Apr. 14, 2020
Alberta Education has provided guidelines for ongoing learning during the COVD-19 pandemic. The following instructional hours, which are inclusive of all aspects of learning (e.g., teacher delivery of content, readings, activities, assessments) are included in these guidelines.
Kindergarten to Grade 3 | Average of 5 hours of work per student per week
- language/literacy
- mathematics/numeracy
Grades 4-6 | Average of 5 hours of work per student per week
- language/literacy
- mathematics/numeracy
- science and social studies through cross-curricular learning
Grades 7-9 | Average of 10 hours of work per student per week
- language/literacy
- mathematics
- science
- social studies
Teachers are determining which essential outcomes will be addressed for the remainder of the year. The focus will be the big ideas/key learnings students will need when they move to the next level of a course. To support students in being prepared for the next level of these courses, it will be important for them to engage in learning activities as much as possible.
Any learning activities shared with students and families will be explicitly connected to the essential outcomes that have been identified. We recognize that families have many different responsibilities and concerns during this time. As teachers plan learning activities for students to engage in remotely, they are considering what is reasonable and manageable for students and families.
Feedback and Assessment for Ongoing Learning
Feedback will play a critical role as students engage in learning remotely. Each learning activity shared with students and families will include success criteria that outline what the student is expected to be able to understand and do. These criteria will support students with self-assessment and, particularly in earlier grades, support families to know if the student is on the right track. Examples may also be shared to help clarify expectations.
Feedback will clearly identify both strengths and areas for growth related to the essential outcome(s) being addressed through a learning activity.
Any graded assessments offered to students will be explicitly connected to the essential outcomes teachers are addressing for the remainder of the course. The focus of any graded assessments will be the big ideas/key learnings that students will need when they move to the next level of a course.
Alberta Education has cancelled all provincial assessments (i.e., Grade 6 and 9 provincial achievement tests and Grade 12 diploma exams). To align with this direction, whole-class final exams will not be utilized for grading purposes at any grade level.
During the period of ongoing learning, students will be offered multiple opportunities to improve their learning and improve their grades. As students demonstrate a stronger understanding of essential outcomes (or outcomes addressed prior to class cancellation), their grades will be adjusted.
Report Cards
Final report cards will be distributed in June. These report cards will include final achievement indicators and comments for each course in which a student is enrolled.
When teachers determine final achievement indicators, students will not be disadvantaged by the current context of ongoing learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessment information that was gathered prior to March 15 will be used to determine final indicators in each course and comments regarding achievement during this period will be provided on the final report card.
For courses that continue past the March 15 date of class cancellation, assessment information gathered after March 15 will be considered only if students have demonstrated improvement. Report card comments for these courses will also reflect progress made during the period of ongoing learning.
For students enrolled in specialized classes/settings, final report cards will also be distributed at the end of June. These report cards will include comments describing student achievement in learning areas up until March 15 and comments that describe student progress between March 16 and the end of the school year.
We know students and families are concerned about how students will be prepared for the next grade. When schools return, it is realistic to expect that we will need to assess where students are at in their learning and there will be a need for re-teaching. Documentation accounting for achievement up until March 15, and comments reflecting the progress based on remote teaching and learning will assist in this.
Thank you for your support and understanding during this time. If you have any concerns about ongoing learning for your student, please contact your teacher directly, as you would anytime throughout the school year.
