10.28.21 How to build student agency in your classroom It was my first trip after a year and a half of isolation, and my first time flying in the post-2020 era. I braved the tension at the airport and had an uneventful flight. I jumped in my rental... Read more
10.26.21 How phonemic awareness helps words become sight words We want kids to build their sight word vocabularies so they can read more easily. This blog post argues that sight words are critical. But the story of sight words is not mostly about our... Read more
10.19.21 10 ways principals can lighten their load Being a principal is tough but rewarding work. So is being a classroom teacher, of course, but the principalship comes with an additional load you may not have predicted as you prepared yourself for... Read more
10.14.21 Unfinished but not lost: 7 ways to use assessment data to support student learning during COVID-19 Interrupted learning during the pandemic has increased inequity in education. The research proves this. But there’s a lot we can do to come together as educators and support children this... Read more
10.7.21 Here’s how to use MAP Growth results to achieve great things this school year I ran across a blog post the other day that was hard to read. Hard because it reminded me of how overwhelmed I felt every time I got an assignment by a student in one of my college writing... Read more
10.5.21 Assessment empowerment principle #4: Responsive learning cycles One of the biggest lessons I learned about assessment empowerment in my classroom is that it doesn’t just require learning new practices. I also needed to recognize and shift the parts of my... Read more
9.30.21 To raise my hand or to nod along: 11 questions about MAP Growth answered We’ve all been there: We’re at an important event, like back-to-school night, and we’re nodding along, self-consciously avoiding asking the questions that are burning inside us. We think,... Read more
9.28.21 7 ways to use MAP Growth–informed learning to challenge and engage students Yesenia was one of those students a teacher always remembers. A bright, shy, inordinately kind third-grader, she was born in Ecuador, moved to Quebec—and learned French—during kindergarten,... Read more
9.24.21 Leaping forward in partnership with districts and states to support student learning When I came to NWEA in 2018, I had a vision of effecting change across the nation—change in how organizations like ours work in partnership with K–12 district and state leaders to advance student... Read more
9.23.21 4 ways to ditch grading behavior for good Groundhog Day, a favorite movie of mine, has really struck a nerve during the pandemic. Did anyone else feel like we were living our own version of it? There was an awful lot of optimism around... Read more
9.21.21 3 ways gen ed teachers can support students with disabilities Every school year is unique, but the 2021–22 school year will bring specific challenges to the art of teaching due to COVID-19. We are just now processing research that shows the effects of... Read more
9.16.21 2 simple ways to build equity in your classroom for emergent bilingual students Welcome back to school! That’s a phrase I look forward to saying every fall, and especially so this year. As I talk with colleagues, I hear excitement that last year’s digital... Read more