Aligning planning, instruction, and assessment

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Standardized Testing Chatboard

Aligning planning, instruction, and assessment

by monh

Mar 8, 2023

Recently, I have acquired new knowledge, through my last M.Ed course, about the structure and elements of curriculum planning, instruction, and assessment; and, specifically, about how important it is to effective teaching and learning that those elements align in philosophy, conception, and design. After taking my latest course, I have realized that the movement occurring over the last 8 years in my province is rooted in a shift in educational philosophy at the district and school level. However, that shift does not align with the philosophy of education at the provincial level. Whereas, teachers are encouraged and at times mandated to move away from subject-centred curricular design to learner-centred or problem-centred designs the provinces still requires them to teach to a subject-based assessment. This misalignment of philosophy and practice between schools and province has caused confusion, frustration, and anger among the front line workers of education: teachers.

Conse...See MoreRecently, I have acquired new knowledge, through my last M.Ed course, about the structure and elements of curriculum planning, instruction, and assessment; and, specifically, about how important it is to effective teaching and learning that those elements align in philosophy, conception, and design. After taking my latest course, I have realized that the movement occurring over the last 8 years in my province is rooted in a shift in educational philosophy at the district and school level. However, that shift does not align with the philosophy of education at the provincial level. Whereas, teachers are encouraged and at times mandated to move away from subject-centred curricular design to learner-centred or problem-centred designs the provinces still requires them to teach to a subject-based assessment. This misalignment of philosophy and practice between schools and province has caused confusion, frustration, and anger among the front line workers of education: teachers.

Consequently, I was interested in reaching out to get thoughts and ideas about the role standardized tests play in humanistic and social reconstructionist approaches to teaching, specifically how can standardized test be aligned with learner-centred and problem-centred curricular designs. I teach in Alberta, a province where there has been a massive push away from traditional educational philosophies such as Perennialism and Essentialism and towards the contemporary educational philosophies of Progressivism and Reconstructionism. With that push there has been a plethora of resources and strategies thrown at us that centre on conceptions of curriculum that vilify academic rationalism or cognitive process based conceptions and, instead, highlighting the merits and benefits of conceptions of curriculum such as humanistic curriculum, self-actualization, and social reconstructionism. Unfortunately, this push misaligns with the provincial testing. Each year all grade 12 students must write a standardized test in each course that makes up 30% of their grade; the grade they must submit to universities. Ultimately, teachers are stuck in the middle of a tug of war of planning, instruction, and assessment. How does one plan and instruct learner or problem based designs but assess using high stakes and standards based assessments. The process is incongruent to the result. This is further complicated by the fact that more authentic, dynamic, and alternative assessments are now being pushed as best assessment practice in the classroom. Thus, my question is this: where do standardized tests fit in with learner-based and problem-based curricular designs. How do I align my philosophy of practice with the expectations of the province when they are different. Are there any resources or strategies you can share that would help with this incongruency to enhance student learning.

Mona

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