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Disappearing cultural, political and physical boundaries push humanity beyond a one-community perspective. Global citizenry requires a set of literacies that affect the ability to communicate effectively, think critically and act conscientiously. This challenges educators to consider reframing instructional practices and curricular content. The authors promote a transliterate approach spanning communication platforms, including layered literacies: critical, civic, collaborative, creative, cultural, digital, environmental, financial, and geographical. Promoting layered literacies provides a landscaped view of reality (featuring a depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding that cultivates culturally sensitive communication skills), increases critical thinking and empowers learners as agents of change. The authors advocate for a paradigm from which teachers can construct curriculum, meet the challenges of a global community and cultivate layered literacies.

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Today's classroom teachers are expected to optimize the teaching, learning, and schooling so the educational experience is learner centered, standards based, achievement oriented, data driven, and culturally competent. These expectations require teachers to intensify their awareness, expand their understanding, reconfigure their techniques, and modify their outlooks related to classroom assessments. As teachers begin to shift their approaches so their classroom assessments become the focus on their practices and assessments are more closely aligned with the curriculum and instruction, teachers encounter challenges and rewards. This article describes four facets of classroom assessments-obstacles, obligations, outcomes, and opportunities-and the characteristics of each facet identified by teacher educators specializing in classroom assessments. The findings of this research make visible the value of examining the presence and power of each facet as individual and integrated influences on teacher self-efficacy, emphasizing benefits for classroom teachers and teacher candidates in their transformation to develop classroom assessments that matter.