Mathematical Practices By Standard - posters

Mathematical Practices By Standard - posters

Another great resource from the Jordan, Utah school district:  http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/mathematical-practices-by-standard/

Excellence is about reflection not an endpoint you get to.................

Excellence is about reflection not an endpoint you get to.................

As we close out on January with the cold weather and move into hopefully warmer weather in February, parent-teacher conferences will be upon us and we look at what has been accomplished thus far.  It is at this time that we must remind ourselves that, teaching is challenging.  It is continuous progress not perfection, because things are changing at such a rapid pace, that matters. It is not teachers who get feedback and look back and regret, but those who look forward, reflect and continuously refine that are the excellent ones.  I would love to hear what has caught your attention and has caused you to refine your practice thus far this year --- someone, something you heard, something you read, something modeled...................share your journey with me! 

Deeper Learning Dos and Don'ts - The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

Deeper Learning Dos and Don'ts - The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

Deeper Learning Dos

• Do establish a routine. Students, especially those who gravitate toward alternative learning programs, need to understand the expectations placed on them. A daily routine (when both on and off campus) set by the teacher goes a long way toward reaching those expectations. 
• Do empower students to advocate for themselves. If they believe their understanding of a topic or skill set isn’t reflected in the data, they should feel comfortable saying so. The teacher’s job is to facilitate learning, and sometimes in the argument for mastery, everything clicks. 

Deeper Learning Don’ts

• Don’t let students believe the work is too hard. You start losing kids when they think they can’t do it or that they won’t understand. Make sure they see their progress. Find little places to make them active owners of even the smallest amounts of learning. 
• Don’t believe all teachers can do this without training. Blended learning takes a special kind of teacher. Lecturers and assigners are not enough. This work takes highly qualified subject area teachers who can facilitate and mentor to get at learning in a different way and ensure it’s really happening, no matter where the student is.Dos

The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

http://www3.districtadministration.com/mailing/partner/edgenuity/2013/Role_of_the_Teacher.pdf

NGSS have been finalized

The Next Generation Science Standards are now available. Twenty-six states and their broad-based teams worked together with a 41-member writing team and partners throughout the country to develop the standards.

There are three ways to view the standards:  

Arranged by Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI)

Arranged by Topics

Search individual performance expectations

WI is moving forward with the CCSS

Here is the text of a communication I was more than happy to receive when it was passed along to me this week:

Dear Colleagues,

As you may know, the Governor announced today at the WASB Convention that he is calling for a commission that would review academic standards in Wisconsin. While we will need to see the details of any plan, I’ve agreed in principle to work with the Governor and the Legislature to establish a process, like the one he has described, that would inform the future development of academic standards in our state while respecting the independent authority of Wisconsin’s local school boards and the constitutional role of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.   

Some in the media have construed the Governor’s message to mean that Wisconsin is backing off the Common Core. That is not the case. That is not what the Governor said at the convention today, nor is it what he told me personally. We are moving forward with the Common Core. 

The continued back and forth political discussions on the Common Core are a distraction, and it is time to put this matter to rest. The Common Core will remain, will continue to form the basis of our state tests, and a Commission could recommend additions to the standards that school districts could adopt, for example. 

Our office will continue to keep you apprised as any new legislation around academic standards unfolds. Thank you for your continued support of the Common Core State Standards, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Tony Evers, PhD

State Superintendent

Edutopia - Common Core in Action Series

Edutopia - Common Core in Action Series

Common Core in Action Series

Follow the link to view the excellent resources collected and provided by Edutopia.  From their blog post:

"

"This collection of blog posts highlights lesson plans, ideas, and other useful resources to help you bring Common Core-aligned lessons into your classroom. We're actively building this repository of ideas every week, so make sure to bookmark this page. You can also follow #CCSS or #CCSSChaton Twitter for the latest updates."

Fascinating - A high school where students travel to 12 countries over 4 years!

THINK Global School is a path-breaking high school that offers teenagers a once-in-a-lifetime international experience. TGS students don’t simply “study abroad.” They immerse themselves in twelve countries over four years, undertaking a challenging curriculum that culminates in their official International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations at the end of year four. Throughout their studies, TGS students visit significant historical, cultural, and scientific sites, all while building new skills and relationships with those around them. – See more here. http://thinkglobalschool.org/about/what-is-tgs/#sthash.aph63iAd.dpuf

Use Youtube to water your mind today.................

As I am organizing and filing this morning, I am using youtube to keep updated on Innovation, Creativiy, College and Career Expectations while listing to Tony Wagner, the author of Making of Young People Who Will Change the World.

Interesting..............................Click Here to View too.
Prefer a shorter version. Click here for 15 min. TedTalk.

Other resources book review.

Reminds me of Sir Ken Robinson.

Teacher Professional Development: 5 Formative Assessment Fundamentals for Common Core Success

One of the key elements of the Common Core is the notion of motivating students to apply higher-order thinking and support it with evidence. As school districts work to develop and implement curricula for the Common Core State Standards, teachers need to master an important skill in order to support this new level of thinking: engaging the entire classroom in deeper discussion.

But how can we make sure all of our teachers and instructional staff are prepared for this shift?

Professional development that is grounded in the proven fundamentals of formative assessment can go a long way toward preparing teachers for success with a Common Core curriculum. In particular, focusing teacher professional development on the following five key areas is essential:

1. Making expectations for students clear
2. Leading students to higher-order thinking by eliciting evidence of learning and providing feedback
3. Personalizing the learning environment with student-directed differentiation
4. Creating depth of knowledge and resources within the classroom by activating students as instructional resources for one another
5. Collaborating with other teachers to lead, grow, reflect, and learn

Let’s take a closer look at each of these five key areas.

Assessment Shifts on the Horizon

Assessment Shifts on the Horizon

It's difficult for anyone to keep track of which assessments will stay in the near future, but this handy chart may help:

                 Assessments and Grade Levels

ASSESSMENT (alphabetical order) + purpose or testing group	GRADE LEVELS at which assessment is given + when assessment will begin
ACCESS for ELLS & Alternate ACCESS for ELLs English Language Learners Achievement & Language Aquisition	K through 12 Alternate: 1-12
ACCESS 2.0 for ELLs English Language Learners	K-12 (beginning in 2015-2016)
ACT Explore	9 (beginning in 2014-2015)
ACT Plan	10 (beginning in 2014-2015)
ACT & WorkKeys	11 (beginning in 2014-2015)
Dynamic Learning Maps (1% of population; students with disabilities)	3 – 8 and 11 (beginning in 2014-2015)
NAEP	4, 8, and 12 – randomly selected WI schools (current)
PALS	K4, K, 1, 2 (K4, K, 1 current) (2 beginning in 2014-2015)
Smarter Balanced	3 through 8 (beginning in 2014-2015)
WKCE & WAA-SwD, ELA and Mathematics	3-8 and 10 (ends in 2013-2014)
WKCE & WAA-SwD, Social Studies and Science	4, 8 and 10 (current; continues in 2014-2015)

Keep the Learning Higher.........................tools

• Keeping your learning targets focused on higher level thinking is key --

  Bloom’s revised  http://www.icc.edu/innovation/PDFS/assessmentEvaluation/RevisedBloomsChart_bloomsverbsmatrix.pdfDepth of Knowledge   http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/msip/DOK_Chart.pdfHess’s rigor matrix
  

Digital Learning Day is February 5

Wisconsin’s Digital Learning Day will be held Wednesday, February 5, 2014, in conjunction with the national event hosted by the Alliance for Excellent Education at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

The DPI hopes administrators, teachers, and librarians will:

• Submit stories showing how innovative digital instructional strategies have positively transformed learning for Wisconsin students
• Join the effort, stay informed, and spread the word
• Plan an event (classroom activity, district-level initiative, announcement of new technology program, etc.), then tell the rest of the state and/or add it to the national map

Wisconsin is also marking the day by beginning to transition the Wisconsin Educational Technology (WETECH) email list to a Google Community. The DPI is beginning to move from traditional email lists to Google Communities to improve personalization, peer-to-peer interaction, archiving and search functionality.

The national Digital Learning Day event will feature district-level experts who have successfully navigated the digital learning shift, ready to answer questions from educators across the country. Video footage from this event will be available to all Digital Learning Day participants. 

Primary MAP Quick View Grid

Here is a quick view to look at the key skills in the Primary MAP test.

Metacognitive Learning Dos & Don'ts - The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

Metacognitive Learning Dos & Don'ts - The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

Metacognitive Learning Dos

• Do set clear goals and expectations at the start. The most difficult thing about teaching anyone to learn is understanding that learning itself is learned. Setting expectations for everything from coursework to time management helps keep everyone on track. 
• Do understand that cyber learning is not for everybody. Personalized learning is just that: personal. Some students require a more traditional approach, and that’s fair. 

Metacognitive Learning Don’ts

• Don’t expect every student to embrace learning immediately. Particularly with students who have struggled with school all their lives, everything related to learning is a challenge. Thinking about thinking and understanding how we learn is a challenge for even the best students. 
• Don’t staff only with teachers. While teachers are essential to the model, consider the need for other adults and mentors to form relationships with students—counselors, experts in sociology and psychology, and those able to identify student struggles and successes

The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

http://www3.districtadministration.com/mailing/partner/edgenuity/2013/Role_of_the_Teacher.pdf

Announcement: Autism Report

This is a quick announcement to let you know that the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders has released its much-anticipated update on evidence-based practices for children and youth with autism. Scientists at UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute spearheaded the project, screening 29,000 articles about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to locate the soundest research on interventions for children from birth to age 22.

This report provides important guidance for professionals and families. You can read more here: 

 Thanks--and I'd really appreciate any help you can provide in spreading the word.

Best,

Dave

Dave Shaw, Communications Director
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
919-966-0867

In honor of a great leader.............a primary document.

This is the way of a committed peacemaker.....................honoring Dr. Martin Luther King.

Close reading activity - what specific evidence from this primary document and others you can find can assist you in writing a biographical sketch of this man's leadership style?

4,496,308.................students did this last year?

4,496,308 students took NWEA-MAP assessments Fall and Spring in the United States during the 2012-13 school year.

The first person in the WGSD learning community who can find out how many students in Wisconsin during the 2012-13 school year took the NWEA MAP test wins a dozen Hoppe homemade chocolate chunk cookies!

CPM curriculum and technical support available

CPM curriculum and technical support available

If you teach a CPM course, please keep these mentor teachers in mind for your questions.  They will respond to emails from teachers, students and parents to provide assistance for users via technical answers, tutorial webinars and mathcasts, and finding resources for more complicated answers.  You can access these mentors at:  http://www.cpm.org/support:

• middle grades:  Susan Hoffmier, Auburn, CA
• high school:  Melissa Thomley, Madison, WI

There is also a "homework helpline" at:  http://www.cpm.org/students/homework

Research with Strategy Tutor ---------- perhaps!

STUDENT/TEACHER RESOURCE: Strategy Tutor for Online Research

What is Strategy Tutor?

Strategy Tutor is a FREE web-based tool available through the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) designed to support students and teachers doing reading and research on the internet. Strategy Tutor helps students read, research, collect and understand information better and more efficiently. For teachers, Strategy Tutor provides a way to easily create web-based lessons embedded with research-based, highly effective learning strategy and vocabulary supports.

Students can use Strategy Tutor to collect information, get help with websites, information, vocabulary and store notes in a personal, sortable electronic worklog that can be viewed from any computer.

Teachers can use Strategy Tutor to access professional development resources and teacher-created lessons that can be used as is or customized to suit learning needs.  Educators can also create their own strategy-supported lessons while getting help from embedded coaches, as well as watch students grow in research skills by checking their worklogs at any time, from any computer.

Check it out today!

Take the Student Research Project Tour 

Watch the Feature Demos 

Explore Teacher Resources in the Guest Teacher Preview (note: use Firefox as your internet browser to see correct formatting of the site)

The packet-driven classroom

The packet-driven classroom

Jeff Bliss got our attention when he shared his frustration with his 

teacher, classmates, and the world about his learning environment.

The now viral video captures a room of passionless students, some 

with their heads down, , some staring into space, all silently sitting at 

their empty desks seemingly disconnected not only from each other, 

but also from their behind-a-desk-fortress teacher.

Read more here. Lisa Nielsen's blog is worth following. 

A penny for your thoughts...........

Are you following any blogs.............besides mine? Keep updated that way.

Our Favorite Digital Citizenship Bloggers to Follow in 2014

Filed by Audrey Stokes in Digital Literacy, Digital Citizenship | 12/23/2013

Connecting with other educators online is an integral part of being a 21st century educator. Sharing tips, tools, and ideas can help you organize your thoughts as well as your classroom! Here are 10 of our favorite digital citizenship bloggers to follow in 2014.

Click here to continue learning and see the award winners.  

Online Discussion Dos & Don'ts - The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

Online Discussion Dos & Don'ts - The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

Online Discussion Dos

• Do be flexible. Students in any blended learning environment are diverse and have unique needs. 
• Do care for the students. Student focus and student-centered work is essential to reach students and ensure they succeed in a blended learning environment. 

Online Discussion Don’ts

• Don’t be afraid to reach out to students. If a student isn’t replying to e-mails or doesn’t seem to be giving his all to the program,it’s the teacher’s job to check in and encourage. Complacency can be the enemy of a great blended learning environment.
• Don’t stop learning. We’re all professional learners.  An online environment allows us to continue to learn and experience and pass that information on to students.

The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Classroom by Edgenuity

http://www3.districtadministration.com/mailing/partner/edgenuity/2013/Role_of_the_Teacher.pdf

e-Resources + CCSS...Free!

e-Resources + CCSS...Free!

Michigan Online Resources for Educators has lesson plans and other resources tagged to specific content standards:  http://more.mel.org/  Check it out!

ASSESSMENT UPDATE: Wisconsin’s New Assessments: Key to Meeting Higher Academic Standards

ASSESSMENT UPDATE:  Wisconsin’s New Assessments: Key to Meeting Higher Academic Standards

Wisconsin’s New Assessments: Key to Meeting Higher Academic Standards

Wisconsin is moving from a paper-and-pencil test with multiple choice questions to an online assessment system with computer-adaptive questions. Computer-adaptive tests adapt to the individual student. If the student answers an item incorrectly, the next item will be easier. If the student answers an item correctly, the next item will adapt to be more difficult. This is a key advancement in student assessment and provides a much more precise measure of what students know. Wisconsin is taking advantage of this technology because it provides better information to teachers, parents, and students themselves.

The new assessments will give schools more information and more flexibility.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter) is producing the end-of-year summative test that meets the federal requirements for student testing. Smarter is also providing a number of optional assessments for teachers to use as they wish. The whole system includes:

·         Summative.

o   End-of-year standardized assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics that Wisconsin is required to administer to Grades 3-8.

o   Aligned to our state standards.

o   Data is used for accountability report cards.

·         Interim.

o   Optional assessment used by teachers to benchmark progress throughout the year.

o   Aligned to the summative assessment.

o   Data is used locally by schools and teachers.

o   Not used for accountability.

·         Formative.

o   Optional instructional strategies used by teachers to assess their students during lessons.

o   No data are reported.

o   The information from these formative assessments should help teachers effectively plan lessons for students who need more instruction on the standards being taught.

o   Resources and strategies are organized in a digital library accessible by all educators in the Consortium.

The new assessments will give a more accurate picture of each student’s knowledge and skills. Computer-adaptive results are provided far more quickly than with paper-and-pencil tests, and are more precise in telling parents and educators what their students know. This helps to quickly focus students on specific areas of improvement. Additionally, Smarter includes performance tasks which allow students to demonstrate their learning in ways that are not possible with a multiple choice test. Further, students are able to access the test better with the computer-based accommodations offered. For example, students will now be able to increase font size and flag items to come back to on the Smarter test. This allows students to demonstrate what they know without the disadvantage of text size.  [Also see: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/parents-students/]

Parents, educators, and community members will be able to compare student achievement between schools, districts, and even other states to ensure that all Wisconsin students are being prepared for college and careers.

The new assessments will give teachers faster results so they may individualize teaching. Smarter assessments will be integrated with teaching practice. Teachers can get results quickly and customize instruction to meet different students’ needs—just the opposite of making instruction more standardized. The new assessments provide better information.

·         High Expectations. The new assessments are closely aligned with the Common Core State Standards which educators across the state report are already leading to higher academic outcomes.  The new assessments use a wider variety of questions and tasks with a heavier emphasis on critical thinking.

·         Fast. Computer based testing returns results in days instead of months.

·         Precise. Smarter assessments will use computer-adaptive technology, which delivers more precise information about students’ strengths and weaknesses than before.

·         Timely. The new assessments provide interim checkpoints and real-time assessment activities for teachers to embed in lessons. Feedback from these tools enables teachers to continuously gauge student progress during the course of the year, and it helps students focus their own efforts.  

These advances in assessment help teachers to make the proper adjustments to help individual students succeed, schools to make smart curricular and professional development choices, and students to be more engaged in their education.

The new assessments are cost effective.

The cost per student of the WKCE, our current summative assessment, has been approximately $24/student. The cost per student of Smarter—three interconnected assessment options—is approximately $29/student. For this increase, teachers, parents, and students will receive far more timely and precise information about student performance.

The new assessments protect student privacy.
Student information will be rigorously safeguarded. Like health records, students’ educational data is strictly protected by federal and state laws and policies. The new assessments do not loosen any existing privacy requirements. Smarter has a student data privacy policy that strictly safeguards student privacy. It also specifies that states retain control of all student results. Identifiable student data is never shared with anyone, including the federal government.

The new assessments are a state-led initiative with strong Wisconsin leadership.

The need to change Wisconsin’s assessment system was clearly laid out in 2008 by the Next Generation Task Force (http://oea.dpi.wi.gov/oea_ngatf). In 2010, Wisconsin helped create the Smarter assessments, subsequently winning funding to develop a comprehensive assessment system aligned to college and career ready standards. Ever since, we have been strong leaders in shaping the direction of the Smarter. This has been an effort led by states, with substantial and vital local input.  

·         Educator Input. Over 200 Wisconsin educators have been involved in developing the Smarter assessments, including an active State Network of Educators who help direct the formative aspect of SBAC.

·         Field Testing. Over 20% of Wisconsin students will participate in the field test.

·         Wisconsin Leadership. Staff served on the Executive Committee and all workgroups.

Wisconsin schools are ready.

We laid the groundwork for this assessment system years ago, and districts are ready for the Smarter assessments. Schools have been incorporating the Common Core into their chosen curricula since 2010 and have actively prepared to administer the new assessments.

·         In Fall 2013, 92% of Wisconsin schools reported that they are both device and bandwidth ready to administer the new assessments online. [Also seehttp://tinyurl.com/wiscsbac1 for resources on technology readiness.]

·         Teachers have shifted their instruction to cover the more rigorous state standards that will be measured by the new tests. [Also see http://commoncore.dpi.wi.gov/.]

·         Teachers have access to sample tests so they can become familiar with the kinds of questions and tasks that the Smarter assessments will include.

·         Across the state professional organizations have been heavily invested in this preparation. [http://www.awsa.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=872.] DPI issues quarterly updates on consortium timeline, news, and progress:http://oea.dpi.wi.gov/oea_smarter. 

Saying Good-bye to 2013...............

It is always fun to look back on the 2013 year via blogs...............just what was key that educators were interested in reading and learning about -- or reflecting upon.  Click here to view one interested blog I enjoy.

Simple Science Videos....................

Welcome to Simple Science. A collection of educational science videos for educators, students and parents.

Enjoy the videos and subscribe today.  I know Jenny H at Fox River Middle School has shared some awesome sites too.  I will have to check with her and blog them out to all of our science teachers.

!

Related channels on YouTube

•  

  MinutePhysics
•  

  AsapSCIENCE
•  

  Khan Academy 
•  

  SciShow 
•  

  CrashCourse 
•  

  Veritasium