Educational Philosophy

There is a general agreement that today’s educational processes should support the development of 21st-century skills that include self-directed and collaborative activities that feature critical thinking and problem solving– the ability to locate, analyze, synthesize, and apply knowledge to novel situations1. Breakthrough Collaborative believes that we can use project-based learning and similar approaches to ensure that our students are receiving that level of support academically. As of Fall 2023, we are working toward moving our curricula to be student-centered/student-led, studies about the science of learning suggest that such approaches are aimed at developing critically informed and engaged students2. Given our belief that social, emotional, and academic learning are intertwined, it makes sense that these higher-order skills and abilities are built and cultivated through the transformative competencies of our Human First Framework and Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) core values. 

What about the standards? We will still provide curriculum resources that are aligned with common core standards and next-generation science standards. However, we want to note that certain standards may not fit into our project-based learning approach simply because they: 

• improve with repetition and daily practice 

• focus on discrete, measurable skills 

• require significant direct instruction and guided practice

• tend to be individual endeavors  

In these cases, we suggest you use either our stand-alone or standard curriculum resources mentioned below. 

What about assessments? As an organization, we use Exact Path diagnostic testing to track our middle school students' growth throughout the summer. Most people assume that assessments don’t happen in project-based learning and similar approaches but we intend to offer a variety of assessment forms: 

• Curriculum-based assessments (if applicable) 

• Edmentum Standards Mastery Quiz 

• Project Rubric 

• Self-Reflection Rubric

• Presentation of Learning (POL) or ePortfolio Submission (if applicable) 

What are the instructional changes? We will provide Affiliates with three types of curriculum delivery: 

• Stand-alone resources are from vetted curriculum sources outside of the National Office-developed curriculum and may require prep and further refinement on the Affiliate end. We encourage Affiliates to use these resources when: introducing a unit, a closing activity for a unit, breaking the monotony of a longer unit/project, or using on a ‘flex day’. These resources can be found in the additional curriculum resources tab.
  
  

• Standard Curriculum w/ optional project will be developed and/or purchased and adapted by the National Office. It will consist of a minimum of 16 - 20 structured lessons culminating with an (optional) aligned final project. The projects will encompass a few elements of a project-based learning experience. We encourage Affiliates to use these resources if they are interested in project-based learning but can’t fully transition all academics to project-based learning. These resources can be found in the standard curriculum tab.
  
  

• Project-based Learning curriculum will consist of a pedagogical framework where students learn the content through an authentic project with real-world applications. It will consist of 4 to 5 weeks of work culminating with one week of preparing students for a presentation of learning or portfolio submission. We encourage Affiliates to use these resources with the BIT: PBL Workshop Series to ensure adequate training and support for Teaching Fellows and Instructional Coaches. These resources can be found in the project-based curriculum tab.
  
  

Note: Affiliates will still have access to previous Breakthrough National Curricula 

What about Teaching Fellows? Teaching Fellows will now be provided with curriculum-based training. Teaching Fellows deserve the highest quality professional learning to support the implementation of new instructional materials and curricula. We will include curriculum-based training with all newly developed curriculum units. These presentations will be structured similarly to our standard BITs and can be delivered synchronously or asynchronously. They will include, but not limited to: 

• unit overview and structure 

• walkthrough of resources within the unit 

• walkthrough of the final project, rubrics, and exemplars 

• walkthrough of a single lesson within the unit (optional) 

For more information about Teaching Fellow training please visit our Breakthrough Instructional Trainings Website. 

1. Darling-Hammond, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Flook, L., Gardner, M., & Melnick, H. (2018). With the whole child in mind: Insights from the Comer School Development Program. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

2. Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2019). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Applied Developmental Science. Advanced online publication.