News Brief

Kentucky School District Wants Project Based Learning to Outshine Testing

A public school district in Danville, KY, has shifted its focus from traditional assessments and is encouraging the instructional approach of project-based learning, an example of a growing number of schools and districts looking to spend less time on testing, and more on deeper learning. The approach of project-based learning requires big changes on the part of everyone involved in a student's education, including teachers, administrators and students themselves. The prospect of changing their entire instructional practice is often challenging to teachers, which is compounded by the fact that while districts like Danville are making progress with project-based approach, students are still subject to the state's testing requirements. Carmen Coleman, Danville District Superintendent since 2009, says that the district would rather be held accountable by its scores on the ACT, an assessment that is regarded as a trusted measure of college readiness. "We are asking for our own set of rules," said Coleman, which could happen if the state designates Danville as a "district of innovation," thereby giving it more say over how its students are evaluated.  To read the full PBS transcript, click here.