The problem with standardized assessments is not that they are standardized, but that they standardize multiple choice, true-false, fill in the blank, and essay questions. If performance assessments were standardized there might be less controversy.

This is not to suggest that there is no place for true-false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, or essay questions on standardized assessments. It depends what you are assessing and what will afford you evidence of what students know, understand, can apply and can create.

Standardizing performance assessments in ways that are economically and administratively feasible for a state or school district will require paradigm busting at the highest levels of educational governance. But isn’t that among the adages that state education department officials continually distribute in newsletters, mailings, and public addresses. Aren’t we constantly being implored to “Take risks!”

Well, let’s take some risks and design and implement standardized performance assessments that will give evidence of student competence.

Are you are interested in a one-of-a-kind conference, July 18 – 22? A ten percent discount is available to teams that submit a registration form prior to March 1. Information packets may be requested by sending an e-mail to dmesibov@twcny.rr.com Check out the website of The Institute for Learning Centered Education: www.learnercentereded.org or e-mail a request for information.

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

A recent newsletter on authentic tasks has received an unusually high number of reader responses. Some of the responses offer better examples of authentic tasks than the ones I suggested.

Here is an authentic task described by Sheila Bertoni, Dean of Students for the Owego School District:

Good morning, Don!

One of the best "returns on my teaching investments" involved the use of newspapers in fourth grade. (We got them free through "Newspapers in Education.") Once or twice a week I would send home the newspaper with a specific assignment that involved family discussions.

For example, "Read the article, ‘Local district has parents up in arms over dress code.’ What does ‘up in arms’ mean? Why were the families ‘up in arms?’ What would be one thing you would like to change about our dress code? Why? Talk to your parents about whether or not there was a dress code when they went to school. Were any things the same? What was different? Write a paragraph telling us about your discussion."

When the newspaper homework came back, we'd share...sometimes in pairs, sometimes in groups, sometimes whole group. Some parents thanked me for that homework saying they loved the discussions. Others sent me messages that they were "too busy" to do the homework with their child. What I saw was that the students were much more engaged in the discussions as a result of this and even started looking differently at the newspapers, which arrived early in the morning. They'd say, "Can we do the article about 'Owego football quarterback signs on with Marist?’"

I think one measure of whether or not a task is "authentic" is how interested the students are in it. The educator doesn't have to make the connection to real world...."You'll need to learn this because..." The kids SEE why....and they usually "buy in."

I e-mailed Sheila and asked how she handled the students who came into class without any feedback from their parents because their parents, for whatever reason, wouldn’t participate.

Her response:

“When parents weren't interested or able, (reading difficulty, etc.) we had aides, special educators, high school tutors and "buddies" in class work with them. It seemed to work out fine.”

Thank you, Sheila, for sharing.

*** *** *** ***

The 2005 Summer Conference was sold out, however, we have arranged for additional space and will accept registrations until April 30. Send an e-mail to this address, or check our web site for a registration form, if you are interested: www.learnercentereded.org

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

Dear Don, After reading this newsletter (March 28) I asked our ESL staff to send examples of authentic tasks they use with their students. Here's what came in from three of our teachers:

Annalisa Allegro, ESL Coordinator at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES

Holly Merrill (secondary ESL)

1) My students' play adaptation of a Ukrainian folktale for the teacher in their High School and will perform the play for the elementary schools.

2) The global class made study guides in Power Point format, printed into color books, on Indian culture and history and government and religion for their church youth group when they were preparing to go to India. One student also made a website for Indian religions.

Bill Pruitt (secondary ESL)

1. Quiz bowl question-writing that can be used in competition with other teams.

2. Auctioneering that involves such skills as 1) identifying & describing a variety of products and 2) public speaking, keeping attention of audience, anticipating & keeping track of what they're saying back to you. (Auctioneering as an early form of interactive lecture).

3. Interviewing classmates, generating questions, telling whole group about partner.

Ellen Paz (elementary ESL)

• Letter writing to American soldiers in Iraq.

• Letters written to Grandparents in students' Native country (in English) and translated by parents in L1 before the letter is sent).

• Researching and writing books about native country. The students read the book they have written on tape and the books/tapes are given to the school library for children to "take out"

• Writing letters to Pen Pals that attend different schools.

• Creating valentines for the Vets that live at the Veteran home in Chili.

• Last year I initiated a Fourth grade school-wide project to incorporate the 4th grade Immigration unit. All 4th graders were asked to talk with their parents and list up to 6 countries that their family immigrated from. These were collected, compiled, graphed and displayed in one of the main display cases in the school.

• Students rehearse plays and make costumes and present the play to their classmates.

• After researching an animal of their choice . . . the students create a paper mache replica of their animal and present the information and art work to their class (one year the Principal displayed a 4 foot penguin in her office).

• Students have created a newsletter containing their favorite pieces of work that they have worked on in ESL. The newsletter was given to teachers, Administrators, parents and students.

• Students research holidays and read the description of the holiday over the PA during morning announcements (on the day it is celebrated in their country).

• Students sing in English and in their 1st language for school wide winter and spring concerts (tomorrow I will be meeting with a Ukrainian parent to help translate "Are You Sleeping" in Ukrainian so the students can sing this for the spring choral concert.

• 3rd grade "guest reader" for Kindergarten classes.

Dear Annalisa,

Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful ideas.

I am also indebted to the teacher who originally requested specific examples of authentic tasks and I appreciate this follow-up e-mail I recently received:

Dear Don,

Thanks for taking the time to respond so thoroughly to my request. I've wrestled with the "audience beyond the teacher" previously, and what forms it could take other than those which are obvious. I had not given thought to the idea that the "audience" could be as simple as other classmates.

The 2005 Summer Conference was sold out, however, we have arranged for additional space and will accept registrations until April 30. Send an e-mail to this address, or check our web site for a registration form, if you are interested: www.learnercentereded.org

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

Recently, near the end of the semester, I asked my class of undergraduate students (mostly sophomores) at St. Lawrence University to define constructivism.

 Initially, I asked each student to write a definition in 50 words or less.

 Then students were randomly placed in groups of three and asked to reach consensus on a 50-word (or less) definition.

 Then each student was required, individually, to write a definition no longer than a phrase – a maximum of ten words.

Below are definitions from some of the students who were in class for this activity. After hearing the students’ definitions I shared with them what I feel are the three concepts most important in any definition of constructivism. I emphasized that I was impressed with the depth of the students’ responses. Their responses were on target – in fact, for the most part, the student definitions were amplifications of the three concepts in my own definition. It was not a question of who was right or wrong. My three concepts attempted to corral the significance of constructivist theory. The student responses were on target even if some were not all inclusive.

This is the 5th year I’ve taught this course. In previous years I have not been satisfied that I had successfully conveyed the essence of constructivism to enough of my students. I tried different approaches this semester. I’m pleased with the results and proud of my students. Here are their ten word definitions, followed by the three concepts I feel help to convey an understanding of constructivism:

STUDENT DEFINITIONS of CONSTRUCTIVISM (ten words or less)

 Student driven learning

 Assessment through performance tasks

 Teaching through facilitation

 Student demonstrations of creativity

 Elaboration

 Relies on accessing prior knowledge

 Use of authentic tasks to create and show understanding

 Promotes active discussion

 The process of generating a response is most important

 Group interaction/interventions

 Students need to engage in use of information to fully understand it.

 Students have opportunity for real life application

 Students learn by doing, not by listening

 It’s a theory of learning

MY OWN KEY POINTS (CONCEPTS) in DEFINING CONSTRUCTIVISM

 It’s a theory of learning, not a set of strategies

 Challenges people to think critically

 Generates active engagement with information

The 2005 Summer Conference was sold out, however, we have arranged for additional space and will accept registrations until April 30. Send an e-mail to this address, or check our web site for a registration form, if you are interested: www.learnercentereded.org

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

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The Institute for Learner Centered Education Newsletters

TOPIC: Are Students Independent Learners?

Volume #6, Edition #17 __________Date: April 26, 2005

What is a good litmus test for knowing if students are becoming independent learners? Recently we quoted Bruce Bonney and Jack Drury of Leading Edge who have said that one guideline is when a substitute can come in and be told, “The students know what to do.” We also shared reactions from teachers who wrote of situations where missed communications caused classes to be left uncovered and, yet, because students were accustomed to an environment conducive to independent learning, they behaved well and continued the work the teacher would have had them doing.

Here is another response – this one from a fourth grade teacher in Colton-Pierrepont, New York:

Dear Don---I have to tell you that this newsletter has really made a difference in my classroom. I told my fourth graders the story about the sub who didn't show up and asked what would happen in our own room should the sub not show up. I told them that I knew that since I was the one who turned on the overhead and did attendance and lunch count as well as morning circle, that the show wouldn't get very far. They agreed.

So, I turned over setting up the overhead, doing the lunch count (attendance requires getting on my computer and the world would still go on if it weren't done right away....), and running circle to my leader of the day. I wrote up directions and my students love doing this!! I am amazed at how well my fourth graders do. My leader also sends the class back for the salute and then gets out the spelling lesson.

This has been a great success. But----it has had other unintended (positive) consequences as well. One day we were reading in SS and the school psychologist showed up at my door about an emergency concern I had had that really did need to be dealt with right then. I left my strongest reader reading and left the room, hoping for the best when I got back about 5 minutes later. I was shocked that my students had just gone on----one of the boys, who is a born leader, had taken charge and was calling on different students to read. They were quiet and attentive and running their own show. It occurs to me that I don't have to lead the calling on students for reading anymore, either.

The other day a similar thing happened where I had to step out in the hallway for something and my students ran themselves once again. Suddenly, instead of seeing the teacher being out of the room as a "Yippee! The cat's away, the mice shall play!" moment, they are seeing my absence as an opportunity to show self-discipline and maturity. Wow!!

Thanks for the inspiration!

Ginger Storey-Welch, 4th grade teacher, Colton-Pierrepont CSD

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

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The Institute for Learner Centered Education Newsletters

TOPIC: Take Flight with a Two-Tiered Curriculum

Volume #6, Edition #18 __________Date: June 08, 2005

Two years ago I helped m y son Darren review for a major test as he prepared for his pilot instructor’s license. Since the license would enable him to teach future pilots, he was assigned a text book on teaching strategies as well as being required to know about flying a plane.

Guess what? The teaching strategies he was expected to know were based on constructivist theory of how people learn. Also, many of the key concepts he had to address were evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Isn’t this logical? Would you want to fly with an instructor who knew 90 percent of the required information about how to land a plane? Either he knows it or he doesn’t know it well enough.

Yes, there were parts of the required curriculum where it was acceptable for him to display knowledge of most of the information or to be able to respond to true-false or multiple choice questions. However, the information essential to safe and successful flying was offered on a pass/fail basis and Darren knew he could not obtain his license to instruct until and unless he satisfactorily mastered certain important aspects of flight instruction and until he knew how to require this knowledge from his trainees.

Wouldn’t this be a good model for our schools? Instead of judging success with an entire curriculum on grade point averages, why don’t we identify those very few concepts in each discipline that are absolutely essential to student success in school and in life and why don’t we emphasize these, require every student to demonstrate mastery, and focus Academic Assistance plans on them?

In other words, why don’t we have a two-tiered curriculum: tier one would be those concepts and skills that we deem it essential for every child to understand and master by a certain grade level. Instead of passing or failing a child in an entire subject at the end of the year, we would target assistance until the child masters the limited number of skills and concepts deemed essential. Tier two would consist of the rest of the curriculum – those skills and concepts important enough for students to learn, but not critical to student success in future grades or in life that 100% mastery is essential.

Any small group of teachers, in any discipline, can quickly agree on the three or four critical concepts and/or skills that students should master at a particular grade level. These concepts and/or skills should be assessed on a pass/fail basis and every student should have assistance until she can pass. If professional educators weren’t challenged with too much curriculum they might be able to provide assistance, where needed, on a targeted basis.

There seems to be general agreement among professional educators that, with regard to curriculum, “Less is more.” So let’s do something about it. Let’s require less, but allow our excellent teachers to focus more on what students really need.

The author welcomes comments, feedback, reactions of any kind to the thoughts expressed (above).

Please feel free to forward this message to a friend or colleague. If you know someone who would like to be put on the list, please send a message to Don Mesibov at dmesibov@twcny.rr.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Institute for Learning Centered Education. All
rights reserved.

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