and knowledge.

=__Term Evaluation will be based upon__...=

a) Comprehension assignments (chapter questions, study guides, small assignments and quizzes): 25% b) Projects, essays, major assignments: 40% c) Passing in assignments of time (personal time management points are deducted for late assignments)*: 5% d) Quizzes and tests: 30%


 * Note: If students fall behind in assignments, mandatory participation in the lunchtime Homework room is expected. Special arrangements have been made with teachers to provide a space Monday thru Thursday.**

ACCESSING THE ASSIGNMENTS The majority of our assignments are available online for both students and parents to see, so you can access assignments from any computer with internet access. Some documentation may need to be picked up directly from your teacher. It is recommend that each student cut and paste each assignment into OneNote or MS Word. A backup of all classroom material can also be found in the Student's shared drive (P:Drive)

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me [|Colin Ward] and I’ll try to get back to you quickly. You may also wish to email certain assignments to me, particularly if you are working at home or out of town.

This wikispace is constantly being revised and updated. Please let me know if you find errors or points of confusion in assignments. Some lessons may have difficulty transferring into Word, or you may find something that may be unclear. Your assistance in making this a better tool would be greatly appreciated.

=20th Century Skills vs. 21st Century Skills=

We are trying to prepare students with skills and attitudes for employment in the 21st Century real world. In essance that means we are preparing students for work environments that do not exisit yet, jobs that are not imagined, yet and in a world that will look very different than yesterday or today.

This page is intended to describe the meaning of "21st Century Skills" - especially from a teacher's perspective. There is a history of how things have been done for decades, but as society changes, new skills need to be utilized by our students. There are two steps to get away from "old" skills and towards "new" skills.


 * First - how we can do the "old" things using new technology.** Blackboards became white boards... now we can use SMARTBoards to save what we've typed. But it's still writing words on the board. It's mildly transformative, but it isn't all that different.


 * The crux: how we can do entirely new things using technology.** Traditional classrooms (20th Century) put the teacher in charge of the information. Now, we can have students create content using resources like Wikis and Podcasts.

If you'd like to add an example of "old things a new way", or "entirely new things", add them below:


 * **//Old thing, new way//** || **//Entirely new thing//** || **//Description of the skill, what you do to teach it, and how someone else could use it in their class.//** ||
 * X ||  || Using a SMARTboard to capture students ideas - allows you to go back over your lesson, to show absent students the notes, and to allow students to contribute to the class document that can be posted later. ||
 * || X || Podcasting in the classroom - students create authentic resources for other students to share. Students produce a "show" that incorporates the objectives of an old lesson but utilizes new skills. ||
 * X ||  || Teachers and students can use Internet resources such as YouTube, Teacher Tube, and Discovery Streaming to enhance student learning experiences with a variety of media, as opposed to film strips and VHS tapes. ||
 * X ||  || Jigsaw type activities, mini research project - create a wiki with links (great for elementary) and students could report back on the wiki so all of the information is kept in a central spot, digitally ||
 * X ||  || Wikis and other internet classrooms. Students can now access information they missed in class before they return to school and no one has to pick up the work in the school office. ||