Summer Reflections
Summer, while certainly not a vacation for most educators, can make possible more time for reflection and goal-setting. ELP is appreciative of two recent opportunities to reflect on the bigger picture of our work and to share those reflections with you.
Add to your podcast queue my recent discussion with Dr. Greg Goins on his excellent Reimagine Schools podcast. Mixing educational history and philosophy, Dr. Goins and I reflect on how performance assessment is situated within the larger movement known as deeper learning.
For the many of you actively working to broaden the adoption of good ideas, I recommend A Pragmatic Playbook for Impact, published by Bellwether Education Partners, which includes a case study on Envision Education and an upcoming August webinar that features ELP’s story. See below for more on this.
After another very challenging year for educators, we hope that summer has afforded you some time to look up to the horizons of your work. Please reach out to ELP for support as you consider your next move in the project of building a performance assessment system. Our talented team stands ready to help you train your teachers in HQPA, design a portfolio-defense system, or make your graduate profile a reality.
In community,
Justin Wells, ELP Executive Director
Announcements & Upcoming Events
We’re proud to announce that after much deliberation, we’ve chosen the 6th Deeper Learning Leadership Forum (DLLF) Cohort. Read more about this amazing group and meet some of them at next month’s ELP Lounge on August 18th. Grab your free ticket here.
Join us for this two-part workshop series that discusses the importance, creation, and implementation of a Graduate Profile. Participants will explore the its value, develop and define a draft, and then learn how to implement and measure it once they take it back to their school, district, etc.
- Session A: Defining Your Graduate Profile
- Wednesday, August 17th, 2022 ⋅ 9:00am – 12:00pm PT
- Session B: Select & Design Your Culminating Performance Assessment
- Wednesday, August 24th, 2022 ⋅ 9:00am – 12:00pm PT
Teachers know that the best assessments not only capture our students’ brilliance but also allows learners to see their progress. In this three-part workshop series, you will learn the principles of high-quality assessment and apply them to the design of a task that aligns to your desired outcomes and provides evidence of your students’ learning. By the end of the workshop you will have an assessment that is ready to implement in your classroom.
- Session #1: Wednesday, September 7th, 3:00pm-5:00pm PT
- Session #2: Thursday, September 8th, 3:00pm-5:00pm PT
- Session #3: Wednesday, September 21st, 3:00pm-5:00pm PT
Part A: Doing Too Much: Disrupting the Transference of STEM Trauma
- Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 ⋅ 2:00 – 4:00pm PT
This workshop will explore the often problematic relationship many students and teachers have with STEM education emerging from traumatic experiences we simply never address. This workshop particularly focuses on the roots of science as it relates to white supremacy culture and science education, and how that bleeds into the way we see ourselves, or don’t, in science. We will look at ELP’s HQPA principles as a means to address healing and thriving in the design of STEM assessments that matter.
Part B: Don’t Do Too Much: Centering HQPA in STEM Assessments
- Wednesday, October 19th, 2022 ⋅ 2:00 – 4:00pm PT
This workshop will dive into the importance of incorporating culturally responsive practices and DEI authentically in order to thrive in your classrooms! Going beyond adding a trendy handshake or latest song into a presentation, we will be looking into how we use these definitions and ELP’s HQPA principles to create STEM assessments that are engaging to all demographics, particularly targeting your most disengaged students.
Click here for more information about the two new workshops, including take-aways, FAQ, and more about your facilitator, Josette Neal-De-Stanton.
