Use this thoughtful book to guide your own students to become critical evaluators of their ongoing work in the meaning-centered classroom.
—Regie Routman, Author of Conversations
Five teacher researchers embarked on a journey to two schools in Hawaii in search of new ways to make assessment more meaningful. Elevating Expectations is the result of that journey, a journey that led them to the creation of a new collaborative partnership between home and school. The assessment model that the authors present brings students full circle in their learning—from setting goals and developing plans of action to documenting their progress, reflecting on that progress, and setting new goals.
This book discusses student-led conferences and the progress folio process, how they help both students and families direct a course of personal development and elevate expectations. From here, students can discuss their strengths and challenges, and determine a course of action, but not in isolation. Throughout their text, the authors demonstrate ways in which students, parents, and teachers can become participants in a learning community that values higher-level thinking skills and creative problem solving.
To expedite the process, the authors offer numerous examples of learning logs, goal-setting sheets, weekly progress reports, separate conference planning guides for students and teachers, parent response and reflection forms, report card alternatives, and student-centered rubrics along with eleven reproducibles. The goal of all the material presented is to achieve the goal of any assessment—to improve student learning by addressing the needs, interests, questions, and dreams of each student.
