Quick report: Design 39 Campus in Poway has done some incredible work already in this, their first year. Teachers have created processes that allow students to select areas of interest within which to pursue theme-based content; every day might be a bit different in terms of where students go and what they do…and both children and adults are adapting beautifully. Parents report their children are “happy and enjoying the agency of their own learning.” Teachers have also developed a highly differentiated and authentic assessment protocol with which to track student progress. It looks complicated and weighty; adding comments every two weeks for each student. But they have built a dashboard interface and report that they are now spending LESS time on MORE authentic assessments for each student! I am urging Poway Unified to find the resources to pull together the progress that D39C is making, and to make both the products and processes available to others. If you work at a school with any grades between preK and 8, you could not, IMHO spend better PD than sending a small team to D39C.
Grant,
Is D39C sharing their current version of the dashboard they are developing? If so, I’d love to include it in this doc:
https://docs.google.com/a/mountvernonschool.org/document/d/1qe-wvcEeaPMP3fyxplfRwLSMPXfMwu1GJF54VG9Ce48/edit
Not yet, but I will check with them; am meeting with them next week to explore how to document and “get out” what they are doing; both the tools and the process amongst the teachers. Will keep you posted!
Grant,
Any updates about Design39’s dashboard development?
Thanks,
Bo
Have not spoken to them in a while. Last time I was there they had made pretty darn good progress on their internally-built dashboard. Do you want to chat with them and look at it? They are on break until Labor Day, but if you remind me after that I can set it up; either a GHO or we can hang out in the virtual space.