So what’s the problem with high-stakes tests? HST that are designed to measure academic competence … But accountability of what? reading, writing, math reasoning & calculations HST become curriculum-drivers, so little attention paid to the arts, talents, ethics, exploratory learning, meaningful / authentic learning experiences, etc. DO provide a degree of accountability

So what’s the problem with high-stakes tests? HST that are designed to measure content knowledge… social studies, geography, science, etc. …typically measure knowledge of facts, Who led the slave rebellion in Haiti in 1837? What kinds of character traits are needed by someone who leads a rebellion against tyranny? NOT generative ideas HST become content curriculum-drivers, so instruction tends to focus on facts that might appear on the high-stakes tests

So what’s the problem with grades? 2 students take Algebra I. Alice, a “bright” student, finds it easy, doesn’t have to work hard, and gets an A. Allison, a “not so bright” student, finds it very hard, works hard, and gets an A. Are both A’s the same? Were both students equally successful?

So what’s the problem with grades? 2 students take Biology. Fred, a really “bright” student, finds it challenging, doesn’t work hard, and gets a B. Ed, a “not so bright” student, finds it very hard, but he works hard, and gets an B. Are both B’s the same? Were both students equally successful?

So what’s the problem with grades? 2 students take World History. Mary is very good at memorizing and gets an A, but cannot explain the relevancy of the information. Juanita is a holistic thinker and can understand and explain the bigger picture, but is a poor memorizer. She gets a C Was Mary more successful than Juanita?

So what’s the problem with grades? 2 students take 7 th grade English. Joe has a really easy teacher who doesn’t demand much. He gets an A. Sam has a very demanding teacher, and he gets a C. What do these different grades represent?

So what’s the problem with grades? 2 students take 8 th grade Science. Scott works really hard, and manages to squeak out an A-, but it was tough!. Paul has a learning disability, so he gets “content reduction” accommodations (he only has to learn about half as much as Scott). He works really hard, and gets an A-. Are these grades equal?

Among consumers (teachers, students, parents), grades are among the most valued indicators of success. Yet grades are among the most unreliable, invalid measures used

A sense of competence and confidence in the learner Desire to learn more, curiosity Successful instruction results in … Makes Sense Strategies - 10 Indices of “Success” Sense of belonging, being needed, and contributing Desire to help others and for social justicePurposeful, strategic approach to moving through the world

Relational understanding of problems in the world, how and why they became problems, how we have attempted to solve them, and possible other ways to solve them Ability to process information effectively - find and make sense of it, and apply or communicate it to others An understanding of generative ideas or life-patterns and ability to recognize them within the context ofstate learning standards Successful instruction results in … Makes Sense Strategies - 10 Indices of “Success” Willingness to take risks in how something is understood or accomplished Cognitive flexibility in understanding & ways to accomplish things