In order for teachers to gain the evidence of student achievement, they need to evaluate students. Teachers need to determine which assessment method, strategy and tool will best suit the situation. Teachers can use a variety of assessment methods when assessing student achievement. They generally fall into the following three categories:

Each method has a role in providing evidence of achievement. A balance of methods should be used to gain a fuller picture of student achievement. In recent years, there has been considerable attention to the use of performance assessment. When thoughtfully developed, performance assessment provides a comprehensive picture of what students know, are able to do,and can apply. For models of good performance tasks and task specific rubrics, refer to The Ontario Exemplars, Reading, Writing and Science for Grades 1 to 8, and Social Studies for Grades 1 to 6.