Hilary Blahey-Hasay Blog 5

                  Chapter 5: “The Role of Curriculum” dealt with the evolution of curricula throughout Canada and the world as well as gave a brief critique of some curricular aspects. One topic I found particularly relatable was large-scale assessments, especially dealing with provincial exams. The controversies over large-scale assessments states their pros and cons, both of which I can easily side with. I do recall as a student in high school, I took provincial exams more seriously and felt as though they were very influential in the outcome of my grade in the subject; this can certainly be seen as a pro to having these exams in place (p. 142). As a future educator I can see the benefit of these exams because they demonstrate areas that students excel in as well as areas that need more work in across the province, thus being able to better define which topics of a subject would require more potential opportunities for professional developments and implementation of teacher research and resources. On the other side, as an educator I can also see the disadvantages of these types of exam, in that they lead to the possibility of “teaching to the test” in which “the approach focuses on teaching materials similar to those found on upcoming assessments – rather than engaging in innovative pedagogical ways to deliver curriculum” (p. 144). Another downfall of these types of assessment is the fact that some essential skills are never assessed, such as creativity (p. 144), which I believe to be of great importance, but as a result of these types of tests, becomes an area that may have to take the backseat. Lastly the results of these tests may not actually be accurate in assessing students’ or teachers’ abilities, resulting in a potentially unnecessary expenditure of governmental funding (p. 143).

Discussion Question: What is your take on large-scale assessments such as provincial exams? If necessary, make a list of the pros and cons to help you decide.