Masterclass for Secondary Teachers on Assessment & Best Practices

Dear Secondary 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 help them perform their best. In particular, professional educators need access to the latest research-based learning that makes a difference for teacher success and student achievement. 

Teachers also need realtime support to help them cope with multiple stressors such as distracted students, societal and cultural challenges, public health, and emerging 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 will provide educators with classroom-tested and immediately applicable strategies in the areas of assessment and evaluation.

Starting on February 15th, 2023, the 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 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. Consider attending live or gathering together to watch the recording at a convenient time.

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

• Enrolment in four 60-minute webinars with Anne Davies, Rita Campitelli and their team which deeply explore the core topics, to be held in February and March, 2023.
• Immediate access to four 60-minute webinars with Anne Davies, Sandra Herbst and their team which deeply explored the core topics the same topics in 2022.
• 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.
• 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 - A Fresh Look at Grading and Reporting in High School -  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 success. This resource centre will remain available to participants until December 2023.

Dates & Times

The Teachers’ Masterclass consists of four live webinars in the spring 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

• Session 1: February 15, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
• Session 2: February 22, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
• Session 3: March 1, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
• Session 4: March 8, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET

A Note to Professional Development Leaders

For over twenty-five years, the Connect2Learning team has worked with groups of secondary teachers in workshops of various formats and we therefore deeply understand what is needed for professional learning to happen. As such, we have constructed this Teachers’ Masterclass to be an ongoing resource to support teachers in their learning over time, not just a one-time set of webinars. 

To achieve this goal, we are providing the following:

• Four core live webinars are recorded in the spring 2023, and made available until December, 2023. For those keen to participate again, they will be able to review the content and gain new perspectives.
• 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.

Session One – Beginning With Evaluation In Mind

In secondary schools, teachers begin the semester by asking themselves:

• How am I going to get to the mark or grade on the report card?
• What evidence of student learning am I going to need to collect?
• How am I going to make sure that the students are involved in collecting evidence of learning?
• How can I collect evidence that moves beyond product?

These questions can be explored by considering how to make their collection of evidence even more reliable and valid and determining increasingly efficient ways to collect evidence from observations and conversations. This session will share practical examples to help you find your own responses to these questions. 

Session Two – The 7 Actions of Assessment for Learning in Secondary Classrooms: A Focus on Mathematics, Science, and Technical-Vocational Courses

Secondary students can be involved in assessment when they: 

• 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 assessment tasks. 

Session Three – The 7 Actions of Assessment for Learning in Secondary Classrooms: A Focus on English, Humanities, Languages, and Arts Courses

When teachers use the 7 actions of assessment for learning in English, humanities, languages, and arts courses, students are engaged and working harder than their teachers…while raising their achievement levels.  

Session Four – Curriculum Deep Dives: What Learning Do I Want To Linger?

Quality assessment practice mean 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?” 
• check to make sure that the evidence that is being collected is both valid and reliable. 
• examine student work and engage in conversations with their colleagues to continuously affirm what quality and success are. 
• make sure to plan to collect baseline evidence of learning at the beginning of the semester or quadmester. 

A focus in these four areas results in the sharpening of teachers’ professional judgment and the renewal of a cycle of teaching, learning, and assessment that makes a difference in the success and achievement for each student.

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 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. 

New teachers will also benefit from these webinars, however please note that we will also offer the New Teachers’ Foundations Program again in 2023.

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.

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.

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.