The British Columbia Ministry of Education recently released the BC K-12 Assessment Policy Framework. It provides the foundation for assessing and reporting to their redesigned curriculum, launched in 2016. It is roughly 80 pages and outlines an assessment direction that is founded on best practice, decades of research on how to nurture student growth and skill development, and is beautifully aligned with Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition.
BC is my home province. It is where I teach. It is where my children go to school. It has been the jumping off point to my work in inquiry and with schools around the globe. Our curriculum and now the BC K-12 Assessment Policy Framework is truly world class. The curriculum is conceptually framed, skills driven, wrapped in competencies with a through-line of student agency, reflection, and ownership. It proposes that students think about their thinking, learn about their learning, and leave our schools with the knowledge, understanding, and skills to live fulfilling lives.
The BC K-12 Assessment Policy Framework helps leverage this curriculum by dismantling inequitable practices. It lifts up formative assessment structures and removes many of the power structures traditionally found in school systems. If the sound of an 80+ page document on assessment policy feels like it may put you to sleep, I beg of you, give it a read. You will not be disappointed. You will be inspired.
As you dive into the document please consider grabbing screenshots of the areas that resonate with you. What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you want? How can you bring this change to your context?
And yes, Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition is an offering that sheds light on the path to how this can be implemented with students and schools despite having such a rich policy at our backs.