Abby Koning

Topic

Classroom Assessment and Curriculum Redesign: Teacher Experiences in British Columbia

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Date & location

• Friday, February 27, 2026
• 10:00 A.M.
• Clearihue Building, Room B017

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Lyndze Harvey, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
• Dr. Ruthanne Tobin, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, UVic (Member)

External Examiner

• Dr. Timothy Hopper, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, UVic

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Moustapha Fall, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, UVic

Abstract

British Columbia has undergone a significant curriculum reform that centred a competency based approach to education. This reform also highlighted a focus on proficiency in classroom assessment while maintaining a letter grade and percentage requirement in reporting for Grades 10-12 students. This study explores Grades 10-12 teacher experiences with classroom assessment and reporting under this new curriculum through qualitative, constructivist, and evaluative research approaches. Through interviews with eight teachers, this study seeks to answer how teachers are being influenced by curriculum change and what challenges this curriculum change brings to their assessment practices. This study finds that teachers’ assessment practices are unequally influenced by curriculum and that this particular curriculum redesign has ushered in uncertainty and confusion for some teachers. However, this study also identifies that despite this, teachers’ assessment practices and values regarding assessment may still align with high-level goals of the curriculum. Finally, this study identifies that challenges such as time burdens and uncertainty regarding the curriculum can influence how teachers approach their classroom assessment practice.