Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 —

Assessments have been a thorn in the side of teachers. The reason and way we test has been changing and we are giving tests for different reasons that we used to. Instead of using them for grades, tests are used to help guide our teaching after finding out what students need. Assessments we give in the classroom should mirror what we will see on the end of year tests. There should be no surprises as our students take the SAGE, DIBELS, DRA, or WIDA assessments. As we give summative tests to show where students are on the GVC/Learning targets, it should give you an idea how well they will do on each those assessments. Being able to forecast how students will do on tests means high expectations for students, more rigor in our teaching so students are challenged, and students being held accountable for what they are doing in class. Putting the accountability back on students can happen by showing test data, having them tracking their own progress, and having them set academic goals. We have made amazing growth as a school in teaching and curriculum development. Our next step is to improve our assessments so they match the rigor of the core. This is a process that takes time. Many grade levels have been working on building assessments. Keep looking at your assessments and increasing the rigor in them. 

Quote I’m pondering —

A culture of accountability makes a good organization great and a great organization unstoppable.- Henry Evans 

What I’m watching —

The Mystery Box

J.J. Abrams is a pretty incredible writer, director, and producer of movies. In this TED talk he talks about the mystery box and how it helps move his stories along. How can we use the Mystery box in our teaching? Hmmm. 

Favorite Article This Week —

3 Science-Backed Lessons From Albert Einstein on How to Become a Better Student of the World

A long title, but great lessons from one of the greatest thinkers of our time. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Fourth and Fifth Grade for helping to provide chrome books for WIDA testing. We have quite a few students to test and just having you be so willing to give up a few chrome books to make it easier for Lisa to test is very helpful. Thank you for being flexible. Thank you for your help. Just Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful three day weekend.