Natalie Vardabasso

Natalie Vardabasso

Natalie is an educator, coach, speaker, and passionate learner. Driven to make education empowering for all, she has developed expertise in equitable assessment and grading practices. Natalie is a skilled storyteller who can communicate a compelling rationale for change and break down complex topics into practical strategies to drive school improvement.

Serving as a middle and high school humanities teacher in a special education context, Natalie employed a universal design for learning to meet the complex needs of her students. Following her time in the classroom, she worked as an instructional coach before stepping into the role of assessment lead in a K–12 school. Over a three-year period, she led her school community through the transition to standards-based grading by equipping teachers with the tools to use assessment as a catalyst for learning. This experience sparked a passion for adult learning, change management, and inclusive leadership. Natalie holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, as well as a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of British Columbia. She works as the producer and host of the #EduCrush podcast.

Assessment Collaborative

Assessment Collaborative experts have proven success in developing and implementing sustainable assessment practices that garner hope through achievement. Work with them to create assessment systems that provide accurate, meaningful, and actionable information to drive student learning.

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Presentations by Natalie Vardabasso

• Liberating Creativity in the Classroom
• Leading a Coalition for Change
• Building a Culture of Feedback
• Digital Storytelling: Amplifying Student Voice and Developing Cross-Curricular Competencies
• Fostering Effective Relationships for Professional Development
• Rehumanizing Assessment through Story
• Integrating Formative Assessment into Instruction
• The Principles of an Empowering Assessment Practice
• Balanced and Accurate Assessments
• Assessing Critical Competencies for the Future
• Cooperative Learning Structures
• Introduction to Universal Design for Learning
• Co-Creating Success Criteria with Students
• Motivating Students in Feedback Conferences
• Rubrics 101