“Use Assessment to Help Students Develop a Christ-Centered Worldview” by Michael Essenburg was recently published in ACSI’s Christian School Education.

In the article, Michael writes, “Help your students further develop a Christ-centered worldview. Use assessment to help your students understand the importance of relating their academic work to scriptural principles and help them become proficient in making those connections. Develop biblical-perspective assessments that SCORE. Then, teach to your assessments, have your students take them, and use your assessment data to modify instruction.”

January 29-30, over 40 staff from Mountainview International Christian School and Bandung Alliance International School learned more about:

• Evangelism
• Christian coaching
• Personal productivity
• Helping students to connect God’s world and God’s Word.

Close the Gap Now facilitated some of the workshops.

“Lead by Asking Questions” by Michael Essenburg was recently published in ACSI's World Report. In the article, Michael encourages the reader to use questions to provoke others to reflect and provides the reader with a self-assessment.

Seven Christian Academy in Japan focus groups met this morning to:

• Build relationships.
• Deepen understanding about school improvement.
• Reflect on data from the school’s profile and survey.

Close the Gap Now helped develop the meeting agenda and provided support for focus group facilitators.

At today's Biblical perspective workshops, teachers at Christian Academy in Japan discussed key questions, including:

• How can you help your students develop a Christ-centered worldview?
• What excites/concerns you about helping your students develop a Christ-centered worldview?
• What’s important about helping students connect what they study and creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
• What Biblical principles connect to what your students study?

Close the Gap Now facilitated the workshops.

As part of its Bible curriculum review, International Christian School (Hong Kong) invited Michael Essenburg to serve a curriculum consultant. Essenburg reviewed curricular documents and then visited the school for 3 days. During his visit, he facilitated focus group meetings and visited classrooms. Essenburg will compile his findings and submit them to the school.

Christian Academy in Japan staff met in 7 different groups to focus on best practices regarding student learning, program, culture, staff, finances, and physical plant. Staff reflected on what success and failure looked like for a given best practice and considered how effectively the school was using best practices.

Close the Gap Now helped develop the meeting agenda and provided support for group facilitators.

"Assessment Helps Students More Deeply Connect Their Studies, Their Lives, and a Biblical Perspective" by Kim and Michael Essenburg was recently published in ACSI's World Report. In the article, Kim (an English 10 teacher) responds to 5 questions Michael asks about a Biblical perspective assessment:

1. What are excited about?
2. What were your students studying?
3. What was the essay prompt?
4. How did you prepare your students for the essay?
5. What did you learn?

Christian Academy in Japan staff met in different groups to focus on 6 areas: student learning, program, culture, staff, finances, and physical plant. Groups reflected on a variety of questions including:

• What are key strengths? 
• How do these strengths positively impact student learning?
• What are critical areas for follow-up? 
• How do these critical areas for follow-up negatively impact student learning? 

Close the Gap Now helped develop the meeting agenda and provided training for group facilitators.

On February 27, twenty-four CAJ staff, CAJ parents, and mission community members participated in a productivity workshop entitled, "It's Self-Management, not Time Management." Participants:

• Analyzed their degree of self-management.
• Identified growth areas.
• Determined their goals.
• Developed action steps.

Michael Essenburg of Close the Gap Now facilitated the workshop.

At today's Biblical perspective training, teachers at Christian Academy in Japan celebrated and reflected. They celebrated that they had met the challenge of helping students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches by:

• Teaching a Biblical perspective lesson.
• Giving a Biblical perspective assessment.

Next, teachers used a set of questions to reflect on the results of their work.

This training was the final part of a 12-hour workshop, “Teach and Assess Biblical Perspective.” The training was facilitated by Close the Gap Now.

Eighteen members of Christian Academy in Japan’s school community gathered on December 5 to review the school’s improvement report. Participants included parents, students, staff, and administrators. After celebrating God’s blessings in terms of student learning, community, facilities, and program, participants worked in small groups to review sections of the school improvement report.

Close the Gap Now facilitated the meeting.

Nov. 27-29, over 800 Christian educators attended the ACSI International Christian Educator Conference in Hong Kong. Conference plenary speakers included Gary Chapman,  Bruce Lockerbie, Bridget Mary Aitchison, David Sun, and Phil Callaway.

Conference participants attended over 150 workshops, including 2 Close the Gap Now workshops:

• Ask Good Questions
• Assessment Helps Your Students Learn

The conference was held at International Christian School.

At today's Biblical perspective workshop, teachers at Christian Academy in Japan discussed key questions, including:

• How does assessment help students learn?
• What makes a good assessment good?
• What makes a good Biblical perspective lesson good?

Teachers then developed Biblical perspective assessments and lessons.

"Help Your Students Make Connections Between What They Study and What the Bible Teaches" by Michael Essenburg was recently published in ACSI's World Report. The article describes a process teachers can use to identify the relevant Biblical principles they want students to connect to course content and skills.

Seniors at Christian Academy in Japan practiced their coaching skills during a 90-minute coach training. After watching demonstration of a coaching conversation, seniors reflected on what coaching is/isn't, considered the power of asking questions, changed closed questions into open-ended questions, and gave and received coaching.

During two 90-minute workshops held today at Christian Academy in Japan, teachers identified Biblical principles and Biblical perspective questions. Teachers will use these principles and questions to design Biblical perspective lessons and assessments. Michael Essenburg of Close the Gap Now led the training.

On August 18, 39 faculty members from Christian Academy in Japan and Kyoto International University Academy continued their efforts to connect Christian education philosophy, course content, and their students by participating in a Close the Gap Now workshop.

Michael Essenburg, workshop presenter, focused the participants on the following questions:

• What kind of people do you want your students to be?
• What do you want your students to understand?
• What Biblical principles do you want your students grounded in?
• What’s your vision?
• What’s the target? Is it worth it?

Said one participant, "When I saw the workshop questions ahead of time, I wondered how I would think through all of them. But as we went through the day, I found myself answering each question freely and authentically from my heart. I'm to excited start the year—because I have a vision of who I want my students to become in Christ."

During April and May 2008, teachers at Christian Academy in Japan are focusing on how Christian education involves worldview education. Each week, the teachers read a section from Marck Eckel’s The Whole Truth and then discuss it on Tuesday afternoons. The discussions are facilitated by Michael Essenburg of Close the Gap Now.

During their discussions, teachers respond to the following:

1. Regarding providing worldview education, what helps/hinders you?
   
2. What helps your students understand that everyone has a worldview?
   
3. What key questions do you want your students to consider? Why?
   
4. A person’s worldview is connected to how s/he answers 1 or more of your key questions. How can you help your students understand this?
   
5. How does your Christian worldview affect your educational practice?
   
6. How can you increasingly target students understanding and then applying a Biblical perspective to course content and skills?

Sixteen staff from the Christian Academy in Japan participated in GROWLIFE coach training. Participants identified their goals, transformed closed questions into open-ended questions, watched and discussed coaching demonstrations, and gave and received coaching.

Said one participant, "GROWLIFE has helped me see the importance of setting goals in all of my life in order to make progress."

On August 7, the teachers of International Christian School (Hong Kong) continued their efforts to help their students understand and apply a Biblical perspective by focusing on the 4 Biblical perspective fundamentals:

1. Targeting Biblical perspective
   
2. Asking Biblical perspective questions
   
3. Assessing understanding and application of a Biblical perspective
   
4. Meeting student learning needs

During this Close the Gap Now workshop, participants:

• Considered questions: What’s exciting about helping students apply a Biblical perspective? Why does God ask questions? How does assessment affect student learning?
  
• Identified Biblical perspective questions they will ask students.
  
• Developed assessments using the 4 characteristics of an effective Biblical perspective assessment.
  
• Developed a plan to meet 1 student learning need regarding understanding and using a Biblical perspective.

“Use Assessment to Increase Student Use of a Biblical Perspective of Course Content"  by Michael Essenburg was published in ACSI's World Report.

“Measure Mission Achievement” by Michael Essenburg was published in ACSI's World Report.

Feb. 13, the board of Christian Academy in Japan participated in a 90-minute training by Close the Gap Now entitled, “To Achieve Your Mission, Start by Defining It.”

During the training, the board considered questions like:

• If you don’t define the mission, how effectively can you and the headmaster work?
  
• You’re the headmaster—what do you need to know?
  
• How can a definition of mission achievement empower a headmaster?
  
• How can you define your mission effectively?

As a result of the training, board members were able to:

• Recite the mission.
  
• Understand and recite the MOSAIC school improvement process (Mission, Objectives, Standards-based Assessment, Improvement plans, Collaboration for results).
  
• Use the MOSAIC scorecard to explain the big picture.

In an e-mail to Close the Gap Now, one board member wrote, “THANK YOU again for using your coaching skills yesterday with the board. There were a lot of individual comments made to me about how helpful and insightful the presentation was.”

On Feb. 8, 25 Mountainview International staff completed a Close the Gap Now workshop, focusing on increasing student understanding and application of a Biblical perspective by using questions, using assessment, and meeting student needs.

During the workshops, participants considered questions:

• Why does God ask questions?
  
• What makes a good question good?
  
• How can you use your Biblical perspective questions effectively?
  
• How can assessment increase your students’ understanding and application of a Biblical perspective?
  
• How can you meet your students’ learning needs?
  
• How will you use what you have learned?

As a result of the workshop, participants commented:

• “I need to change the focus of my teaching from simply facts-based to more critical thinking and Biblical perspective teaching.”
  
• “I realize I need to understand how God sees my subject and approach it from that view.”
  
• “An insight I had is that Biblical integration can be both relevant and intentional.”

Jan. 3-5, Christian educators attended the ACSI International Christian Educator Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Conference keynote speakers included Joseph Kim, Dave Wilcox, and Donald Lichi.

Conference participants attended a variety of workshops, including 4 Close the Gap Now workshops:

• What Do You Want Your Students to Understand, Be Able to Do, and Value?
  
• How Well Are Your Students Achieving Your Student Learning Outcomes?
  
• Use Assessment to Measure and Increase Student Understanding and Application of a Biblical Perspective
  
• Meet Student Learning Needs to Increase Student Application of a Biblical Perspective

The conference closed with a banquet held at Pan American Christian Academy.

Dec. 12, the board of Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) explored the importance of a scorecard. During the 90-minute training by Close the Gap Now, the board considered several questions, including:

• How can a scorecard help CAJ to close the gap?
  
• To what extent are CAJ students achieving the student objectives?
  
• Is CAJ doing everything possible to support all students increasing achievement of the student objectives?

As a result of the training, board members were able to:

• Recite the mission.
  
• Understand and recite the MOSAIC school improvement process (Mission, Objectives, Standards-based Assessment, Improvement plans, Collaboration for results).
  
• Use the MOSAIC scorecard to explain the big picture.

Said one board member to Close the Gap Now, “Thank you for your time with us this past Tuesday. The way that you laid out the presentation was very clear.”

ov. 8-10, Christian educators attended ACSI’s International Christian Educator Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Speakers included Bruce Hekman, Isabel Searson, Harlan Lyso, Tom Penland, Dave Wilcox, and Michael Essenburg (of Close the Gap Now).

Following workshops on community and school improvement, conference participants attended 2 Close the Gap Now workshops that focused on biblical perspective:

• Use Assessment to Measure and Increase Student Understanding and Application of a Biblical Perspective
  
• Meet Student Learning Needs to Increase Student Application of a Biblical Perspective

The conference closed with a visit to the International Community School of Bangkok.

August 23-24 and Sept. 18, Christian Academy in Japan learned the 6 characteristics of a good Biblical perspective question. They then used their learning to develop 1 or more questions they could ask their students. Finally, Close the Gap Now challenged the teachers to find ways to get tier students to respond to their question(s).