ABSTRACT
The Pathfinder program was designed long before Theodore Sizer wrote
Horace’s Compromise and advocated assessing student’s learning through
“exhibitions” of what they know. When they planned their school program,
these teachers did not know Sizer or Newmann (Sizer 1984; Newmann,
Secada, and Wehlage 1995) or the now-extensive literature on alternative or
authentic assessment. They had not read Howard Gardner’s theory of multi-
ple intelligences (Gardner 1991, 1993). Their commitment to individualized
learning and to child-centered pedagogy extended beyond fostering active stu-
dent involvement in classrooms. To explore beyond the assigned, to integrate
across the boundaries between school subjects, and to develop their own abil-
ities to be a part of creating learning experiences, the program from its incep-
tion included an independent study project. The Pathfinder projects,
according to the magnet coordinator’s guidelines from 1984-1985, offered “an
exciting and challenging opportunity” to “develop your intellectual talents.”
