Implementing Assessment for Learning in Canada: The Challenge of Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

In recent years, educational assessment policies in Canada have expanded to include explicit mandates towards assessment for learning (AfL). These mandates emphasize the continuous use of assessments to support student learning through an integrated approach to teaching and assessment. In this chapter, we explore the emergence and implementation of AfL practices and policies in the education systems of several English-language provinces, with a specific focus on the Ontario context. We focus our argument on the critical role of in-service teacher learning for successful AfL policy implementation. Based on a three-year professional learning project in Ontario, we describe and analyze structures to support teachers’ integration of AfL within their classroom contexts. Our findings highlight the value and role of responsive, scaffolded, and embedded structures that move teachers toward greater AfL integration. The chapter concludes with a discussion of implications for future professional learning and for policies supporting greater AfL integration in classrooms and schools.