Recently a reader emailed us this question: What Does a Quality Social Studies Assessment Look Like? Well, reader, I’ll be the first to admit – my instruction tactics have evolved much over the years, but nothing has changed more in the way in which I test students. What once began as fill-in questions with some true/false […]
Common Core
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Rigor…. "Inconceivable!"
Some of best lines in the film The Princess Bride are given to the assassin-for-hire Vizzini. For those unfamiliar with this classic film, Vizzini’s repeated use of the word “inconceivable” is finally challenged by the vengeance-seeking swordsman, Inigo Montoya while they stand overlooking a cliff watching the Dread Pirate Roberts climb in pursuit: [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Literacy, Uncategorized
Literally Inexperienced David Coleman, Architect of the Common Core
“Literally” added a new meaning this past month….literally. A quick look at the Cambridge Dictionaries Online indicates that while the meaning of literally as “ having the real or original meaning of a word or phrase” will now include use of the word “to emphasize what you are saying.” A similar entry from an authority across the pond, Oxford […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, Uncategorized
Testing the Fruits of Our Labors
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Late August and September means back to school for students, and many primary school teachers are pulling out the traditional “apple” unit to welcome their students. Many teachers will be ready […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Educators Waiting for Mr. Rochester
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] This summer I have been visiting the family estate at Gateshead, the harsh boarding school Lowood, and the Gothic mansion called Thornfield Hall through the audio download of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre courtesy of SYNC YA. This […]
Posted inCommon Core, Elementary School, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Kindergarten, Uncategorized
Education’s Ancient Texts: The Rosetta Stone and Standardized Test Data
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] As I stood in front of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum in London, I had to wiggle my way through the blockade of tourists who were trying to photograph the small […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Reading for Fun, Not Reading for Fun(ds)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2013 test reported that there was a 2% growth in reading scores over the past 41 years for students at age 17. NAEP also reported that students who claimed to read for fun scored higher on standardized tests with the obvious conclusion that the more time a student spent […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Education Reformers Without Classroom Experience Lack Credibility
In these days of education reform, teachers want one of their own, someone who has been in the classroom, to make the important decisions that impact the policies they must implement. They want someone who has taught a lesson with content, assessed that lesson, retaught that lesson, reassessed that lesson, and evaluated that lesson for […]