It's time to move our assessment practices from the 1950s to the century we're living in. It's time to invest in our teachers and local school leaders instead of in more tests. It's time to help all students understand how to unleash their strengths and gain a sense of themselves as learners capable of choosing their own paths to success. In The Perfect Assessment System , Rick Stiggins calls for the ground-up redevelopment of assessment in U.S. education. Speaking from more than 40 years of experience in the field—and speaking for all learners who hope to succeed, the teachers who want them to succeed, and the local school leaders whose aspirations for success have been thwarted by assessment traditions—Stiggins maps out the adjustments in practice and culture necessary to generate both accurate accountability data and the specific evidence of individual mastery that will support sound instructional decision making and better learning in the classroom. He addresses Assessment purpose —how (and why) to clarify the reason for every assessment and the users it will serve. Learning targets to be assessed —how to make sure we focus on the right competencies and set consistent definitions of success. Assessment quality —how to ensure every assessment, at every level, is an excellent one. Communication of assessment results —how to share information in ways that best support diverse purposes. Assessment impact —how to link assessment to truly productive, universal student motivation. We have not yet begun to explore assessment's true potential to enhance both school quality and student well-being. Stiggins kicks off this critical conversation and charts a course for a new system that promises much higher levels of student success at a fraction of our current testing costs. The door is open for assessment reform; here is a bold plan for getting it right.
We differentiate instruction to honor the reality of the students we teach. They are energetic and outgoing. They are quiet and curious. They are confident and self-doubting. They are interested in a thousand things and deeply immersed in a particular topic. They are academically advanced and «kids in the middle» and struggling due to cognitive, emotional, economic, or sociological challenges. More of them than ever speak a different language at home. They learn at different rates and in different ways. And they all come together in our academically diverse classrooms. Written as a practical guide for teachers, this expanded third edition of Carol Ann Tomlinson’s groundbreaking work covers the fundamentals of differentiation and provides additional guidelines and new strategies for how to go about it. You’ll learn – What differentiation is and why it’s essential – How to set up the flexible and supportive learning environment that promotes success – How to manage a differentiated classroom – How to plan lessons differentiated by readiness, interest, and learning profile – How to differentiate content, process, and products – How to prepare students, parents, and yourself for the challenge of differentiation First published in 1995 as How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, this new edition reflects evolving best practices in education, the experiences of practitioners throughout the United States and around the world, and Tomlinson's continuing thinking about how to help each and every student access challenging, high-quality curriculum; engage in meaning-rich learning experiences; and feel at home in a school environment that «fits.»/p>
As a must-have reference for busy teachers with little special education training, this book supplies classroom-tested instructional strategies that address the characteristics of and challenges faced by students with special needs. Dozens of differentiated strategies target teachers’ anxieties and provide responsive interventions that can be used to address specifics of IEPs and learning plans. With Building on the Strengths of Students with Special Needs ,special education expert Toby Karten focuses on specific disabilities and inclusive curriculum scenarios for learners in K–12 environments. She offers valuable advice on how to prevent labels from capping student potential and encouragement to help teachers continually improve learner outcomes. By highlighting more than a dozen disability labels, this resource walks teachers through the process of reinforcing, motivating, scaffolding, and planning for instruction that targets learners of all ability levels. Included are details relevant to each disability: Possible Causes Characteristics and Strengths Classroom Implications Inclusion Strategies Typical instruction needs to match the diversity of atypical learners without viewing any disability as a barrier that impedes student achievement. Teachers must not only learn how to differentiate their approach and target specific student strengths but also maintain a positive attitude and belief that all students are capable of achieving self-efficacy.
What will it take to create truly contemporary learning environments that meet the demands of 21st-century society, engage learners, and produce graduates who are prepared to succeed in the world? What skills and capacities do teachers and leaders need to create and sustain such schools? What actions are necessary? Bold Moves for Schools offers a compelling vision that answers these questions—and action steps to make the vision a reality. Looking through the lenses of three pedagogies—antiquated, classical, and contemporary—authors Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Marie Hubley Alcock examine every aspect of K–12 education, including curriculum, instruction, assessment, and the program structures of space—both physical and virtual—time, and grouping of learners and professionals. In a new job description for teachers, Jacobs and Alcock highlight and expound on the following roles: self-navigating professional learner, social contractor, media critic and media maker, innovative designer, globally connected citizen, and advocate for learners and learning. With thought-provoking proposals and practical strategies for change, Bold Moves for Schools sets educators on the path to redefining their profession and creating exciting new learning environments. The challenge is unprecedented. The possibilities are unlimited.
Properly crafted and individually tailored feedback on student work boosts student achievement across subjects and grades. In this updated and expanded second edition of her best-selling book, Susan M. Brookhart offers enhanced guidance and three lenses for considering the effectiveness of feedback: (1) does it conform to the research, (2) does it offer an episode of learning for the student and teacher, and (3) does the student use the feedback to extend learning? In this comprehensive guide for teachers at all levels, you will find information on every aspect of feedback, including Strategies to uplift and encourage students to persevere in their work. How to formulate and deliver feedback that both assesses learning and extends instruction. When and how to use oral, written, and visual as well as individual, group, or whole-class feedback. A concise and updated overview of the research findings on feedback and how they apply to today's classrooms. In addition, the book is replete with examples of good and bad feedback as well as rubrics that you can use to construct feedback tailored to different learners, including successful students, struggling students, and English language learners. The vast majority of students will respond positively to feedback that shows you care about them and their learning. Whether you teach young students or teens, this book is an invaluable resource for guaranteeing that the feedback you give students is engaging, informative, and, above all, effective.
Why do some schools succeed while others struggle? Why do policies and programs often fail to deliver what they promise? In this follow-up to their insightful School Culture Rewired: How to Define, Assess, and Transform It, authors Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker offer practical advice and strategies that help you build positive energy to reinvigorate your school's culture and staff. Written as a standalone guide, School Culture Recharged clarifies the difference between culture and climate and zeroes in on key school improvement efforts, including Moving from the culture you have to the culture you want; Using the school's culture to improve teaching, job satisfaction, and morale; Maximizing the intentions of professional learning communities; and Developing organizational habits–rules and rituals–that can contribute to positive change. For education leaders at all levels, this book delivers a compelling message: Understanding and harnessing the transformative power of school culture can propel your school into the kind of place where teachers want to work, administrators can focus on what matters most, and students can thrive.
As the inclusive classroom becomes the placement of choice for many students with disabilities, the implementation of a student’s individualized education plan (IEP) is no longer the sole responsibility of a special education teacher. Together the general education teacher and the special education teacher work to ensure each student’s progress toward meeting carefully crafted goals. Success with IEPs provides teachers with practical, research-based advice and solutions to five of the most common challenges posed by IEPs: Understanding the full scope of the teacher’s roleDoing the critical prep work for IEP meetingsOffering modifications and accommodations Contributing to the IEP teamMonitoring student progressAuthor and educator Vicki Caruana explores principles that debunk some common misconceptions about how to work with students with disabilities. She offers insights, tips, and strategies that will help teachers fine-tune their practice to better meet each child’s unique needs. For teachers uncertain of their ability to meet the needs of students with IEPs, this manageable guide is a great place to start.
Educators’ most important work is to help students develop the intellectual and social strength of character necessary to live well in the world. The way to do this, argue authors Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda, is to increase the say students have in their own learning and prepare them to navigate complexities they face both inside and beyond school. This means rethinking traditional teacher and student roles and re-examining goal setting, lesson planning, assessment, and feedback practices. It means establishing classrooms that prioritize Voice —Involving students in “the what” and “the how” of learning and equipping them to be stewards of their own education. Co-creation— Guiding students to identify the challenges and concepts they want to explore and outline the actions they will take. Social construction —Having students work with others to theorize, pursue common goals, build products, and generate performances. Self-discovery —Teaching students to reflect on their own developing skills and knowledge so that they will acquire new understandings of themselves and how they learn.Based on their exciting work in the field, Kallick and Zmuda map out a transformative model of personalization that puts students at the center and asks them to employ the set of dispositions for engagement and learning known as the Habits of Mind. They share the perspectives of educators engaged in this work; highlight the habits that empower students to pursue aspirations, investigate problems, design solutions, chase curiosities, and create performances; and provide tools and recommendations for adjusting classroom practices to facilitate learning that is self-directed, dynamic, sometimes messy, and always meaningful.
Veteran educator Marilee Sprenger explains how to teach the essential, high-frequency words that appear in academic contexts–and reverse the disadvantages of what she calls "word poverty." Drawing on research and experience, Sprenger provides a rich array of engaging strategies to help educators across all content areas and grade levels not only teach students a large quantity of words but also ensure that they know these words well . You'll find An overview of how the brain learns and retains new words, including the three stages of building long-term memories: encoding, storage, and retrieval.Encoding strategies to introduce words in novel ways and jump-start the memory process.Rehearsal strategies to help students put words into long-term storage.Review strategies to help students strengthen their retrieval skills and gain the automaticity needed for reading comprehension.Ways to address planning and assessment as crucial, intersecting supports of a robust vocabulary program.This comprehensive resource has everything you need to help your students profoundly expand their vocabulary, enabling them to speak, read, and write with greater understanding and confidence.
Richard A. Villa and Jacqueline S. Thousand provide an in-depth, research-based guide for ensuring that your school provides the federally guaranteed "least restrictive environment" for students no matter the severity of the challenges they face. Leading an Inclusive School: Access and Success for ALL Students offers administrators, teachers, and other educators working to promote inclusion a wealth of information about the history and research base of inclusive education in the United States, including pivotal amendments to and reauthorizations of the EHCA, landmark court cases, and the philosophical underpinnings of the movement;essential curricular and instructional practices for inclusive schools, such as heterogeneous grouping, creative problem solving, and co-teaching;powerful organizational structures such as Multitiered System of Support and Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports to help optimize the benefits of differentiation for all students; anda conceptual framework for coordinating educational initiatives and best practices for educating all students in general education.Also included are vivid personal stories of students with disabilities that illustrate how these students flourish when they learn alongside their general education peers. Educators who are serious about committing to the success of learners at all levels of perceived physical, intellectual, communication, and social/emotional ability will find the examples, advice, and tools in this book indispensable for planning, implementing, and promoting inclusion in their schools.