Abstract
Educational accountability models throughout Canada commonly use low-stakes, large-scale assessment programs to support and inform school improvement efforts. These models provide school board and school administrators with the autonomy to direct their improvement efforts to meet their students’ educational needs, with no direct threat of sanctions or negative consequences. Overviews are provided for the large-scale assessment programs across Canada along with the current accountability programs that use these assessment programs. A thorough review of the Ontario context is provided, highlighting the ministry, school board, and school initiatives and practices intended to develop leadership capacity and increase student achievement. Ontario illustrates the model of distributed leadership commonly found in Canada, in which school leadership has evolved from a managerial role to one of creating shared leadership and professional learning communities to improve students’ educational outcomes. The existing challenges are identified along with the need for directed research to better understand the role of educational leadership to lead school improvement efforts in various Canadian contexts.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alberta Education. (2011a). About the accountability pillar. www.education.alberta.ca/admin/funding/accountability/about.aspx. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Alberta Education. (2011b). General information bulletin: Achievement testing programs grades 3, 6, and 9. www.education.alberta.ca/admin/testing/achievement/achievementbulletin.aspx. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Alberta Learning. (1999). Framework for the Alberta initiative for school improvement. Edmonton: School Improvement Branch, Alberta Learning. www.assembly.ab.ca/lao/library/egovdocs/alle/1999/75881.pdf. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80, 139–148.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2010). Foundation skills assessment (FSA). www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/fsa/. Accessed 12 March 2012.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2011a). Policy document: Accountability framework. www.bced.gov.bc.ca/policy/policies/accountability_framework.htm. Accessed 12 March 2012.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2011b). School planning councils. www.bced.gov.bc.ca/spc/. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Bush, T. (2008). From management to leadership: Semantic or meaningful change? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 36, 271–288.
Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network. (2008a). The impact of the literacy and numeracy secretariat: Phase 1 evaluation. London: University of Western Ontario.
Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network. (2008b). The impact of the literacy and numeracy secretariat: Phase 2 evaluation. London: University of Western Ontario.
Cowley, P., Easton, S., & Thomas, M. (2010). Report card on Alberta’s elementary schools 2010. Vancouver: Fraser Institute.
Creighton, T. (2007). Schools and data: The educator’s guide for using data to improve decision making (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Dimmock, C. (1999). Principals and school restructuring: Conceptualising challenges as dilemmas. Journal of Educational Administration, 37, 441–462.
Dinham, S., Aubusson, P., & Brady, L. (2008). Distributed leadership as a factor in and outcome of teacher action learning. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 12(4), 1–19.
Dufour, R. (2004). What is a “professional learning community”? Educational Leadership, 61(8), 6–11.
Dunleavy, J. (2007). Public education in Canada: Facts, trends and attitudes 2007. Toronto: Canadian Education Association.
Earl, L., & Katz, S. (2006). Leading in a data rich world: Harnessing data for school improvement. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Education Quality and Accountability Office. (2010). What parents need to know about province-wide testing. Toronto: EQAO. www.eqao.com/pdf_E/10/WhatParentsNeedtoKnow.pdf. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Fallon, G., & Paquette, J. (2008). Devolution, choice, and accountability in the provision of public education in British Columbia: A critical analysis of the school amendment act of 2002 (Bill 34). Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 75. http://umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/fallonpaquette.html. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Foster, R., Wright, L., & McRae, P. (2010, February 10). Reflecting on innovative practices and partnerships. International Symposium on School and System Improvement, Edmonton, AB.
Fullan, M. (2005a). Professional learning communities writ large. In R. DuFour, R. Eaker, & R. DuFour (Eds.), On common ground: The power of professional learning communities (pp. 135–153). Bloomington: Solution Tree.
Fullan, M. (2005b, Winter). The tri-level solution: School/district/state synergy. Education Analyst. www.michaelfullan.ca/Articles_04/2004-Tri-Level_soln/2004_Tri-Level.html. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Glaze, A., & Campbell, C. (2007, April). Putting literacy and numeracy first: Using research and evidence to support improved student achievement. Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, 9–13 April, Chicago, IL.
Hallinger, P., & Heck, R. H. (2010). Leadership for learning: Does collaborative leadership make a difference in school improvement? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 38, 654–678.
Jackson, M. (2007). Large-scale assessment: Supporting the everyday work of schools. www.eqao.com/Publications/ArticleReader.aspx?Lang=E&article=b07A001§ion. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Kasian, M., Klinger, D. A., Maggi, S. & D’Angiulli, A. (2010). Building roads for students’ success: MISA research capacity building pilot project. Kingston: Ontario Eastern Staff Development Network.
Klinger, D. A, & DeLuca, C. (2009). The history of large-scale achievement testing in Ontario’s education system. Toronto: Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
Klinger, D. A., & Rogers, W. T. (2011). Teachers’ perceptions of large-scale assessment programs within low-stakes accountability frameworks. International Journal of Testing, 11, 122–143.
Klinger, D. A., DeLuca, C., & Miller, T. (2008). The evolving culture of large-scale assessments in Canadian education. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 76. www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/klinger.html. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Klinger, D. A., Maggi, S., & D’Angiulli, A. (2011). School accountability and assessment: Should we put the roof up first. The Educational Forum., 75(2), 114-128.
Knighton, T., Brochu, P., & Gluszynski, T. (2010). Measuring up: Canadian results of the OECD PISA study: The performance of Canada’s youth in reading, mathematics and science—2009: First results for Canadians aged 15. www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-590-x/81-590-x2010001-eng.pdf. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Leithwood, K., Fullan, M., & Watson, N. (2003). The schools we need: Recent education policy in Ontario and recommendations for moving forward. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.
Leithwood, K., Seashore Louis, K., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning. New York: Wallace Foundation. www.wallacefoundation.org/WF/KnowledgeCenter/KnowledgeTopics/EducationLeadership/HowLeadershipInfluencesStudentLearning.htm. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Linn, R. L. (2000). Assessments and accountability. Educational Researcher, 23(9), 4–14.
Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat (LNS). (2007). The school effectiveness framework: A collegial process for continued growth in the effectiveness of Ontario elementary schools. Implementation pilot: September 2007--June 2008. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education.
Manitoba Education. (2010). Assessment and evaluation: Provincial assessment program. www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/assess_program.html. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Marzano, R. (2005). School leadership that works: From research to results. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
McEwen, N. (1995). Accountability in education in Canada. Canadian Journal of Education, 20, 1–17.
McEwen, N. (2008, March). AISI-seven years of enthusiasm: Improving learning and schools-innovation, renewal, sustainability. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, March 24–28, New York, NY.
McTighe, J., & Thomas, R. S. (2003). Backward design for forward action. Educational Leadership, 60(5), 52–55.
Nagy, P. (2000). The three roles of assessment: Gatekeeping, accountability, and instructional diagnosis. Canadian Journal of Education, 25, 262–279.
New Brunswick Department of Education. (2009). Framework for provincial assessment. Fredericton: New Brunswick Department of Education.
Noonan, B., & Renihan, P. (2006). Demystifying assessment leadership. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 56, 1–21.
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2009). Nova Scotia department of education annual accountability report: Fiscal year 2008–2009. www.ednet.ns.ca/pdfdocs/businessplan/accountability-report-2008-2009.pdf. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2010). Elementary literacy assessment (ELA). www.plans.ednet.ns.ca/ela. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2011). Nova Scotia department of education annual accountability report: Fiscal year 2009–2010. www.ednet.ns.ca/pdfdocs/businessplan/accountability-report-2009-2010.pdf. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Ontario Department of Education. (1968). Living and learning: The report of the provincial committee on aims and objectives of education in the schools of Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Department of Education.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009). Literacy and numeracy strategy.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). School effectiveness framework: A support for school improvement and student success. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2011). Technical paper, 2011–12: Education funding http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/fre/policyfunding/funding.html. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Prince Edward Island Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2010). Provincial assessment program. www.gov.pe.ca/eecd/provincialassessment. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Raphael, D. (1993). Accountability and educational philosophy: Paradigms and conflict in Ontario education. Canadian Journal of Education, 18, 29–45.
Report of the Royal Commission on Learning. (1994). For the love of learning. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
Romuald, N. (2008). School effectiveness or the horizon of the world as a laboratory. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29, 665–676.
Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. (2007). Assessment for learning conceptual framework. www.education.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=5467d649-fc3b-42f9-a165-acb56da2ef16. Accessed 12 March 2012.
Schmoker, M. J. 1999. Results: The key to continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006). Professional learning communities: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7(4), 221–258.
Taylor, A. R., & Tubianosa, T. (2001). Student assessment in Canada: Improving the learning environment through effective evaluation. Kelowna: Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education.
Volante, L., & Ben Jaafar, S. (2008). Profiles of educational assessment systems worldwide: Educational assessment in Canada. Assessment in Education, 15, 201–210.
Volante, L., & Cherubini, L. (2007). Connecting educational leadership with multi-level assessment reform. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 11(12).
Welsh Assembly Government. (2006). School effectiveness framework: Building effective learning communities together. Cardiff: Cathay Park.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Klinger, D.A., Saab, H. (2012). Educational Leadership in the Context of Low-Stakes Accountability: The Canadian Perspective. In: Volante, L. (eds) School Leadership in the Context of Standards-Based Reform. Studies in Educational Leadership, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4095-2_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4095-2_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4094-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-4095-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)