Patricia "Tricia" Lyons

III Virginia

I spent 20 years after Divinity School as a high school teacher of Latin, Religion and AP History, and served as a lay chaplain in Episcopal schools. I was very involved in the National Association of Episcopal Schools as keynoter, consultant and content writer. One of my constant curiosities and efforts with colleagues was about how we assess religious education and formation. When I started teaching in Episcopal schools, I was stunned that most religion classes/retreats/faith-informed community service are not graded, evaluated or assessed in any way to see if what we teach actually forms the learners with Episcopal values, Prayer Book or habits of liturgy/prayer. Even in pluralistic learning communities, it should be possible to both engage students respectfully with Episcopal teaching and find ways to assess the learning. I wrote a doctoral dissertation and book on assessing adolescent faith development. Finding ways to evaluate and assess spiritual learning/growth is my passion.