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What others are saying about Authentic Education:

"Hilde McGeehan completed a two-day professional development workshop on "Understanding By Design" to a varied group of middle school teachers. Her deep knowledge and understanding of subject matter, coupled with her patient and knowing way of communicating allowed her and our staff to fully connect on a variety of topics ­ all related to UBD...Hilde was thorough in her delivery and was very accommodating when asked to provide additional information, either in writing or through references to texts, authors, etc. She was engaging and entertaining in her presentation and managed to bring a highly varied audience together on an equal playing field in a short two days.

We would look forward to being able to continue our curriculum work in the future with Hilde at the helm!"

Dr. Ellen Solek
Woodbury Middle School
Principal
Woodbury, CT

"Julie (DesOrmeaux)...built a rapport with the teachers resulting in a trust that will facilitate their transition to designing UbD lessons... She is flexible with her planning... I would recommend her to others and plan to bring her back to the district for additional training at a future date...I have already seen a difference in the classroom...I observed two of my teachers this past week. They both had wonderful essential questions and great assessments..."

Peggy Puder
Paramus School District
Supervisor of Mathematics/Technology
Paramus, New Jersey

"Hilde (McGeehan) was just what I needed for the group. She tailored her presentation to meet our needs and at the end of the day she and I debriefed and she went home and made modifications to her plans for the following days. The group felt very confident in their stage 1 understandings and had a very productive final 2 days planning our inservice. She really knows her stuff... "

Karen Andronici
New Castle Vo-Tech Schools
Supervisor of Professional Development and Human Resource
Mount Laurel, NJ

"I wanted to once again thank you (Frank Champine) for the lasting, quality professional development work you did with our group last summer and in October... I just LOVE listening in on conversations teachers are having when curriculum is developed to teach for understanding. The "buzz" in the room is music to my ears. We could not have accomplished all that we have without your expertise.... "

Shelley Rouser
New Castle Vo-Tech Schools
Instructional Services
New Castle, DE


"It (the workshop) was really quite fabulous...She (Judy Hilton) is an amazing presenter and her insights and experience were highly valued by the faculty. People felt, in general, that her workshop was extremely practical and immediately useful... She is also a great resource, so folks valued all that she could offer in response to their questions as well."

Nataki Reynolds, Principal
Maya Angelou Charter School
Washington, DC 20019


"Southwest Cooperative greatly appreciates that time, knowledge, and skills
that Diane (Van Ausdall) shared with our group. We were very pleased with
her attention to our needs, tons of resources she shared, and her concise
instruction on UbD (Understanding by Design). We are pleased to begin this
(UbD) journey with Diane as our facilitator.

Everything worked out great! We look forward to her return."

Christie Flores
Southwest Cooperative for Special Education
Chicago, Illinois


Thank you once again for the time you (Everett Kline) spent with us at Greens Farms and for personalizing your presentation to meet our needs... I had many compliments from faculty and administrator alike on how effective your presentation was and (subsequently) heard several people talking about rubrics and assessments. Your enthusiasm for the subject, passion for good education, and personal experiences make your presentation fresh and inspiring...

Most sincerely,
Lynne Laukhuf
Assistant Head of School
Greens Farms Academy
Greens Farms, Connecticut



We were very pleased with the work of Everett (Kline) and Diane (Van Ausdall)....Diane came with lots of examples and models to share with the "novice" group. She provided ample materials so that the participants had a clear understanding of her presentation. There was a lot of "aha's"... Everett's work with the "expert" group initiated heavy discussions .... prompting us to redirect our plans for next year.

Charlotte Okada
NCLB Consolidated Grant/North Area Complex
Waialua, HI 96791


You wanted some feedback regarding our three day training? It was one of the most valuable, timely trainings we have held in the district. Through our work with Grant (Wiggins) and Denise (Wilbur) our Student Achievement Coaches really got a good handle and start on the work we are trying to accomplish.
The training also took a large group of leaders into the direction that we are thinking about assessment and unit development. It helped the administrators set a clear focus for this summer and next year's work and answered a lot of questions we had about our direction and the intensity of our work. I appreciated the fact that Grant gave us undiluted opinions that really seemed to make a difference in the thinking of our teacher leaders (and us too).
Thanks (Carol) for your help with all the preparations - the arrangements made ahead of time helped everything run very smoothly. Hope to work with you again soon.

Felicia Roher
Instructional Supervisor
Jessamine SD, Kentucky


"Diane (Van Ausdall) was wonderful... You (Authentic Education Director of Projects & Services) made a perfect referral and the (staff) participants were extremely pleased and satisfied...the small intimate learning opportunity was fabulous."

Lauren P. Hoffman, Assistant Professor
College of Education
Lewis University
Chicago, Il


"Susan (Clayton) was great! We had a very productive 2 days. We want Susan to come back and start working with a cadre of teachers... the sooner the better."

Michele Hoffman, Principal
Wyoming Indian Middle School
Fremont County School District #14
Ethete, Wyoming 82520


"She (Diane Van Ausdall) did an excellent job in highlighting the benefits of the (UbD) model... All of the feedback I received (from workshop attendees) was very positive."

Linda Abrams, Supervisor
Freehold Regional H.S. District, Freehold, NJ


"....(our staff) found her (Diane Van Ausdall) entirely responsive to their questions ... I found her thoroughly prepared and supported by practical examples from her significant teaching background..."

Art Maloney, Director
Pace University High School, NYC, NY


"Dr. Wiggins" message was overwhelmingly well received by the educators in Wyoming. His knowledge of assessment and curriculum design had a powerful impact on our educators. They are excited to roll up their sleeves and continue working on the work."

Dr. Annette Bohling,
Wyoming Department of Education


"As a trainer Grant (Wiggins) has the vision to see where education needs to go. His experience, common sense, and insight are remarkable."

"He (Grant Wiggins) has presented UbD (Understanding for Design) for me at two schools. At both the faculty saw it as a powerful tool that would help them develop a stronger curriculum.... does a wonderful job of showing teachers how to raise the level of student engagement and to ensure that what we teach is meaningful and enduring in its impact. The backward design model has fundamentally changed the way we think."

Kendall Didsbury
Academic Dean The Benjamin School, North Palm Beach, Florida


"The workshop that Grant (Wiggins) conducted for our 50 administrators was excellent!... The issues we discussed were thought-provoking, and the materials used enabled us to clarify the direction that we need to take as a district... Everyone left with a much greater sense of the power behind the UbD (Understanding by Design) process. Thanks for all of your help!"

Andy Greene
Half Hollow Hills, NY


Absolutely, unequivocally the best three days my team could have spent together! Essential training for any school/school system seriously interested in improving substandard teaching and learning practices. An objective pair of eyes for the Administrator; invaluable in establishing effective teams.

Our staff developer (from Authentic Education) Ms. Wilbur was absolutely top shelf! Her goal was clearly congruent with ours from the outset--she takes pride in her work, and believes in its ability to transform organizational thinking.

We look forward to Ms. Wilbur continuing as a member of our team.
Thank you very much!

Barb Kirkweg,
Principal, The Bronx Aerospace Academy High School, NY


"For the last fourteen years I have been doing what I can to get Grant Wiggins in front of as many independent school audiences as possible. Every teacher in every school needs to be exposed to and internalize Grant's work on assessment and Understanding by Design. I think people leave the workshops irrevocably changed; once you've worked with Grant, you can't go back to your narrow views of curriculum, assessment, and learning."

Steve Clem
Executive Director,
Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE)


The workshop was GREAT! The response of the faculty was very promising. As a matter of fact, those involved with the education department decided to 'immediately' place student outcomes with at least one performance based assessment into our syllabi for next fall! I think Grant had a good impact on all of us. Dr. Wiggins adapted his presentation well to meet the needs of our college faculty and it was appreciated. I hope we can work with him again in the near future.

Gladys Ritterhouse , Sterling College, KS


It (the workshop) was great. Grant really covered a lot of information. I don't know how he does it --he seemed to be talking off the cuff and yet covered a lot of information. Today, faculty were talking about what he said and from their comments, I know they were listening. I definitely feel we got our money's worth. I must also say that working with you (all) was a pleasure.

Donna Bagley, Tabor College, KS


"...It was an exciting and thought provoking day!"

Barbara Klatt
The Culver Academies, IN


"It (the workshop) was very successful...the response was quite positive from the staff and the administrators ... It was a good beginning to a new look at assessment...thank you!"

Elementary Director of Curriculum in Wall Twp., NJ
Tina Gordon, Ed.D.


"It was a fantastic opportunity to have Dr. Wiggins and Associates provide critical friend work for us. The chance to have one of the foremost educational experts and his team provide us with both insights and important external validation was well worth the nominal fee."

Rabbi Shmuel Jablon
Head of Lower School
Fuchs Mizrachi School, OH


"Fantastic! Wonderful! Dynamic! Right on target! Perfect! The group LOVED him (Grant Wiggins)!"

Arlene P. LaPlante
Program Manager, School-to-Career, CA


"No one has taught me more about course design than Grant Wiggins. Until I read "Understanding By Design (UbD)", I never considered designing new courses to be serious intellectual work, but Wiggins' "backwards design" approach changed all that. Now I understand that making a course good for learning requires the same creativity, the same careful inquiry, and, really, the same long gestation period that is required of all scholarly work. It would take a decade to wring all the insights that could be gained out of UbD and apply them to a single course. But in the meantime, concepts such as "enduring questions," "recurring tasks," "facets of understanding," and "uncoverage" have become foundational concepts for the way I design my courses and justify them to others."

Lendol Calder, History Department
Associate Professor and Chair
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL


"...I've been working with a mentor on instructional design and this workshop sounded (to me) like it would be more food for thought and exploration - and it has been!"

"...The whole idea of moving backwards. So smart!..."

"...why struggle with assessing and developing high level learning opportunities for students - Wiggins is an expert... Grant's effective guidance encourages me to think (about) how to apply his knowledge..."

College Staff attending Grant Wiggins Worskhop,
California State University, Sacramento


"Grant Wiggins provided an excellent workshop in designing assessments to address curricular goals. Above all, he proved to be a good listener - concerning himself first with learning about our needs and helping us take a next step in our thinking. His advance work was exemplary and essential in optimizing the usefulness of his onsite presentation."

Rick Umiker, St. Mark's School Assistant Head
Southborough, MA


"Judy (Hilton) was well prepared & informed...her workshop was challenging and thought-provoking."

Heidi Baker, Special Projects Director
Colorado Association of Libraries
Englewood, Colorado