The Roles and Responsibilities of the Leader: Assessment in the LQS

What are a Leader’s Roles and Responsibilities Concerning School Assessment Practices?  Upon first glace at the Alberta Leadership Quality Standard (LQS) it might appear as though a leaders responsibility in regards to school assessment practices reflects solely around the Providing Instructional Leadership competency however, assessment and learning are so intertwined that it impacts every other competency.  For example:

1. Fostering Effective Relationships: Leaders must communicate assessment practices fairly and with integrity, and create opportunities for parents to be active partners in their child’s progress.
2. Modelling Commitment to Professional Learning: Assessment requires leaders to stay apprised of educational research and engage in critical reflection to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
3. Embodying Visionary Leadership: Leaders use a range of assessment data to determine progress toward school goals and to promote a culture of continuous improvement.
4. Leading a Learning Community: Assessment data helps leaders cultivate a culture of high expectations and ensures a shared responsibility for the success of every student.
5. Foundational Knowledge about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit: Leaders facilitated resources to support understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing, which calls into question traditional assessment practices.
6. Providing Instructional Leadership: This is the core area where leaders ensure that assessment is fair, appropriate, and evidence-informed, and that data informs school-wide practice.
7. Developing Leadership Capacity: Leaders empower teachers to take on leadership roles in assessment and pedagogy.
8. Managing School Operations and Resources: Leaders align financial resources with identified needs based on student assessment data.
9. Understanding and Responding to the Larger Societal Context: Leaders understand systemic barriers regarding assessment and respond by representing students’ needs at all levels (community, school, province)

Why is a Leader’s Role Important?

Research is clear: school leaders are the catalysts for change in assessment reform. A leader sets the tone for their school’s values on reporting and assessment. Leading assessment change is a complex process, which is why AAC has developed many resources to support you.