The March 16 forum, attended by over 100 teachers was featured in a Cambridge Day article by reporter Jean Cummings.
Here is a summary of the event from teacher Rose Levine:
We’re happy to report that Wednesday’s Educator Forum on Assessment exceeded our wildest expectations as organizers! We welcomed over 130 teachers, parents, administrators and School Committee members to a thoughtful conversation on the use of assessment in Cambridge.
So, our voices were heard loud and clear, but many teachers are asking…what are the next steps? We need your help–here’s where we’re heading:
1. VALUES
At the forum, our community gave feedback on a proposed statement of values. A draft copy compiling all your input is attached. Please take a look over it, and email ltmlcambridge@gmail.com with any further thoughts. We’ll be using this statement to hold our district accountable to the values its educators espouse.
2. WEBSITE
We have built a website for this group so that families, community members, and other key stakeholders can get a sense of what we mean when we talk about useful, meaningful, rich assessment–and its opposite. This is where you come in. On the site, we’d like to post testimonials and artifacts, demonstrating both ends of the assessment spectrum. What might this look like?
On the “less useful” end…
– A photograph of the computer lab schedule for your school during assessment weeks
– A pacing guide that is out of whack with how fast your students can master new material
– A poorly-formatted test question, or confusing test direction
– Your own written reflection on a student’s response to an assessment, or on the impact of standardized data-driven meetings…similar to the stories you told on Wednesday
On the “more useful” end…
– A photograph of formative assessment data that helps you–a running record, or a binder of exit ticket data, or notes on writing progress
– An excellent assessment probe you’ve developed
– A lesson plan you wrote, highlighting differentiation and embedded assessment
– Your own written reflection on successful projects that provided helpful information about what students knew or needed to know
All artifacts and testimonials will be screened by our steering committee and posted anonymously, unless you tell us otherwise. For privacy reasons, student names, faces, and work should not be submitted. Once we have a body of examples up, we will distribute the website to this group, the administration, the School Committee, and the press. Please submit your testimony by filling out this google form, and encourage your colleagues to do the same!
3. NEXT MEETING
Our Steering Committee will meet with School Committee members Fred Fantini and Kathleen Kelly from 3:30-4:30 on Wednesday, March 30, to debrief the feedback from the parent and educator forums. Directly afterward, we will hold a larger LTML meeting in the public library main branch. Anyone on this list–and your colleagues–are welcome to join us as we plan next steps and keep the momentum going! We will send out a reminder next week, but mark your calendar for March 30 from 4:45-6:00 at the main branch.
Thank you all for your passionate commitment to providing a high-quality education to each child in Cambridge, and for your courage in speaking out. Our numbers are growing, and so is our power to advocate for our students and community!
In solidarity,
Rose Levine
Grade 5 Teacher, Graham & Parks
on behalf of the LTMLC Steering Committee