Quick Key is giving away $560 of school supplies, toys, and games for Teacher Appreciation Week.How to Win:All you need to do is use Quick Key between Monday May 08, 2017 and Friday May 12, 2017. Each day you give a quiz with Quick Key during Teacher Appreciation Week, you will be automatically entered to win one [...]
MasteryConnect recently published a blog with some great ideas for using formative assessment in the classroom. As the blog suggests, assessing learning while its happening is an opportunity for teachers to gain a deeper understanding of student growth. Formative assessment can also play a key role in allowing teachers to assess the effectiveness of their teaching [...]
James Popham's recent commentary in EdWeek is a clear reminder for educators to give serious thought to the purpose behind the kinds of formative evaluation they are administering to students. Popham argues that our nation's obsession with comparison-based, standardized testing offers teachers few, if any, instructional insights."America's students are not being educated as well these days as they [...]
All the recent talk of assessments can leave teachers reeling. In her recent article, The Most Important Question Every Assessment Should Answer, Terry Heick clearly reveals a path for teachers to use as they move from assessments of learning to assessments for learning.The difference between assessment of learning and assessment for learning is a crucial one, [...]
Most educators are eager to embrace best teaching strategies. However, with all the noise in the field of education today, it isn't always easy to figure out which teaching strategies are best. Luckily, Rebecca Alber has done just that in her recent article for Edutopia. Alber reminds us to keep our focus on purpose and intention. We weren't [...]
In a recent Hometownlife column for USA Today, Ed Okuniewski, deputy superintendent for the Huron Valley Schools, reminds us not to throw out the baby with the bath water when it comes to assessment. Okuniewski's column provides a basic explanation of summative and formative assessments and stresses that each has an important place in public education."The [...]
A recent Edweek Market Brief written by Sean Cavanagh illustrates the continuing debate over data collection and use in today's classrooms. In his article, Make Classroom Data More Useful, Teachers Tell Ed Tech Developers, Cavanagh discusses the results of two recent surveys conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The results show teachers confident that [...]
In a recent blog post for Oxford University Press, Jaekung Lee reiterates what many educators have already concluded: the educational gains from high-stakes are marginal and have unintended negative consequences on the learning environment. Lee suggests effective instruction time and increased engagement might provide part of the solution."Let’s take a pop quiz on the ongoing debate [...]
Today we came across a great Website / Blog hosted by UK teacher Sam McKavanagh. The site is http://www.myteachinglife.co.uk and it offers articles and resources in a number of subject areas including technology for teachers, project based learning, and "other stuff." You can also follow Sam on Twitter, where he is building a nice following of like-minded [...]
All across the country, school districts are feeling the very real pain associated with the ever-changing world of high-stakes testing. In a recent article for U.S. News and World Report, writer Lauren Camera takes a comprehensive look at the Kingsport, Tennessee school system's mighty efforts to rise to the challenge of staying ahead of changes in [...]