“Will this test even count?” One of my students unmuted briefly on Zoom to ask about the impending end-of-year state assessments. A normally reticent child who preferred clicking his responses away in the chatbox, spoke up confidently now as if on behalf of the whole class. I stammered my way through a response that sounded […]
assessments
Posted inHow to Fix Education
In Defense of Standardized Testing: A Reflection
Standardized testing: just the thought of these assessments strikes terror in the hearts of teachers. If only our students cared as much about how they score on state-mandated tests. Most of the educational literature reflects a negative view of standardized testing, but they serve an important purpose in American education: to indicate teacher effectiveness through […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
An Alternative to Book Reports: Assessing Independent Reading
I am a huge advocate for student choice when it comes to reading, but one thing that people repeatedly ask me is: How do you assess and grade students’ independent reading if they are all reading different books? I’ve written before about how I don’t use Reading Logs, but rather Response Notebooks. I use response […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Differentiated Assessments in the Inclusion Classroom and Beyond
A great way to begin a discussion on differentiated assessments is to answer, “What does the word assessment mean to you?” This question holds a lot of meaning for a lot of different people. For some teachers, assessment means giving students quizzes and tests. For others, it means much more. In order to determine how […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Six Reasons Why Tests Suck
I’ve probably given hundreds of tests during my career, but the truth is, if I had the choice, I would never give my ELA students tests of any kind. This is one of those things that has sort of snuck up on me over the years. For example, I used to give a test on […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Justice
Challenging Your Students on Assessments
In a few weeks, students in public schools and charter schools across New York State will take hours of state assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Teachers are nervous, parents are frustrated, and students are indifferent. The students’ indifference is what scares the teachers and administrators of charter schools because our very survival depends […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Leveled Reading For Young Readers
One of the most frustrating situations I have as an early childhood educator is the misconception of “leveled” readers. Time and time again parents will tell me they’ve checked out these readers from the library or purchased readers that are “leveled” for their child, only to become frustrated when their child has difficulty reading the […]
Posted inOpinion
The Individual Souls in Our Classrooms
Being Christian impacts my job as an educator. I believe education is a calling and I am teaching because it is God’s plan for my life. While I read the Bible and use this as a guide for my life, I respect that others do not share my beliefs. I do, however, think that there […]