Student Learning

Our district using a software program called DMAC solutions to look at testing data. We are able to look at assessments objective by objective and it is easy to target specific areas. We can run all types of reports with the software. Our TAKS data is automatically entered and our district enters data for our district math benchmark. Teachers can enter whichever testing data they would like to run reports on.

Our newest assessment tool is called MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing. This testing helps you individualize instruction and analyze programs being used. Our second grade team piloted this program last year and third grade is going to be participating in MAP testing this coming school year. For third grade, we are going to have MAP testing at the beginning of the year and in the middle of the year. The testing is done on the computer and you can choose which areas you would like to assess. We are going to be doing math and reading. The reports generated from MAP will show you where your students are performing. We can use this information to form tutoring groups, small group instruction, enrichment groups, etc.

Second grade really liked this testing last year and they (as well as third grade) is going to be taking the testing to the next level. We really want to analyze the information to better teach the students and individualize their instruction. We think this will really improve learning for our students.

For more information on MAP testing, click here.

Other basic assessment tools include STAR testing which shows reading levels and Accelerated Reader. Third grade doesn't do much with AR testing, but some teachers do run reports with it. I like to send home STAR reports to my students' parents so they can see grade level equivalents for their reading. I don't place a whole lot of emphasis on these reports, but I think it is a good guide for them to know what types of books they should help their children pick out. I think it is a good starting place for kids to pick out books themselves, but I also want them to know whether or not a book is hard/too hard.

School/District Improvements

The big push in our district and school is global communication and learning. We have hired a global communications coordinator to facilitate this. Our goal is to establish connections throughout the world for our students to collaborate with. Our district is spending a lot of money training teachers on how to create global learning communities in the classroom. I just got back from BLC (Building Leadership Communities) in Boston with Alan November with a group of teachers from my district. We are going to take the information we learned and share it with our campus.

This is still in the works, but our appraisal system is about to change. We are going to start having online studies/groups to talk about what we are doing in our classroom. Teachers will keep track of what they are doing/learning to move forward in the 21st century. Because our district is so small, it is easy for our design teams to collect data from teachers to discuss how to move forward. We have a CLC (Campus Leadership Council) that meets throughout the school year to discuss plans for the campus. I actually sit on this council and help discuss improvements. Technology is the biggest push at our campus. We measure this growth through feedback from students, teachers, parents, and administrators. Our principal is always asking for feedback and ideas on how to move forward.

As a district, we are also moving toward assessment for learning/formative assessment. I went to a workshop with our design team on how to establish this in our building. I think this is a work in progress and something that you have to take baby steps toward. Many teachers are resistant to change and want to do the same old thing. As a design time, we are going to teach strategies that we can integrate in the classroom for formative assessment. We will measure our growth with feedback.

In my classroom, my goal is to continue having more formative assessment. I think it is so beneficial to my students. I definitely see great results from immediate and descriptive feedback.

Writing for REAL!

Writing for REAL!

Writing is an act of creation, communication, and expression.

We make writing real by letting students know they have a voice and their words are valuable…they don’t have to be published….their voice matters.

Imagine only – paints a picture for your mission…add a visual.

It’s the rallying of others around your message that will get the attention from others. You need readers to stop and pay attention.

Message and meaning should lead before spelling and grammar!

*Donald Graves on writing – what do you write about? You write about the first thing that comes to your mind. You write in front of the kids. Then the class becomes a class of writers. After that you share your writing. I AM A WRITER!

Have a journal wherever you go…take pictures and write about…notes on life. Things you notice, moments of clarity.

Writing Territories:

Put it on the wall! A list of Who? What? Why? Post all the formats of writing!

In collecting your writing territories, consider?

What I wonder?Think of Wonder – make a wonder box or wonder bag. Writers are anthropologists…they study life.

Who I am as a writer –

· I SEE my goals

· I know WHO I’m writing to

· I’ve defined the HEART of my message

· My ACTIONS support why it’s important

· I TAKE my reader to new places

Making Writing REAL:

· Would a real writer do this?

· Take pictures of what writers look like and what they do

· What is their reasoning for writing?

Capture some Writers!!!

Rules of Writing:

1. Writers write what they know about, care about, and wonder about

Heart Mapping – map out what you are diligently willing to explore thinking and writing about. Walking kids step by step to design a writing map.

http://kc3rd.pbworks.com/f/WriteFromtheHeart.pdf

http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/h/HPLesson1_Final.pdf

2. Writers learn from other writers! Find authors on Skype! Figure out who inspires them!

http://www.helenlester.com/

http://www.gailgibbons.com/

The best writers are the best readers. Kids must see the link and think insightfully about who the writer is. WRITER TO WRITER: What writers inspire you and what does it make you think about?

“Make Writing a Habit” – Stephen King

3. Writers learn from READERS!!!

Connect & Complete

Cluster Map - http://www.clustrmaps.com/ - see where your readers are coming from!

What do Writers Need?

· TIME – you can’t get good at anything if you don’t have time – long blocks of time! You cannot force a writer to get over the blank page.

· AUDIENCE – it has to be more than you…it can be GLOBAL! Every moment they need to see another writer is going to give me feedback.

Big Universe – http://www.biguniverse.com/?gclid=CLCw0Lqo66ICFRBx5QodHTnygA

Real Writer - http://realewriter.com/

National Gallery of Writing - http://galleryofwriting.org/

Publishing Books - https://www.lulu.com

~Speaking is a form of communication! Podcasting!!!

http://mps.wes.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=115312

· YOU – they need YOU! They need the privilege of what it means to be a good writer!!! They need you to model!

Current Assessment Practices

Our district is taking on a different approach to assessment. It's new for us, but not a new idea/concept. We are focusing on assessment of an for learning...some people consider this formative assessment. It is hard to transition out of the usual 100 point scale, but that's the direction we are heading. My grade adopted a 3-2-1 grading scale in 2008 and it was quite a shocker at first, but now that I've gotten used to it, I like it. There is not an emphasis on the grade, it's a focus on the learning...which is what I think is best for my students.

We don't do a lot of standard testing. We do lots of informal assessments. This might be through math/writing/reading journals, a quick five questions, or sometimes we use the Activevotes. I to usually give a test at the end of each math unit that comes from EnVision Math. I like informal assessment because the feedback is quick and meaningful to them. I feel like I can be more specific with the feedback especially if I'm working one-one-one. Our district gives one math benchmark in January and any other benchmark is up to the teacher/grade level to give. We usually do a reading and math on our own each semester. This test is usually an old TAKS test. The district math benchmark is graded electronically and we get the breakdowns of the test which is nice. We can then focus on the objectives that are weak as well as pinpoint students who need the extra help.

I do use portfolios in my classroom. We keep a writing and math portfolio and this past year I started an electronic portfolio which was really cool. We integrate technology in just about everything we do, so my kids had awesome portfolios at the end of the school year. The each get their own storage drive, but it's wiped at the end of each year. Most of my kids brought flash drives/discs to store their work....they certainly didn't want to lose it! I love portfolios because I think it helps you measure growth and it provides various samples of work instead of just one grade.

I do a lot of projects in my class. I think they are fun and engaging for the students and I think they can promote higher level thinking if done correctly. We usually do some sort of performance assessment in each math unit. Last year the favorite was the GeoNews movie that they created for the multi-media class....they were so proud! I also like to incorporate technology projects with novel studies. I like to get them thinking through the literature and then the technology makes it exciting!ki

As far as technology and assessment goes, I use Excel to keep my grade book. It's shocking that with all the advanced levels of technology my district has, we don't have an electronic grade book in the elementary schools. It's up to the teacher to determine how they want to keep grades...and yes, most use the old-school paper grade book. I mentioned earlier that we use the Activevotes quite frequently. Those are the electronic clickers that work with the Promethean (Smart) board. My kids love them! We also have Activeexpressions which allow you to write/text. I haven't used them yet, but I'm going to next year. Our school also purchased a class set of Nintendo DS's. THESE ARE AWESOME for quick checks. The kids basically use them as chatrooms to answer specific questions that I give them. You can have multiplication tests, spelling tests, the sky is the limit! We love the DS's!!!! I also use Moodle which is similar to Blackboard to give assessments. This also gives immediate feedback to the students. The quizzes are a bit of a trick to make, so I don't do it all that frequently.

I follow the technology TEKS and we dig pretty deep into them. I was amazed by everything they learned in the technology world last year!!!

Assessment goals that I have:

(1) I would like to continue to add more and more quick feedback

(2) I would like for my building to use more formative assessment

(3) I would like for my building to use more technology to assess

Multimedia Project

I finished my multimedia project and I'm really excited about it. I tweeked the assignment a bit and did not focus on 1 lesson. Instead, I focused on a geometry unit. I created activities, posted videos, websites, and forums for my kids to learn/discuss geometry in the real world. I decided to do this on Moodle because my district uses this LMS. It makes it very easy for my kids to login from home and they are comfortable using Moodle. I wanted to create something that my students will actually use.

I started off using Soft Chalk and I will say that there are more activities available on Soft Chalk. I really liked the activities and was excited about using them. I decided to use Moodle and then link to Soft Chalk for the activities. Unfortunately I have had a really tough time trying to figure out how to publish my work to the web. I downloaded a free account, so perhaps I don't have that type of access. I watched a lot of the videos to learn how to use it, but I'm still a little confused. I hope to be able to figure it out because I think the activities would be highly beneficial and fun for my kids.

On my Moodle page I have forums that discuss what geometry is and where you would see it in the "real world". I also uploaded our class GeoNews video for future students to refer to. There is a youtube section where I link really fun/educational videos for my kids to watch. My current students have really enjoyed this. I also have a video section for educational videos from Discovery. Each video is followed up by a forum with questions and discussion items that the kids will participate in. There is an Assessment section and I have included a summative assessment as well as choices for 3 different performance assessments. My current students have also enjoyed the website section. There are great websites about geometry that are quite engaging.

I am really excited about sharing this with my team because I think we will use it in the future. My goal is to create a page like this for every math unit we discuss.

For those of you who haven't used Moodle, it's awesome. It's a great way to get your kids to collaborate and participate. My students have really loved it this year and I think I will use it even more next year.

The Stiletto Heel

This is a fun example on how you can use Voicethread. My students are going to use it for their book report. We are doing nonfiction books. I picked the topic of the stiletto heel and made a voicethread.

Digital Data

Storing digital data and keeping it protected is very important. I remember my first year at my current school, I wasn't storing my files properly. I saved them on my computer and sadly when my computer was re-imaged, all of those files were gone. I was SO sad, but I used that as a learning experience and then set down with our CIT and learned how to properly store data...and back it up!

Our server is set up, so there are different drives. Each faculty member can save to their "H" drive, which is a personal storage space, no one else (except tech administrators and CIT's) can access my H drive. There is also the "R" folder or student public drive where I can save documents/files in my "McCoy" folder for my students or whoever else to access. I store anything for my students to access here...pictures, videos, documents, etc. The public drive is for faculty members to access. For example, if my team created a great lesson that we wanted to share, we would save it here for others to see. Each of my students also have an "H" drive where they can save their personal data. This is where all of their projects are stored. I can access this from the "W" folder (I know...very confusing...it just takes practice). The "X" drive is for video/movie downloads and anyone can access them. Each school has a folder and each faculty member has a folder, but you can access anyone's folder. The "K" drive is set up the same way and that's where you save your flipcharts for the Promethean board. This may sound a bit overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, it's quite simple. For safety measures, I back up my files on disks at the end of the year. I just got an external hard drive for my new computer, so I will probably back up on this as well.

I asked our CIT about how we digitally store our data:

HPISD uses a Redundant SAN(storage area network) for storage and protection of digital data. It is mirrored to a second SAN for disaster recovery. Brief answer, but that's the explanation.

Our e-mail is also backed up for 7 years for every user in the district.

I think our district does a nice job of keeping our data organized and safe.