10.22.20 Brooke Mabry 7 ways to use ZPD and scaffolding to challenge and support students In my last post, we covered the basics on ZPD: what it is, why it matters, and how to identify it for each student. That was ZPD 101. (Bill Amend, of FoxTrot fame, must read this blog regularly... Read more
10.8.20 Brooke Mabry The zone of proximal development (ZPD): The power of just right If you’re anything like me, you’re feeling a little ready (okay, a lot ready) for 2020 to be over. Remember how much hope we had in May that school would be back to normal this fall? Yet here we... Read more
9.21.20 Monica Rodríguez Teachers, here’s how to use MAP Growth data You’ve tested with MAP® Growth™ (or will soon). Now what? For many schools, learning isn’t looking like it did in January—and it certainly isn’t looking like many of us hoped. The silver... Read more
3.3.20 Keith Kindred How to get from data as foe to data as friend Data doesn’t lie, and it made Faith believe in herself. Faith was a student who the state of Michigan said was a failure. But because one of her teachers used assessment data effectively, she made... Read more
2.27.20 Erin Ryan What happens when test takers disengage? The best assessments are only effective and reliable if students are engaged and trying their best. But we know that’s not always the case. Sometimes students zip through a test, selecting... Read more
1.23.20 Michael Tappler How my district is rethinking state assessment Clayton County Public Schools, where I work as a psychometrician, is a member of the Georgia MAP Assessment Partnership (GMAP), a consortium of districts in Georgia dedicated to reducing overall... Read more
10.17.19 Chris Minnich NWEA on the future of state assessment It’s time to rethink state assessment. District leaders and teachers have long desired less testing―not to mention timelier and more meaningful summative test results. State departments of... Read more
10.10.19 Derrick Vargason Get more from assessment data—and save teachers time Dr. Tonya Williams, chief academic officer and chief learning officer at Leadership Preparatory Academy in Lithonia, Georgia, knew improving the use of assessment data at her school would be a big... Read more
10.3.19 Chase Nordengren 3 ways to build the differentiated, equitable school of tomorrow When looking back at the vision of the future in the 1950s and 1960s—think Epcot or The Jetsons—I’m always struck by how well this vision captured the spirit of what the future would look like,... Read more
8.20.19 Derrick Vargason 5 ways to make teacher assessment literacy a reality For any assessment to truly serve its purpose, teachers must be able to interpret and apply the data to help their students. Helping students grow is the whole point of having an assessment like... Read more
8.1.19 Monica Rodríguez How to be assessment literate, no matter your role A confident understanding of assessment helps teachers meet their students’ needs early, when it’s easier to close achievement gaps and pave the way to a long and successful academic career. Our... Read more
7.23.19 Derrick Vargason 7 Steps to Creating a Growth Assessment that Works Thanks to high-quality assessments, teachers, students and families are able to see and celebrate heroic growth. Consider a fifth-grade student who starts the year reading at a second-grade level. In... Read more
