NUNAVUT
Arctic College is in its first year of using a new assessment tool developed specifically for adult basic education (ABE) students in Nunavut.

Rose Tina Alivatuk, left, adult basic education instructor in Pangnirtung, Sheila Dialla, acting adult educator in Pangnirtung, and Cindy Cowan, director of community and distance learning, talk at the Northern Adult Basic Education Symposium in Whitehorse in May, where the newly completed culturally relevant assessment was presented after 27 months of development. - Archbould Photography photo

The ABE program includes six levels of study ranging from basic literacy to course work at the Grade 12 level. Soon-to-be students are assessed for levels in English, math and Inuktitut to better place them in an eight-month ABE module of either 110, 120, 130, 140 or 150.

"The English (reading and writing) placement assessment is an important part of that," said Daniel Page, manager of the adult basic education program.

Pat Campbell, who had previously created two national reading assessments, developed the first culturally relevant placement tool for a Canadian college system. The 27-month project, completed in March, was developed with college staff and students, as well as with a team of authors and specialists with expertise in test development, reading, statistics, question structure, design, and editing. The project was funded by the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor).

Along with being a Nunavummiut-friendly tool, it had to fulfill strict criteria, such as being statistically relevant and being as rigorous an assessment as in the rest of Canada. Most importantly, it had to improve the ability of staff to correctly assess student capabilities.

"You don't want to waste a year of your life when you're an adult," said Page. "You have aspirations, you take the program because you have goals. You want to know the steps you take along the way are the right steps."

Sheila Dialla, the acting adult educator in Pangnirtung, used the new assessment through its pilot year and is using it again this year. Dialla much prefers it to the previous assessment tool the college used.

"The new one is culturally relevant," she said. "Individuals, when they do the test, can relate to the material. It makes it easier for them, especially when it comes to the writing section, to think about what they're going to write about. It uses topics that they can easily relate to."

Dialla notes the material is now set up so that it's very easy to explain to the individual prior to using the test.

"It's improved in layout and relevancy," said Dialla.

Page explains that the test is laid out like actual documents that Nunavummiut deal with in day-to-day life, such as Internet sites and government documents, and stories used are specifically Northern and Inuit.

As an instructor, Dialla says it's much easier to use.

"Especially with the matrix that's been set up to do the scoring, whereas before, it was quite vague. It was hard to tell whether I was correcting them right. But now, with the matrix, it makes it so much easier. We can pinpoint the level and we can actually use that matrix to explain to the individual why they got a certain point. (It's) definitely more helpful."

Page notes that assessments should not be an onerous process.

"It's statistically accurate, but students come across things they know. It combats intimidation."

In this assessment, reading is a priority, whereas the previous one prioritized writing.

"Reading is the key tool," said Page. "Most people don't write, but we all have reading in common."

ABE is run in most Nunavut communities.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.