Sunday, April 10, 2011

ICG Announces National Assessment Project

During the 2011-12 school year, the Independent Curriculum Group will sponsor a national conversation about best practices in assessment.  Member schools will host regional meetings to examine assessment of Critical Inquiry, Creative Problem-Solving, Oral Communication, and Collaboration/Group Work. 

The National Assessment Project
Developing and Sharing Assessments of 21st Century Skills

Overview

Assessment of student work is among the greatest challenges facing schools today.  As schools strive to foster authentic learning, they face the challenge of developing assessments that do justice to the complexity of higher-order skills while honoring the importance of student agency.  Such assessments must provide meaningful benchmarks for student growth while setting the stage for further learning. Traditionally, teachers developed classroom assessments with an eye toward student mastery of course subject matter.  More recently, many schools have initiated institution-wide discussions about aligning classroom assessments more closely with school mission and enhanced emphasis on “Twenty-First Century skills.”  The best of today’s classroom assessments serve both purposes while promoting the transition toward authentic life-long learning.  ICG’s National Assessment Project will provide a forum for schools to share their best thinking about the next generation of assessments.

The Project

During the 2011-12 school year, ICG schools will host regional working groups to share, critique, and develop assessments of four major skills.  Groups are currently being formed in Albuquerque, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC., and additional cities based on interest. Each group will devote a single meeting to assessments in each of the following areas:

1) Critical Inquiry - The Ability to Ask Good Questions
2) Creative Problem-Solving - Facility with open-ended, asymmetrical problems
3) Oral Communication - Expression, participation, and engagement
4) Collaboration - Group projects
In all four areas, metacognitive understanding will be a key point of evaluation. Do the assessments lead students to understand the role of the relevant skill in their own development as learners?

The parameters of the project are as follows:

* Each working group will plan a series of four meetings in 2011-12.  The dates of the four meetings will be determined locally by participating schools.

* At least one academic administrator from each school will attend all four meetings.  Unlimited numbers of additional faculty may attend one or more meetings.

* Participating schools will bring examples and/or descriptions of two assessments to each meeting which represent the school’s best thinking and practice. Where practical, schools can also bring samples of student work related to the assessments that may shed light on their effectiveness.  Participants will discuss how the assessments align with the goals of the course and the mission of the school, and where relevant, consider broader issues related to assessment and curriculum.

* Each group will forward copies of assessments and notes from each meeting to ICG, which will create an online resource area dedicated to the project and distribute a national report on each of the four areas.  ICG will also facilitate electronic communication among the groups. 

* Host schools may engage experts to facilitate, as desired.

* Participation will be free to ICG member schools.

* Participation will be available to non-member schools for $495.00. 

Schools interested in joining the National Assessment Project should contact ICG