Education and Early Childhood Learning

Assessment and Evaluation

Assessment and Grading

Achievement as Competence

The Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education document Guiding Principles for WNCP Curriculum Framework Projects, references a 2005 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development document. The Definition and Selection of Key Competencies: Executive Summary ( 419 KB), which states:

A competency is more than just knowledge and skills. It involves the ability to meet complex demands, by drawing on and mobilising psychosocial resources (including skills and attitudes) in a particular context. For example, the ability to communicate effectively is a competency that may draw on an individual’s knowledge of language, practical IT skills and attitudes towards those with whom he or she is communicating.

Being competent is characterized by a command of skills and knowledge that are ‘mobilised’ in a variety of ways and contexts. Mobilisation is, in part, a matter of student choice to engage with, extend and apply learning to the world around. Competence is further characterized by a student explaining how they know what they know and why certain approaches or processes are appropriate in a given context – that is, they articulate their meta-cognition.

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Connecting ‘Competence’ to the Report Card Grade Scale

‘Competence’ is our goal for all students and is reflected in the description of the report card grade scale level ‘Very good to excellent’ as described in the report card policy and support document, Section 4.3 .The scale is composed of an ordinal scale used for subject categories (Section 4.4 of the report card policy and support document), at Grades 1 to 8, a percentage scale used for overall grades at Grades 7 to 12, and scale level descriptions, as illustrated below (reproduced from the report card policy and support document).

Academic Achievement of Provincial Curriculum Expectations

Grading Scale		Description
Oridinal (ND, 1 to 4)	Percentage
4	80% to 100%	Very good to excellent understanding and application of concepts and skills thoroughly understands all or nearly all concepts and/or skills routinely makes connections to similar concepts and skills applies creatively to own life and to support new learning
3	70% to 79%	Good understanding and application of concepts and skills understands most concepts and skills often makes connections to similar concepts and skills sometimes applies to own life and to support new learning
2	60% to 69%	Basic understanding and application of concepts and skills understands most concepts and skills occasionally makes connections to similar concepts and skills
1	50% to 59%	Limited understanding and applications of concepts and skills; see teacher comments understands some key concepts and skills rarely makes connections to similar concepts and skills
ND	Less than 50%	Grades 1-8: Does Not yet Demonstrate the required understanding and application of concepts and skills; see teacher comments Grades 9-12: Does Not yet Demonstrate the required understanding and application of concepts and skills; students with a final grade of less than 50% are not granted course credit; see teacher comments

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Profiles of Achievement

The draft profiles below use terminology from the descriptions only (‘Very good to excellent, ‘Good’, etc.), which are common to both the ordinal and percentage scales.

Report Card Grade Scale with Addition of Language based Competence

Manitoba Report Card General Grading Scale

Extent to which the student is meeting grade-level1 learning outcomes across the provincial report card grading scale
ND (Not Demonstrated)	Limited (1)	Basic (2)	Good (3)	Very good to excellent (4)
Provincial report card policy document grade scale descriptions
Does Not yet Demonstrate the required understanding and application of concepts and skills; see teacher comments	Limited understanding and application of concepts and skills; see teacher comments understands some key concepts and skills rarely makes connections to similar concepts and skills	Basic understanding and application of concepts and skills understands most concepts and skills occasionally makes connections to similar concepts and skills	Good understanding and application of concepts and skills understands most concepts and skills often makes connections to similar concepts and skills sometimes applies to own life and to support new learning	Very good to excellent understanding and application of concepts and skills thoroughly understands all or nearly all concepts and/or skills routinely makes connections to similar concepts and skills applies creatively to own life and to support new learning
(DRAFT) Competence-based profiles of academic performance: From a body of evidence based on grade-level products, observations and conversations, the teacher observes that the student...
Has persistent learning difficulties which hinder or prevent acquisition of knowledge and skills.	Even with considerable ongoing support, demonstrates limited knowledge and skills which are acquired and expressed as disconnected elements. Requires significant support for continued grade-level learning.	Requires occasional teacher or peer support to demonstrate basic knowledge and skills and sees connections to prior learning. Sometimes extends concepts across other subject areas and contexts. Recognizes appropriate strategies.	Requires occasional prompting for clarification to demonstrate good knowledge and skills. Usually makes connections to prior learning and extends concepts across other subject areas and contexts. Identifies and explains appropriate strategies.	Applies prior learning to support new learning. Demonstrates strong knowledge and skills and consistently makes connections among them. There are extensions, when appropriate, across subject areas and contexts. Justifies, generalizes and articulates own thinking.

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