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How might we assess the richer, deeper competencies in our Graduate Profile?
Like an increasing number of districts and states, Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia has developed a "Portrait of a Graduate" that defines a richer, deeper set of competencies that FCPS schools seek to cultivate in their students. But principals and teachers still face strong incentives to "teach to the test" at the expense of Portrait of a Graduate competencies like Collaboration and Ethical and Global Citizenship. How might FCPS and other Virginia districts use assessment for learning to bring the Portrait of a Graduate to life in learning and teaching? Fairfax County partnered with EdLeader21 and 11 other Virginia districts to answer this question. Together, the districts in this “networked improvement community” are reimagining assessment as a way to increase relevance and authenticity in learning. Student-led assessment is a process rather than a single event like a test. This process is ongoing, lasting a full academic year or more (with foundations built over several years). And every aspect of student led assessment - from daily reflection on learning, to student-led conferences, to community-engaged capstone projects - requires students to articulate and reflect on what they’re learning.
"When I think back on my educational experience, I played the game well. I got A’s But I can’t say I really learned much that stuck with me, with a couple of exceptions, namely my capstone."
"When I think back on my educational experience, I played the game well. I got A’s But I can’t say I really learned much that stuck with me, with a couple of exceptions, namely my capstone."
Listen to students, teachers, and parents talk about how student-led assessment has impacted them:
Listen to students, teachers, and parents talk about how student-led assessment has impacted them:
Key Learnings
Key Learnings
Defining Student Led Assessment
Defining Student Led Assessment
As Shannon King writes in a blog post on EdWeek, student led assessment requires some big shifts in how we think about assessment. It's about a process rather than a single instrument like a test. This process is ongoing, lasting a full academic year or more (with foundations built over several years). And the most important part of the process is reflection and metacognition on the part of students.
This doesn't mean that student led assessment isn't structured or rigorous. It is both, and in fact draws on a long history of practice and research. The Student Led Assessment networked improvement community partners with the National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment with make sure that this research informs their work with teachers and students. This blog post from psychometrician Scott Marion, the Center's executive director gives an overview of the research background.
Student-led assessment has become the umbrella term for describing the range of approaches by which students are involved in collecting and evaluating evidence of their learning.
Student-led assessment has become the umbrella term for describing the range of approaches by which students are involved in collecting and evaluating evidence of their learning.
Working Together in a Networked Improvement Community
Working Together in a Networked Improvement Community
The NIC uses a few tools to get to the root causes of the problem they're trying to solve. By thoroughly understanding the problem, districts in the NIC can identify likely solutions that work for their specific context. One of these is a Driver Diagram
Capstones Are a Powerful Student Led Assessment Example
Capstones Are a Powerful Student Led Assessment Example
Student led assessment entails a range of assessment practices, several of which are integrated through Capstone projects. The Student Led Assessment Networked Improvement Community has created "Improvement Packages" that are designed to help schools and districts test and adapt proven strategies in their own contexts. The document below is a sample from the "assessment practices" Improvement Package.
But Capstones Must Be Built on a Strong Foundation of Learning & Teaching
But Capstones Must Be Built on a Strong Foundation of Learning & Teaching
Districts and schools within the NIC have taken different paths toward student-led assessment, based on their local contexts. The example below, from an Improvement Package on instructional strategies, shows a smaller grain sized example of student-led assessment.
And Schools Should Start Building this Foundation Early
And Schools Should Start Building this Foundation Early
In Fairfax County Public Schools, educators have found that helping students develop the "Portrait of a Graduate" competencies can and should begin early. To help educators and students understand what these competencies look like at different age and developmental levels, FCPS created this vertical articulation document:
PoG_Vertical Articulation Documents.pdfMore Student Voices
More Student Voices
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