PRINCE ALBERT — The number of assessments Prince Albert students receive will be increasing, according to an update provided to the Prince Albert Catholic School Division Board of Education.
The update was delivered by Education Director Lorel Trumier following an announcement by the province.
Trumier said the province’s plan will begin in the 2025-26 school year. She is in favour of the province having teachers involved in the development.
"We do know that the call for item development is going to continue into the future as they're going to want to refine their processes and ensure that their assessments are reaching the goal of the program that they would like to have, and so we're expecting revisions and changes along the way,” she said.
"We'll be working now to support our parents and students and understanding what that may mean as well. We're in the early stages of understanding what it will look like.”
According to the report, assessments will include Grade 5 and 9 Math, Grade 4, 7 and 10 English Language Arts (ELA) (reading and writing). At the current time, Grade 1 to 3 reading is being developed and more updates will come in the future.
The timeline shows that teachers will develop the assessments in 2024-25. In the 2025-26 school year, there will be field tests for Grade 5 and 9 math and Grade 7 ELA. In the 2026-2027 school year, there will be assessments for Grade 5 and 9 math and Grade 7 ELA, plus field testing for Grade 4 and 10 ELA.
Trumier said the assessments could evolve depending on how the field tests go.
"And so they should,” she said. “I think the Ministry has a plan. We're going to see what the impacts of that were going to be involved in the process.”
Trumier said she hopes some refinements occur and that the province works to understand the needs of students.
All assessments should be up and running by the 2027-28 school year.
The province currently assesses only Grade 3 reading and graduation rates. Trumier said that outside of that the Catholic Division monitors levels in math and reading from Grade 1 to Grade 9.
"What this will do though is perhaps put some emphasis on it for all school divisions to focus deeply on the Grade 5 and 9 Math, and then the 4, 7 and 10 English Language Arts,” Trumier said.
According to the province, 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 Provincial Education Plan (PEP) along with Indigenous education, mental health and wellbeing and student transitions.
Trumier added that the division is working with staff to understand what may be coming,
"We'll be working now to support our parents and students and understanding what that may mean as well. We're in the early stages of understanding what It will look like,” she said.
