COVID-19 has left educators seeking out new ways to assess student’s learning and abilities. To help address that need, the California Performance Assessment Collaborative will kick-off a series of online conversations focused on the use of virtual performance assessment to demonstrate students’ readiness for college, career and civic life and help us to reimagine schooling.

This online “Defending Learning at a Distance” series builds on initial responses to the COVID pandemic by the Envision Learning Partners, the Linked Learning Alliance, and the Learning Policy Institute. We will provide education practitioners and policymakers with multiple opportunities to observe students’ virtual defenses of learning and engage in conversations with the inspiring students and educators who have remained committed to performance assessment despite school closures.

Here’s how you can get involved with the online series:

• Share your stories. If you are working with students on virtual performance assessments, we encourage you to record and share these culminating educational experiences (adhering to district and FERPA policies). We would like to work with you and your students to feature your efforts in upcoming online events and other resources aimed at elevating best practices and lessons learned as more high schools and colleges explore the use of performance assessment. Check out our first vlog from Dani Martin, a senior at Envision Schools. Share your story here.

• Join a live virtual defense. During the last week in May and the first week in June, participants will serve as audience members during a live virtual senior defense, and follow up the “real time” event with a brief discussion of the process and value of this approach to assessment. Spaces are limited. Register here.

• Debrief a student’s portfolio and defense process with the student, their teacher, and members of the performance assessment community. In the first week of June, members of our community are invited to participate in an interactive experience where they will see a portion of a student’s defense presentation and discuss the process with the student and teacher. Participants will debrief the experience with other attendees in smaller breakout groups. Spaces are limited. Register for June 5th at 1pm here.

• Take a deep dive this June and July to plan “pandemic-proof” instruction for 2020-21. Explore ways to align instruction to skills-based goals, project-based learning, formative assessment, and performance assessment. Participants will leverage practical tools and research from the collaborative to support planning and will complete the sessions with concrete plans. School and district teams are encouraged to join this professional development opportunity. Let us know if you’re interested here.

There is a window of opportunity to significantly advance equity and excellence in education.

Now is the time to elevate awareness and evaluation of well-rounded performance assessments that can be used both online and inside classrooms.

About the California Performance Assessment Collaborative

The California Performance Assessment Collaborative represents educators, policymakers, and researchers who seek to expand high quality performance assessment for all students. These assessments include presentations, projects, and portfolios which require students to demonstrate applied knowledge of content and use 21st century skills.