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) 

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.