Assessment Criteria

How will students be assessed? What is the criteria for success on their goal?

Criterion A: Investigating

Students should be able to:

1. Define a goal to address a need within a community based on personal interests.

2. Identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to the project.

3. Demonstrate research skills.

Notice that both strand 1 and 2 require an examination of prior knowledge and personal interests. Creating a brainstorming document that includes both of these items is highly encouraged. Students should reflect on these in their process.

One of the biggest issues students struggle with is using research to guide their action. Every year students create action plans that cannot that later cannot be implemented due to lack of research, or they feel they know enough about the problem they can just proceed without it. It is essential to make it clear to students that research should guide the action plan. A table like the one below in their process journal could support this criterion.

Action Step	Research that supports the action	Source

Students must also research and investigate an actual NEED in a community. Oftentimes students may become so passionate about a personal interest, they may overlook the fact that a community may not NEED a particular action. Sometimes actions can even complicate a particular community. Students should ensure that their goal best meets the community need.

A NEED can be defined as a condition or situation in which something is required or wanted; a duty or obligation; or a lack or something requisite, desirable or useful.

Criterion B: Planning

Students should be able to:

1. Develop a proposal for action to serve the need in the community.

2. Plan and record the development process of the project.

3. Demonstrate self-management skills.

Developmentally, self-management skills are a top priority for middle school students. Breaking the project into manageable steps, setting clear expectations and checkpoints will help support students in the organization and completion of this project. Placing high importance on the process journal to develop, organize, and and record the process is essential to student success.

Criterion C: Taking Action

Students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate service as action as a result of the project.

2. Demonstrate thinking skills.

3. Demonstrate communication and social skills.

Criterion D: Reflection

Students should be able to:

1. Evaluate the quality of the service as action against the proposal.

2. Reflect on how compelling the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of service learning.

3. Reflect on their development of ATL (approaches to learning) skills.