For this assignment you are to write an essay that analyzes and critiques the Alberta Provincial Achievement Testing Program, including the actual tests. Specifically, you will analyze and critique the contents of the 20-page Parent Guide to Provincial Achievement Testing for Grade 6, which includes sample test items from all subject areas. The Parent Guide can be found online.
Your essay should be written from the perspective of a prospective teacher who highly values student learning and who will be asked at some point to give the achievement tests to his or her students.
Your essay should include both a summary of the document’s point of view and your evaluation of that point of view.
Use a “claims and evidence” approach. Be specific about the claims or points you are making about the document and back up those points with evidence that your reader will find credible and relevant. Insert direct quotes from the Parent Guide into your essay to support your claims, as well as evidence from other sources.
Your essay should include a bibliography in APA format that cites all your references.
Organizationally, your essay should begin with an appropriate introduction, outline the strengths and weaknesses of the testing program/tests, and come to a conclusion that is based on the evidence and arguments you have presented.
Please note that any and all sources should be Canadian and that the essay should be written from an Alberta point of view.
