Students as Designers

Isn't this (or shouldn't this) be the goal of good teaching?  Don't we want to give our students the tools they will need to make decisions about their education?  While it is important to give students guide to their work, we also need to give them choice and and independence in the classroom.

I attended a meeting a couple of weeks ago that look at cultural proficiency and assessment in the classroom.  One of the points that was brought up is that we often assess students where we expect them to be, instead of assessing them where they are.  Likewise, how many teachers design lessons based on what expectation they have (the teacher), instead of listening to what expectation the students have?  I know that we all have curriculum to cover and standards to go over, but for students to be invested in class, they really need to be involved in the design process.  Whether it's informal meetings, or questionnaires and evaluations, students should have a voice on what goes on in the classroom.