Yellowknife (Apr 18/03) - Yellowknife Education District 1 is set to change their present assessment system.

The district is re-examining the Alberta achievement tests and exploring new client surveys as part of an ongoing self assessment.

"We're in an age of accountability," said assistant superintendent Mel Pardy.

"Whatever money is being invested in education you want to make sure you're getting your money's worth."

The Alberta achievement tests have been used for the past two years to assess students in Grades 3, 6 and 9 in mathematics and language arts. The data is used to identify areas of improvement for the next year. Last year the district hired a part-time math consultant because of low math scores, said Pardy.

Last week the board decided to re-examine the exemption policy for the tests. Although Alberta and the NWT use the same curriculum, the exemptions are different, making comparison difficult.

"We have to be really careful about setting criteria," said Pardy. "We're trying to get as close a fix as we can to Alberta ... We need to be on the same page."

Right now the NWT exempts students from writing the tests only with the superintendent's permission. Students who operate below two or three grade levels often are not tested.

Pardy said this district is "strict" and almost everyone writes the test. Alberta doesn't monitor exemptions as closely, he said. He said the information is helpful in determining where the NWT stands in a broader context.

Other assessments

The board also wants to include parents in their assessment of district schools.

The district is presently looking into school-wide client surveys. The board has earmarked $25,000 to contract out the surveys which will question parents, students and teachers about school climates, quality of education and satisfaction, said Pardy.

The board hopes to have the parent surveys completed in time for distribution at the end of this school year.

Grade 3, 6 and 9 students are set to take the annual achievement tests in June. The results should be released in September, said Pardy.