PLI #1

About the Session

Join our design workshop to develop Check and Connect assessments (reimagined exit tickets) that support equitable sensemaking and 3D science learning for use in your classroom. These short formative assessments offer a meaningful way to build a caring culture around assessment, provide actionable information for you AND your learners, and support learners in developing their skills to transfer learning to new phenomena. You will walk away with some draft Check and Connects to assess students’ 3D learning experiences.

Sara Cooper

Sara Cooper is a consultant for the Learning Policy Institute’s State Performance Assessment Learning Community coordinating projects for states and districts focused on instructionally relevant, equitable, 3D assessments. She has over fifteen years of experience as an educator in formal and informal settings ranging from elementary to college-level and is a former state department of education science specialist. Her passion lies in supporting all components of an assessment system in ways that shift the culture of assessment to one that is caring and supports each and every learner in celebrating their sensemaking. Sara can be reached at sara.cooper@colorado.edu.

Kelley Turner

Kelley Turner is currently the K12 Science Supervisor at Winchester Public Schools and a consultant with Learning Policy Institute’s State Performance Assessment Learning Community working on projects to create a hub for science assessment resources and promoting instructionally relevant assessments. With more than 20 years dedicated to science education, she is actively engaged in initiatives aimed at refining teaching and assessment methods in the field. Kelley has led workshops and guided division teams in crafting assessment plans that emphasize student-centered and student-led practices, leveraging her wealth of experience in the field of science education.

Dawn Novak

Dawn Novak is a Curriculum and Assessment Development Specialist, contributing her expertise to multiple initiatives. She is a consultant with the Learning Policy Institute’s State Performance Assessment Learning Community, collaborating with multiple states to refine equitable three-dimensional tasks. Additionally, Dawn leads the professional learning team for the OpenSciEd Design Initiative facilitating the creation of learning experiences for teachers. Dawn has contributed to the development of various OpenSciEd middle and high school units. For over a decade, she has been leading NGSS professional development workshops across the nation. Complimenting her work, Dawn serves as an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University, where she guides pre-service science teacher candidates through multiple classes. Prior to her current position, Dawn taught middle school math, reading, and science, and served as an instructional coach for math, science, and world language. Dawn can be reached at dawn.novak@u.northwestern.edu.