Sample Advocacy Tools

These sample advocacy tools create to support your participation in National Exhibition Month include a template fact sheet, press release op-ed, letter to the editor, story pitch, and talking points.

FACT SHEET  

(Name of your event)  

 For Further Information: Name, Phone, E-Mail Address  

 WHO:    (Name of School, and if possible, names of students)  

 WHAT: (Celebration/Open House/Public Exhibitions… as part of National Exhibition Month)  

 WHEN: (Date and time of your event)

WHERE: (Name of location, address, cross streets, phone number)

WHY:  To demonstrate that Exhibitions are a more comprehensive way to measure student progress than standardized tests (or your language).

HOW: (Description of your event in some detail, but do not run over into second page.) 

ABOUT NATIONAL EXHIBITION MONTH

 National Exhibition Month

 

• Is a nationwide campaign to promote and celebrate Exhibitions as a preferred form of
• student assessment. More than 100 schools across 25 states will open their doors to
• parents and community members so students can showcase their work and achievements.
• Will highlight and promote Exhibitions as a more effective and comprehensive way of
• assessing student performance than standardized paper and pencil tests.
• Is sponsored by the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national non-profit organization
• working to create and sustain personalized, equitable, and intellectually challenging schools. 

 

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NEWS RELEASE

From (Your School)

(Address)

For Immediate Release

(Date) 

Contact: (Name, Phone, E-Mail Address)

 

Exhibitions at (Name of School) Serve Students Better Than Standardized Tests

Sit down or stand up? 

In a challenge to the year-end ritual of sitting for standardized tests, students at (name of school) will instead get on their feet, walk around, point, argue, and perhaps even cook or (something unique to your Exhibitions) in front of a very public audience.

“What they’re doing is called an ‘Exhibition,’ and it’s the way in which our students show what they know and what they have learned,” said (your name, title and school).  “This year, we’re doing a special Exhibition activity on (date) as part of National Exhibition Month.”  

(Your name) explained that National Exhibition Month was a campaign sponsored by the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national non-profit organization working to create and sustain personalized, equitable, and intellectually challenging schools. “We will be joining more than 100 schools across 25 states in opening our doors to parents and community members so students can showcase their work and achievements,” (he/she) said. 

“Our objective is to show that Exhibitions are a more effective and comprehensive way of assessing student performance than standardized paper-and-pencil tests,” (name) said.  “They show students, parents, colleges, and employers how well students can do in real-world situations,” (she/he) said.

“We can demonstrate these results – (if you have data of any kind, fill in, otherwise delete.)

What happens at an Exhibition?

(Name) said that like their counterparts across the country, (name of school) students use all the presentation tools at their disposal to argue a premise that they have been exploring over a period of time, in some cases for as long as a year.  This year’s Exhibitions, for example, have titles such as _________,  ___________________,  and ____________. 

The audience is made up of students, parents, experts in the subject, mentors, community professionals, and other teachers.  Some are observers; others are jurists who will help score the Exhibition.  

“It’s serious business,” (Name) said.  “The judges are not there to be entertained, although that may be an occasional side-effect.  Instead, with the help of special scoring tools, they are there to determine whether the student has researched deeply, studied widely, mastered the material, applied critical thinking skills, and presented their data competently.” 

Stakes are high

(Name) explained that if the students leap these hurdles, they earn the privilege of advancing to the next class, the next grade, or to graduation ceremonies.  If they do not meet expectations, they are asked to repeat the Exhibition and are given advice and assistance on ways to do it better next time.

“We also use Exhibitions throughout the year to gauge a student’s strengths and needs, and to plan for further support,” (Name) said.  “So what you see in every case may not be as sophisticated as an Exhibition done by a graduating senior, but it is equally valuable as a way of developing a plan to increase the student’s competence over time.”

(Name) said that Exhibitions have been used at (name of school) for ___ years, with good results. (“Some good statistics about attendance, graduation, retention, and/or college-going rates for your school,”) said (Name).

For further information, call (contact person and phone number).

 

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PROPOSED OP-ED

From:  (Your Name)     

(Your School)

(Address)

(Phone Number)

(E-mail)

 

Exhibitions Better Serve Students and Community than Standardized Tests 

By (Your Name) 

There’s a better way of assessing student progress than standardized tests.  It’s called an “Exhibition.”

An Exhibition is an in-depth presentation – an academic performance of sorts – in which students demonstrate to a public audience what they know and have learned over the course of a unit, a semester, or a whole year.  Rather than being experimental, Exhibitions have been around for a long time and rely on the time-honored tradition of the PhD defense in which candidates orally present and defend their work to expert assessors.  In today’s version, students present the results of months-long multi-disciplinary projects to panels of teachers and other jurists.  

The stakes are high. If the students succeed in convincing the jurists that they have researched deeply, studied widely, mastered the material, applied critical thinking skills, and been “good on their feet” as presenters, the jurists will recommend that they be awarded a passing score, a promotion to the next grade level, or a ticket to graduation ceremonies.  If they do not make a good enough case with their presentation, they will be asked to repeat it and are given advice and assistance on ways to do it better next time.

(Your school name) has been using Exhibitions for (XX) years to measure students’ ability to meet the demands of the real world in a way that paper and pencil tests cannot.  Whereas standardized test may show a “slice” of what students have learned, Exhibitions reveal the whole pie, offering a 360º look at what students know and what they can do with that knowledge.  We have found Exhibitions to be a challenging and accurate gauge of student achievement.  They require students to develop and use a wide range of skills as they publicly demonstrate critical thinking ability and depth of understanding.  They also offer schools and teachers real data on student learning and are used as a teaching tool to better understand a learner’s strengths and needs.  

Exhibitions also meet accountability standards and can be aligned with [your state’s name] learning outcomes.  Indeed, states like Nebraska and Rhode Island allow schools to use Exhibitions and other forms of performance assessment as an integral part of their state accountability systems.  Furthermore, like other schools across the country that use Exhibitions, our school has fared well in conventional measures of success: (insert any good statistic about attendance, retention, graduation, or college-going rates that supports the statement).

This month, as a celebration of what our Exhibition program has accomplished, we are taking part in National Exhibition Month, a new campaign sponsored by the Coalition of Essential Schools (of which we are a member).   Our goal is to demonstrate to our community that Exhibitions are a more effective and comprehensive way of assessing student performance than standardized tests.  

Organizing some (number of) Exhibitions over the course of the year is a huge task.  It is time-consuming and difficult for everyone, including students, teachers, families, and the community.  However, Exhibitions also generate high energy and creative thinking throughout the whole school that turns us all on.

Our students get it and like it, too.  (“Insert quote from local student,”) said (student’s name).

We are proud of our students and proud to be a part of this nationwide campaign.  If you would like to learn more about this campaign or about the Exhibitions program in our school, we encourage you to visit us and see for yourself what our students know and are capable of doing.   

 

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

(This letter should be written on the personal stationery of the one sending it.)

Name of Editorial Page Editor

Publication

Address

City, State, Zip

 

Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. (or To the Editor):

Given recent headlines about the problems scoring standardized tests, I think your readers might like to know that (Name of School) employs a way of “testing” that avoids these scoring disasters entirely.   It is called an “exhibition,” and it is a better, fairer, and more complete way to measure student progress.

My child is in ___ grade at the school, and for the last ____ years, has performed exhibitions.  These are presentations in which (he/she) demonstrates to a public audience what (he/she) knows and has learned over a unit, a semester, or a whole year. 

These are more than just book reports or show-and-tell sessions.  My child spent significant time (insert number of months) researching, writing, doing experiments, rewriting, creating artwork, and practicing (his/her) delivery for a panel of judges.  The whole family has been involved and has learned a lot about (student’s subject matter) as well as how well my (son or daughter) can do in real-world situations.

I believe that exhibitions are the wave of the future and I hope that more and more schools will use them as a measurement of student achievement.  They have made it possible for my (son/daughter) to really explore a subject in depth, to think hard about what (he/she) is learning, and to “connect the dots” in ways that really make me proud.  I urge you and other parents to learn more about exhibitions and to call for their widespread use.

Sincerely yours,

(Name)

 

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PITCHING YOUR STORY

(Make this call the day after you e-mail or fax the news release and local fact sheet.)

Hello, Mr./Mrs./Ms, _____________.  My name is _____________, and I’m the _____________ at the _____________ School.  

I’m following up on a release I sent to you on _______________. Our school is sharing with the public the way we prefer to assess our students – using exhibitions, rather than relying solely on standardized tests. (The chances are good that the reporter will not have seen the material you sent.  If he/she has, that’s a positive sign.  In either case, just continue.)

We’re inviting community members, business leaders, and others to come to our school to watch students demonstrate what they’ve learned.  It goes way beyond just pencil and paper.  Students actually to have to stand in front of a public audience and make in-depth presentations – what we call “Exhibitions” – to defend their work and to show what they know.

It’s something like the road test you have to take to get a drivers license.  Sure, you have to pass a written test, but the state won’t let you on the road if you don’t pass the practical driving test, too.  So that’s what we’re doing… asking our students to show that they know how to put knowledge into practice under real-world conditions.

Our public event is scheduled for (date), at (place and time) and we’d like to extend an invitation to you to cover it, or just to observe on background if you’d like to do that. There’s a lot of variety in these presentations, from video to ____________, and it’s a real “good news” piece of what’s going RIGHT in our schools.    (If the reporter has NOT received your material, continue.)

Let me resend you the release and fact sheet.  And, is there anyone else on the staff who covers this beat who might be interested in this story? Do you prefer it e-mailed or faxed? (Be sure to get correct contact information and UPDATE YOUR DATA BASE if necessary.)

Does this story hold any interest for you?  (If not, ask what kinds of education stories are of interest to him/her, and be sure to ask if there is another reporter who would be interested right now.  Document the answers so that you can call back another time or redirect the current story to the right person.)  (If yes, ask what further information you can provide, and how otherwise you can be of assistance.)

 

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TALKING POINTS

(Keep this list handy for conversations with media, outside jurists and observers.)  

• Exhibitions are like road tests for obtaining driver's licenses. Both demonstrate that the student knows how to put knowledge into practice, and they're both better ways of certifying competence than are written tests. 
• Exhibitions are a more challenging and accurate gauge of student achievement than standardized tests. They require students to develop and use a wide range of skills as they publicly demonstrate mastery of an entire curriculum; they reflect progress and competence gained throughout years of schooling, and demand refinement, revision, attention to detail, and higher-order thinking skills.
• Whereas standardized tests may show a “slice” of what students have learned, Exhibitions reveal the whole pie, offering a 360º look at what students know and what they can do with that knowledge.  
• Exhibitions are traditional rather than experimental – they are not a new education “fad.”
• Exhibitions rely on the time-honored tradition of the PhD defense in which students orally present and defend their work to expert assessors.
• Exhibitions better predict and prepare for future success. It is not surprising that students who build foundational skills for “real life” Exhibitions are better prepared for college and professional worlds where the ability to synthesize information, think critically, and present publicly are central for success.
• Exhibitions meet accountability standards. States like Rhode Island and Nebraska include Exhibitions and other forms of performance-based assessment.
• New York State allows a consortium of 28 schools to evaluate its students on a portfolio of work in place of five of the six state Regents' exams. 
• Exhibitions promote accountability. Students demonstrate their accountability to the community by showing what they know and what they have learned to parents and community members.
• Exhibitions are school-based rather than top-down assessments. They offer schools and teachers real data on student learning, and are used as a teaching tool to better understand a learner's strengths and needs and to plan for further assistance.
• Exhibitions are rigorous. Students explain and defend the thesis underlying their Exhibitions, showing critical thinking skills and depth of understanding. 
• Schools that use exhibitions fare well in conventional measures of success. Specific schools in New York and Boston have shown higher graduation and college-bound rates than counterparts that don't use exhibitions. 

 

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