Exhibitions

Exhibitions are public demonstrations of mastery that occur at culminating moments, such as at the conclusion of a unit of study, the transition from one level of schooling to the next, and graduation. Exhibitions require students to speak publicly, use evidence, present engaging visual displays, and otherwise demonstrate mastery to educators, peers, and others from outside the everyday school community. As high-stakes, standards-aligned assessments, exhibitions assure commitment, engagement, and high-level intellectual achievement, and they serve as a fulcrum for school transformation. This article offers a descriptive example of how exhibitions evolve from classroom assessments, presenting an examination of the conditions that support exhibitions: school-wide, exhibitions-aligned instruction and assessment; structures that support sustained collaboration and inquiry among students and teachers; strong connections with community outside the school; and active participation in a system or network of other exhibitions-driven schools. The article concludes with an analysis of the challenges of implementing exhibitions. Notes Jill Davidson, M.Ed., is the Publications Director of the Coalition of Essential Schools and editor of CES's journal Horace. Concentrating her efforts on documenting the practices of Essential schools, Davidson has written extensively on the use of exhibitions and, as an editor, has developed the capacity of educators within the CES network to document the practice and implications of performance-based assessment in a wide variety of school, district, and policy settings

Art · Exhibition · Graduation (instrument · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Visual arts · Engineering · Psychology · Reflective Practices in Education · Student Assessment and Feedback · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

• Inside the Black Box

  Open Access•Paul Black, Dylan Wiliam•Phi Delta Kappan•2010

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• Large-Scale Assessments That Support Learning

  Naomi Chudowsky, James W Pellegrino•Theory Into Practice•2003

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