CVU Standard Based Learning description of Articulate.
Educators design Learning Targets for their classes aligned with national, state, and local standards. These targets clearly articulate what students should know,understand, and be able to do for each unit of study. The targets are like the “destinations” in a GPS. We decide where we want to go, and we enter the location—we need to be specific about our destinations in order to get the best directions. Teachers, students, and parents are aware of the destinations, so there is no mystery about where we are headed.
I have always believed that our assessment and reporting system, grading policies, did not match a student's proficiency of their knowledge or understanding of course. My first experience was teaching my first Algebra I unit during my first year of teaching when I had a student that was engaged in class and did fairly well on all of the traditional quizzes and exceptional on the end of unit tests. So you are thinking that this student would receive an A, right? Had I averaged all of the traditional homework assignments, this student would be lucky to get a C. Yet another student in the class who worked really hard and completed all of the assignments, but wasn't able to demonstrate their knowledge of the mathematics on an assessment was also getting a C. I believed that the C wasn't a fair representation of either of the student's knowledge of the mathematics. And this is where my journey began.
The concept of articulating student learning has given more value to the process of learning. The students I am teaching have a much clearer sense of their understandings as well what they still need to continue to learn than a few years ago. Learning in the classroom is now based on the idea of owning learning rather than assessing well. The assessment becomes a way for students to articular what they know, can do, and understand at a certain benchmark in time an time when I can give students concrete feedback around learning targets. Learning is a process that happens at different pace for everyone. Having clear targets allows the process to be just as important as the end results and recognizes that students will learn differently at different times but that we have the same goals in mind.. Articulating has become the heart of the learning process which then enhances my ability to provide differentiated opportunities as well as specific communication with students and family. It also provides a fairer assessment of the understandings that a student demonstrates.
Educators design Learning Targets for their classes aligned with national, state, and local standards. These targets clearly articulate what students should know,understand, and be able to do for each unit of study. The targets are like the “destinations” in a GPS. We decide where we want to go, and we enter the location—we need to be specific about our destinations in order to get the best directions. Teachers, students, and parents are aware of the destinations, so there is no mystery about where we are headed.
I have always believed that our assessment and reporting system, grading policies, did not match a student's proficiency of their knowledge or understanding of course. My first experience was teaching my first Algebra I unit during my first year of teaching when I had a student that was engaged in class and did fairly well on all of the traditional quizzes and exceptional on the end of unit tests. So you are thinking that this student would receive an A, right? Had I averaged all of the traditional homework assignments, this student would be lucky to get a C. Yet another student in the class who worked really hard and completed all of the assignments, but wasn't able to demonstrate their knowledge of the mathematics on an assessment was also getting a C. I believed that the C wasn't a fair representation of either of the student's knowledge of the mathematics. And this is where my journey began.
The concept of articulating student learning has given more value to the process of learning. The students I am teaching have a much clearer sense of their understandings as well what they still need to continue to learn than a few years ago. Learning in the classroom is now based on the idea of owning learning rather than assessing well. The assessment becomes a way for students to articular what they know, can do, and understand at a certain benchmark in time an time when I can give students concrete feedback around learning targets. Learning is a process that happens at different pace for everyone. Having clear targets allows the process to be just as important as the end results and recognizes that students will learn differently at different times but that we have the same goals in mind.. Articulating has become the heart of the learning process which then enhances my ability to provide differentiated opportunities as well as specific communication with students and family. It also provides a fairer assessment of the understandings that a student demonstrates.