Masterclass for Elementary Teachers on Assessment & Best Practices

Dear Elementary School Teachers and Leaders,

All professionals need high-level coaching to keep up with developments in their fields of expertise, to deal with common problems that arise, and to help them perform their best. In particular, in these times, professional educators need access to the latest research-based learning that makes a difference for teacher success and student achievement.  

This type of focused, research-based professional learning focused on high leverage strategies are so important in these times. And, given these times of limited supply teachers, the recordings become essential so we can engage in learning in times that fit our work/life schedules. This PD learning experience is specifically designed to keep a thread of professional learning alive even in the current reality.  

This kind of learning provides teachers with realtime support to help them cope with multiple stressors such as distracted students, societal and cultural challenges, public health, and behavioural issues. 

Drawing upon the combined decades of experience of two leading educational consultants along with other members of the Connect2Learning team, the Teachers' Masterclass provides educators with classroom-tested, high leverage strategies that are immediately applicable strategies in the areas of assessment, learning, evaluation and reporting.

Starting on February 15, 2023, the 2023 edition of the Elementary Teachers’ Masterclass consists of four live webinars in the spring 2023 term, plus access to sixteen (16!) in-depth online courses and an online digital library with recordings of the webinars and other valuable resources.

The Teachers’ Masterclass will benefit individual teachers and is really designed to contribute the most to groups, including Communities of Practice, Professional Learning Communities, entire grade levels or subject areas, and entire school faculties who are looking to foster overall staff alignment with best practices in the field.

Here is what teachers will receive over the course of the 2023 year:

• Enrolment in four, 1-hour webinars with Dr. Anne Davies and Brenda Augusta which deeply explore the core topics, to be held four weeks in a row beginning February 15, 2023.
• All sessions are recorded, so participants can attend live or engage the material at a time of their choosing (either individually or with other registered participants). Recordings will be available until December, 2023.
• Immediate access to the recordings and resources from the fall of 2022 sessions. 
• Immediate access to sixteen in-depth online bonus courses on core topics (see details below). Courses will be available until December, 2023.
• Immediate receipt of a valuable e-book to support their teaching journey (see details below).
• Access to an online resource library with recordings of the live webinars and other resources, such as PDFs, handouts, articles, chapters, examples, and more for educators to use in their own classrooms! This includes over ten recorded webinars from the past two years covering timely topics around teacher and student success. This resource centre will remain available to participants until December, 2023.

Dates & Times

The Teachers’ Masterclass consists of four live webinars commencing February 15, 2023. Don’t forget that all webinars are recorded and available in the online resource centre, so participants can access the material on-demand at a time suitable to their own schedules.

Spring 2023 Times (Details are below):

• Session 1: February 15, 2023 5:00 ET 
• Session 2: February 22, 2023 5:00 ET
• Session 3: March 1, 2023 5:00 ET
• Session 4: March 8, 2023 5:00 ET

A Note to Professional Development Leaders

For over twenty-five years, the Connect2Learning team has worked alongside teachers and in support of their professional learning. We  have constructed this Teachers’ Masterclass to be an ongoing resource to support teachers as they learn over time.

Therefore, we have carefully designed:

• Four core live webinars for the spring 2023. These will be recorded and made available until December 2023.
• Because the live webinars are recorded for on-demand access after the session, learning groups of registered participants such as PLCs can get together to watch a session, pause it for discussions, and revisit any content that needs further consideration.
• We are providing access to the recordings and supplemental resources until December 2023.
• Finally, we include sixteen exceptional self-study courses of in-depth video segments and other resources on a number of key topics (details below), so teachers can dig even deeper into the material either individually or via their professional learning groups, also until December 2023.

Topics & Content Focus

Session One – Beginning With The End In Mind 

When teachers begin with the end in mind, they prepare for student learning. This means that teachers:

• Do a ‘deep dive’ into their curriculum and standards documents and ask themselves, “What is essential? What learning must linger for my students?”
• Re-affirm what quality is by asking, “What does success look like?”
• Check to ensure that the evidence that is being collected is both valid and reliable
• Collect baseline evidence of learning to inform instruction and to demonstrate student growth

Session Two – The 7 Actions of Assessment for Learning: A Focus on Reading and Writing

When the 7 actions of assessment for learning become part of instruction, students are engaged and have a voice. Teachers deliberately involve students by having them:

• understand the learning destination
• examine samples
• co-construct criteria
• self-assess and provide feedback to others
• set goals
• collect evidence of their learning
• communicate their learning to others

These 7 actions can be leveraged in reading and writing instruction through practical, possible, and powerful  strategies that we know work because we have used them in classrooms

Session Three – The 7 Actions of Assessment for Learning: A Focus on Mathematics 

Using the 7 actions of assessment for learning in mathematics instruction means that students are engaged and achieving higher levels of success…and it just makes sense! 

Session Four – Evaluating And Reporting That Makes Sense 

At the end of learning, teachers pause to evaluate the degree to which learning has occurred and report that to others. This includes:

• Teachers and students finalizing the collection of evidence of learning
• Teachers making informed professional judgments
• Teachers reporting learning and achievement using the required format
• Teachers and students communicating the learning to others

Included E-Book -

Grading, Reporting, and Professional Judgment in Elementary Classrooms

Authors: Sandra Herbst, Anne Davies

This book describes, step-by-step, how you can effectively work towards a powerful, practical, and informed standards-based grading and reporting process. Respected authors, Sandra Herbst and Dr. Anne Davies, examine the essential components of evaluation that both model and mirror effective practice:

• preparing for learning, teaching, and assessment;
• engaging students in assessment in support of their learning; and
• reporting the learning to others.

There is no single right answer, but rather many right ones that respect the structure of each unique subject area, support student learning and achievement, communicate effectively with a range of audiences, and fulfill our required legal and regulatory responsibilities.

After the book A Fresh Look at Grading and Reporting in High Schools was published, many educators asked when the elementary edition would be available. This book was written in response to these requests and arises from the important work of transforming classroom assessment. It results from many years of working alongside elementary teachers, as well as school and system leaders. These student-, teacher-, administrator-, and parent-tested ideas will help you find your way to grading and reporting processes that are both possible and practical – not just during report card time, but all year long.

Online Bonus Courses Included

In addition to the live webinar sessions and the other resources, the Teachers’ Masterclass includes access to SIXTEEN in-depth courses on key pedagogical concepts. Individual teachers and/or professional learning groups can access these courses for actionable information to help fully grasp the concepts behind successful instruction and how to apply them to classroom practice. 

These courses have been created by Dr. Anne Davies, Sandra Herbst, and the Connect2Learning team and offer the latest research-based information to help teachers succeed!

The list below provides a brief overview of each course (please click the plus sign to reveal the full description of any particular course):

Who Is This For?

The content is specifically designed for experienced teachers who are looking to access the latest information and best pedagogical practices available today.

Early Bird Pricing

Register by February 9, 2023 for 20% off your order

For more than 100 participants, fill out the form or contact Laura Copeland at the number/email below

*Note: Taxes not included.

This program is an extraordinary value; the list price for the sixteen courses, e-book, and other resources totals over $1,750, without even including the live webinars facilitated by leading professional development experts!

For school leaders, enrol your teachers in this program; the tools and encouragement that they receive will help them renew their energy and vision for teaching and advance their careers and student achievement. Your teachers will thank you and will benefit for years to come!

How to Pay

To purchase your seat(s) by credit card, please click the “Pay by Credit Card” button below, which will take you to a secure shopping cart page.

If you prefer to pay by Purchase Order, or if you would like to request further information, please fill out the information request form below

Your Guides: Deeply Experienced Educators and Consultants with a Track Record of Helping Transform Schools and Systems

Anne Davies, Ph.D. - President

Anne is an acclaimed educator, consultant, keynote speaker, and author. Working alongside and encouraging people to achieve their goals – by truly making a difference in the lives of learners – has led to Anne Davies’ distinguished and internationally-recognized career in Education Leadership and Assessment.

With extensive classroom and consultation experience with education leaders, Anne uses her depth of knowledge and innovative mindset to help educators realize their own potential for positive impact in the classroom and beyond. Anne has also headed a variety of research projects and was Canada’s Team Lead at the International Assessment Symposium in Fredericton, NB (2014). Her work has helped to shape provincial and national educational policy changes and she continues to be a highly sought-after resource for both government and private-sector educational institutions.

Over her distinguished career, Anne has garnered high-profile accolades including the Hilroy Fellowship for outstanding innovation in education and a nomination for the Canadian Education Association’s Whitworth Research Award. Anne is the author and co-author of more than 30 books and multimedia resources, including the best seller, Making Classroom Assessment Work, now in its fourth edition.

Brenda Augusta - Senior Associate

Brenda Augusta has been encouraging and supporting teaching and learning for more than three decades, in a variety of roles: coach, teacher, consultant, mentor, and author.

Just as it did when she was a classroom teacher, Brenda’s approach emphasizes that there is no single template for teaching or learning - there are many paths that lead to success. As such, she has spent her twenty-year tenure as a consultant focusing on being responsive to the needs and goals of those she works alongside, be they system or school leaders, teachers, or students. In recent years this has meant an intentional focus on working with students, teachers, and leaders online, dedicated to finding and refining new ways of working together while maintaining Brenda’s connection to the classroom, the venue in which she sees the greatest potential for positive change.

As an author, Brenda has most recently co-published Making Physical Education Instruction and Assessment Work (2017), Collecting Evidence and Portfolios: Engaging Students in Pedagogical Documentation (2017) and Making Writing Instruction Work (2015). She has also employed her writing skills in the service of clients, bringing assessment for learning strategies into units of study for a Mohawk Immersion program, guiding a group of literacy leaders to write a single point rubric designed to assess student writing and drive instruction, and most recently, creating a teacher professional growth plan using the principles of assessment in the service of learning as a guide

An innate ability to put people at ease and instruct from a place of comfort and openness allow Brenda to effectively challenge assumptions through her presenting, coaching, and mentorship roles. Whether it’s a one-to-one coaching context, or facilitating a session for an audience of one hundred or more, her approach remains the same: What are you looking to achieve, and how can we plan pathways that will bring you there? Each and every session is custom designed for the learners Brenda is supporting.

Although Brenda’s roles in the realm of education are many, she will always identify as a ‘teacher’ in the classical sense: a practitioner with a dedication to influence and support students, teachers, and leaders – learners all.

Who We Are and the Results of Our Work

Connect2Learning, an organization founded by Anne Davies and Stewart Duncan, has served over 500,000 educators and touched the lives of millions of students in various parts of the globe over the past twenty-five years. The overarching theme behind Connect2Learning’s work has centered on formative assessment, which is also known as assessment for learning. 

Our team members have worked as academics, educators, researchers, classroom leaders, school leaders, system leaders, and consultants. Through our experiences, we have each come to realize that students thrive, educators are re-energized, and schools transform when the principles and practices of formative assessment are deeply integrated into schools and classrooms. 

Teachers, schools, and systems that work with us often come back year after year to continue the work and deepen the transformation. Why is that? Because they see how the processes and pragmatic steps we introduce, backed by peer-reviewed research studies and our own decades of experience and reflection, make an immediate difference to students, educators, and leaders.

In most instances, student learners become more engaged and develop greater self-confidence and more enthusiasm for the subjects being taught. This leads to better grades and higher graduation rates. Students who struggle and are at risk often see the greatest turnaround. Educators and school leaders report that these students move to new and unexpected levels of success. 

For teachers, it is transformative to their careers when this begins to happen in their own classrooms, and they see learners begin to blossom out in new ways and new directions. Educators find it so gratifying to see the positive changes and they themselves are renewed to do their work of changing lives.