Just over three years ago, Envision Learning Partners began an ongoing partnership with the Alameda County Office of Education to facilitate the Bay Area Performance Assessment Network (BAPAN), an initiative funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. BAPAN focuses on supporting Bay Area schools and teachers to create quality performance assessments and a student defense process, two elements that are central to the design of Envision's three Bay Area high schools.  (Click the link to read more about Defense at Envision Schools.)

Last year the Community School for Creative Education -- a diverse Waldorf inspired urban TK-6 school located in Oakland, California -- was one of the BAPAN schools.

In March 2014 CSCE was selected to receive additional grant funding from the Hewlett Foundation, giving them an additional 20 targeted PD days with two intended outcomes 1) Teacher-created quality performance assessments and 2) the delivery of 5th grade Defenses, anchored to a specific class project, and supported by a strong learning culture.  To achieve these outcomes, ELP provided CSCE with: 

• Direct coaching to design and develop new performance assessments for science and social studies.  Using the ELP Performance Assessment planning template as an anchor, each teacher crafted quality learning targets and matching assessments, essential questions, and meaningful and engaging prompts. Teachers reported paying sharpened attention to the intended outcomes: what was it that they really wanted students to know and be able to do and how could this be effectively and efficiently demonstrated by each student?
  
  With this focus, teachers could then intentionally plan assessment(s) that accurately measured these outcomes, as well as meaningful learning experiences that supported students in acquiring the intended knowledge and skills.  The result: CSCE time became more efficient and focused, with teachers able to assess if the lesson was effectively delivering the intended learning and to make revisions if not.

• Support to implement 5th grade defenses: These defenses were based on the format and expectations of our Envision High School 10th and 12th grade defenses.  To support teachers in building an understanding of the process, each attended a Defense Design Studio at an Envision school in San Francisco, Oakland or Hayward. They witnessed students defending their learning and engaged in professional development around the logistics and planning of Envision's 4-year process.
  
  CSCE adapted the rubrics, agendas and format of Envision's high school defense model so that it could be used with their 5th graders.  Students focused on their reading, writing, and math skills, describing their strengths and next steps to a panel of three: a community member, staff from Envision Education, and an Envision High school student. The high school student, in particular, provided both powerful feedback and an incredible role model for the young presenters.
  
  Following the 5th grade defenses, teachers reported how much more deeply aware they were of the learning process, and compared what they thought they had taught with what they had actually taught and what students had learned. The discrepancies would later prompt teachers to revise their teaching and refine their instructional focus.

The most important question, of course, for CSCE and ELP, was this: how did this partnership impact students?  After giving their defenses, students noticed the increased rigor and the increased relevance of their learning; they reflected on how they were at first frightened by the idea of presenting what they had learned, especially to a panel of strangers, but that it was an unforgettable experience, and one that they want to have again.   

In short, it was a strong, powerful learning experience that is helping to create life-long learners of these students.  The CSCE/ELP partnership raised the bar on teaching and learning not only for CSCE teachers, but for their students as well.