Provincial achievement tests have evolved into something they were not meant to be and they should be replaced with a new mechanism to assess learning.
The Provincial achievement tests (PATs) were intended to focus on specific aspects of curriculum to ensure students understand concepts.
Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk pointed out one can have a student who does well, but poorly on one exam. To suggest the test results are reflective of the student’s overall achievement would be wrong. The tests are often used this way, sometimes unknowingly.
If the Province, school divisions and other education stakeholders want to measure student, teacher or divisional achievement, a tool must be created to specifically address their goals. The Provincial achievement test does not meet this goal as it has morphed into a means to compare and rank schools.
There certainly can be benefits to standardized tests as they allow for comparison over time, provide an objective perspective and prepare students for diploma exams and future testing situations.
Local school divisions don’t put too much emphasis on the current provincial achievement test results and this approach would be essential should a better tool be put in place to measure overall achievement. It should be treated simply as a tool in the toolbox, one of several ways to determine how a school division is doing and how to improve.
A sense of shared responsibility and ownership for results is also a positive approach. The teacher cannot be held entirely accountable for the results as it should include everyone involved in a child’s learning, from the school board to parents because learning doesn’t stop once a child leaves the classroom.
A new tool should also foster creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills as learning is more than just reciting memorized information.
