In schools

What do assessment-focused lesson plans look like?

Assessment, Evaluation, and Curriculum Redesign in action

Here, we examine how assessment and redesign are being practiced at the classroom level by individual teachers and a number of schools around the country that are implementing curriculm redesign efforts.

In the classroom

Part 1 of 2 Part 2 of 2 Jane Morton is a second and third-grade teacher at Ardmore Elementary School in Bellevue, Washington. She has her students keep journals to create written and illustrated accounts of their learning activities. These journals help her develop a fuller picture of her students' learning process. Sophie, one of Jane's students, uses her journal in a class report.

Part 1 of 2 Part 2 of 2 In Part 1, Tim O'Keefe, a teacher at the Center for Inquiry, a public elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina, assesses the work of his students by keeping a running record of notes. In Part 2, Tim engages his students in the creation of an objective test to complete a learning unit. He consults portfolios for a fuller understanding of the amount and quality of student learning.

Sana is one of Tim O'Keefe's students. She talks about participating in the creation of assessment tools and how important this has become for her educational process. Tim explains how understanding the criteria and aspects of assessment helps students get more deeply involved in the subjects.

We see students in the process of reflection on their work. Danielle, a student at the Center for Inquiry, discusses her work before the class and then answers questions from her peers.

In schools

This section gives you a variety of real-life examples at the school level.

Everett Area School District, Everett, Pennsylvania
http://www.everett.k12.pa.us/
Four schools in this district, Whittier Elementary School, North Middle School, Everett Alternative High School, and Everett High School, are involved in redesigning assessment and evaluation, and the restructuring of curriculum.

Prince George's County Public Schools, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
http://www.pgcps.org/
Another public school district doing redisign of curriculum.

Broward County Public Schools, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
http://www.browardschools.com
Two schools in this district are engaged in the restructuring process: Embassy Creek Elementary and Pioneer Middle School.

Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, Virginia
http://www.nps.k12.va.us
In this district, three schools are working on redesign: Tanners Creek Elementary, Norview High School, and Rosemont Middle School. Their authentic assessment strategies include student exhibitions as vehicles for assessment and evaluation.

Gorham High School, Gorham, Maine
http://www.gorham.k12.me.us/ghs/
Gorham High School is working to design a more progressive system of accountability in teaching and learning. They are working with several school-restructuring organizations including the Coalition of Essential Schools at Brown University, and the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Projects:

Digital Portfolio Assessment Tool
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmgives/grant/education/programs
/reinventing/assesstool.shtml
IBM has developed a digital portfolio-assessment tool and created partnerships called Reinventing Education 2 with the Boston Public Schools, Memphis City Schools, New York City Public Schools, and the State of Maryland Department of Education that are focused on its use.

ALPS (Active Learning Practice for Schools)
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/home/index.cfm
ALPS is an electronic community that seeks to connect teachers and school administrators with educational researchers, professors, and curriculum designers at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and Project Zero. Of particular interest is the Teaching for Understanding section at http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu. It contains discussions and examples of assessment for teachers and an online curriculum-design tool.

ATLAS Communities: The Schools of the Future Today
http://www.atlascommunities.org/
A number of school districts and schools around the country are using assessment models recommended by the ATLAS initiative, a joint project of education-reform organizations. For general information about ATLAS and its models, see its Web site.