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 13-year-old 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 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.