Alberta Teachers' Association - Quick Links -... -
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Published on: 9/18/2008
Last Visited: 9/4/2009
Jim Dueck, assistant deputy minister of System Improvement and Reporting Division, told the ATA that more than 18,000 test items will be needed.
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In defending increased investment in provincially controlled testing, Dueck said the department is implementing the intent of the Alberta Commission on Learning's Recommendation 59.
Instead of updating the Classroom Assessment Materials Project (CAMP) materials as specifically stated in the report, the department is proceeding with CATs.
The ATA does not believe that CATs will help to "ensure that all teachers have access to high quality, performance-based and cutting-edge classroom assessment materials and practices," as recommended by the Commission.
The Commission clearly stated that "No one is better able to assess the achievement of students than classroom teachers, who work with students on a daily basis.
Rather than enhancing the teacher's professional role as intended, CATs will remove teacher judgment from the assessment process, as that is a major purpose of their design.
Dueck did not say how the bank of items would be renewed-curriculum-based test items typically become stale after two or three years.