The Saskatchewan government recently announced that it is to introduce a new student assessment program as part of its Provincial Education Plan. This was proposed in the recently delivered throne speech on November 25, 2024, as a way of providing a better and more objective measurement of student performance in the classrooms of the province.

According to Education Minister Everett Hindley, the program should equip students with the basic requirements for survival in Saskatchewan’s developing economy. He described the assessment program as “a measure that will help us identify how kids are doing in the classroom so we could offer teachers and students building blocks needed for the best learning experience.”

The new system will see tests conducted on students in grades 4, 7, and 10 in the English Language Arts. The other students in grades 5 and 9 will receive tests in math annually. The tests will be rolled out in the school year 2025-26. The government is hopeful that these tests will bring out weaknesses in areas that call for more support to help ensure that educational objectives are met and teachers change the instruction to suit the students’ needs.

However, the news has not been without criticism from education stakeholders. Samantha Becotte, President of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, was cautiously optimistic about the new direction but expressed concern over the impact on classroom time. “We know standardized testing doesn’t really give us the best picture of what students are doing in classrooms, when we could be using that time to provide additional supports,” she said. Becotte also points out that testing environments at high-stakes tests are intimidating, and she is particularly interested in the impact of assessment results in increased funding or resources.

Despite these concerns, the Saskatchewan government is still keen on its objective of improving educational outcomes and having a more structured approach in assessing student progress. The Ministry of Education hopes to create an environment that is better equipped to handle the changing needs of students in the province by working in collaboration with the education sector.

This new assessment program takes one of the most important strides forward toward improving education standards in Saskatchewan, with government hopeful that it will enhance better-informed teaching practices in order to promote student success.