Welcome to another educational webpage...
This one will be different.
No easy, quick-fix lesson plans.

Let's begin...

Imagine for a moment a class where the students are busy selecting district, state or provincial outcomes from a prescribed list. Then, imagine that they choose specific criteria from a list on the classroom wall, create purposeful descriptors to build a rubric, and then begin the assigned project, showing learning in their own way (report, play, speech, creative writing, an interview, writing a letter, etc.). Imagine these students then assessing themselves and others in the class according to the rubric they built. Finally, imagine them setting goals, redoing parts of the assignment they feel needs to show deeper learning, and then conferencing with the teacher to show their learning.
Sound far fetched? Yes, at first glance...

While it is true that this involves quite a bit of upfront time, the payoff comes when you see students actively engaged in the process of learning. One key component to building this kind of a classroom is to involve students in assessing their learning using criteria. This involves mastery learning and, of course, this will not work for all students. Students with learning disabilities will have to have modified assignments which may mean a different set of outcomes, but not necessarily a different set of criteria.
Firstly, we must ask ourselves why we might use criteria assessment in the classroom at all. To be sure, many districts, provinces and states are requiring this approach, stipulating a move away of teacher controlled percentages and the averaging of marks. Instead, teachers are required to assess using criteria; and thus, projects are marked according to class-set criteria and student and teacher generated performance scales.
If we assess using criterion, merely because we have to, we will not be making changes in our assessment for the better. Instead, it will be a contrived experience. Worse yet, we may think we are using criteria assessment, but we are really engaging in traditional styles of assessment within a guise of criteria assessment (ie. a poorly written rubric which only examines the outward appearance, spelling, neatness, etc.).

We need to make criteria assessment more a part of the classroom because:
as teachers we can save time in the long run,
students can become more aware of why, what and how they’re learning,
students can show their learning of the outcome in a variety of ways,
parents can become more aware of why, what and how their child is learning,
students can also assess their peers in a way that promotes working together effectively,
teachers can become more aware of why, what and how the students are learning, and
teachers can assess students quicker, easier, and with much greater clarity.

Here are a few steps to begin this process in your classroom:

To begin with, a teacher should begin with the provincial or state learning outcomes (sometimes called benchmarks, objectives, etc.).
If the outcome is worded in governmentese, the teacher should rewrite the outcome into the language of the students using words such as we or I (or ask the students to take a stab at it). Then, the students could begin to understand what they are being asked to show (ie. We are learning to write a report using facts, two or three secondary sources, an introduction, body and conclusion, and we are learning to compile a short bibliography...).
At this point, it may be good to phrase the project in the form of a question that moves the students away from Write a report about a dog to.... What kind of dog would make a good pet?.
Ask yourself this question: What is the criteria that will make XYZ good?
In a unit on immigration, the class had mini-lessons and learning centres which helped students with the much-needed background knowledge of life in this part of the country in the early 1900s. As well, the information helped students learn more about life during this time period in their immigrant characters homeland. Then, I posed a question that could involve deep thinking: Knowing what you know about life here in the early 1990s, would you emigrate here from your homeland? Why and why not? At this time, I would ask students what would make the kind of learning in this project or assignment good.
To ease student fears, remind students that they set criteria all the time! If they are going to buy a pizza, they have a set of criteria in their minds of what makes a pizza good! Some may suggest: taste, cost, locale, prizes, etc.
In the same way, students could help generate criteria for the Immigrant project. They could decide on criteria such as: plausible, clear, logical, deep, precise, accurate, etc. It’s best to stick with 2 or 3 criterion to start.

After, looking at the Government Outcomes, set the generated criteria in a graphic organizer and ask the students to write the descriptors for the rubric.
For the Immigrant project, the criteria might be: clear, plausible, and well-considered. I want the students to present their project in a clear manner (so as to communicate the outcome effectively). At the same time, I want the students to be plausible when they write about their immigrant and the specific time period. Finally, I want students to consider the pros and cons of staying in their homeland and for moving to this country (well-considered).
Use the rubric to help students assess themselves throughout the project, not just at the end. As a class, decide on marks (numbers, words, grades, etc.). Decide which of the criterion is the most important. If you wish to weigh them all the same, and you are using a 3 point scale (Beginning 1, On my Way 2, Getting There! 3), then the project would be out of 9 (3 plus 3 plus 3).
If you wish to weigh one of the criterion twice as much, then that outcome would be (3 times 2ce as much as the others equals 6). Thus the total would be 3 plus 3 plus 6 equals 12. An A could be 11to12, B could be 10, etc. As well, to go along with the rubric, a teacher could begin to introduce possible thinking vocabulary (pros/cons, fact/opinion/pondering before answering/suggesting, fair to all, etc.). Notice how much learning and thinking is introduced in this one assignment/rubric alone!

Finally, allow students choices to show their understanding of the outcome.

Finally, while it seems to take up a lot of upfront time, it should pay off throughout the process, and at the end when students, parents and teacher(s) assess the product. Not only do parents see exactly what students and teachers are assessing, but as shown above, marking is very easy because of all the purposeful work that was done early on as a whole class.

Perhaps we can indeed imagine a class where the students are busy selecting district, state or provincial outcomes from a prescribed list, choosing specific criteria from a list on the classroom wall, creating purposeful descriptors to build a rubric, and beginning the assigned project. Maybe, we can imagine these students assessing themselves and others in the class according to the rubric they built earlier, setting goals, redoing parts of the assignment they feel needs to show deeper learning, and then conferencing with the teacher and parents to show their learning.
Teaching children to teach themselves. Sound far fetched? Not at all...

The books that we will make available for you on this website will address the issues above to make the classroom a vital, exciting learning environment!

In this website, we will also look specific issues such as assessment. As you may already know, criteria assessment can be tedious and confusing. Some books on criteria-based assessment present holistic rubrics which can be difficult to use effectively because the descriptors cover a vast range of abilities. Other books present criteria assessment in a very complicated way, causing teachers and students to give up after a few tries, or repeat pedagogical shortcomings of more traditional methods of assessment.

Soon we will be offering a unique book that you can cut up and use in over 7000 possible criteria combinations! This book will show you how to select criteria, choose the must haves, link the marking guide to the report card, help the students assess themselves, and guide them to set goals as well! This must-have book makes criteria-based assessment easy, yet it doesn’t muddle in triviality, or repeat shortcomings of other assessment methods.
Start to make positive, effective, long-lasting changes in your classroom today! Here’s your opportunity to use materials that were developed by a teacher, and tested in many classrooms! Take the guesswork out of assessment - make it real and attainable for students today! Finally, criteria assessment made easy...yet authentic and effective!
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As well, another book is soon to be available...one that you can use immediately in English and Language Arts classes. Looking through Novel Study packages will soon show you that many Novel Studies are project-based. The advantage to the project-based study is that it keeps students busy. The disadvantage to this approach comes when it is time to assess the projects. As well, some of the projects don’t always fit into the government/state/provincial Language Arts outcomes or benchmarks. When we use a project-based novel study, we find ourselves asking:

How do I mark in a way that is consistent, yet fair?
How do I make it easy for the students to self-assess in a way that will help them deepen their learning?
How do I adapt and modify the project-based novel study for some of my students?
How do I include Multiple Intelligences?
How do I help students set goals?
How do I fit the project with the benchmarks or outcomes for Language Arts? Etc.

Conversely, this classroom-tested Novel Study is outcome-based, and related to Ministry standards. Helpful suggestions, useful templates, and real student samples, will make it easy for your class to begin an exciting, challenging approach to reading! The bonus of this Novel Study is that you can use the ideas contained in this booklet for all the other subject areas as well!
Here’s your opportunity to use materials that were developed by a teacher for teachers.
Take the guesswork out of assessment - make it real and attainable for students today!
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And....available in the spring of 2000: A new book complete will helpful suggestions, blackline masters and solid ways to make your Math Program come alive (See book cover above). Many of the ideas will be student-designed, while maintaining deep learning! Some of these students are: Tyler, (more names to follow!).

Stay tuned...
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Michael and I are in the process of BUILDING this webpage.
Have patience. You will be glad you waited. Please visit us again.

Some interesting and thoughtful websites:

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WebSpawner Page Machine

George Lucas Educational Foundation

Kinderart

The Brain!

John Maclure Community School

Steven's Spielberg's SHOAH FOUNDATION