Aurora Kushner says Outward Bound schools show rigor through performance assessment
Aurora Kushner, VP at NYC Outward Bound Schools, says moving away from Regents does not dilute rigor. Outward Bound's project-based units, advisory structure, and presentations of learning produce strong graduation, enrollment, and climate outcomes.
All right.
Hi, my name is Aurora Kushner.
I'm the Vice President of Programs at New York City Outward Bound Schools.
Chair Danowitz, thank you for this hearing and thank you for all the support for Outward Bound that you've given us.
For over 30 years, we have partnered with New York City Public Schools to pioneer the exact kind of powerful learning defined by New York State Inspires as we transition towards the portrait of a graduate.
As New York moves from single-day, high-stakes regents exams towards performance-based assessments and broader measures of student learning, some worry that academic rigor will be diluted.
Our research-based approach shows that this is a false choice.
Through our affinity network, our schools, all of our schools, are living laboratories for this work.
We coach educators to design rigorous, standards-aligned, project-based units grounded in real-world problem-solving where students analyze, synthesize, and apply complex concepts rather than simply memorize information.
We also build student agency and belonging through our signature advisory structure, CRU, where every student is known, valued, mentored, and held accountable.
Students track their own progress, identify learning targets, and publicly demonstrate their growth through presentations of learning.
and performance-based assessments.
When you intentionally pair meaningful challenge and real-world engagement with genuine belonging, students thrive and the results are measurable.
We see that in our graduation rates, we see that in our post-secondary enrollment and our persistence data.
Far surpassing city averages.
Our DOE climate surveys consistently outperform the city in academic rigor and trust.
This transition is not about lowering expectations.
It's about expanding what rigor means and giving students more ways to demonstrate what they know and what they can do.
We don't need to start from scratch.
The teacher coaching practices, school models, and student outcome data are already here in New York City.
We invite you to come visit our partner schools, see crew.
I can finish sentence for you.
Again, because I have already had the great pleasure of visiting your schools, and I will surely be happy to do even more visits.