Building EdStepsA resource for teaching and assessment

Writing • Global Competence • CreativityProblem Solving • Analyzing Information

EdSteps is …

A Web-based resource that teachers, students, and parents can use to compare one student’s work to the work of many others.

An illustrated answer to the question: Where is my student now — and what should he or she do to improve?

EdSteps is …

Groundbreaking

An online resource for teaching and assessment in areas that are typically difficult and costly to assess: Writing Global Competence Creativity Problem Solving Analyzing Information

EdSteps is …

Grassroots

Teachers, students, and parents submit work samples from: Kindergarten through high school College and graduate school Individuals in the workplace Any state, any country

EdSteps is …

Guidance

Student work is ranked on a continuum of progress — from emerging to accomplished work — so that it is clear what a student should do to improve.

Creating a continuum of student work

Paired comparisons: Reviewers look at two pieces of student work and decide which is more effective.

Ranking: Thousands of such comparisons will be used to rank work samples and create a continuum — a gradual progression — from emerging to accomplished work.

More than a score: The continuum provides a clear picture — through work samples — of how a student can do better.

Comparison Process

Creating a continuum of student work

Select 1,000 representative samples from a collection of 5,000 samples.

1,000 samples of student work will generate 125,000 pairs of work.

Each pair will be judged by at least 100 reviewers.

The work is then ranked on a numerical scale from emerging work to accomplished work.

Concept for an EdSteps Continuum

More than a score

EdSteps offers:

Context for each work sample. Visitors will see detail about each student work sample, including the grade level of the student who created the work. (Work samples will not include the author’s name or school.)

Reflections on the work by educators and visitors.

Options for searching.

EdSteps Work Sample

Building EdSteps: Submit student work

EdSteps invites submission of work in two areas in summer 2010: Writing Global Competence

This is not a contest for the “best” work. Submissions are needed that illustrate work at all levels of achievement and from all grade levels.

Teachers, parents, and students can submit work samples online.

Submission of work in the other areas will follow.

EdSteps: First Skill Areas

Writing: Writing in any form, genre or media

Global Competence: The knowledge, skills, and disposition to understand and act creatively and innovatively on issues of global significance, such as environmental sustainability, human rights, and economic development

Building EdSteps: Review student work

Once thousands of work samples have been collected, teachers and other adults can review student work and serve as reviewers for paired comparisons.

A continuum for each area will be built based on the rankings from hundreds of reviewers.

Join us in building EdSteps

Council of Chief State School Officers

The New York Times Knowledge Network and Epsilen

School districts and state departments of education

Nonprofit organizations

Businesses

Supported with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

www.edsteps.org