This program provides classroom teachers and administrators with research findings, best practices, and practical activities related to assessment for the classroom. Participants work individually and in teams; learn from demonstrations, video, and networking; and use computers to access and apply information on the Internet. Participants write reports, develop standards-based instruction and assessment tasks, and align assessment with a vision of student learning expected in the 21st century. The program can be customized to support local, state, and national school reform programs.

The program includes 11 LearningLayouts™ that are delivered online and in combinations of online and offline settings -- online2. These approaches are adapted to schedules posted in school district professional development programs, school-based calendars, and college catalogs. The LearningLayouts™ and schedule may be modified for independent study.

1. Welcome, Introductions, and Program Information: Relates to the participants' background information and goals and the program description, requirements, and schedule.
   
2. A Vision of Classroom Assessment: Relates to the purposes, characteristics, differences, and similarities of forms of assessment, including selected and constructed response forms of testing; comparisons of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments; as well as the benefits of alternative assessment.
   
3. Alignment of Quality Teaching and Assessment: Relates to the process and importance of matching student development characteristics, learning outcomes, curriculum, instruction, technology, and assessment standards so that assessment mirrors quality teaching.
   
4. Standards-Based Instruction Task Development: Relates to the development of standards-based instruction tasks within a single content area or as an integrated content approach.
   
5. Standards-Based Assessment Task Development: Relates to the development of standards-based assessment tasks within a single content area or as an integrated content assessment.
   
6. Scoring Student Performance: Relates to the scoring of standards-based instruction and assessment task activities, including rubric development and other scoring tools including selected response test items.
   
7. Alternative Assessment Results and Instructional Improvement: Relates to the use of alternative assessment data for instructional and school improvement, in both formative and summative ways and in reporting to parents.
   
8. Student and Teacher Portfolios: Relates to the design, development, and application of student and teacher portfolios and portfolio assessment systems for measuring school improvement goals, standards, and outcomes.
   
9. Combining Assessment and Technology: Relates to the emerging field of digital technology and how alternative assessment can become a part of this approach to teaching and learning.
   
10. Relating Assessment Results and Teaching Processes: Relates to a quality improvement process for participants to use in planning, implementing, and continuously improving their approaches to alternative assessment for instructional improvement.
    
11. Participant Demonstrations: Relates to exhibitions of "best works" developed by participants and teams throughout the program. The demonstrations may include conventional and online presentations of program requirements.

By the end of the program, participants will demonstrate the ability to:

1. Describe the meaning and importance of a vision for learning in the 21st century as the basis for classroom assessments;
   
   
2. Describe the characteristics and benefits of and a rationale for using alternative assessment to improve student, teacher, and school performance;
   
   
3. Describe the meaning and importance of alignment for achieving quality teaching, assessment, and student learning;
   
   
4. Recognize types of alignment among student needs, standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment;
   
   
5. Develop standards-based instruction and assessment tasks that include formative and summative assessments;
   
   
6. Apply three approaches for scoring student responses in constructed response assessments;
   
   
7. Apply different types of scoring tools to evaluate student responses in selected and constructed response assessments;
   
   
8. Analyze the results of state and local standardized tests and classroom assessments to improve student, teacher, and school performance;
   
   
9. Apply the major features of student and teacher portfolios to classroom instruction and assessment;
   
   
10. Combine alternative assessments and technology in standards-based instruction and assessment tasks;
    
    
11. Apply to the improvement of classroom assessments the results of international assessments that are based on correlations of teacher performance with increases in student achievement;
    
    
12. Demonstrate a sample of best works developed in the program for implementing classroom assessment models, techniques, and procedures.
    

1. Complete 11 online and online2 training and coaching experiences known as LearningLayouts™;
   
2. Collaborate online and in person with a training coach;
   
3. Use email to network with and receive feedback from other teachers and coaches;
   
4. Share the results of their training and development efforts with other teachers;
   
5. Develop a password-protected online portfolio to demonstrate the results of training sessions completed in LearningLayouts™;
   
6. Practice KAIZEN -- the process of continuous improvement.
   

LearningFront™ consultants can also support teachers and administrators with school-based activities throughout the school year. The assessment tasks, methods, practices, and processes developed in the program can be shared in grade level portfolios in schools and on school instructional web sites.