In alignment with Manitoba's K to 12 Education Plan, the St. James-Assiniboia School Division is committed to advancing Truth and Reconciliation, achieving equity, ensuring inclusion, striving for excellence, prioritizing well-being, and enhancing accountability.
Instruction, assessment, and evaluation practices are considered and designed with these principles in mind to meet the needs of all learners. Each student is met with high expectations for progress and achievement with a strong focus on reaching their full potential. Our vision is that all students complete their school experience with a strong sense of hope, belonging, and purpose. All learners are supported to reach their full potential and depart public school prepared for their individual path beyond graduation.
The St. James-Assiniboia School Division believes that Assessment and Evaluation informs instruction, increases student motivation, and promotes student learning. This process provides the foundation for meaningful communication among teachers, students, parents, and the community.
Assessment "for" and Assessment "of" Learning
As a parent, your interest in your child's learning can have a tremendous impact on his or her learning progress.
You may have questions about how to become involved in your child's learning. Things may have changed since you were at school. For many caregivers, assessment “for" learning and assessment “of" learning are newer terms that educators use more commonly now to describe what is happening in your child's school experience.
What has remained the same, however, is the importance of providing children with descriptive and constructive feedback about their own learning. In doing so, students begin to understand what they learned well and what they can do to improve their learning. Providing a clear picture about the next steps for learning is referred to as assessment “for" learning.
There are many different methods teachers use to gather information concerning your child's learning progress. Some of these include observations, conversations, work samples, quizzes and tests, assignments, tasks, and performances. Your knowledge about the variety of methods can help you talk to your child about their learning at school.
Students are also provided with evaluative feedback, which tells the learner how they have performed compared to what was to be learned. This is also called assessment “of" learning and may be reported using letters, numbers, or other symbols on a report card or within a grading period.
Teachers will consider all evidence collected through assessment tasks that the student has completed or submitted to determine the level of achievement in a grade or course. Should you have any questions about the process or forms of assessment that your child will engage in, please consult the specific teacher's course outline, contact the teacher directly, or contact the School Administration for further information.
SJASD Senior Years Final Assessment Week 2024–25
Senior Years schools in St. James Assiniboia will schedule a Final Assessment Week at the end of each semester. The purpose of this week is to ensure that students can prepare and engage in assessments “of" learning at the completion of their semestered course.
Assessments scheduled during the Final Assessment Week will take place over the course of four days and will be weighted separately from other summative assessments within a given course at 10 per cent of the final course grade. This will be communicated in the “exam" column on the report card. Student assessments will typically take place during a 68-minute block during the scheduled week.
Your child's teacher will communicate the process for these assessments and each school will release a schedule for Final Assessment Week closer to the conclusion of the semester. The last day of scheduled classes and new learning for students in Grades 10-12 is January 24, 2025.
During Final Assessment Week, students not participating in a scheduled assessment will be provided the opportunity for study time/sessions, finalization of course requirements that was not completed during class time, continued practice of skills, and time with teachers. Each school will determine its own plan for student attendance and schedule.
IN SJASD, each Senior Years school will coordinate final assessments during Final Assessment Week in:
- Grades 10 and 11
- English
- Français
- Mathematics (English & French Immersion Program)
- Grades 11 and 12 (English & French Immersion Program where applicable)
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
Provincial Tests
Grade 12 students will participate in Provincial Tests as outlined by Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning. More information on the Provincial Assessment Program can be found here: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/ or, by asking your child's teachers. These Grade 12 Provincial Tests will count for 20 percent of a student's final course marks and will run throughout the month of January, prior to the school Final Assessment Week. Grade 12 Provincial Tests will take place in the following courses:
- English Language Arts
- Français
- Mathematics (Pre-Calculus, Applied, Essential – English & French Immersion Program)
Students will receive their schedule from their teachers in separate correspondence.
For further information regarding SJASD assessment practices, please consult:
Assessment Explanatory Video
SJASD Assessment Week Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will my child have exams in their Senior Years course?
A: An exam (examination) is one form of assessment that can be conducted throughout or at the end of a Semester. An examination may not be only in a written form, teachers may have students perform a task or present material that demonstrates their learning in a form that is most meaningful and relevant to the course material. Teachers will communicate the purpose of each assessment and when students would have different types of assessment tasks throughout the term.
Q: What happens during Final Assessment Week?
A: During assessment week, students will not have new learning experiences. Time has been set aside in the semester for students to prepare and engage in final assessments (Assessment “of" Learning) as per their course schedule. Please check the final assessment schedule for your child's school to determine what times they would be required to report to school during that week.
Q: What if my child does not have a final assessment this Semester?
A: Students not participating in a scheduled assessment will be provided the opportunity for study time/sessions, finalization of course requirements that was not completed during class time, continued practice of skills, and time with teachers. Each school will determine its own plan for student attendance and schedule; it will be forwarded to all students and families in a timely manner prior to the end of each Semester.
Q: Why were only grades 10-12 and the subjects listed chosen to have assessments during Final Assessment Week?
A: Careful consideration of students' developmental stages and the types of assessment that are best for the course material were discussed with school leaders and teachers. It is important to note that rigorous and meaningful assessments will take place for all learners, in all courses each Semester, whether it takes place during Final Assessment week or not. We will continue to monitor the feedback from students and families this year as we reinstate Final Assessment Week in a post pandemic context.
