Educators spend a great deal of time analyzing diagnostic, formative, and summative performance data to individualize instruction for their students. In my current role as a staff developer, I’m often asked about how to do this while meeting curriculum expectations and benchmarks and supporting critical thinking skills.

When I first arrived at Hood River Middle School (HRMS), I was a wide-eyed, unsure 11-year-old who had spent the last six years of my life in the security of my elementary school. Not surprisingly, the transition to middle school was abrupt A whole new level of hands-on, interactive classes became available to me, and I barely knew where to start. I found myself wondering if I should take green building design, introduction to string instruments, or rock climbing. The school felt like a miniature world with a variety of people to meet and classes to experience.