There are many ways for young people to demonstrate their learning. Sometimes all it takes is for them to step out of the box and let their creativity run wild for them to surprise us in a pleasant way.

Fortunately, the opportunities for students to demonstrate their skills have never been greater (with digital technology adding to the traditional arsenal). Beyond the paper- and-pencil exam, they can express what they have retained and understood about a notion through different products: oral report, video, schematic illustration, written production, etc.

All this evidence of learning that they leave during the school year makes it possible to draw an accurate picture of their abilities and to determine the level of achievement of the planned learning targets, based on concrete elements.

"Evidence of learning is a demonstration of what the student knows, can do, and/or can express."

To this end, schools are increasingly interested in the concept of triangulation of learning evidence. It involves the teacher collecting evidence of student learning from three different sources: oral expression (including conversations), observation of attitudes and behaviours, and various projects (written or other). The teacher can then gather this evidence to determine the final grade for the students.

This issue suggests ways to begin, simplify, or enrich the process of collecting student evidence of learning. The issue also presents ways to effectively integrate this approach into teaching best practices as well as in the collection, organization, and evaluation of evidence of learning. Tips are provided on how to give feedback. Concrete examples are presented, including those from the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial virtual school in Nova Scotia, and useful tools are suggested (on this subject, do not miss out on the central pages!).

The idea is not to change everything overnight, but to take a step forward and let students leave their marks.

Audrey Miller, Editor-in-Chief
@millaudrey

Martine Rioux, Managing Editor
@riomarti