Assessment in Saskatchewan - Examining Provincial Approaches to Contemporary Assessment Principles through School Division Administrative Policies

Oct 15, 2026

Saskatchewan school divisions have been responsible for developing classroom-based assessment policies despite limited provincial Ministry guidance in recent decades. This qualitative, inductive study analyzed 24 school division administrative policies to determine alignment with contemporary assessment principles. Standards-based assessment, reliability and validity, and fairness and equity were examined alongside six sub-principles, focusing on how consistently and clearly policies articulated these ideas and translated them into operational practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Assessment culture and change over 20 years

Assessment literacy and teacher conceptions

Administrative policies (APs) in Saskatchewan

Purpose, provincial guidance, and research gap

Study rationale and timeliness

Assessment in Saskatchewan: Examining Provincial Approaches to Contemporary Assessment Principles through School Division Administrative Policies Cristyne Hébert & Kent LeNouail University of Regina Abstract In Saskatchewan, school divisions have been largely tasked with creating classroom-based assessment policy as, until very recently, the province lacked a current, Ministry-produced guiding document. Using an inductive and qualitative approach to summative content analysis, informed by a policy analysis framework, this project focused on school division administrative policies (n=24) to ascertain their alignment with contemporary assessment principles. Three principles—standards-based assessment, reliability and validity, and fairness and equity—and six sub-principles—ongoing/continuous, transparent/(involves) stakeholders, (excludes) extraneous/arbitrary factors, triangulation, differentiation, and inclusion—served as the focus of analysis, with particular attention given to how clearly and consistently principles were addressed. Keywords: provincial, contemporary assessment principles, administrative policies, policy analysis Introduction Approaches to classroom-based assessment have changed drastically in the last 20 years, from performance-based testing culture to student-centered practices that prioritize learning and link assessment, inextricably, to teaching, learning, and the curriculum (Birenbaum, 2016; Buckley-Walker & Lipscombe, 2021; Pellegrino & Wilson, 2015). Yet, many schools struggle to enact assessment culture, continuing to rely on tests and exams to evaluate student performance (Buhagiar, 2007). One potential barrier is low assessment literacy among teachers, described as the “understanding and appropriate use of assessment practices along with the knowledge of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings in the measurement of students’ learning”(Deluca & Klinger, 2010, pp. 419-20). As Koh et al. (2019) have pointed out, assessment literacy is deeply rooted in teachers’ “views of learning and their conceptions of assessment, which are shaped by local cultural, social and political influences”(p. 3). Assessment training that aligns with theory, contemporary practices, and professional standards is critical for supporting assessment literacy, as is clarity and consistency pertaining to assessment principles and policies offered within specific contexts (Brookhart, 2015; Campbell, 2013; Xu & Brown, 2016). As Brown (2004) has explained,“many policies concerning assessment standards and procedures aim to connect teaching and learning to regulation and administration. Thus, the success or failure of such policies may hang on the conceptions and meanings that teachers give to [them]”(p. 301). This project examined assessment principles addressed in assessment-specific administrative policies (APs) produced by school divisions (SDs) in Saskatchewan. All SDs in the province are required to have APs containing,“program policies, administrative organization, and general management”(The School Division Administration Regulations, 2017, p. 21). More specifically, APs include “a statement of the policies adopted, approved or authorized by the board of education with respect to…the educational objectives, program development and provision of educational services in the school division”(p. 20). The Saskatchewan School Boards Association (2022) has identified student assessment as a component of the school operations section of administrative policies and procedures, stressing that its purpose is to “establish guidelines for reporting student progress to parents and guardians”(McDonough, 2005, p. 54). Resultantly, SDs should provide,“a systematic and articulated program to evaluate student progress”(McDonough, 2005, p. 54) within their APs. APs provide pertinent information about how individual SDs conceptualize and approach assessment. They are particularly important given that, for the last twenty or

FAQs

Why do Saskatchewan school divisions need to create classroom-based assessment policies?

For much of the period studied, the province lacked a current Ministry-produced guiding document for contemporary classroom-based assessment policies, leaving divisions to develop their own administrative guidance.

What assessment principles and sub-principles guided the analysis?

The study focused on standards-based assessment, reliability and validity, and fairness and equity, supported by six sub-principles: ongoing/continuous, transparency with stakeholders, exclusion of extraneous factors, triangulation, differentiation, and inclusion.

How does this study address the research gap in Saskatchewan?

It examines assessment policies developed by school divisions, whereas prior work reviewed related administrative use of data or specific assessment discourses, but did not explicitly target school division assessment policies.

Oct 15, 2026

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