Assessment is a key component of provincial and territorial education systems. It helps track student achievement and progress, and can identify gaps and
challenges in the systems.
CMEC is involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of both pan-Canadian and international assessment programs, as well as other large scale studies to
examine the educational environments and whether or not they are meeting expectations for students’ performance at strategic points in their education.
- The Pan-Canadian Assessment
Program (PCAP) is a series of cyclical tests of the achievement of Grade 8/Secondary II (in Quebec) students in mathematics, reading, and science involving all
provinces and territories. PCAP, which replaces an earlier assessment called the Student Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP), is coordinated by CMEC.
- The Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science.
PISA has been administered every three years, beginning in 2000. All 10 provinces take part in PISA, with Canada’s participation a partnership of Human Resources and
Skills Development Canada, CMEC, and Statistics Canada.
- The Programme for
the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an international survey led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
that measures the foundation skills of adults between 16 and 65 years of age, and collects information that includes their antecedents and how their skills are used at
work and in other contexts in the 21st century. All provinces and territories participate, and Canada’s involvement is a partnership
between Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, CMEC, and other federal agencies and departments. Statistics Canada manages the implementation of the
survey.
- The International Computer and
Information Literacy Study (ICILS) is an international assessment sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).
The focus of ICILS will be to assess the extent to which Grade 8 students know about, understand, and are able to use information and communication technology (ICT).
ICILS will be administered for the first time in 2013. Canadian provinces and territories are participating in this study either at a pan-Canadian or jurisdictional level, and
CMEC is coordinating their involvement.
- The Teacher Education and
Development Study – Mathematics (TEDS-M) is an international comparative study on teacher education that focuses on the preparation of teachers who will be
teaching mathematics in primary and lower secondary grades. Five provinces are participating in this study, with CMEC coordinating their involvement.