About the Event

For centuries, the traditional essay has been the gold standard for assessing critical thought, synthesis, and student voice. Today, generative text can mimic that structure in seconds, forcing us to ask an uncomfortable question: are we assessing our students' ability to think, or just their ability to format prose? It’s time to move beyond the panic of the "death of the essay" and explore what comes next.

This 45-minute webinar dives into the future of writing-based assessments. We will discuss how to restructure the writing process itself, shift the focus toward metacognition, and explore alternative or multimodal formats that AI cannot easily replicate. Join us to discover how we can revitalize writing assignments to ensure they remain a true, authentic reflection of a student’s unique intellectual journey.

About the Participants

TBA (Guests)

Zac Chase (Host)

Zac Chase, M.A., M.Ed.

Zac Chase, M.A., M.Ed., is the Global Lead of Scaled Programming for Google for Education. He served as a digital equity advisor for the U.S. Department of Education, where he led the development of the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan. He has also worked as a classroom teacher, adjunct instructor, and a school & district administrator.

Chase’s publications include the 2024 and 2016 National Educational Technology Plans, “Future Ready Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education," and “School 2.0: Building the Schools We Need.” He holds a master’s degree in education policy and management from Harvard Graduate School of Education, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Nova Southeastern University, and a bachelor of arts degree in English and secondary education from Illinois State University.