The Day I Looked Like a Maniac at a Panel Discussion on Meaningful Assessment.

I'd like to thank our Superintendent, Tom Jama, for inviting me to participate in a panel discussion on the film, "Most Likely to Succeed." My initial outrage regarding a film that highlights a charter school funded by a millionaire philanthropist and is not held to any curricular standards or high stakes tests gave way to the realization that we are facilitating meaningful instruction and creative assessment in Elyria (and many other public systems) as well.

The idea in its essence is something that most educators know, that students learn through making meaningful connections between new content and their existing knowledge. Furthermore, if they are given the opportunity to make decisions within and about their learning process, then it becomes more meaningful. Project based learning can facilitate these ideas when it can be introduced to students.

I mentioned my son's elementary school teacher Ms. Amos, who is one of the best educators I've had the pleasure to meet. She engaged students where they were, facilitated group conversations, learned about their interests and background, and wasn't afraid to diverge from the content to pursue meaningful instruction and assessment based on student interest.

Built into all of these experiences is a reflective process. Students are encouraged to consider their role in their education, to reflect upon their performance or process, and how to move forward. If truly internalized by students, this becomes habit and can serve them in future educational settings and elsewhere in everyday life. Essentially the individual comes to understand their own strengths and shortcomings becoming self-aware and able to adapt, learn, and succeed in a variety of situations.

Our content is king in our world of standardized tests, but what is best about the above tactics is that they help to convey the hidden curriculum or soft skills like empathy, compassion, teamwork, compromise, skepticism, confidence, and perhaps a hint of anti-authoritarianism to name a few.

Of course, our ability as educators to facilitate experiences rich with meaning is limited by the political environment. The overuse and over reliance on standardized tests minimizes quality instruction time. Linking said tests to high stakes scenarios like retention and promotion, as well as teacher evaluation further complicates the situation. If we want a meaningful shift in instruction and assessment in our classrooms, we would be well served to remedy these terribly problematic political issues.

While seated on this panel with two superintendents, and a provost from the local college, moderated by another superintendent, I looked around and got a sinking feeling that I was out of my element like Donny in The Big Lebowski. I like to think that I held my own. If not, then I certainly looked like a raving maniac while trying.

You're out of your element, Donny.