Alberta Assessment Consortium is
- a not-for-profit registered society, funded by membership
- a recognized education partner in the province of Alberta
- an independent voice, able to provide an informed response to questions/issues that impact student learning
The work of AAC is guided by four main purposes.
Purpose #1 Advocate for sound classroom assessment practices by engaging in collaborative endeavors with AAC member jurisdictions and education partners.
- facilitates purposeful connections among jurisdictions working on similar assessment related initiatives;
- collaborates with ministry and education partners on projects of mutual interest; and
- provides an informed voice, responding to assessment questions and challenges within the Alberta context.
Purpose #2 Contribute to the building of assessment literacy in Alberta through action research and inquiry initiatives.
To accomplish this purpose, AAC…- maintains contact with an international network of assessment authorities; and
- intentionally seeks partnerships designed to validate and enhance research based practices within the Alberta context.
Purpose #3 Develop a broad range of classroom assessment materials, directly aligned to Alberta curriculum, that address both formative and summative processes.
- develops performance assessments and rubrics, scaffolding tools, and unit plans modeling backward design;
- collects samples of student work that demonstrate a range of quality relative to assessment criteria; and
- maintains a practical website with links of interest, assessment tools and templates designed for classroom use.
Purpose #4 Enhance teacher/leader assessment capacity by providing opportunities for quality professional learning.
To accomplish this purpose, AAC…- conducts a high quality fall conference that includes internationally recognized presenters, as well as Alberta teachers and leaders providing practical application of best practices;
- designs professional learning modules for membership use;
- creates practical AAC publications for teachers and leaders; and
- provides experienced facilitators to offer customized professional learning experiences on a fee for service basis.