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Method:

We encourage the continuous use of a wide range of assessment tools, and discourage a heavy emphasis on test preparation.

1. Students take state standardized tests as prescribed by a district and state.

2. Individual student projects call for products or performances that are evaluated by educators, students themselves, and experts in a particular field.

3. Students develop portfolios that reveal examples of their work over time.

4. We administer an instrument designed by Renate Caine and colleagues that assesses the extent to which students have choices, pursue their interests, make decisions and are responsible for the consequences of their actions.

5. We use a mix of our own observations and teacher/administrator reports to assess

Student absenteeism, renewal and enthusiasm;

The types of questions students ask;

The extent to which students participate in projects after school and persist outside classroom hours;

The stories students tell of what happens in and beyond their classrooms;

The capacity of students to plan their actions, reflect on their own learning, take risks and deal realistically with consequences.

The capacity of students to respond to questions and to explain both the reasons for the work they do and their understanding of ideas and procedures in spontaneous, real time contexts.

Rationale:

Our primary objective is to use multiple measures to show an increase in student achievement in a wide range of spheres. However, the community relies very heavily on test scores. Our secondary objective, therefore, is to show that the emphasis on in depth learning and achievement naturally leads to an increase in scores on standardized tests ayway.

Objectives:

1. Increase student engagement and understanding every year.

2. Improve test scores by the end of the first year.

3. Sustain those raised scores in subsequent years.

4. Show an increase in the executive functions of students.

Results of a one year intervention in a low SES, low performing school in California. Draft chapter.

Caine, R. (2008) "How Neuroscience Informs our Teaching of Elementary Students." Pp.127-141. In Block, C., Parris, S., and Afflerbach, P., (Eds.), Comprehension Instruction, 2nd Edition. N.Y.: Guilford Press.