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...]