Assessment

Assessment in Sun West School Division 

In Sun West, assessment strategies are designed to support personalized learning, ensuring every student’s growth and success. By aligning with Ministry guidelines and leveraging tools like Edsby, Sun West strives to maintain transparent and effective communication with parents and students throughout the academic year. Here are some key aspects of assessment in Sun West: 

1. Connecting Assessment Practices with Personalized Learning 

Sun West assessment practices are designed to support personalized learning, ensuring each student’s unique needs and strengths are recognized and nurtured, including a focus on: 

• Student Voice: Assessment practices empower students to take an active role in their learning journey. 
• Feedback on Learning: Providing timely and constructive feedback help students understand their progress. 
• Growing Skills: Focusing on the development of essential skills for lifelong learning, Sun West reports on skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and habits for success in the Factors Affecting Student Achievement (commonly referred to as FASAs) section of the report card. 
• Subject-Connected Outcomes: In each grade and subject, teachers assess and report on subject specific learning outcomes. 

2. Ministry Alignment and Direction 

Sun West assessment strategies are aligned with the directives and guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education through the Supporting Assessment in Saskatchewan document. Key features of this document include: 

• Research-based effective practices for classroom assessment, 
• Philosophical ideas and guiding principles for assessment in Saskatchewan classrooms, and,  
• A focus on the spirit of continuous improvement. 

Supporting Student Assessment in Saskatchewan is a resource document intended to support teachers and school division leaders and replaces the document Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook (1991).  
 

Teacher supports are also available from the Ministry: 

• Ministry Modules: Supporting Student Assessment in Saskatchewan.
• Supporting Student Assessment in Saskatchewan Publications Centre (saskatchewan.ca, which can also be accessed via Blackboard. 
• My Assessment Toolkit. The document can be accessed or via Blackboard. 
• Coming Soon – Ministry Formative Assessment documents 

 
3. Reporting through Edsby 

Sun West utilizes Edsby, a comprehensive learning management system, to report student progress. This platform allows for real-time updates and easy access to assessment data for students, parents, and educators.  

More information about Edsby is available here.

Edsby Reporting Schedule  

4. Communicating with Parents 

Effective communication with parents is a cornerstone of the Sun West assessment approach. Sun West uses the following tools to keep parents informed and engaged: 

Sun West Assessment Communication Matrix 

The Sun West Assessment Communications matrix was created to foster transparent, consistent, and meaningful communication between students, teachers, and parents, which ultimately enhances the learning environment and improves student outcomes. 

Copy of Assessment Matrix K-9
 
Copy of Assessment Matrix High School 

Sun West Assessment Schedule:  

A detailed schedule of assessment activities throughout the academic year ensures parents are aware of key dates and events. 

5. Large Scale Assessments 

Sun West participates in several large-scale assessments to benchmark student performance and guide instructional practices: 

• Grades 1-5 Reading Assessments  
• Grade 7 Reading Assessment – every other year 
• Grade 10 Reading Assessments – every other year