Week of November 13

Thursday Thoughts November 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week it was amazing to interact with so many other school representatives from all over the country.  I was able to have roundtable discussions with principals from as far away as California, Alaska and even Germany ( schools for the children of our service men and women are in Germany and other countries).  The common theme among the schools was the commitment of teachers and staff to put students' needs above all else. This is something that Medlock Bridge has done for years.   You put children first each and everyday without any expectation of recognition. It was a great honor to represent you in Washington.  Please know that every opportunity I get, I will share the awesome things that you are doing in your classrooms with whoever will listen.  I thank you for your trust and can't wait to celebrate our Blue Ribbon recognition here with you on December 4th.

   

Staff Spotlight 

 This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Carrie Halron.  Carrie is new to Medlock but she has years of teaching experience.  She loves to share with others and is open to learning from colleagues.  Carrie's teaching style is one that engages students and gets them excited about reading and writing.  Being new to a school can be challenging, but Carrie is making the most of this new experience by helping in any way possible.  This week, Carrie's expertise in the Writer's Workshop was welcome as we begin our writing cohort.  Carrie, thank you for what you are doing for kids and I appreciate your willingness to share with and learn from colleagues.

 

   

 4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

 

27 Teacher Actions That Help Promote Valid Assessment Data

10/21/2014, by Teach Thought Staff

 

 

There is often talk about assessment–its forms, frequency, and the integration of gleaned data to revise planned instruction. Formative versus assessment, rigor, and the evasive nature of understanding are also areas for exploration.
But rarely is there discussion about the kinds of things teachers can do–literal actions and concrete strategies–to help streamline the assessment process, and hopefully produce purer results you can trust.
In the infographic below, Mia MacMeekin offers her now familiar “27 ways” format, this time teacher actions that are conducive to more valid assessment results–and thus data you can trust. Coupled with our 10 Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds Or Less, that’s several dozen simple formative assessment forms and strategies to add to your teacher tool set.
As with any list, some are better than others, but a few stand out:
Evaluate
Having the student evaluate the format helps bring them closer to the actual process of learning
Seconds
Or thirds, fourths, and fifths. What matters is that they prove they understand, no?
Match
Align assessment forms so that the form isn’t the barrier.
Limit & Relax
This is especially true for struggling readers and younger students. If you ever don’t believe it, give the same test under multiple circumstances, and watch the data jump all over the place. On a Monday. A rainy day. The day a student broke up with their boyfriend. Early in the morning. After lunch.
Prep
Or as described below, model. Model what you expect so that students are clear. You can make it open-ended and creative, but don’t be surprised when the data is “problematic.”

Technology Tidbits

http://scorescience.humboldt.k12.ca.us/fast/kids.htm-  website that gives you access to numerous (about 50) Science websites for students.

News & Notes

State Board of Education proposes revisions to CCGPS standards in ELA, math; proposed changes posted for public comment for 60 days- Read the attached link for more information.

https://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core/Pages/Proposed-English-Language-Arts-and-Mathematics-Standards-Kindergarten-through-High-School.aspx