What has Raymond High School Been Up to?

The Raymond High School has been using a grant they received four years ago to develop performance based assessments and protocols to ensure our students have high standards and meaningful learning experiences. This work has been very focused: with dedicated professional development and regular meetings that extend throughout the summer.  The grant (named i3) is from the US Department of Education for Educational Innovation. Originally this was a small team of four that has grown to 18 teachers! This focus on Performance Assessments is a way for students to demonstrate what they know.

I have been present on several occasions while teachers used performance based assessments as a means to "test" student knowledge and understanding.  Remember, these are not memorized lists of things our students need to know, rather students must show they are able to apply what they have learned, as well as, demonstrate a deep understanding of the standard being assessed, and may use different means of demonstrating their learning.  It is so impressive to see our students' deep insights into their learning and how they are thriving!  I observed one class of students where each multiple works of a particular poet.  The students' insights and hard work was just wonderful- I was truly captivated!

A Peer Review Board agrees with me.  This Board recently came to Raymond High School for an entire day and their write-up is a testament to our teachers and students. They "greatly admired the collaborative, rigorous work of the team, the impressive response of the students to the Freshman Academy, Site Council and ELO program, and the sense of community and forward movement" they "found everywhere in the school".  One quote I love is that they "experienced and "lived" the enormous changes you have brought to Raymond High School and truly appreciated the student-centered, inquiry and proficiency-based work so visible in so many classrooms".

Forty-nine school districts, nonprofit education organizations, and institutions of higher education were selected from among nearly 1,700 applicants for funding under the Investing in Innovation (i3) program.We were one of only 8 school districts in NH chosen for this grant:

• Laconia, NH;
• Manchester, NH;
• Milton, NH;
• Nashua, NH;
• Newfound, NH;
• North Sutton, NH;
• Pittsfield, NH;
• Raymond, NH.

According to the press release for the grant, "this network of schools will work together to create authentic tasks and common rubrics to measure uncommon assessment tasks that will foster personalized learning resulting in higher student achievement, as demonstrated by lower dropout rates, higher graduation rates and demonstrable success after high school."

A noble goal and one at which we are succeeding.  What is RHS up to?  I'd say they are up to a lot of good!