Professional Learning Goals

The learning goals for this project were to gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum by selecting key components for the various language competencies that are consistent throughout the grades. By developing these tools, we now have assessment options that we can use in all of our classes that will be specific to the skill we are trying to assess as opposed to being related to the topic of study.

Activities and Resources

We met four times over the course of the project. We developed three tools to assess various curriculum expectations and student learning as described above. We started by creating a single-point rubric that we can use to assess Speaking to Interact. We brainstormed aspects that are universal in a good conversation and then created a rubric in student-friendly language that addresses those elements. We then used this tool in our classes to assess students’ interactions. We met again as a teacher group and moderated student work with the tools in order to evaluate its effectiveness and made adjustments as necessary. Going back to our classes, we continued to use the Speaking to Interact rubric. We then met a third time and developed two more tools that can be used to assess Speaking to Communicate and Writing, following the same process of brainstorming, creating and refining. The TLCP cycle repeated until we were happy with our tools that would appropriately evaluate students’ skills. The rubrics can be used at multiple levels and abilities.

Unexpected Challenges

Apart from finding appropriate times to meet as a group, we had very few unexpected challenges. We did have an issue with files not saving and having to redo some of the editing on our subsequent drafts. This issue was quickly resolved.

Enhancing Student Learning and Development

By having tools with which students are familiar, they are being supported throughout their transition to high school. They will be more likely to take risks in their conversations because they will be more comfortable with success criteria that won’t change from grade to grade and school to school.

We found that these three tools are very useful as assessments for learning because they allow us the opportunity to provide good feedback during the learning cycle. However, we found it challenging when using the tools as assessments of learning. We felt we needed a different tool if we were assigning a grade to a task, rather than merely providing feedback for improvement.

Sharing

We have shared our tools within our schools with other French teachers and will also be sharing them with the FSL consultant and instructional coach in the HWDSB. We will post the files to “Yammer,” our inter-board discussion forum, so that teachers at other schools can access them as well.

Project Evaluation

We are very happy with the work we have done. We feel that the three rubrics we created are good tools for assessing student learning and achievement. They are useful in giving students the feedback they need in order to improve their language skills.

Our next steps include using all three tools in our classes on an ongoing basis. We won’t know the impact of this project for at least two years since students who are starting to use the tools in Grade 7 will continue through Grade 9 over another two years.