tcap is in eight days!!
Whoa! Mrs. Hurst caught Fernando's reaction at the moment he realized how soon we'll be taking TCAP! Too bad we don't have a shot of her reaction, as well! Don't let his reaction fool you, however. Closer inspection reveals that our students are well-prepared and ready to show what they know. The focused, intense work that they and their teachers have been doing has certainly prepared them for the assessment. Great job, everyone!
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teachers in actionMr. Swanson is working to learn a new instrument: the ukulele, in anticipation of using it with students. He was a good sport and allowed us to record his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips". You sound great, Gabriel!
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students in action
Students throughout the school, at every grade level, are working hard. Kindergarten and first grade writers participated for the first time in the SWEEP writing assessment and the results are promising. Some of our fourth-grade writers walked down where the kindergarteners' writing was displayed and gave them some written feedback on their writing in the form of sticky note messages. It certainly was a nice thing for them to do and no doubt it will give encouragement to our youngest writers.
core beliefs in action
Core Belief #3: Quality planning, instruction, and assessments lead to high achievement for ALL students.
This week we would like to take a moment to reflect on the administration and use of DFA's to measure student learning on a daily basis. Instruction begins with a well written objective, which serves two purposes. First of all, this gives the teacher a clear focus on exactly what is being taught. What is the specific goal for this lesson? What specific skill or concept will students know and be able to do or express at the end of this lesson? Secondly, a quality objective, shared clearly with students, gives them the focus they need in order to understand and be able to articulate exactly what they are to be learning during that lesson. The DFA should measure whether or not students achieved the goal. If we are to truly measure and remediate or reteach concepts and give students frequent feedback, we must take an honest look at how we are administering, scoring, and responding to the results of Daily Formative Assessments. Without thoughtful reflection on our practice, this process can become a routine activity that has little impact on student learning. One adjustment you might consider is moving the DFA earlier in the block. If the DFA were administered fifteen minutes before the end of the block, the teacher could move around the room with clipboard in hand, score the assessment, and determine which students were successful in demonstrating mastery of the skill. These students could spend the last few minutes of the block practicing some appropriate skill or completing a meaningful activity. The teacher could immediately pull students who were not successful on the DFA, those who demonstrated some confusion or misunderstanding, to a table where they could receive immediate remediation and coaching from the teacher. This is particularly important if students will be completing homework that night on the same skill taught during the lesson. In this way, you can be assured that they will not be practicing something incorrectly, cementing errors. Please take some time to reflect on your practice and take an honest look at how you are administering and using the results of your daily formative assessments. Are they giving you a crystal clear picture of which students "got it" and which students need further instruction? Are you using the results to give frequent (daily) feedback to your students on their progress? Do the results lead to immediate remediation or re-teaching to students who need it? Sharing your reflection with your colleagues and grade-level teammates might be a great way to refine your practice and increase the effectiveness of the DFA process. Participating in such reflection and refining your use of DFA's is an excellent example of Core Beliefs in action.
This week we would like to take a moment to reflect on the administration and use of DFA's to measure student learning on a daily basis. Instruction begins with a well written objective, which serves two purposes. First of all, this gives the teacher a clear focus on exactly what is being taught. What is the specific goal for this lesson? What specific skill or concept will students know and be able to do or express at the end of this lesson? Secondly, a quality objective, shared clearly with students, gives them the focus they need in order to understand and be able to articulate exactly what they are to be learning during that lesson. The DFA should measure whether or not students achieved the goal. If we are to truly measure and remediate or reteach concepts and give students frequent feedback, we must take an honest look at how we are administering, scoring, and responding to the results of Daily Formative Assessments. Without thoughtful reflection on our practice, this process can become a routine activity that has little impact on student learning. One adjustment you might consider is moving the DFA earlier in the block. If the DFA were administered fifteen minutes before the end of the block, the teacher could move around the room with clipboard in hand, score the assessment, and determine which students were successful in demonstrating mastery of the skill. These students could spend the last few minutes of the block practicing some appropriate skill or completing a meaningful activity. The teacher could immediately pull students who were not successful on the DFA, those who demonstrated some confusion or misunderstanding, to a table where they could receive immediate remediation and coaching from the teacher. This is particularly important if students will be completing homework that night on the same skill taught during the lesson. In this way, you can be assured that they will not be practicing something incorrectly, cementing errors. Please take some time to reflect on your practice and take an honest look at how you are administering and using the results of your daily formative assessments. Are they giving you a crystal clear picture of which students "got it" and which students need further instruction? Are you using the results to give frequent (daily) feedback to your students on their progress? Do the results lead to immediate remediation or re-teaching to students who need it? Sharing your reflection with your colleagues and grade-level teammates might be a great way to refine your practice and increase the effectiveness of the DFA process. Participating in such reflection and refining your use of DFA's is an excellent example of Core Beliefs in action.