In the Oakland Unified School District, a yearlong Graduate Capstone Project provides an opportunity for students to research, analyze, and become experts in a topic of their own choosing. This districtwide performance assessment is building students’ ownership of their own learning and helping them develop and use critical thinking and communication skills. In the following short video clips, Oakland students, teachers, and school and district administrators reflect on the Graduate Capstone Project and its impact on teaching and learning in their district.
What skills and knowledge are students acquiring through their work on a Graduate Capstone Project?
Reflections by: Marwat Al-Olefi, Life Academy Student; Jenn Howard, Oakland High School Teacher; Rolando Perez Cabo, Fremont High School Student; Maya Brodkey, Fremont High School Teacher
How has the Graduate Capstone Project shifted teaching and learning?
Reflections by: Jo Paraiso, Fremont High School Teacher; Marguerite Sheffer, Life Academy Teacher; Young Whan Choi, Oakland Unified School District Manager of Performance Assessments
What changes have schools and the district made to support the implementation of the Graduate Capstone Project?
Reflections by: Young Whan Choi, Oakland Unified School District Manager of Performance Assessments; Matin Abdel-Qawi, Oakland High School Principal; Preston Thomas, Oakland Unified School District High School Network Superintendent
What should school or district administrators know about implementing a Graduate Capstone Project?
Reflections by: Matin Abdel-Qawi, Oakland High School Principal; Young Whan Choi, Oakland Unified School District Manager of Performance Assessments; Marguerite Sheffer and Kateri Dodds Simpson, Life Academy Teachers; Preston Thomas, Oakland Unified School District High School Network Superintendent
Oakland Unified is part of the California Performance Assessment Collaborative, which brings together educators, policymakers, and researchers to study and advance the use of authentic approaches to assessment.
