School administrators want to abolish the encrypted certificate and are calling for a general overhaul of student assessments, a “major project” that should be “the priority of the hour” given the shortage of skilled workers, say the associations they represent.
The schools are already taking action. Le Journal reported on it last weekA Montreal school has decided to scrap grades at the start of elementary school Introduce more detailed assessment grids that allow parents to better monitor their child’s progress.
In light of recent studies, the Quebec Federation of Educational Establishment Directors (FQDE) believes now is the time to “disappear” percentages and group averages from the report card “for a number of reasons.”
“The majority of research shows that it is not necessary. In addition, it deviates a little from the intention of the teacher, who aims more at assessment than at imparting knowledge or skills, ”says its president, Nicolas Prévost.
This position is shared by the Quebec Association of School Management Personnel (AQPDE). Its President Carl Ouellet confirms that it would be much more coherent to assess the skills provided for in the program by means of ratings (from 1 to 5, for example) than by numerical marks.
“That was planned at the beginning of the reform (which was launched in the early 2000s), he recalls. I think we should come back to that.”
Mr. Ouellet even goes so far as to say that the assessments should be used during ministerial examinations at the end of high school. “If it’s done little by little and explained well, I think we can go a long way,” he said.
However, at the Montreal Association of School Principals, we are more nuanced.
The numeric notes are “not very useful” during the school year when the student is studying, but can have their place on the report card to inform parents at certain key moments, confirms its president, Kathleen Legault.
However, everyone agrees that communication between teachers and parents should happen much more frequently throughout the school year, as well as comments during assessments so students know which concepts they need to improve on.
“There’s a lot of things the notes don’t say. It’s important to get feedback when you’re learning,” says Ms. Legault.
And the parents?
The Quebec Association of Parents’ Committees has also long called for better communication with teachers and more comments in the newsletter. However, the organization has not yet taken a formal position on the numerical results, an issue that will be discussed in the coming weeks.
On the part of the teachers, the Association of Educational Unions does not have a clear position on the relevance of the encrypted bulletin. However, she has long called for an overhaul of assessment so teachers can spend less time assessing and more time teaching their students.
School leaders also believe that the reflections on the report card need to go well beyond numbers and percentages.
“You have to ask yourself how to evaluate students, when and why. It’s a very complex file that goes beyond the notes. Evaluation needs to be more about learning,” says Kathleen Legault.
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