Highly Effective Classroom Strategies and Practices I was really surprised when teacher evaluation rubrics rolled out, and there was a backlash against them. I was a middle school principal when the Danielson Framework for Teaching was adopted for APPR. The rubric itself came in very shape and size: one page, two page, 27 page, 54 page, and full-size books. I thought teachers would be thankful for such clarity, but instead, they remarked on how unclear it was because there were so many … [Read more...]
One Skill Students Need to Improve to Succeed on Common Core Math Exam
Teachers know their students best. They spend the most time with them and get to see the evidence of their thinking. The rest of us do not. If students are to succeed then the most important math skill they need is to communicate their thinking on paper so that a stranger can understand exactly what they know and don’t know. And at the end of this article, you’ll find a sign-up and download for Grade 3-8 Math Exam questions organized by standard and … [Read more...]
Four Ways to Improve On-Demand Writing
Free Throws are Always Free Throws A free throw in basketball is always the same the distance from the basket. Athletes practice this one shot over and over, because it can mean winning or losing. Why then do so many players miss shots in the real game? It’s because the conditions have changed. The context the player takes the shot in matters. Writing essays on standardized tests can be the same. The format of questions, the layout, and the expectations are always the same, … [Read more...]
Expanding Student Literacy in Common Core Education
We as educators can overreact and be quick to adopt the latest buzzword or change strategies based on understanding of the standards. A Common Core education is neither limiting nor restrictive in literacy. In fact, the standards are the opposite. They push us to think of literacy beyond story and expand our curriculums to include many different perspectives while supporting our ideas with evidence from the texts we choose. Literacy and Common Core Education A well rounded … [Read more...]
Students Improve on Character Development Through Elementary on Common Core ELA Test
Common Core Standard This is the third and final part of the series on the NY Common Core ELA test multiple choice section in elementary. Here is part 1 and part 2. In this article, we will look at a standard that students slightly improve on across grades 3 through 5 even though the complexity increases. We will also look at how these standards differ from the old NY state standards. English Language Arts In a lot of ways, this standard is classic English Language Arts. When we … [Read more...]
How a Single Common Core Standard Progresses Across Grades
Common Core Changes across Grades In the last post, three ways to test a standard, we looked at how a standard could look differently on the same grade, and in this post, we are going to look at how a common core standard progresses across three grades. Common Core Standard 8 This is a unique standard, because it only relates to reading informational text. It has no literature counterpart. It addresses how evidence and reasons synthesize to support the claim of the author. As … [Read more...]
Three Ways to Test a Standard on English Language Arts Exams in Elementary
In Classroom Test Construction Testing companies think of test construction much differently than a classroom teacher. When a classroom teacher constructs an exam they consider which questions will be difficult for students and which ones they expect everyone to answer, and in the end will look at a student’s overall score. It is also common for teachers to look at student performance on individual standards either as an individual or as a member of teacher team. Make no mistake, this is an … [Read more...]
Preparing Students for Regents and Other Standardized Tests Without Compromise
Test Prep Product Design Many companies build products and systems to help students score higher on standardized tests. If you have ever used on of these products, you notice they all start to look the same after a while. No matter how many pictures they add or scenarios they “design to engage students” they all seem sterile. Page after page teaches students about the test and not understanding the underlining concepts or engaging them in deep thinking. Teachers and students spend all … [Read more...]
What Most of Us Get Wrong in Student Test Prep
We Think We Need Student Test Prep Materials [convertkit form=4992798] I was a third grade teacher when Kaplan first created elementary school test prep materials. We received thick workbooks and even thicker teacher additions. Kaplan built their product on the principles that work with SAT prep: predict and eliminate. When the system was adapted for third graders it was way over their heads and not connected to the curriculum. I taught a classroom full of struggling readers … [Read more...]
Common Strategies for Highly Effective Assessment Practices
Common Language Rubrics are a wonderful tool, to a point, and very quickly they become burdensome. They serve their purpose of providing both the teacher and the student, or the observer and the observed, a common language, but attempting to use the whole rubric every day becomes too much to handle. As essential as it is for students to unpack a task or teachers to analyze a standard we must also breakdown a rubric into classroom application. No matter what you think of a teacher … [Read more...]