Please Explain...

Today I did something I never thought I would.  I emailed the Premier of Alberta.

Why? 

Well, it seems to me that Alberta Education is engaging in very unsound assessment practices.  I refer, of course, to our Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT).  Now, I do not really have an issue with the tests. I understand their purpose and agree that we can glean some good information from the data they provide. I do take issue with the removal of all writing resources during Part A of the ELA PAT.

Next time you have to write anything that is to be submitted for evaluation (a report, a proposal), please do not use spell check, do not consult a dictionary or a thesaurus, or your neighbour, or any other tool you might have.  Seems silly, doesn't it?  Well, that is exactly what Alberta Education wants our students to do when they write.

My grade 3 students have many different strategies to help them during independent writing. These strategies have been gathered over time and are used EVERY TIME we sit down to write something.

1. They know that they can look up words in a commercially produced dictionary.  They admittedly choose this as their last option because they find this to be an onerous task... seeing as they're not always sure how the word begins, so looking it up in a dictionary...I'm sure you've heard it before.

2.  They also have a personal dictionary in which they have been collecting "good" words all year.  Words they have needed in the past and might like to use again.

3.  We also have a very extensive word wall, which encompasses high-frequency words, adjective lists, strong verb lists and other juicy words that help us write.  These lists have been generated by the students and posted for all to see.  This is their favourite writing tool.  They own these words because they are words they know how to say, but not necessarily how to spell.

4. They know that if they can say it, they can spell it.  We call this "bubble gum spelling".  It is an effective strategy, but one still fraught with errors as we continue to learn how the English language is put together.

Tomorrow they will write their first PAT--a daunting task for any 8-year old.  They must do so without ANY of the tools they have learned to use and depend on to help their writing make sense.  I really need someone to explain to me why this must be done without any of the resources we use on a regular basis.  I just don't understand how this is good assessment.

We teach our students that when it counts they should use all the tools at their disposal to do their best work.  Well, does the PAT not count?  If not, why are we bothering to do them?

So, I decided that the Premier needed to know.  I wrote her in an attempt to vent some of my frustration and, hopefully, have her ask similar questions to the Assessment Branch.