The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Responsibility for Evaluation

Teacher

Section 196 of the Education Act says, in part, “A teacher while providing instruction or supervision must … regularly assess students and periodically report the results of the assessment to the students, the students’ parents and
the board; …’’

There is no doubt that the teacher, who as a professional is responsible
for the instruction of students, is in a better position than anybody else to make the necessary decisions concerning the promotion of students and the grades they should receive. As was mentioned earlier, the teacher has a responsibility to carry out frequent and fair evaluations of the work of the students and to base decisions regarding promotion and final grades on adequate records of the performance of each student. Where several teachers teach the same student, each must be involved in the decisions made regarding promotion.

It is the right of parents to be informed of the progress of their children. The cooperation of the home should be sought when students are experiencing serious problems, and consultation must occur as early as possible in the school year.

Principal

The principal is responsible for the total operation of the school and therefore has a right to be informed from time to time of the progress of each student and to be alerted about those students whose achievement indicates that they have serious problems. The principal also has the right to be consulted when students may be assigned a failing grade.

The principal is not normally conversant with the problems and abilities of each student in the way that the student’s teacher is and therefore is not in a position to overrule or change a teacher’s decision, except in unusual cases or when a parent appeals the teacher’s decisions about the child. In any event, the principal and the teacher should resolve such occurrences in cooperation.

Superintendent

The superintendent is even further removed from the basic information used to decide about the promotion and grading of students. However, as the chief executive officer of the school board and the chief educational leader of the system, the superintendent must bear the ultimate responsibility for the decisions made by others about these matters and in the most serious cases must retain the right to make the final decision.

A general summary of the material in this section follows:

• The ultimate responsibility with respect to the promotion and grading of students in the school system must lie with the superintendent.
• The ultimate responsibility within the school must lie with the principal.
• The teacher or teachers involved with the students are professionally and operationally the most competent to make decisions about individual students and that interference with teachers’ rights to do so from anybody else must take place only rarely and under circumstances of the greatest justification.

Responsibility for Reporting

It is a major responsibility of the educational system to report on its progress. This obligation must be met by all levels of the system and must take place according to well-articulated plans that are understood in advance. In all contexts, the reporting should touch on both areas of strength and areas needing improvement. The transmittal and discussion of information is a two-way process, and the consideration of follow-up plans is an essential part of reporting.

Teacher and school

The teacher reports to students to provide information about their achievement that will help them plan future activity; this should also encourage students and help them develop the skills of self-evaluation. Each student receives frequent, informal reports, which can be self-initiated or initiated by the teacher. Such reports stress constructive information delivered within the appropriate degree of privacy. Information conveyed to the student in this way must be consistent with information conveyed to the parent.

The teacher reports to the parents to provide information regarding the student’s progress relative to (a) potential, motivation, aspirations and other individual differences; (b) program objectives; and (c) appropriate comparison groups.

The elements of reporting between teacher and parent include written reports and interviews in both formal and informal contexts. The teacher conveys information clearly, trying to leave no doubt in the mind of the parent as to the state of the student’s progress. Such reporting emphasizes openness of communication. It is often desirable to have the student present at a parent–teacher interview.

The teacher reports to the principal and other teachers to provide the type of information that permits planning a program with continuity and appropriate teaching strategies. Good in-school reporting requires the maintenance of student records. These records should contain current and complete information and the teachers concerned should be allowed to examine and use those data. Open communication within the school and between schools is crucial to good reporting.

The school staff report to parents, and the principal reports to the superintendent and the school board. To parents, the school staff report on school and system objectives, school programs and its evaluation procedures. Included in the school staff’s reporting system should be provision for receiving parental opinion on the quality of the school’s program. To the board, the school staff (through the principal) reports according to board and administrative policies and procedures and relevant provincial acts and regulations.

The Education Act includes provisions for school councils (section 55). These bodies will play a role in the school reporting process, but this role may vary from one jurisdiction to another. Their creation will provide an opportunity for school staffs to enhance school–community interaction.

School board

The board reports to the public to provide general information on the programs, operations and finance of the board and to provide background information against which the public can interpret data relating to local schools. Good board reporting might involve drawing attention to the perceived needs of the community, a clear articulation of the programs designed to fulfill those needs and an estimate of the progress of those programs in addition to their financial costs and implications.

The board reports to the minister of education to convey its own educational needs and to contribute to a provincial assessment of educational needs, as well as to meet various statutory requirements. This provincial assessment is dependent in part upon reports of local evaluations of the extent to which provincial objectives are being achieved and of the assessments on which these are based.

Education minister

The minister reports to the Legislature, and hence to the public, on the nature and quality of education throughout the province. Such reporting should be based on an evaluation of the extent to which provincial objectives are being achieved, direct assessments by the Department of Education and compilations of local findings as indicated above.

An important component of reporting at the ministerial level should be the discussion of current problems and the preparation of the profession and the public for measures designed to address them. In addition, attention should be paid to publicizing existing programs and objectives of the ministry in forms that are appropriate for the specific audience intended.

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