NYKids Deep Dive Podcast: Performance-Based Learning and Assessment with NYSED’s Allison Armour-Garb and Nicole Lennon
We’re excited to announce a new episode of NYKids Deep Dive! Our podcast features the voices of educators, researchers, and advocates for high-quality educational opportunities from across New York State.
In this podcast, NYKids Director Kristen C. Wilcox and Assistant Director Aaron Leo welcomed members of New York State Education Department Allison Armour-Garb and Nicole Lennon. Armour-Garb and Lennon both serve as leaders for NYSED’s Performance-Based Learning and Assessment Networks (or PLAN) Pilot program.
What is the PLAN Pilot program?
Twenty-three schools across the state are taking part in the “pilot” to implement performance-based learning and assessment (PBLA). As Armour-Garb explains in the podcast,
“Performance-based approaches are designed to incorporate real world problems and tasks and give students opportunities to apply and develop their knowledge and skills in settings that resemble real-life situations”
NYKids has been lending a hand in researching the initial implementation phase of the program, with School of Education Associate Professor Kathryn Schiller at the helm as principal investigator, and SOE graduate and Associate Professor at the Sage Colleges Francesca Durand as co-investigator.
In this episode, we discuss the “why” and related policy shifts related to PBLA and explore how PBLA implementation is being approached with technical assistance providers, university researchers, an array of advisory groups, and NYSED professionals working in collaboration with each other. As a preview to our episode, we cover the following topics:
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Nicole Lennon, Ph.D. What is PBLA and how is it similar or different from other approaches to learning and assessment?
- How did the PLAN Pilot program develop?
- What are the successes and challenges in making transformational shifts in learning and assessment so far?
- What is the future of PBLA in New York State?
Our guests shared a number of resources in the podcast and for convenience please see some of those links below:
General background information
We welcome you to listen in to the entire conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
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We welcome your comments or questions at nykids@albany.edu.
