Schools are places of hope, of dreams and of believing in the potential of those entrusted to our care.  Foothills School Division recognizes that change to our assessment, evaluation and reporting practice presents challenges to our community.

The recognition that improved student learning is the primary purpose behind assessment, evaluation and reporting practice represents one of the most important changes in our classrooms today. No longer do we want our students to focus on a "mark"; rather, we want them to focus on their learning. Furthermore, research clearly shows not only that "grades" can be detrimental to student learning but that students don't need grades to learn.

"Traditional grading has been shown to reduce quality of learning, interest in learning, and preference for challenging tasks. But the fact that students' efforts will be reduced to a letter or number in the future is seen as sufficient justification for giving them grades in the present" (Kohn, 2004).

The Learner Profile developed by Foothills School Division, used in conjunction with supporting software Students Achieve, embraces best practices by telling the parent, child, and interested others that learning is reported:

• Based on evidence of what a student understands and can do a particular point in time;
• Based on achievement of the learner outcomes from the Alberta Program of Studies; 
• According to what a student is expected to learn and be able to do at their grade level;
• As a profile of next steps;
• On the quality of student understanding, rather than the quantity of marks accumulated;
• To discover, explore and celebrate the learner.