posted by:
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Janie West
on March 6, 2000
at 7:47PM
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subject:
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Introduction
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My name is Janie West and I am the Professional Development Coordinator for the ASSET (Academic Success for Students and Educators Together) project in Southwest Virginia. We are in the first year of our project and are currently implementing the first science modules in grades K-2. Workshops for Summer 2000 will add the second module for grades K-2 and the first one for grades 3-5. At this time, our curriculum consists of a mix of STC, Insights and FOSS modules. Initially, faculty are using the assessments provided with the modules. We plan to provide K-5 faculty with sessions addressing alternative methods of assessment during summer module training. An "Assessments" workshop with Francis "Bud" Alder is scheduled for our Science Support Teachers (SSTs) in late April. The SSTS will assist project faculty in providing professional development for the K-5 faculty in alternative methods of assessment. A long-range goal of our project is to develop assessments for the new curriculum modules that assess students' understanding of important science concepts as well as their ability to apply them. We realize that a good system of formative assessment is crutial to student success and ultimately to the success of the project. Standing in the shadows of high-stakes, state testing, we too are concerned about how to encourage our faculty to move from traditional assessments which emphasize memorization to assessments that measure student learning and understanding of science concepts. What kind of support and encouragement must we provide?
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