Monday, March 3rd 1:00 - 2:00 pm - Juniper A/B

Streams of Learning from the Troubled Waters of Experience – Ohio’s Unique Position in Leading National Reform in Assessments
Mary Lou Holly, Professor / Kent State University; Sajit Zachariah, Administration, College of Education / University of Akron; and Dennis J. Taylor, Professor of Biology, Director Ohio Board of Regents STEM Academy / Hiram College

The No Child Left Behind Act legislated national requirements for assessing student academic performance, implementing uniform standardized testing that: 1) penalizes teachers and districts that don’t teach to the test; 2) actively undermines state science standards; and 3) discourages student participation in designing and carrying out real science that improves their own communities. The Ohio Learning Network’s Sakai-based e-portfolio and learning community initiatives, combined with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency protocols for citizen assessment of landscapes, positions Ohio as the state to force national assessment reform by adopting alternative assessments that promote real classroom science and student interest in science.