Reading and Writing in Grade 3 Questions
What does secure assessment mean?
Answer:
The Nova Scotia assessments are secure forms and must not be copied or shared. Therefore, only students enrolled in the grade level of a particular assessment will write the assessment, which means alternate arrangements are required for other students in combined classes during the administration of the assessment. Students with an Individual Program Plan (IPP) in English language arts or mathematics will not write that subject area’s portion of the assessment. Copies of assessments will not be provided for the teacher’s use. Every copy of the assessment sent to the school must be returned to the Department of Education. No part of the assessment, including student work, is to be copied or shared.
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Why must Nova Scotia assessments remain secure?
Answer:
Measures are taken to ensure that Nova Scotia assessments are reliable, valid, and fair to students. By embedding assessment items from one year’s assessment in the following year’s assessment, the department is able to make a genuine comparison of student performance on those common items, independent of the overall difficulty of the assessments. Making the assessment secure allows the Department of Education to use these common items to equate forms year-over-year, and allows the department to perform longitudinal studies of student performance.
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Do students with an Individual Program Plan (IPP) in English language arts participate in Nova Scotia Assessment: Reading and Writing in Grade 3?
Answer:
No. Students with an Individual Program Plan (IPP) in English language arts in place as of the first day of the assessment are not eligible to participate in this assessment. The assessment booklets for such students must be returned to the Department of Education with documentation inserted inside the front cover of the assessment booklet (i.e., a photocopy of only the front page of the IPP), and the back cover of the student's booklet should be completed. Students for whom an IPP in English language arts is in development are expected to participate in the assessment.
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Do French immersion students participate in Nova Scotia Assessments: Reading and Writing in Grade 3?
Answer:
No. French immersion students do not participate Nova Scotia Assessment: Reading and Writing in Grade 3.
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Do students for whom English is an additional language participate in Nova Scotia Assessment: Reading and Writing in Grade 3?
Answer:
Yes. Students for whom English is an additional language are expected to participate in the assessment. However, the school principal, in consultation with the parents/guardians, may decide to exempt a student from the assessment if the student has been learning English for one year or less. There may also be other instances when teachers, parents and guardians, and school administrators may decide that the assessment is inappropriate for the student for whom English is an additional language. In such cases the principal should contact the Evaluation Services division for guidance.
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Do international and exchange students participate in the assessment?
Answer:
Yes. International and exchange students are expected to participate in the assessments.
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Do students who were retained in the grade participate in the assessment?
Answer:
Yes. Students who were retained in the grade participate in the Nova Scotia assessment. Taking the assessment a second time provides "fresh" results for the student and for his or her teachers. This information can be used in combination with classroom assessment information to inform instruction that will support the student’s learning in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics.
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Do students who are home-schooled participate in the assessment?
Answer:
No. Students who have been formally withdrawn from the Public School Program, and are home-schooled are not eligible to participate in the assessment.
Note: Many students considered to be “home-schooled” are, in fact, participating in the Public School Program—even if only for a subject or two. Such students may be registered at their local school, and, as such, should be offered the opportunity to participate in the assessment.
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Do students who participate in the Public School Program in an alternate location participate in the assessment?
Answer:
Yes. Students who are participating in the Public School Program in an alternate location, such as a health care facility, are eligible to participate in the assessment.
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Do students who are suspended participate in the assessment?
Answer:
Students who are suspended are expected to participate in the assessments, if at all possible. Whether they are serving an in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension, the student should be offered the opportunity to participate in the assessment. It is best if arrangements can be made for a student who is suspended to participate in the assessment at the same time as the other students.
In the case of an in-school suspension, arrangements would have to be made for that student to write the assessment in an alternate location in the school building, supervised by a teacher.
In the case of an out-of-school suspension, at the discretion of the principal, the student may be invited to the school to write the assessment at the same time as the rest of the students. When appropriate, the principal may require a parent or guardian to accompany the student to and from the school.
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