DISTRICT LOCAL ASSESSMENT DESIGN MODEL
From a portrait
on the wall to a
portrait in action.
Turn the curriculum you already teach into a connected story of competency, career readiness, and student growth.
Every student. A visible story of growth.
Curriculum → Competency → Future readiness
A shared vision.
A local pathway.
A local pathway.
ONE CONNECTED APPROACH
Everyday learning
→
Authentic evidence
→
Meaningful opportunities
THE CONNECTED MODEL
Eleven chapters.
One learning-to-evidence system.
Explore how community ownership, classroom practice, and district visibility fit together. Select a chapter to look inside.
Where could your district begin?
Let's connect the model to your curriculum, community priorities, and next steps.
CHAPTER 01 / BUILDING LASTING OWNERSHIP1 / 11
Superintendent-Led Community Coalition
The superintendent convenes a district coalition to build shared vision, governance, resources, and public accountability.
Create a District PoG and Local Assessment Design Council with educators, teacher unions, students, families, employers, higher education, community organizations, and BOCES.
| Stakeholder | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Superintendent and School Board | Establish shared vision, priorities, governance, resources, and public accountability |
| District Curriculum Leaders and Principals | Coordinate implementation, quality expectations, professional learning, and PLC support |
| Teachers and Teacher Unions | Co-design feasible practices, protect instructional integrity, address workload and scheduling, and sustain professional trust |
| Students | Shape relevant learning experiences, provide feedback, and take ownership of portfolios |
| Parents and Families | Articulate community aspirations, provide feedback, and support meaningful learning opportunities |
| Industry and Employer Partners | Define authentic career-readiness applications, contribute projects, mentoring, and workplace experiences |
| Higher Education and Community Organizations | Support authentic assessment, postsecondary readiness, civic engagement, and local learning partnerships |
| BOCES and Regional Partners | Provide professional development, moderation, resource sharing, and cross-district collaboration |
- Co-design from the earliest stage, including professional learning time, assessment workload, and schedules. Respect applicable bargaining processes.
- Connect authentic community challenges to learning, review assessment priorities, and monitor equitable access.
- Sustain meaningful student and family participation through forums, public exhibitions, annual reviews, and regular communication.
The outcomeA community-owned system that reflects local priorities, maintains professional trust, and evolves through continuous feedback.
CHAPTER 02 / BUILDING POG SKILLS EVERY DAY2 / 11
Curriculum-Embedded Mini-Mastery
Goal: Make competency development a natural part of existing instruction—not a separate curriculum.
5–7
minutes
Brief, purposeful activities embedded in regular lessons strengthen teachable PoG micro-skills without interrupting academic instruction.
Teachers begin by reviewing their existing curriculum, lessons, academic standards, and instructional activities.
With AI-assisted planning, teachers can:
- Identify PoG competencies naturally aligned with each lesson.
- Break broad competencies into specific, teachable micro-skills.
- Embed 5–7 minute Mini-Mastery activities into regular classroom instruction.
- Develop student-friendly learning targets, success criteria, and reflection prompts.
- Collect brief, meaningful formative evidence without interrupting academic instruction.
For example
A mathematics lesson might incorporate a five-minute activity in which students explain their reasoning and respectfully critique alternative solutions. This builds critical thinking and effective communication while reinforcing mathematics learning.
Mini-Mastery activities are repeated and progressively strengthened throughout the year.
The outcomeAll teachers can contribute to PoG development through their existing classroom practice.
CHAPTER 03 / DEMONSTRATING COMPETENCIES3 / 11
Unit-Level Performance-Based Assessment
Goal: Transform selected traditional unit tests into authentic demonstrations of academic learning and PoG skills.
Teachers identify units where students can meaningfully apply knowledge and demonstrate competencies through projects, presentations, investigations, problem-solving tasks, or other authentic assessments.
Each performance-based assessment (PBA) includes:
- Alignment to academic standards and selected PoG competencies.
- An authentic problem, task, or application.
- Clear learning targets and competency rubrics.
- Opportunities for student choice, feedback, and reflection.
- Evidence of both academic learning and transferable competencies.
2 PBAs × 4–5 core subjects
≈ 8–10
Per subject teacher, per year → approximately 8–10 meaningful PBAs per student annually.
The outcomeStudents develop a growing body of evidence demonstrating how they apply knowledge and competencies across academic subjects.
CHAPTER 04 / ENSURING COMPLETE POG COVERAGE4 / 11
Grade-Level PLC Coordination
Goal: Create coherent, comprehensive competency development across subjects without forcing every teacher to assess every PoG attribute.
Teachers teaching the same grade level collaborate through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
The PLC reviews planned instruction, Mini-Mastery opportunities, and PBAs across disciplines to map coverage of New York's six PoG attributes:
Academically Prepared
Creative Innovator
Critical Thinker
Effective Communicator
Global Citizen
Reflective & Future-Focused
For example
- ELA may emphasize effective communication and critical thinking.
- Mathematics may emphasize academic preparation and problem-solving.
- Science may emphasize critical thinking and creative innovation.
- Social Studies may emphasize global citizenship.
- CTE or technology may emphasize innovation and future-focused thinking.
- Competencies can be reinforced across disciplines without requiring identical assessment tasks.
- PLCs jointly review the district's grade-level competency coverage map, identify gaps, share rubrics and exemplars, and coordinate assessment schedules.
- They also establish grade-band learning progressions so that the expected quality of evidence becomes more sophisticated as students advance.
The outcomeA coordinated approach to competency development that preserves disciplinary strengths and educator judgment.
CHAPTER 05 / A PATHWAY TO DEEPER LEARNING5 / 11
Advanced Interdisciplinary Capstones
Goal: Provide an advanced pathway for teachers who receive further professional development to design rigorous, interdisciplinary learning experiences.
These projects engage students in authentic, meaningful challenges that require them to apply knowledge from multiple subjects and demonstrate several PoG competencies together.
A capstone may include:
- An authentic driving question or real-world problem.
- Sustained inquiry across multiple subject areas.
- Student voice, choice, and responsibility.
- Collaboration with community or industry partners.
- Research, design, experimentation, or fieldwork.
- Iterative feedback, critique, and revision.
- A culminating product, exhibition, presentation, or defense.
- Academic and PoG competency assessment with student reflection.
Example: Designing a More Sustainable Community
- Students might investigate local water conservation, analyze scientific and mathematical data, study public policy, design solutions, and present recommendations to community stakeholders.
- Teachers from Science, Mathematics, ELA, Social Studies, and Technology could share instructional and assessment responsibilities.
- The resulting capstone produces rich evidence of critical thinking, communication, innovation, global citizenship, and reflection.
Implementation principle: Capstones are an advanced option, not an immediate expectation for every teacher. Districts may begin with one capstone per participating grade-level team or interdisciplinary cohort each year. Where appropriate, a capstone can fulfill an existing unit-level PBA rather than adding another assessment.
The outcomeA scalable pathway from curriculum-embedded instruction to deeper, interdisciplinary, authentic learning.
CHAPTER 06 / INTEGRATING POG WITH CAREER-READY SKILLS6 / 11
High School Expansion
Goal: Connect PoG competencies with the practical skills students need for employment, postsecondary education, civic participation, and lifelong learning.
At the high school level, districts can extend the PoG assessment framework into Career and Technical Education (CTE) and broader career-connected learning opportunities.
The district identifies specific career-readiness skills that complement and operationalize the PoG attributes, such as:
- Professional communication and collaboration.
- Initiative, responsibility, and self-management.
- Applied problem-solving and adaptability.
- Digital, technological, and AI literacy.
- Workplace ethics and professionalism.
- Career exploration, planning, and reflection.
| Pathway | Example learning experience | Competency evidence |
|---|---|---|
| CTE Programs | Industry-aligned technical projects and practical demonstrations | Technical proficiency, collaboration, problem-solving |
| Career-Connected Learning | Career exploration, job shadowing, employer challenges, industry mentorship | Career awareness, communication, future-focused thinking |
| Community-Based Learning | Civic projects, service learning, local problem-solving | Global citizenship, leadership, reflection |
| Work-Based Learning | Internships, supervised workplace experiences, authentic employer projects | Professionalism, applied competencies, workplace performance |
- Industry mentors, community partners, and employers may contribute feedback using clear, shared rubrics, while qualified educators retain responsibility for school-based competency determinations.
- Students' authentic experiences generate portfolio evidence connected to both PoG competencies and relevant career-readiness expectations.
- Districts should provide accessible alternatives so that students are not disadvantaged by differences in transportation, employer connections, disability-related supports, or access to internships.
The outcomeStudents demonstrate not only academic knowledge and transferable competencies, but also how they apply them in authentic college, career, and community contexts.
CHAPTER 07 / BUILDING CAPACITY GRADUALLY7 / 11
Progressive Teacher Professional Development
Goal: Build educator capacity gradually, recognizing different levels of readiness and expertise.
| Development level | Teacher capability | Demonstrated practice |
|---|---|---|
| White Belt — Aware | Understand the PoG and identify opportunities in existing instruction | Curriculum mapping and Mini-Mastery planning |
| Yellow Belt — Applies | Design, implement, and evaluate curriculum-embedded performance tasks | Standards- and PoG-aligned unit PBAs with student evidence |
| Green Belt — Integrates | Facilitate sustained deeper learning, interdisciplinary PBAs, or authentic inquiry | A complete advanced learning and assessment cycle, potentially including a capstone |
| Black Belt — Leads | Sustain high-quality implementation and support colleagues | Coaching, assessment calibration, shared exemplars, and leadership |
- The training pathway recognizes demonstrated classroom practice rather than attendance alone.
- Interdisciplinary capstones are an important Green Belt opportunity, but educators can also demonstrate advanced practice through high-quality sustained learning within a single discipline.
- Black Belt educators can serve as teacher leaders and support PLCs, assessment moderation, peer coaching, and districtwide implementation.
- Participation in professional learning and belt recognition should remain separate from formal teacher evaluation unless otherwise established through applicable district policies and negotiated agreements.
The outcomeA district develops growing internal capacity to sustain quality assessment practices without relying indefinitely on external consultants.
CHAPTER 08 / CONNECTING LEARNING ACROSS TIME8 / 11
Unified Student Portfolio & AI-Assisted Assessment
Goal: Automatically connect everyday learning, authentic performance, and reflective growth into a longitudinal body of evidence.
The system brings together evidence from:
Mini-Mastery learning activities
Unit-level PBAs
Interdisciplinary capstones
CTE and career-connected learning
Community and work-based learning
Student-selected artifacts and reflections
Classroom workflows automatically create or recommend portfolio entries, keeping the link to the lesson, standards, PoG competency, and rubric.
Students add artifacts, select their strongest work, and reflect on their growth.
AI-assisted assessment functions include:
- Identify relevant competency evidence within student work.
- Link that evidence to specific rubric indicators.
- Suggest proficiency levels with transparent explanations.
- Generate actionable feedback for teachers and students.
- Identify areas requiring additional evidence or support.
- Track progression across multiple demonstrations over time.
Teachers decide
Teachers review and validate consequential competency ratings. Shared exemplars and periodic calibration help strengthen consistency across classrooms and schools.
Three separate measures
The system should distinguish a student's participation, evidence completeness, and demonstrated proficiency rather than treating them as interchangeable.
The outcomeA connected body of evidence, with students reflecting on growth and teachers retaining consequential assessment judgment.
CHAPTER 09 / VISIBILITY THAT SUPPORTS IMPROVEMENT9 / 11
Districtwide PoG Dashboard & Accountability
Goal: Give district leaders visibility into implementation quality, student learning, competency coverage, and growth—similar in usefulness to existing ELA and Mathematics dashboards.
Student Level
- Evidence and competency proficiency.
- Longitudinal development.
- Reflections and feedback.
- Areas of demonstrated strength and opportunities for growth.
Teacher and Classroom Level
- PoG-aligned instructional opportunities implemented.
- Mini-Mastery and PBA completion.
- Evidence collection and feedback cycles.
- Rubric alignment, assessment quality, and instructional improvement.
Grade-Level and PLC Level
- Coverage of all six PoG attributes.
- Distribution of PBAs across subjects.
- Interdisciplinary coordination.
- Student competency progression and gaps.
School and District Level
- Implementation across subjects, schools, and grade bands.
- Educator professional learning and capacity.
- Student access to capstones and career-connected opportunities.
- Patterns in proficiency, growth, evidence quality, and participation.
- Equity of learning and assessment opportunities.
- Dashboard information should support instructional improvement and accountable system implementation, not become an automated ranking system for individual educators.
- Aggregated reporting should protect student privacy and distinguish local PoG competency indicators from official state accountability measures.
The outcomeSuperintendents and school leaders can monitor whether the PoG vision is actually being implemented, whether students have equitable opportunities to demonstrate competence, and where additional support is needed.
CHAPTER 10 / A PROGRESSIVE APPROACH TO CHANGE10 / 11
Phased District Implementation Roadmap
Districts can implement the model progressively rather than attempting every component simultaneously.
| Phase | District priorities | Expected deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| Launch · First 90 Days | Superintendent convenes coalition; review curriculum and PoG framework; assess readiness; identify pilot teams | Shared vision, governance structure, baseline competency map, pilot plan |
| Year 1 · Establish Foundations | Teacher professional learning; Mini-Mastery integration; initial unit PBAs; PLC coordination; pilot portfolios | Classroom examples, initial student evidence, common rubrics, pilot dashboard |
| Year 2 · Build Coherence | Expand unit PBAs; strengthen grade-level coverage; refine rubrics and scoring; pilot advanced capstones | Coordinated assessment maps, validated exemplars, expanded portfolios, advanced teacher teams |
| Year 3 · Expand and Institutionalize | Scale interdisciplinary capstones and career-connected pathways; strengthen community partnerships; refine district accountability | Sustainable professional learning, districtwide visibility, longitudinal profiles, annual improvement cycle |
The pace should depend on district readiness and evolve with NYSED's official competency, rubric, and reporting requirements.
CHAPTER 11 / A DEMONSTRATED PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE11 / 11
The Student Outcome
Over time, students build a personalized body of evidence showing:
- What academic knowledge and skills they have mastered.
- How they think critically, communicate, innovate, and contribute.
- How their competencies have developed across years.
- How they apply learning to interdisciplinary and real-world challenges.
- How they have explored and prepared for college, careers, and civic life.
A personalized body of evidence
Shows academic knowledge and skills mastered; critical thinking, communication, innovation and contribution; development across years; application to interdisciplinary and real-world challenges; and preparation for college, careers and civic life.
A bridge to future opportunities
Supports student-led conferences, high-school transitions, college applications, career decisions, internship applications and appropriate postsecondary opportunities. Students curate evidence that reflects their strengths and aspirations.
Rather than receiving only grades and test results, students develop a demonstrable story of learning, growth, contribution, and future readiness.
The outcomeStudents curate a demonstrable story of their strengths and aspirations—beyond grades and test results.
FROM LEARNING TO EVIDENCE
A portfolio that tells
the whole story.
Bring together Mini-Mastery activities, unit assessments, capstones, and career-connected experiences in a longitudinal body of evidence.
- Keep evidence connected to lessons, standards, competencies, and rubrics.
- Give students a voice in choosing their strongest work and reflecting on growth.
- Use AI to surface evidence and suggest feedback, with teachers validating consequential ratings.
GROW EDUCATOR CAPACITY
Professional learning.
Demonstrated in practice.
A progressive pathway meets teachers where they are and develops the internal leadership needed to sustain the work.
WHITE BELT
Aware
Understand the PoG and recognize opportunities in existing instruction.
Curriculum mapping &
Mini-Mastery planning
Mini-Mastery planning
YELLOW BELT
Applies
Design, implement, and evaluate curriculum-embedded performance tasks.
Unit PBAs &
student evidence
student evidence
GREEN BELT
Integrates
Facilitate deeper learning, interdisciplinary assessment, or authentic inquiry.
A complete advanced
learning & assessment cycle
learning & assessment cycle
BLACK BELT
Leads
Support colleagues and sustain high-quality implementation across the district.
Coaching, calibration &
shared exemplars
shared exemplars
Build capacity from within.
Let's map a development pathway that fits your district's pace and priorities.
COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP
Designed with the people
who make it last.
A superintendent-led District PoG and Local Assessment Design Council connects educators, teacher unions, students, families, employers, higher education, community organizations, and regional partners.
Teachers and union representatives participate from the earliest design stage. Student and family voice shapes decisions. Shared ownership helps the system evolve through leadership transitions.
THE STUDENT OUTCOME
More than a record.
A story of readiness.
Students build a personalized body of evidence showing what they know, how they think, how they contribute, and how they have grown across years.
They curate work that reflects their strengths and aspirations—for student-led conferences, high-school transitions, college applications, career decisions, and future opportunities.
"A demonstrable story of learning, growth, contribution, and future readiness."District Local Assessment Design Model