Quality Teacher & Education Act
Impact & Innovation Awards 2013
INNOVATIVE PRACTICE
Rationale /
Priority (250
words)
What was the need? A creative and authentic approach to assessment:
In order to hold students and teachers accountable to high performance standards and to mirror
expectations by which people are assessed in college and in the workplace, June Jordan School for
Equity has developed a research-based portfolio assessment system. This system provides students
with multiple forms of access and is an authentic way for teachers and students to develop and assess
learning collaboratively as well as engage with the broader community.
The JJSE performance assessment system is designed to generate real, public accountability for student
performance and includes the following elements:
 portfolios of student work
 rubrics that embody acceptable standards of performance
 oral presentations to a committee
 opportunities for revision
 integration with everyday curriculum and classroom practice
The system is organized around six “Habits of Mind” that connect to 20th Century Learning, future
college success, and the Common Core Standards: 1) Perspective 2) Relevance 3) Original Research 4)
Precision 5) Evidence 6) Logical Reasoning (leading to the acronym “PROPEL”).
Teachers in each core subject area department (Math, Science, English, and History) are required to
integrate the Habits of Mind into their curriculum and assign one or more major portfolio assignments
per semester. Each student is required to produce a portfolio project as a summative assessment in
each class, and this project must assess each of the Habits of Mind as related to the subject area. In
spring of 10th and 12th grades, students must present and defend their portfolios to a committee which
includes teachers, parents/guardians, peers, and community members.
Strategies
that were
Implemented
(250 words)
Implementation:
 We visited schools to research similar performance assessment systems across the nation, and
we read key texts such as Linda Darling-Hammond’s Authentic Assessment in Action and Grant
Wiggins’ Educative Assessment.
 Habits of Mind were developed collaboratively by the JJSE staff, with advice from university
professors.
 We designated a staff member to coordinate the logistics of the system.
 The system was approved as a JJSE graduation requirement by the SFUSD Board of Education
in 2008.
 We are continuously engaged in a process of feedback and improvement, using the student
work and committee presentations as indicators of strengths and areas where growth is
needed.
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Quality Teacher & Education Act
Impact & Innovation Awards 2013
Demonstrated
Application &
Measurable
Outcomes
(400 words)
Engagement of Key Stakeholders:
 Teachers are important stakeholders of this project because they are required to integrate
challenging authentic assessments into their teaching and to use rubrics that assess the Habits
of Minds. Department heads lead regular discussions on rubric editing and student grading
calibration.
 Students learn about the Habits of Mind in every class and have multiple opportunities to
practice and revise the main portfolio tasks. Students present and defend their work in the
spring of 10th and 12th grades.
 Parents/guardians are a required component of the presentation committee. They give their
child feedback, ask them relevant questions, and engage in authentic discourse about what
their child is learning.
Community members include professionals, university professors, SFUSD staff, and representatives
from CBOs and non-profits who are part of our community. These community members attend
portfolio committees and help create public accountability.
Implementation factors:
# people:
# hours:
Cost estimate:
Other(s):
250 students
1-2 hours: Habits
$10K for research Stipend or prep
20 teachers
of Mind definition study,
teacher for staff member
10-15 community members
1-2 hours:
PD, development who
is
Development of
of rubrics and responsible
for
portfolio project
assignments,
driving forward
in each class.
grading
the
vision,
2-3 hours: grading
coordination of
for each class
logistics,
project/paper.
committees,
2-3 hours: Setting
community
up committees.
member outreach
th
1 hour per 10 +
and scheduling.
th
12 grader: Oral
presentation
Targeted Student Groups:
 English Language Learners (20-25% of student body)
 Special Education Resource Students (20-25% of student body)
 Low-income, Free/Reduced Lunch Students (85% of student body)
 First in family to attend college (majority of student body)
 Latino & African-American students (majority of student body)
Impact of Performance Assessment System:
 JJSE students complete the following required portfolio tasks at least once per semester during
their entire high school career:
Literary Analysis: A literary essay, including themes, literary devices, and comparative analysis,
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Quality Teacher & Education Act
Impact & Innovation Awards 2013







Sharing Best
Practice (250
words)
using a thoughtful question that student has developed.
Math Application: A math application where students take a real world situation and
demonstrate mathematical modeling, logical reasoning, and computational efficiency in
solving the problem.
Original Research: A well-organized research essay with a clear argument supported by
evidence and following conventions, with at least 5 different relevant and high-quality
sources the student has found, and a correct bibliography and citations.
Scientific Research: A written lab report that demonstrates the scientific method, including
background information and data analysis using statistical tools.
Through their written portfolio work and committee presentations, students learn skills such as
developing a thesis/hypothesis, using evidence from multiple sources, exploring essential
questions connected to the core subject area, developing multiple perspectives on a topic, and
using precise oral and written communication.
All students are able to defend their knowledge to a panel of their peers, family, and
community members by presenting information and answering questions about what they
learned.
60-70% of our graduates are “a-g” 4-year college eligible each year, one of the highest rates in
SFUSD
For the past several years, our “a-g” 4-year college eligibility rates for Black and Latino students
have been the highest in SFUSD
National Student Clearinghouse data show that our students enroll in 4-year and 2-year
colleges at rates at or above SFUSD averages, even though JJSE serves a much more lowincome student population on average.
Data from College Summit show that JJSE grads’ second-year college persistence rates are
above the rates for all income levels in the Western United States.
We have demonstrated examples of teachers holding one another accountable to higher
academic standards, and adjusting curriculum in response to student weaknesses as show in
portfolio assignments or committee defenses.
The JJSE performance assessment system has district-wide applications in high schools as well as
middle schools. The development of critical thinking and problem solving skills is now being assessed
more deeply through the Smarter Balanced assessments aligned to the new Common Core Standards.
On these new tests, students will need to explain their thinking, give evidence to support their
thinking, and relate their learning to real world experiences. JJSE staff already have developed a
complete system, including curriculum-embedded performance tasks and rubrics, which assesses
student skills in these areas.
We would be happy to share this practice. We already gave an Ed Talk about it at the 2013
Administrators’’ Institute, and we could do more similar sessions. Teachers and others are welcome to
sit on our portfolio committees as community members. We also are happy to do more in-depth
training for other teachers or schools. The following are types of resources we could share with other
schools and teachers:
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Quality Teacher & Education Act
Impact & Innovation Awards 2013
Student Paper/Essay Certification
 Rubrics
 How to Grade Essays Guide
 Anchor Papers
 Timeline & deadlines, tracking sheets for student work
Advisory/Homeroom Teacher Guides
 Advisory Curriculum
 Revision Handbook
 Family communication
 Tips for preparing students for committee presentations
Committee Presentations
 How to Run a Committee
 Community Invites
 Committee Scheduling Matrix
 English/Spanish Presentation Rubrics
 Self-Evaluations
 Reflection Sheets
 Sample Data Workbook for tracking scores of written work & committee passing
Supplemental Materials
 Sample Portfolio Binders
 Student Committee Presentation Videos
 Sample Student Presentation Slides
 Student Tracking Wall Charts for Advisors
 PROPEL Wall Sheets for Teachers
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