I was kind of shocked when I looked at the TAF Academy calendar the other day. It is clear that May has become "Testing Month". One grade level or another will be in testing on just about every day. I doubt that many of our students will admit to looking forward to all of these testing days. And who can blame them?

I absolutely agree that tests serve a valuable purpose. They are a legitimate way to establish performance benchmarks and measure progress in core academic areas. (I've got some exciting news about that in a minute.)

But if so much classroom effort is focused on these endless rounds of testing, what are we really measuring? 

TAF's STEM-focused curriculum for all our programs takes a different approach to measuring mastery and achievement in areas that many standardized tests miss. In our programs, students are learning how to learn. They develop essential 21st century skills like critical thinking, data analysis, knowledge synthesis, time management, teamwork, presentations and the appropriate use of technology as a tool for learning.

Instead, when evaluating student progress, we focus on the artifacts they create as part of Project Based Learning. Artifacts take many forms, from traditional essays and tests to video from live exhibitions, voice recordings (for foreign language class) and the code behind student-generated websites. Collectively, these artifacts give us evidence of how and what each student is learning - and where a student might be lagging behind.

This is a great example of how the curriculum at TAF Academy allows us to be more responsive to individual student needs. That's why last fall we introduced X-Block, which is a period of individualized instruction for middle school students. In six-week sessions, they receive either academic support or enrichment, depending on their performance.

The results have been nothing short of phenomenal. Look at how each grade improved on the Federal Way school district's computation assessment between fall and winter term:

Percentage of students meeting

X-Block was definitely a factor here. Students who participated in at least one X-Block session answered an average of 11-14% more questions correctly on the computation exam between fall and winter. Students in 6^th and 7^th grade who participated in two sessions saw a 19% increase in correct answers, while 8^th graders who participated in even one session saw a 20% increase.

Regardless of how students feel about having to take the tests, I know they must feel incredibly proud of the results.

As data comes in, we will continue to share successes like these - and highlight some student stories that demonstrate exactly what your support of TAF means to their future success.  

Percentage of students meeting

or exceeding the district standard