First and foremost, it is important to understand that your child is part of a learning community (also referred to as a pod). Each pod is made up of 3-4 advisory (homeroom) teachers, one learning support teacher and often a couple of education assistants. Teachers share the space, plan together and work together in support of differentiated instruction (providing students with different ways of learning), collaboration (engaging students in collaborative work) and inquiry learning (having students pose questions and problems and then explore, investigate and research to learn).  

Learning isn’t about age, race or gender. Rather, it’s about the individual. We exist to meet learner needs. To assume that we can do the same with everyone in a grade level assumes that everyone has had the exact same experiences and is at the same level. This is obviously not so.

In recent years, employers have stated the importance of schools emphasizing skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication, and personal and social development which students need to develop to thrive as individuals in today’s world. Also referred to as the core competencies, these skills, along with literacy and numeracy foundations and essential content and concepts are at the centre of BC’s curriculum and assessment. 

All BC schools are focussing on the core competencies, on instilling a growth mindset in our learners (the belief that intellect and talent can be developed through effort, hard work and a love of learning) and using a strengths based reporting language. Rather than using the traditional five-point rating scale (not yet meeting, minimally meeting, meeting, fully meeting and exceeding), we use language that highlights the level of effort and independence displayed by the learner (beginning, developing, applying and extending) and more importantly, provide ongoing descriptive feedback. Descriptive feedback guides learners to improving outcomes by developing next steps in their learning journey. 

Also, we do not issue letter grades and numerical marks on report cards. The work of researchers Paul Black and Dylan Willam in their widely-cited work, proposes that the use of descriptive feedback raises student academic achievement, not letter grades. The work of James Heckman, a Nobel Prize winning economist, shows how grades and test scores do not predict success later in life.  The work of Alfie Kohn suggests three conclusions:

1.     grades tend to diminish students’ interest in whatever they are learning

2.     grades create a preference for the easiest possible task

3.     grades tend to reduce the quality of student’s thinking

As a way of providing feedback and as a way to highlight student learning on an on-going basis, teachers help students showcase their learning in portfolios to highlight the progression of each child's learning. Spaces is a digital portfolio used by some classes. A portfolio is a collection of a child’s work that showcases their learning.   

In July 2023, the Ministry of Education and Child Care published a new reporting order that outlines how schools will communicate student learning to families. This new reporting order supports the redesigned curriculum that has been in place since 2016. 

The VSB’s Purpose of Assessment is aligned with the new guidelines:

 The purpose of assessment is to facilitate learning and move it forward in an equitable and inclusive way. It helps students answer three questions about their learning:

Where am I now? 

Where am I going?  

How do I get there? 

Quality assessment is ongoing and responsive.  It informs the instruction cycle and provides teachers with evidence to plan.   It helps families understand and support their children’s learning. Most importantly, it provides students with meaningful feedback to guide their learning and help them reflect on their growth.

The goal for reporting remains the same: ensuring students and families are well-informed about student learning, including strengths and areas for growth in literacy, numeracy, critical and creative thinking, and the subjects across the curriculum. Our hope is to strengthen reciprocal communication and connection between a student’s home and their school.

Written Learning Updates and Summary of Learning (Report Cards)

The new reporting order uses new language. Report cards are now called ‘Written Learning Updates’ and the final report card in June is called ‘Summary of Learning’. 

• Instead of two report cards, there will be three report cards per school year (two written learning updates and one year-end written summary of learning). 
• Teachers will provide two informal learning updates (conferences or portfolio reviews with the option of a conference) during the school year. 

Format:

• Teachers will use the provincial four-point proficiency scale to report on student learning in each subject area taught: Emerging, Developing, Proficient, Extending. 

• Teachers will include a summary of progress made toward the goals in a child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP), where applicable.
• The new policy specifies that student behaviour will not be included in the proficiency scale reporting. Comments about engagement and work habits will form part of the descriptive feedback. 
• Feedback continues to be strengths-based, highlighting where students are at, as well as next steps for learning. 
• Students will self-reflect on the core competencies and will set goals at least three times a year. Teachers will indicate how this took place on their report cards. 

Reporting schedule