6.13.24 Understanding formative, summative, and interim assessment and their role in student learning At its core, education is about the teaching and learning process. How do we teach the necessary literacies, content knowledge, critical thinking skills, and habits of mind deemed essential to... Read more
6.11.24 3 tips for using assessment data to differentiate instruction Using assessment data to differentiate instruction can seem like a daunting task. My initial resistance to data originated from a hesitance to disrupt the flow of my classroom; appearing as... Read more
6.6.24 How to build a strong writing community in your classroom In the 2003 film Love Actually, the ever-rumpled Hugh Grant informs the audience that “Love, actually, is all around.” As someone who loves to write and always strives to be better at it, bear... Read more
6.4.24 How to create opportunities for self-directed learning Over the years, I’ve experienced some amazing displays of learning. I’ve taught preschool, led elementary after-school programs, run summer programming for middle-schoolers, tutored and coached... Read more
5.30.24 MAP Growth 101: Everything families need to know If your child takes MAP® Growth™ at school and you’re not sure what it’s for or how it works, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know, from what it is to how... Read more
5.28.24 States should support student access to advanced math courses For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, the percentage of eighth-graders taking Algebra 1 rose steadily as schools and districts encouraged more students to take advanced math courses. Then, after... Read more
5.23.24 The science of building fluent readers Do you wonder how to help students build their reading fluency? We recently spoke with Jan Hasbrouck, a researcher, author, leading expert in reading fluency, and co-developer, with Gerald Tindal, of... Read more
5.21.24 27 easy formative assessment strategies for gathering evidence of student learning A few years ago, I came across "10 assessments you can perform in 90 seconds" by TeachThought and really enjoyed the formative assessment strategies they outlined. Using formative assessment... Read more
5.16.24 When are students “ready” for algebra? It will not come as a surprise to any educator that students are diverse in what they know and can do. Take any classroom of 30 students and it will include those who have had dramatically different... Read more
5.14.24 The science of reading for leaders: Your essentials for action Many of our earliest memories of school are about learning to read. Do you remember what your experience was like? Did you have a fairly smooth journey? Or did your “literacy story” include a lot... Read more
5.9.24 4 ways to get students excited about writing It can be difficult to get students excited about writing. Growing up, I liked to write. More specifically, though, I liked to write about things I liked. While I could crank out a decent enough... Read more
5.7.24 What are classroom assessment standards, and how do they impact student learning? The classroom assessment standards published by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation (JCSEE) are designed to support teachers in assessing student mastery. As educators,... Read more