Assessment and Evaluation – Alpha Social Studies Department

The Social Studies Department practices Standards-Based Assessment, using rubrics based on the Curricular Competencies. What does that mean?

The Curricular Competencies are a list of skills and abilities that the Ministry of Education deems necessary for success in a given course. These competencies are taught in conjunction with course content that can be used to teach those skills and abilities. Teachers may focus on different content pieces from the ministry list but all teachers must cover all of the curricular competencies for a given course. There are common themes for all Social Studies courses:

- Inquiry and questioning
- Determining what is significant
- Using and studying evidence
- Continuity and Change
- Cause and Consequence
- Historical Perspectives
- Ethical Judgements

The rubrics used in the Social Studies Department at Alpha assess these competencies.

Standards-Based Assessment attempts to clarify the desired outcomes for student learning by clearly stating what a student can do, and what a student needs to do to get better. If a student brings home a test that has a mark of 42/60, it tells you that they were able to recall about 70% of the information that the teacher wanted them to know. It does not tell you what the student can actually do, and what they have learned to do in class. The mark of 42/60 also doesn’t tell you what the student needs to do to get a higher mark, only that there is 30% more that a student can achieve.
Standards-Based rubrics also help students see where they need to go to improve. The language in the rubrics is clear about what students have demonstrated in each of the standards.

- Extending (“A” Range) – This indicates a sophisticated answer that clearly demonstrates deep understanding and demonstration of skills beyond the curricular expectations.
- Proficient (“B” Range) – This indicates a complete answer that demonstrates a good understanding and demonstration of skills that are in line with the curricular expectations.
- Developing (High “C” Range) – This indicates a partial answer that demonstrates some understanding and demonstration of skills that are approaching the curricular expectations. Students may require extra help to improve their mark.
- Emerging (Low “C” Range)- This indicates a partial answer that demonstrates limited understanding and demonstration of skills that are below curricular expectations. Students who are at an emerging level would still pass the course, but would require extra help to improve their mark.
- Access Point – This indicates that the students have a basic understanding of the material but may not be answering the questions at an Emerging Level. This mark is often given to students who are participating in class, but might not be on a graduation pathway.

Final marks will look at what a student has been able to demonstrate throughout the class. This does not necessarily mean that all marks are averaged or that all competencies are worth the same amount. Teachers may take many things into account when determining a final grade such as what a student has done most recently, what a student has been able to do most consistently, or if a student has been able to demonstrate consistent growth in a particular area.

The following is a list of Standards-Based Assessment Rubrics that our department uses: