As evidenced by our Strategic Plan goals, we take these questions seriously at Head-Royce. It’s why we are revisiting our assessment philosophy and refining our roadmap to ensure that our curriculum is student-centered, 并提供了解决现实问题的机会, 创造性思维, 智力投入.

多年来, 如上面提到的测试标准, have been touted for their ability to demonstrate excellence—not only in students, 也包括那些为他们做准备的学校. Yet, more and more, these high-stakes assessments are, themselves, being put to the test. 基于评估的学习方式正在整个K-12教育体系中转变, 这是为了学生的利益. 

许多因素推动了变革的需要. 适合高中生, it is rooted in seat-time—namely that the number of hours of classwork and homework equates with the amount learned. 进一步, “应试教学”的概念,” of replacing educational hours with rigid testing curriculum and preparation, places more value on the test outcomes and less on the classroom instruction. 但更广泛地说, summative assessments focus students of all ages on rote learning rather than on the meaningful engagement of complex challenges.

那么，我们如何改变? 

一次期末考试和AP考试曾经是常态吗, schools across the country are beginning to see the value of frequent formative assessments––including exit slips, 民意调查, 自我评估, 游戏, and low-stake quizzes––to collect regular feedback on each student and to gather data that teachers can use to develop their lesson plans. 

更激进的概念, such as the Mastery Transcript—that demonstrates the achievement of a competency, 通过合作项目, 社会性学习, 以及实际应用, over the notion of assessing students by evaluating a single number (i.e.(平均绩点)——也在获得动力. 虽然这个想法并不普遍, it is growing in popularity among secondary schools and colleges; Harvard, 乔治敦大学, 加州理工学院, and other prestigious institutions have admitted students based on a Mastery Transcript.

值得注意的是, the shift in assessments is about developing whole students—teaching them to use reasoning skills and work collaboratively to solve problems. 这一点在海德罗伊斯表现得最为明显, where our Strategic Plan focuses our K–12 curriculum on competencies, 比如批判性思维, 协作, 沟通, 创造力, 文化能力. 

在低年级, 学生分享家族史的地方, 创建的自画像, 讨论他们的身份, project-based experiences have always been a main tenet of the curriculum, 定性vs。. 定量反馈长期以来一直是一种规范. 在他们上小学的时候, students are introduced to academic concepts that become more complex as they gain both knowledge and skills, 比如独立, 建设性的反馈, 自我表现, 同理心, 合作讲故事. 

或者想想七年级的科学, where the pandemic gave teachers the opportunity to rethink their approach to grading and put some of the Mastery Transcript principles into practice. 基于掌握能力——比如接受挑战, 可视化表示, 数据分析, or even growth and development—students are encouraged to gain proficiency rather than earn a specific letter grade. Focusing on four or five competencies each quarter has shifted conversations from “What do I have to do to get a 90%?” to “How do I develop and demonstrate my proportional reasoning skill to solve this problem?” This question’s depth proves how meaningful this type of learning can be. 资深科学教师克里斯汀·德韦利说, 今年在海德罗伊斯庆祝25周年的人说, “我从来没有见过七年级学生对复习这么感兴趣, 得到反馈, 承担更多的工作，把事情做得更好!”

通过开设提供体验式学习的课程, 学生能够以现实世界的方式解决现实世界的问题. 选历史10, 学生在哪里使用标准技能, 比如做研究, 进行采访, 寻找资源, and then pull that information together—not in a more traditional essay, 而是在一个网页上, that gives them an opportunity to use images and storytelling to convey their learnings. 虽然在这个上下文中很有用, developing these skills is also a meaningful way to prepare them for future careers.

One of the best examples is the Global Online Academy (GOA) Catalyst for Change Conference that our 10th graders participate in each year. This core part of the curriculum gives history students an opportunity to address an issue in modern America, 分析根本原因, 解决历史问题, and synthesize their learnings into a research project that is relevant and timely. These capstone projects—which often offer meaningful avenues for change in the community—are shared in a public, 在线论坛和接收可操作的反馈. 和奖励. 在过去的几年里, numerous Head-Royce GOA student projects have been given nationwide recognition. 解决贫困等问题, 警察暴力, anti-vax运动, 以及其他当今的社会问题, HRS students think critically and present their points of view powerfully.

体验式学习并不局限于人文学科. Students in a recent Head-Royce calculus class produced podcasts based on research and interviews with non-white male mathematicians, 同时也涵盖了课程. Will this course prepare them for an AP exam or for college-level calculus? 绝对. But the podcast will be an experience the students will never forget because it allows them to see the application of calculus out in the real world—while exploring their own interests, 解决他们想要解决的问题, 并应用唯一的解.

All of this is not to say that traditional assessments don’t hold any value. Quizzes and exams can help show teachers what students understand and what they still need to learn. But at Head-Royce we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all method of assessment. Rethinking our assessment practices allows us to align our teaching practices with the diverse, 每个学生的个性化需求.