It’s been another great year for Teach. Learn. Grow. Thanks to our readers, of course.
As 2019 comes to an end, we’re shaking our heads wondering where the time went. We’re also eager to share our most popular posts. Whether you’re a teacher or administrator, there’s something here for you.
Posts chock-full of classroom tips
- “8 ways teachers can make a curriculum equitable” Some small changes can empower students, foster an inclusive classroom community—and make a big difference
- “10 proctor tips for engaging students” NWEA researcher Steven Wise and Darin Kelberlau, executive director of assessment, research, and evaluation at Millard Public Schools in Omaha, share their advice for assessment day success
- “75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom” Overwhelmed by technology? This list can help you make the most of formative assessment tools and apps
- “27 easy formative assessment strategies for gathering evidence of student learning” All these strategies are simple to administer. They’ll give you the evidence of student learning you need to make lesson plan adjustments and keep learning on target, too
- “Trajectory-based performance tasks—in the science classroom and beyond” Performance tasks that grow in sophistication over the course of a school year can support student growth to proficiency. Our six-part series digs into what they are, why they matter, and how to get started. Click through to explore their role in the science classroom and link back to earlier posts and our on-demand webinar
Research to support efforts in your school or district
- “Rethinking school performance with Dr. Andrew Hegedus” NWEA Research Consulting Director Andrew Hegedus found that student achievement is strongly related to the amount of poverty in a school, but growth is not. Read the post and watch his on-demand webinar to learn more
- “How to support ELL students: A Q&A with Dr. Jim Soland” NWEA Affiliated Research Fellow Jim Soland explored self-efficacy and the achievement gap for ELL students. Learn more about his research with our post and on-demand webinar
More good stuff
- “Why an equitable curriculum matters” Early reports of the 2020 census indicate that the majority of students beginning school next fall will be from minority backgrounds. Equity in curricula cannot wait
- “4 ways administrators can create an equitable curriculum” There’s a lot teachers can do to build an equitable curriculum for their students. They’ll be more successful if they have the full support of their administrators
- “You, too, could raise state scores” MAP® Growth™ + ongoing professional development + perseverance = big gains in state scores for the Archdiocese of New York four straight years in a row
- “Sharing assessment data with parents just got simpler” The new Family Report makes critical conversations about MAP Growth data much easier and constructive
- “Engaging students before it’s too late” MAP Growth will now auto-pause when it detects student disengagement. That makes it easier for proctors to intervene and for students to truly show what they know and are ready to learn next
Wishing you a wonderful start to the new year.
