Linda Darling-Hammond points to the direction in PORTFOLIOS

When it comes to student testing in the United States, it is clear that changes are needed.   [Dr. Darling-Hammond quotes some surveys about public opinion of tests]

An Opportunity to Improve Assessment Systems
The assessments developed by two new multi-state consortia could move us toward more informative systems that include formative as well as summative elements, evaluate content that reflects instruction, and include some challenging open-ended tasks.

These assessments, though, will not include all necessary tasks and skills for students, such as long-term research and investigation tasks or the ability to communicate orally, visually, and with technology tools. These kinds of tasks are needed to develop and assess students’ abilities to find and use information to solve problems, explain different approaches to a problem, and explain and defend their reasoning. That is why some schools, districts, and states are developing more robust performance tasks and portfolios as part of multiple-measure systems of assessment. In addition to CCSS-aligned consortia exams, multiple measures could include:

Please go to
tinyurl.com/darlingdp

• Classroom-administered performance tasks (e.g., research papers, science investigations, mathematical solutions, engineering designs, arts performances);
• Portfolios of writing samples, art works, or other learning products;
• Oral presentations and scored discussions; and
• Teacher rating of student note-taking skills, collaboration skills, persistence with challenging tasks, and other evidence of learning skills.

These activities not only engage students in more intellectually challenging work that reflects 21st century skills, they also serve as learning opportunities for teachers, when they are involved in using the assessments and scoring them together.

Let's look at those two points:

• Portfolios of writing samples, art works, or other learning products;
• Oral presentations and scored discussions

This is why I request students to talk about their

 projects onto a video which is posted on 

Youtube, even if the only thing we look at is the 

poster, as long as we hear the students talking 

about their projects and their learning process.

I hope parents take time to read these 

statements.

Here is the link to Linda Darling-Hammond's observations

THE ARTICLE      http://tinyurl.com/darlingdp