Outcomes Based Assessment

Outcomes-Based Assessment in Prairie Land: Aligning Our Practice with Purpose

As we continue to evolve and grow as educators in Prairie Land, our focus for 2025-2026 will be centred on a significant and purposeful shift in instructional practice, Outcomes-Based Assessment (OBA). Grounded in current research and aligned with the goals of Alberta’s new curriculum, OBA reflects not just a change in how we assess student learning, but a deeper commitment to what we value in education.

What Is Outcomes-Based Assessment?

Outcomes-Based Assessment shifts the focus from grading tasks and assignments to evaluating students’ mastery of clearly defined learning outcomes. For example, rather than marking a student’s success on a traditional spelling test, OBA looks at whether the student can apply correct spelling in their everyday writing. This subtle, but powerful difference helps ensure that our assessments are aligned with real learning, not just performance on isolated tasks. This approach is not about removing rigor; it’s about making rigor meaningful and connected to skill development, rather than a series of disconnected tasks.

Why the Shift?

Our province’s updated curriculum emphasizes competency, deep understanding, and the ability to transfer knowledge, and our assessment practices must reflect these priorities. When we continue to assess students based on isolated tasks like quizzes, worksheets, or general participation, we risk valuing completion over genuine learning. This approach can overlook whether students have truly grasped the key concepts and skills we aim to teach.

Educational researchers such as Rick Stiggins and Dylan Wiliam have long argued that assessment should inform learning, not simply measure it. Outcomes-Based Assessment provides both teachers and students with clear, specific feedback, allowing for targeted instruction, individualized support, and meaningful reflection.

A Contrast with Yesteryear

The traditional model of assessment, where a final mark is determined by averaging test scores and other items, does little to show what a student truly understands. It can also unfairly penalize students who learn at different paces or in different ways. Imagine two students: one who grasps a concept after re-teaching, and one who gets it right away. In an outcome-based model, both can demonstrate mastery and receive recognition for learning rather than be compared through arbitrary percentages and timelines.

Where We are Headed in Prairie Land

This upcoming year, Prairie Land is committing to the full implementation of OBA in all schools. Our professional development efforts will support all teachers in:

• Understanding how to design and report assessments based on learning outcomes.

• Shifting conversations from “what did students do?” to “what did students learn?”

• Embedding OBA into instructional planning and daily classroom routines.

This opportunity should not be seen as a burden, but as a transformative moment, and it is not optional. This is our collective responsibility as professionals dedicated to meaningful, student-centered education. We must ensure our practices reflect the outcomes our students deserve to achieve, not the outdated traditions we have grown accustomed to. Prairie Land is proud to be leading this shift with confidence and a firm belief that OBA is better for students, better for teachers, and better for learning.

Formative and Summative Assessment in an Outcomes-Based Framework

As Prairie Land continues its shift toward Outcomes-Based Assessment (OBA), it’s essential that we develop a shared understanding of the difference between formative and summative assessment and how each plays a role in supporting student learning.

Formative vs. Summative: Clarifying the Difference

In an OBA approach, not everything a student does is graded. That may sound obvious, but in a system historically built on percentages and task completion, the distinction needs to be intentionally reinforced.

Formative assessment is all about feedback during the learning process. Think drafts, practice problems, peer reviews, class discussions, and teacher check-ins. These are opportunities for students to grow, reflect, and try again without the pressure of a grade attached. As Dylan Wiliam, one of the leading voices in assessment for learning, puts it: “Assessment becomes formative when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching to meet student needs.”

In contrast, summative assessment provides a snapshot of a student’s learning once they have had time to learn, practice, and improve. It’s not about the format, whether it’s a test, a project, a presentation, or a conversation, but about whether it gives reliable evidence that a student has met the outcome. We need to evaluate achievement, not effort or behavior, and we must be clear about what we are assessing.

Why OBA Records Only the Summative

Under OBA, only summative data should be recorded for reporting. This is intentional. It ensures that we focus on what a student knows and can do after they have had the chance to learn, make mistakes, receive feedback, and grow. Formative work should inform our instruction and help shape our next steps, but it is not "marked." Instead, it's an instructional tool both for the teacher and for the student. This shift can feel uncomfortable at first, especially when we are used to recording everything. By separating formative practice from summative performance, we give students the room they need to improve without the fear that early missteps will permanently affect their grade.

The Real Impact: Reducing Stress, Emphasizing Growth

This separation reduces stress for students. When they know that their practice doesn’t "count against them," they’re more willing to take risks, ask questions, and engage in the learning process. It also helps build a classroom culture focused on improvement rather than perfection, something we know matters deeply for student well-being and resilience. For teachers, this opens the door to more meaningful demonstrations of learning.

Moving Forward in Prairie Land

As we refine our professional development focus on Outcomes-Based Assessment this upcoming year, consider the following:

• Use formative assessments frequently, but don’t grade them. Use them to plan.

• Design summative assessments that align clearly with the learning outcomes, not just with familiar task types.

• Help students understand the difference. Transparency builds trust.

In Prairie Land, our goal is to create assessment practices that are supportive of student learning. Formative and summative assessment each play a role in that vision when we understand and use them intentionally.

Every Learner Outcome Matters

For the 2025–2026 school year, Prairie Land is prioritizing Outcomes-Based Assessment as a key focus within our Teaching and Learning framework. Central to this approach is the idea that every learner outcome matters.

OBA shifts the emphasis away from averaging marks and instead evaluates whether students have achieved each clearly defined outcome. Traditional grading can mask critical learning gaps; students may receive a passing grade by performing well in one area while missing the mark in another. For example, a student strong in fractions but struggling with decimals could still “pass,” despite an essential skill gap. With OBA, each outcome stands on its own, ensuring these gaps are identified and addressed.

Assessment experts like Thomas Guskey and Ken O’Connor emphasize that grades should represent actual learning, not point accumulation. Rick Stiggins has shown that students thrive when they understand the learning goals and why they matter. OBA supports these principles by making expectations transparent and ensuring that each learning outcome is met.

The goal is not partial understanding. It’s about ensuring readiness for what comes next. That means students must demonstrate foundational competence in all outcomes, rather than allowing strong performance in one area to compensate for weaker understanding elsewhere.

As we continue this journey, I encourage staff to start wrapping their thinking around what this means for instruction, assessment, and reporting. This isn’t just a shift in how we grade, it's a shift in how we support learning. This approach ensures students leave each course prepared for what comes next, with no hidden gaps in their learning.