Dear School Leaders and Educators,

New teachers want to do their very best!

New teachers have lots of questions about creating and implementing a teaching and assessment plan of action that actually works given the diversity of learning needs in classrooms today. They are also looking to understand principles and best practices that provide a framework for classroom success. Teachers new to the profession need proven, practical information that they can use immediately!

The New Teachers’ Foundation Program is designed to help new teachers deeply grasp best approaches that enhance student achievement. The areas of focus include: 

• Preparing for Quality Classroom Instruction and Assessment
• Activating and Engaging Learners
• Evaluating and Reporting to Others

And more!

These webinars include classroom-based examples, strategies, and accounts. They are facilitated by Rita Campitelli and Anne Davies.

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

• Attend four live webinars on August 21, 22, 23, and 24, 2023 at 3PM ET with Rita Campitelli and Anne Davies as they explore key topics in Classroom assessment. 
• Access 2022 recordings of four 60-minute webinars with Anne Davies, Sandra Herbst and their team also focused on Foundations in Classroom Assessment.
• Access to six in-depth online bonus courses on core topics (see details below).
• 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! Access runs until August 2024.

Who Is This For?

• Secondary School teachers who are new to teaching this year or new to the jurisdiction, teachers who are beginning a new course or in a new school.
• This is also valuable learning for teachers completing their first year or two of teaching who realize they need to deepen their expertise. 

This series provides educators with perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that they encountered (or will encounter) in their first years of teaching and gives them a framework for success!

*Note: Taxes not included.

Early Bird: Get 20% off your purchase when you order by July 31, 2023

“No Risk” Money Back Guarantee: If unsatisfied for any reason, let us know by August 23, 2023

This program is an extraordinary value; the list price for the individual components totals over $800, without even including the live webinars facilitated by two leading facilitators in learning more about classroom assessment!

For school leaders, consider enrolling teachers new to the school so they have the tools and encouragement to ensure that they have a strong start to the school year and their careers. Your new teachers will thank you and will benefit for years to come!

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.

Rita Campitelli - Associate

The desire to find ways to meet the learning needs of all students, and discover ways to enhance and enrich the teaching practice of others has motivated Rita Campitelli to use her rich teaching experience in the service of others.

Her teaching career of over 34 years led Rita to many roles of leadership including lead teacher, department head and at the system level, Coordinator of Secondary programs. Working directly with teachers and in the classroom is where Rita finds her true inspiration.

In the classroom, Rita is always looking for ways to understand what every student needs to succeed. Rita is passionate about finding ways for students to demonstrate their learning. Her goal as a classroom teacher is always to create an environment where students become passionate and motivated to keep learning regardless of the obstacles or challenges along the way.

Working with other teachers, Rita understands the challenges that teachers face as Provincial and Board programs and priorities change. Rita creatively works with system leaders and teachers to find ways to meet these challenges.  

Rita is committed to equity and inclusion in education. In her work at the system level, Rita worked closely with leaders working to bring Equity, Mental Health and Indigenous studies to others in the system. Along the way, she collaborated on a toolkit for others to use to evaluate the resources used in the classroom using the lens of Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity.  Alongside Mental Health leaders she worked to ensure that teachers had the resources needed to bring mental health programs into the classroom. Working with Indigenous Studies leaders, she brought teachers together to create resources used in the classroom.

Rita creates interactive and information rich professional development sessions which are tailored to the needs of teachers and system leaders. She is passionate about life-long learning and energizing teaching and creating safe and inclusive spaces for all to learn and grow.

Program Components

• Attend live webinars August 21, 22, 23, and 24, 2023 at 3PM ET with Rita Campitelli and Anne Davies and/or access the recordings at your convenience.
•  Upon registration, immediate access to*:
  • Recordings of four 60-minute webinars completed by Anne Davies and Sandra Herbst.
  • An online resource library with resources such as PDFs, handouts, articles, chapters, examples, and more for educators to use in their own classrooms!
  • Three online courses described below.
• A copy of A Fresh Look at Grading and Reporting in High School (e-book). 

*Access runs until August, 2024.

Topics & Content Focus

 Session One – Preparing for Quality Classroom Assessment

Preparing to teach, in other words preparing for student learning, is critical. If we don’t know where we are going, we may never get there. This means that teachers:

• Determine the learning destination by examining our curricular and standards documents
• Research the expected quality levels by asking, “What does success look like?”
• Plan to collect reliable and valid evidence of learning by identifying potential activities, tasks, projects, and other learning experiences
• Collecting baseline evidence of learning in order to, later, demonstrate just how far students have progressed

• Identify the reporting structures that are used in their schools and systems

 Session Two  – Engaging Students Through Quality Assessment: A Focus on Mathematics, Science, and Technical-Vocational

Teachers deliberately seek to involve students in the assessment process so that they can be engaged and successful. In secondary classrooms, this means that students: 

• 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 of assessment for learning become key instructional tools in mathematics, science, and technical-vocational courses and inform the selection of high-impact strategies and learning activities.  

Session Three– Engaging Students Through Quality Assessment: A Focus on English, Humanities, Languages, and Arts

Using the 7 actions of assessment for learning in English, humanities, languages, and arts courses means that students are engaged and achieving higher levels of success. Leveraging these high-yield strategies in instruction just makes sense!

Session Four– Preparing to Evaluate And Report To Others

At the end of learning, teachers pause to evaluate the degree to which learning has occurred and report that to others. It takes preparation to be ready to: 

• Finalize the collection of evidence of learning 
• Make informed professional judgments based on the body of evidence that has been collected for each student
• Report learning and achievement using the required format
• Involve students in the reporting and communicating process

Included E-Book - A Fresh Look at Grading and Reporting in High Schools

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
• Reporting the learning to others

This resource is chock-full of examples from across subject areas and disciplines (e.g. , biology, mathematics, arts, history, social studies, world issues, IB, English, geography) and highlights specific strategies to use as you plan, implement, and reflect. This refreshing look at grading and reporting arises from DOING this important work with high schools and systems across North America.

Online Courses

These three courses cover the ENTIRE classroom assessment process from beginning to end.

Included Online Course - A Fresh Look at Grading and Reporting in Secondary Classrooms

Standards and outcome-based instruction, assessment, evaluation, and reporting are totally possible when we PLAN TO DO SO. As you know, it’s important to take time to prepare for teaching and learning, for student engagement, and for evaluation and reporting to others.

This course supports you to reflect on the ways that you already engage your learners in the process of standards and outcomes-based instruction and assessment and how you move to evaluation and reporting. It also can offer you some ideas and strategies to adapt for your use.

This course is a complete learning experience. It has everything that you need, including video clips, reading materials, as well as opportunities to pause and reflect.

• Module 1 – Preparing for Teaching and Learning
• Module 2 – Activating and Engaging Learners through In-Formative Assessment
• Module 3 – After the Learning: Evaluating and Reporting to Others
• Module 4 – Summing Up
• Thirteen video-based lectures and classroom video clips.
• Transcripts are provided so that those who wish to read rather than listen and/or view can do so.

Included Online Course - Building an Assessment Plan: K-12

This online course provides step-by-step directions to help you build a comprehensive assessment plan that works for you and your students. The six modules include step-by-step directions, readings, videos, and ready-to-use templates that will allow you to take your outcomes, standards, competencies, or expectations and create a plan that will give you what you need to confidently evaluate, grade, and report. This course includes:

• Module 1: Overview
• Module 2: Beginning With The End In Mind
• Module 3: Determining Reliable and Valid Evidence of Learning
• Module 4: Describing Quality And Proficiency
• Module 5: Professional Judgment and Evaluation
• Module 6: Summing Up And Next Steps
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Video-based Lectures and classroom videos [over 151 minutes]
• Video-based FAQs (twenty-two segments)
• E-Chapter from “Making Classroom Assessment Work” 4th Edition, by Anne Davies, PhD
• Transcripts are provided so that those who wish to read rather than listen and/or view can do so.
• Handouts are provided to support learning.

Included Online Course - 12 Quick Fixes: Teaching and Assessment in These Times

The 12 areas of focus in this course, 12 Quick Fixes: Teaching and Assessment in These Times, allow you to re-examine the ways that our practices can still ignite student learning. The order is yours to decide - from beginning to end or you can select the ones that will assist you in responding to the emerging questions that you currently face.

This course covers:

•  Engagement and Ownership
•  Beginning With the End in Mind
•  Using Samples for Quality and Success
•  Planning for Reliable and Valid Evidence
•  Co-constructing Criteria for Success
•  Success Through Powerful Feedback
•  Instructional Rubrics for Learning
•  Self- and Peer Assessment
•  Goal Setting that Energizes Learning
•  Collecting Evidence of Learning
•  Communicating Evidence of Learning
•  Evaluation and Reporting

Includes:

• Fourteen video-based segments designed for secondary and elementary educators, as well as school and system leaders [over 111 minutes]
• Relevant chapters from “Making Classroom Assessment Work”, 4th Edition by Anne Davies, PhD.
• Transcripts are provided so that those who wish to read rather than listen and/or view can do so.
• Handouts are provided to support learning.

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.