Popham, W. J. (2008). Transformative assessment.

Alexandria, VA: Association

for supervision and curriculum development. Retrieved April 28, 2016, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108018/chapters/Formative-Assessment@Why,-What,-and-Whether.aspx
This chapter discusses the importance of formative assessment and its process
in providing evidence in students learning status. It discusses how teachers can use
formative assessment to adjust their ongoing instruction or by students to adjust their
current learning styles. Formative assessment is said to raise student performance on
accountability tests which is why it has been supported by many schools and
educational theorists. Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam are two theorists that support
formative assessment, not only based on its instructional logic, but its implemented
meta-analysis as well. Formative assessment instills the traits of a HPL learning
environment because it takes into mind the students current cognitive realities with
respect to certain skills or knowledge that they must possess. Once these cognitive
realities are determined, teachers are able to create individualized learning paths for
those students, even giving students choices on assignments that will demonstrate
mastery of the skill.

Lash, A., & Trumbull, E. (2013). Understanding formative assessment: Insights

from learning theory and measurement theory. Retrieved April 28, 2016, from
https://www.wested.org/online_pubs/resource1307.pdf.
This resource discusses the need for education assessment that is not only
balanced but supportive of gaining information from our students learning. This
information can then shape teachers instructional pathways. Another need was
assessments that aligned with learning goals in order to understand what constitutes
learning and what knowledge would be produced. In order for these assessments to
provide some formative purpose, they need to be able to give results on the student's
progress towards a learning goal. Lastly, they discussed assessment designs that are
useful to teachers to gain information from their students such as the assessment
triangle. This resource ties into HPL due to the fact that formative assessment is
contingent on the instructional strategies used and the student. Formative assessment
needs to be tailored to each student and their relevant learning targets.

Black, P., and Wiliam, D. (2001). Inside the black box: Raising standards through
classroom assessment. Kings College London School of Education. Retrieved from
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweaeducation.typepad.co.uk
%2Ffiles%2Fblackbox-1.pdf
When using formative assessment we are not only planning future instruction, we
are helping students become self-regulating, independent and self-correcting learners.
By doing that we need identify the gap, provide feedback, embed learning progressions,
involve students, and choose appropriate strategies to keep learning moving forward.
The goal for fostering a growth mindset is to train teachers on the five strategies of
formative assessment: clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and
criteria for success; engineering effective classroom discussions, activities, and learning
tasks that elicit evidence of learning; providing feedback; activating learners as
instructional resources for one another; and activating learns as the owners of their own
learning. As an educational leader In an HPL environment, I would model these
effective strategies and collaborate with my colleagues of their effectiveness. I can also
support teachers in any efforts I can to help the process move forward. Together we
could bring formative assessment back into the classroom on a more regular basis so
students improve on their learning.

The quality Improvement agency (QIA) for lifelong learning (2008). Assessment
for learning.Guidance for assessment and learning, Retrieved from
https://carlow.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-666520-dt-content-rid1740371_2/courses/HPL-730-G12016SP/HPL-730G12016SP_ImportedContent_20160107054721/Initial%20and%20Diagnostic
%20Assessment%20-%20%20A%20Learner-Centered%20Process.pdf
This resource understands that assessment demonstrates learning and that
every learner can improve their learning to reach their full potential. By using diagnostic
learning, teachers are able to understand the misconceptions of their students before
designing their learning pathways for success. It also helps to assess each learners
cognitive realities, creates an opportunity for feedback, and at the same time
establishes feedback on the instructional strategies. By giving students feedback,
student performance can go up to 33%. If teachers simply give a letter grade, that can
lead to negative impacts. Feedback, however, is only helpful if you are applying it
towards adjusting learning targets and providing opportunities for students to improve
on their learning. Lastly, diagnostic assessment helps student reflect as to what they
are learning and why it is important. This ties to HPL as a way to start each lesson on
the right track with using an assessment that measures the cognitive realities of
students. It also ties in by creating learning pathways based on these cognitive realities.
Because each student will test differently, each student will get their own individualized
learning pathway.

Criterion-Referenced test definition. (2013, April 17). Retrieved May 04, 2016,
from http://edglossary.org/criterion-referenced-test/
This resource discussed the importance of criterion referenced tests as a way to
measure progress toward the goals and objectives described in an individualized
education plan for students with disabilities. CRT also help to identify gaps in student
learning and academic progress or inform instructional adjustments. The main reason to
use CRT is to diagnose learning needs so teachers may adjust learning pathways made
for students. CRT is also helpful by gaining information such as achievement gaps
among different student groups. CRT is needed in an HPL environment because it
establishes educational fairness based on No Child Left behind and compares students
to a set of standards instead of comparing students to one another. CRT also helps to
see if the learning strategies and educational policies are working as intended. In
summary CRT is better suited for measuring learning progress, is fairer to students, and
promotes better equity in education.

Norm-Referenced test definition. (2013, July 15). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from
http://edglossary.org/norm-referenced-test/
This resource discussed Norm referenced tests and how they may be used to
properly place students into remedial, gifted, or special education programs. They may
also be used to identify students with learning disabilities. Form a teacher standpoint
they can help select students for different ability level instructional groups such as
mathematics or reading. In an HPL environment we dont use a lot of norm referenced
tests because they focus on low level, or basic skills. This means that these tests do
not facilitate a growth mindset and deeper learning that an HPL environment tries to
offer. These tests are also known to be more high stakes where teachers have been
known to try and teach to the test so their students perform well. Lastly, these tests give
little information about the cognitive reality of students or what they are able to do. The
NRT compares students to one another, instead of offering information on what they
know or can do. Because of this we are not able to use this information in creating a
customized learning path for our students. Instead of norm-referenced tests comparing
students to learning goals, they are comparing them to other students creating a bell
curve. By using these tests we are teaching students to compete with other students,
instead of teaching students to learn.

Shuell, T. (2013, July 19). Theories of learning. Retrieved May 04, 2016, from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/theories-of-learning/
This resource discussed the various theories of learning and how they are
conceived based on the different factors or variables that make it up. It also discussed
how the theories evolved throughout the years because on these changing factors and
variables. One of the first theories mentioned included that of behavioral theories such
as stimulus-response, reinforcement, feedback, and practice. The theories from this
time conceptualized learning as something that occurred from the outside in. Next came
social-learning theory, rooted from behavioral theory, which dealt with social learning
and personality development. This theory quickly transitioned into social-cognitive
theory in order to differentiate it from the behavioral theories. The cognitive theories
focus on mental activities and understanding of complex material. Soon, cognitive
theories were challenged by those of social interactions creating a sociocultural context
of learning. In the current day, technology is added to the mix to give a social and
material dimension such as how resources are affecting learning. Because several
types of learning are taking place in the classroom, the validity and usefulness of these
different theories is helpful to consider what each student is learning and what evidence
exists to prove that learning has occurred. In an HPL environment, these theories help
us as educators understand how knowledge is created and distributed by students and
the rest of the community.

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the
imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace.
What constitutes a new culture of learning are the assumptions about how
learning occurs. Our world is constantly changing and so are the skills that are taught in
schools. We as educators need to strive for ways to keep learning up to date. We also
need to recognize that the more students experience and play with their learning, the
more they will be able to build that knowledge. Next, our world is connected to the fact
that students have unlimited resources, and communities at their fingertips. This gives
students more access to experts on various subjects including other peers. This can
result in building learning relationships that make the learner responsible for their own
learning rather than depending on the teacher for all the information. Because of this
ever changing world that we live in today, education is caught up in the complexities of
matching our speed of learning to these changing times. This means that the basic
skills learned in the assembly lines of traditional schools wont cut the meta-skills
needed today. We need to create a balance of freedom and control in our classrooms
in order to produce a new culture of learning that cultivates imagination and innovation.

McManus, Sarah, and NC Department of Public Instruction. "Attributes of

effective formative assessment." The FAST SCASS (2008): 3-6. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
This resource discussed the various definitions of formative assessment and its
related research. The process of formative assessment is requiring the teacher to
share learning goals with students and provide opportunities for students to monitor
their own learning. There are five attributes that have identified the critical features of
effective formative assessment including using learning progressions; learning goals
and criteria for success; descriptive feedback; self- and peer-assessment; and
collaboration. This resource fits into an HPL environment because it discusses how the
brain builds skills from basic to complex which is why learning progressions are
important. It also discusses the need to provide assessments regularly to make sure
students are on track. By setting short-term goals, students can stay on this track and
keep learning moving forward. By having teachers provide criteria for success to their
students, they are setting students up to be self-regulated to progress towards those
goals. Next, identifying ways for students to improve will help students close the gap
between where they are and where they need to be. Allowing time for reflection will then
create an engaging environment that has students thinking met-cognitively and help
students monitor their own learning. Lastly, collaboration is needed to allow students to
share their learning goals with others and create a support group in which students can
grow and bounce ideas off one another.

Moss, Connie M., and Susan M. Brookhart. Advancing formative assessment in

every classroom: A guide for instructional leaders. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2009. 24-43.
Today students are not part of the learning process enough. Teachers often feel
that this is more their responsibility versus the students. Students need to be proactive
rather than reactive when improving their work through feedback. First students can
become part of the process by putting objectives that they are to master in their own
words so they are no longer in the language of the teachers. Once students understand
these goals they can set these goals and monitor their process towards them. Next, the
more students are able to identify quality level of work, the more they will be able to selfregulate their work in order to produce the desired level of work themselves. This selfregulation only occurs though clear, descriptive feedback from the teachers that help
focus the students to see the connection between their effort and their achievement.
Then, the teacher needs to allow room for the student to correct their work through
specific feedback but not too specific that the work is done for the student. This helps
the student become the decision maker in their learning along with being autonomous
and actively involved in their improvements. As far as an HPL environment is
concerned, placing formative assessment in the hands of students is empowering them
to develop the self-regulation skills needed. This will help to prepare them to learn both
inside and outside of the classroom.

Nicol, David J., and Debra MacfarlaneDick. "Formative assessment and self
regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice." Studies in
Higher Education 31.2 (2006): 199-218.Taylor and Francis Online. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
The main goal of formative assessment is closing the gap between current and
desired performance. It also provides information to teachers that can help them
reshape their teaching. By adopting formative assessment, teachers are able to clarify
what good performance is, facilitate the development of self-assessment, deliver high
quality information to students about their learning, encourage teacher and peer
dialogue about learning, encourage positive motivation and self-esteem, provide
opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance, and provide
information to teachers that can be used to shape their teaching. Through formative
assessment, feedback helps teachers, and students through self-assessment, observe
what criteria was met and what wasnt. For the criteria that wasnt met, teachers and
students are able to observe the reasons which the criteria wasnt met and reshape
their teaching to improve on these skills. This feedback, if used as a process, can be
used to support cognition because it helps students realize what skills they are strong
and which are weak. Through this process students will develop meta-cognition and
self-awareness by looking at their work through the eyes of their teacher and the criteria
that determines their skills as successful.

Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008, October). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future of
vestige of the past? Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/523/1103
This resource discusses distributed knowledge and connectivism as a learning
theory for the digital age. Connectivism is challenged as being a learning theory that
meets the needs of todays and future students. When discussing this new learning
theory, they discuss three epistemological frameworks including objectivism,
pragmatism, and interpretivism. Through this framework, objectivism is the building of
knowledge by experiencing things externally. Pragmatism is the building of knowledge
by conferring between reflection and experiences, along with actions and inquiries.
Lastly interpretivism is using socialization and cultural cues to internally construct
knowledge. By adding Connectivism to this framework we are introducing distributed
knowledge which views knowledge as a network and learning as a process of pattern
recognition in a learning community. This means that connectivism stresses that
learning occurs through the ability to seek our current information, and the ability to
filter out secondary and extraneous information. This theory can help explain how
students can be engaged in creating their own learning by evaluating what information
is deemed useful and which is in need of elimination.

Zogby, J., CEO, & Zogby, J., Sr. Analyst. (2014). 2014 global survey of
students (pp. 1-8, Rep.). Zogby Analytics.
Learning theory in the digital world needs to reflect the education needed for the
millennial generation which consists of students that are tech savvy, have a global
outlook, and high expectations for their futures. According to data taken from a survey
relating to advancing higher education, many students discussed the need for a
transformation by technology, a value driven education, an emphasis on cooperation,
and a global mindset. First, education should be accessible with free content given
online, students using social media for learning and peer tutoring, and free online
libraries to access course materials and books. Second, education should be flexible,
structured on a non-fixed schedule with course being offered at all times of the day and
night. Next, education needs to be innovative where courses provide collaboration
between students and teachers via group projects, personalized instruction, and online
tutoring. Lastly, education should be valuable, focused on future jobs including those
needed for industry and society. This includes teaching students career-oriented skills
on top of their subject matter. The goal for HPL is to meet the needs of students. This
transformation allows the students to step away from discrete subjects to focus on real
world problems. Through flexible schedules, learning can occur anywhere at anytime.
Next, it allows student choice since its based on a diverse curriculum giving students
freedom to track their learning based on their own interests.

Davidson, C. N., & Goldberg, D. T. (2010). The future of thinking: Learning

institutions in a digital age (Rep.). Retrieved May 2, 2016, from
https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_download/9780262513746_Future_
of_Thinking.pdf
We live in a society where students are technologically savvy, are self-motivated
by interests, and learn best through digital resources. Why then are we still pushing the
outdated assembly line model of education? By offering project based learning, similar
to the New York City museums, we are able to produce a new mode of learning that is
challenging, molds itself to a diverse learning population, and allows students to share
their views with others. One way of doing this is by tying in the digital interactions that
our students are using today to our teaching style. Using the same peer to peer
interactions used in social media can help students collaborate together on a subject.
Using project based learning allows students to become involved in their learning along
with exploring their individual talents. By allowing collaboration with these projects,
students are able to guide each other with their diverse ideas. In our last module, we
even realized how much gaming can help students learn basic skills while still having
fun.

Educause Learning Initiative (ELI). (2014, February 11). 7 things you should
know about competency-based education. Retrieved April 09, 2016, from
https://library.educause.edu/resources/2014/2/7-things-you-should-know-aboutcompetencybased-education
In Competency Based Education, instructors are facilitators or guides to learning.
Students use new tools and supports to progress through material until they
demonstrate mastery. Students also regulate themselves through varied resources.
Through this type of assessment model, the teachers are not doing the work, the
students are. CBE requires educators to be competent in several skills along with
building learning relationships with students, integrating formative assessments, and
providing learner-centered instruction.
The competencies, in which CBE is based on, are structured by learning progressions
of how concepts build upon each other. This allows students to move at their own pace
through flexible pathways. The competency and the learning objectives allow for
personalization and opportunities for deeper learning.