Assessment

Given the complexity of today’s educational landscape, it might feel as if we have to choose between assessing our students or supporting their social-emotional wellness. However, when we assess with intention and care, and use the results to support intellectual needs while also attending to social and emotional needs, we don’t have to choose!

Learn how to balance traditional written assessments with performance tasks and conversations, and how to harness the power of tablets and smartphones to capture digital evidence of students' learning.

Dawn Caruso, EdD, is a former district administrator of assessment and accountability in Florida. She also served as a virtual school administrator as well as a literacy coach at the state and school level.

With more than 35 years of experience as an educator, Peter Marshall most recently served as a school administrator and in a central office position as the principal for leadership and staff development.

Haley Vogel is the assistant principal with 22 years of experience in education, including six years as a school leader and 13 years teaching biology, anatomy, and physiology. She is passionate about helping teacher teams rethink assessment to meet the needs of their students.

Closing student achievement gaps requires specific actions focused on acceleration and leveling up strategies to achieve grade-level proficiency or beyond. Acceleration is the pathway; we cannot continue to go backward if our goal is to move forward. Discover how to erase inequities in student learning while building hope and confidence in both teachers and students. This is equity in action.

Logan Heflebower has been coaching baseball since his collegiate playing career came to a close in 2019. He is the infield coach at Division II, Colorado Christian University, in Lakewood.

Brad Cawn is a teacher educator, author, researcher, and trainer who specializes in helping schools and teachers integrate ambitious teaching and learning—inquiry-based instruction, disciplinary literacy, project-based learning, etc.—across the content areas.

Jonathan G. Vander Els specializes in supporting teachers and administrators in schools and districts across the country in developing, sustaining, and enhancing structures to support all learners.

Melissa Dickson, EdM, is an outstanding presenter and educator. She is passionate about providing teachers with research-based ideas and strategies that they implement immediately. In her decades as an educator, Melissa has been a literacy coach, staff developer, site-based team leader, mentor teacher, inclusion teacher, classroom teacher, and early childhood teacher.