12.19.23 Aligning curriculum, assessments, and professional learning to better support teacher practice and student learning The work of a teacher has infinite moving parts. There’s the upcoming required interim district assessment to prepare for. There’s the new school-wide social-emotional learning program to... Read more
12.14.23 3 teacher recommendations for teaching with the state test Two things are simultaneously true and inherently contradictory: Having a standardized source of student achievement data across districts is critical for evaluating progress and identifying... Read more
12.12.23 Listening to teachers to fix the state testing quagmire Across the country, teachers are beginning to plan for instruction after winter break. At some point during the second half of the school year, their calendars are marked “state... Read more
12.7.23 Reading fluency strategies for middle school—and beyond Reading fluency in middle school isn’t always a given. A startling number of students enter those grades without the reading skills they need to be successful. For some, the troubling trend... Read more
12.5.23 Cooperative learning: 4 steps for effective student grouping in a dynamic classroom Neat rows? Always. Groups of five? In June, if ever. As far as variety in student grouping for cooperative learning goes, my experience as a student in the ’90s was pretty limited. There... Read more
11.30.23 When learning to read sight words goes wrong In many kindergarten and first-grade classrooms, students are tasked with memorizing a list of words commonly appearing in texts. These lists of high-frequency words tend to go by a variety of... Read more
11.28.23 How to address text complexity and help students understand what they read When was the last time you had to read something you couldn’t understand? Stumped? That’s probably because you’re an excellent reader. I’m an excellent reader, too, so I asked my sister... Read more
11.21.23 Technology in the classroom: 5 things teachers need to know When it comes to technology, some of us are gadget-loving early adopters and some of us are Luddites who think it’s all been downhill since the advent of the printing press. Most of us are... Read more
11.16.23 Building strong foundations for early math skills at home One of my daughter Kat’s favorite activities as a toddler was lining up a set of plastic bears that she would “borrow” from her older sister’s toys. They came in four different colors,... Read more
11.14.23 Everything you ever wanted to know about early numeracy but didn’t know to ask There is a buzz in education right now about literacy and the science of reading. Within these conversations there is a particular focus on early literacy and what research indicates are the... Read more
11.9.23 How K–12 assessment is a part of learning In my book The Equity Expression: Six Entry Points for Nonnegotiable Academic Success, I address topics that are often missing from the equity conversation, such as teacher efficacy and academic... Read more
11.7.23 The zone of proximal development (ZPD): The power of just right The latest research into how kids are doing following COVID-19 school closures shows that achievement is still lagging, when compared to pre-pandemic data. Having so many students in need of... Read more