Exemplars, a company that pioneered the field of standards-based performance tasks to improve assessment and instruction, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Founded by Dr. Ross Brewer in 1993, Exemplars began by assisting educators using K–8 problem-solving performance tasks and assessments for mathematics that met NCTM Standards. Today, the company provides hundreds of rich performance tasks, rubrics, lesson planning resources, scored student work samples, and professional development for numerous schools and districts.
"Exemplars offers performance tasks that promote student reasoning, communication, and higher-order thinking; and our rubrics and student anchor papers take weight off of the shoulders of busy teachers," says Dr. Brewer. "We're so proud of what we've accomplished thus far and can't wait to see what the future holds."
Research shows that when schools use Exemplars' performance tasks in mathematics over time, their students can achieve substantial improvements in proficiency — and the longer they use Exemplars' material, the greater their students' gains.
Dr. Hal Melnick, Faculty Emeritus at Bank Street College in New York, recently shared, "I remember when you all started. You were a gift to us math educators that has just 'kept on giving.' Your sample assessments pushed the limits of what children were capable of doing back then. And now, 30 years later, kids and teachers are stepping up to the plate using many different math programs that were strongly influenced by Exemplars. Congratulations, and keep on keeping on!"
"When students engage in solving Exemplars rich tasks, they are intentionally developing the skills they need to thrive in the 21st Century; collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving. Students then work to explain their approach for solving the task using representations, language, and mathematical calculations to convince an audience that their conclusion is correct. Altogether, these expectations help students prepare to address the issues of the 21st Century," says Exemplars CEO, Jay Meadows.
About Exemplars
Exemplars supplemental resources are research-based and designed to meet state, national, and Common Core standards, and their materials are now used by thousands of educators in 50 states and 31 countries.
