AQPC

Can teachers giving the same course propose different assessments while ensuring the equitable assessment of students in all sections? According to the authors of this article, the answer is a resounding “yes”! Contrary to what some may believe, “instructional freedom” can actually co-exist very well with the desire to ensure that objectives have been met via measurement techniques that are different but equivalent—fortunately so, as most CÉGEP policies on the assessment of student achievement (PIÉA) require such equity! This concern does, however, demand considerable flexibility on the part of teachers, who must submit the taxonomic levels of their assessments (not of their instruction) to an analysis in order to ascertain the degree of consistency between those assessments and the cognitive burden placed on students, and then make changes to their practices. This exercise, in which a team of teachers from CÉGEP Vanier took part, proved an extremely profitable professional-development opportunity.