In the high school level, case studies indications are that students not previously well served by traditional programs in science and mathematics are succeeding and enjoying the reform classes so much that they are electing to continue in the programs after they have met high school graduation requirements. They feel a confidence not demonstrated in previous learning situations and are doing more intellectually. This outcome is documented by increasing numbers of sections of most reform classes. So students are learning more by participating over more years. Quantitative data demonstrates that students do as well, and in some cases better, on traditional tests at these sites.
Students exhibit thinking skills.
Changes in the learning process have led to different assessments. Students are now asked to demonstrate the fruits of their new classroom role by presenting their knowledge in multiple formats and measured against new criteria. Teacher growth in the development of rubrics to define standards for these new assessments is important for clarifying expected student outcomes. The nature of these assessments make traditional quantification difficult. At present in most reform sites students are doing as well on traditional assessments as they have in the past and are doing better on open-ended assessments than students in traditional programs.