This is a busy time for ETFO members. It is also an important time of the year for students and their families.
The first term report cards have been written , reviewed, revised and are being prepared to be distributed. In addition, there are IEP updates to complete for Term 2. What we had planned to teach, that which was taught and assessed, now moves on the next stage of communication with our partners in education – students and their caregivers.
The Importance of Report Cards
Report cards are institutional texts that contain important information because they determine a student’s trajectory through the K-8 panel and from there, to and through high school.
These texts also greatly impact what families do with the time and material means that they have at their disposal after they receive report cards.
I remember a mother who participated in my research in April 2019, an Occasional Teacher in the GTA at that time, who had said that she bought practice books for her children from garage sales before she started working and bought them in shops after she had a job. Affordability of resources is a key factor.
Whether families have experienced challenges to access education in their lives or have had many equitable opportunities, all families and caregivers want positive educational outcomes for their children. We may not all speak the same language, have identical accents, worldliness or insider language of education, but all caregivers do their best with the material means that are available to them. This we know.
Sometimes, that which is seen as reluctance or reticence can be the result of huge burdens that some families carry as well as broken trust due to the experiences families have had. But that is another thought for another time.
A and E Professional Learning: What do I do?
I read the ETFO bulletin board regularly when I am in the physical work space, and I also read ETFO emails promptly.
As a centrally assigned special education consultant, I work in classrooms alongside teachers and students. On colleagues’ invitation, I support IEP writing. I also co-plan and co-teach.
Sometimes, I am invited to work with colleagues when they write report cards. They may ask me look over student work with them and we engage in rich conversations.
I believe that engaging deeply in ongoing learning strengthens my professional judgement. Our local offers professional learning workshops on a variety of topics and one that recently caught my attention was on assessment and evaluation. It was very valuable learning delivered by one member from our local and one member who was from another local.
By Us, For Us, With Us
Professional learning designed by members for members based on the areas that we want to focus on, is a great way to strengthen one’s practice. The PL committee at our local spends time thinking through these aspects. After the committee sends out surveys asking about our PL needs, the gathered data are used to curate meaningful PL offerings. This is much appreciated by me and many. The sessions fill up quickly.
Especially with new curricula guiding our work, thanks to this Assessment and Evaluation PL, I feel a sense of shared purpose with my colleagues.
All of us, as ETFO members can access this learning and have a common platform and language related to A and E. I am therefore sharing ETFO’s Assessment and Evaluation page.
I use it often and I add it to the list of resources I curate for colleagues when they ask for specific A and E related strategies. I invite you to review the resources here. Please use them and share them with others. Whether you are an early career member and an experienced member, we all benefit from ongoing learning.
The tabs at the top of the page lead us to important information such as:
- Assessment For Learning (AFL) Cycle
- Tools
- Tools by Division
- The ABOUT link consists of a webinar on the main topic of A & E followed by sections on Assessment For Learning, Assessment As Learning and Assessment of Learning.
Please check out the PL offerings from your local. Visit the ETFO bulletin board in your worksite.
Just like students, I also wonder sometimes “How did I do?” So, thank you to all who are leaving comments in response to my writing and are engaging in conversations when we meet in schools and work spaces as well.
With You, In Solidarity.
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
Thank you so much for showcasing the valuable resources that are available for all the teachers in ETFO website. I feel so proud to be a part of this union and make use of the tools that provide teachers with fresh ideas. The best thing is to know all the care givers and teachers are all working toward students success. No matter where we geographically are coming from, we all go for the same goal to support our future generations academically and from the …bottom of our hearts. The passion has only one accent: care! It is our shared value, any languages we speak can’t separate us. We all care about students’ success.
It is inspiring to see a community of educators and professionals coming together, sharing knowledge and expertise. We are united in our commitment to empowering the next generation with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they deserve. Thank you for making these invaluable resources accessible to all of us, thanks ETFO, and thanks Dr. Rashmee.