An Update

Now that my class has been completed (and thank God I got an A), I think that I will use this format for future writing and gathering of thoughts... so unless you are interested in Curriculum and Assessment in public schools, or my thoughts on Special Education, the previous entries may not be for you.

bla, bla, blog

At first I thought, "Oh, jeez, I have to sign up for a blog account? What on Earth will I possibly have to say in my very own blog?"

Well, I hate to admit it, but this is really the most fun! I like having access to colleagues thoughts and their response to my thoughts. I am pleasantly surprised at how much enjoyment this part of the course has given me, and I appreciate that I was forced into blogging.

Who woulda thought?

Student Generated Post #2 OR What tools can I use?

It is nearing the end of the semester and I am pondering the information that we have discussed since January.

• Assessments- they're not just for grading purposes
• Data-when can't we use data?
• Standardized tests-they're everywhere, and used for all reasons
• NJCCCS
• NCLB
• Curriculum
• 21st Century Skills

...and this is only a portion of the content.
Now comes the interesting (and sometimes difficult) part.

• diigo
• wiki
• google docs
• google reader
• blogger
• twitter
• slidelicious
• skype
• screen casts

Here is my question: What tools can I use?

• Assessments- in my position in the child study team, virtually everything is about assessment; after all, we assess struggling students to see if they qualify for special education and related services, as well as to determine what access, delivery, technical assistance, etc. they may need to come to their full learning potential.
  
• Data-in any position in education, data is the score or answer used to direct the course of action.
  
• Standardized tests-the first round of NJASK starts tomorrow. I think we all feel the anxiety...
  
• NJCCCS- when I mentioned to a colleague that the standards were being revised, she said, "already?"
  
• NCLB- I'm not too sure how long NCLB will be with us, but I now understand the ramifications of standardized testing=AYP=funding.
  
• Curriculum-I love the UbD model of curricular development, and hope that I can have some input when my district writes new curriculum.
  
• 21st Century Skills- @ first I thought that this really just meant the second list I posted in this blog. I realize that it is much more than that.

I'd like to comment on Erin's post: Her question was how could she differentiate? Her answer was to hire a secretary. I laughed out loud. Trying to teach to all the levels of students in a class is a daunting task at best. You hope that one of the strategies you thought up would work for a small cluster of students. You wish you had more time and direct guidance to figure out a new strategy now that the old one doesn't work anymore. You pray that the main office asks if you need any copying done, because they have a sub with an open period at the end of the day. I wonder what will happen when every student will be required to have an individualized plan. Oops - that's another question!

Curricular Evaluation

I think there are quite a few factors at stake when evaluating a curriculum. The factors should include whether a curriculum is valid and reliable.

Does it do what it is supposed to do?

• Are students learning from the curriculum?

• How can you tell?

Is it a breathing, usable document?

• How is it updated?

• Why is it updated?

Factors at stake include everything from failure to funding. Learning is THE major factor.

Since I was assigned to research Robert Stake's Countenance Model of 1967, I think that his approach to the evaluation of curriculum was amazing for the time. Reading his paper on evaluation of curriculum made me think of my schooling in 1967. I believe that his approach was new and fresh for the time. I believe that curriculum evaluation in 2009 has changed as leaders in the field have developed new approaches to critiquing curriculum.

I am reminded of the original New Jersey law that set forth the promise of education. At the time it was new and fresh. It was also true, and remains true. As time has passed since the late 1800's, educational leaders have developed new approaches, but the original doctrine and purpose remains the same.

I think Stake's model must be laborious to efficiently utilize, although his concepts are on target.

Exit Card

List three things you learned, two things you found interesting and one thing you still have a question about. Comment on someone else's question.

1.) The first (and probably most important) thing I've learned is that I CAN do most of the technological tasks presented to us. After the first night of class, I contacted both Dan and my adviser to figure out if I could really do this. I was in panic mode; totally uncomfortable with our assignments. I thought I was okay with the class content, but certainly not okay with the technological delivery of the content. I learned that I can do it!!

2.) The second thing I learned is that being an old dog, while learning new tricks definitely takes more time than I had been accustomed to. I actually laugh at myself as I check and recheck the notes I've taken (from Dan's instructional web videos) to assist me in one of the tasks assigned for the week.

3.) The third thing I've learned is that I've learned a lot from being "on the job" as a functioning supervisor of the child study team. Being out of the classroom for two years as an LDT/C, then coordinator of CST since the fall has changed my perspective of education. This class has put a spotlight on those changes.

4.) One thing I have found interesting is that my school district is probably in a better technological place than other school districts.

5.) Another thing I have found interesting is that I like reading the professional journal articles we have been reading as our weekly current events. I had talked myself into the 'fact' that I really did not have time to read, unless it was a broadcast letter from the state. I was wrong.

6.) I still have a question regarding my assessment philosophy. It still hasn't jelled in my mind.

7.) Just because Dan and I have been going back and forth a bit through our blogs, I will comment on his latest; it makes me feel good that I put a smile on his face. I hope that I can do that for someone everyday.

Response to Dan's Blog

OK, I admit it. I've had my eye on Dan's blog. I like that he reads the same books as I (see my blog post March 21, 2009, below). I like that he commented on my blog for this assignment. (see Dan's post of March 31, 2009.

Dan's Blog: http://dan-curriculumandassessment-dan.blogspot.com/2009/03/response-to-classmates-blog.html?showComment=1239141480000#c7247288673389080385

http://dan-curriculumandassessment-dan.blogspot.com/

But what struck me was Dan's indulgence paragraph in his post. Tear away everything. Dan said, "My proudest moment as an educator was when I was teaching..." (and please take the time if you can to read that paragraph... it just makes you feel good). It totally moved me. I think about the most important components to teaching... why did I get involved with this anyway? And Dan's words reminded me of the times that you can really make a difference. It reminds me that I miss the days of teaching in a classroom. Because of Dan's Blog, I think I have to remember to walk out of my office a little more often, not just when there is a problem, but to become a little more involved with my students, because now every classified student is my student.

hey - thanks, Dan!

p.s. can anybody tell me how to make Dan's Blog link look better than just pasting the address? I did it two weeks ago, and can't recall how...

Curriculum Docs

Our school district did some pretty extensive work this past year. We incorporated our curricula into a software program called Techpaths. Although I'm a bit removed from the daily utilization of curriculum reading and lesson plan writing, upon review of the 8th grade Language Arts curriculum, I was actually pretty impressed. The writers used the curriculum maps that are updated each year to fill in the blanks of this software. So... the content, direction, essential questions and the focus were all teacher driven. The standards were added as applicable, and as teachers build lessons, they can formally add them, as well as the assessment criteria into Techpaths.

Honestly, this looks great in a binder (for NJQSAC), and I anticipate that the more tech savvy teachers are hootin' it up, but I fear for the teachers who lack skills in the technology areas. Many teachers are taking the Techpaths curricula and using it for weekly lesson plans, modifying as necessary (as to what worked in the classroom or not) and will roll over the years plans into next year. The teachers that are using it, love it. The teachers who are avoiding it will be forced to use it, and will probably not be very happy.

My Slideshow

http://www.slidelicious.com/view.html?slideid=106932

This is my slide show about how I view education through history from a perspective of a desk.

Knowledge, skills and attitudes...

Knowledge, skills and attitudes... I think that attitude is possibly the most important component that a student needs to be successful. Without a positive attitude, in a 21st Century environment, or any other environment, for that matter, there will be no success. I think of students with average skills and above average attitudes, and I see students who are more successful than a student with a below average attitude. Attitudes are shaped by environment; Home environment, school / learning environment, socio-economic environment, to name but a few. A teachers' focus should be formulating and focusing the positive attitude, as well as facilitating knowledge and skill acquisition. An attitude that envelopes the positive learning / school environment will assist a student with success of knowledge and skill acquisition. "Ya gotta wanna." You have to want to learn. You must want to get better, to succeed. You want to be competitive in your learning, your collaboration, your experimentation and experiences. These are all attributes of attitude.

Why won't the children work harder?

Over and over again, I have been bothered that I can't get my students to love learning as much as I do. Why won't these children work harder to learn? What must I bring into my classroom to encourage them, to create such an environment, that they would tire me as I taught, taught, taught; coached, coached, coached; supported, sup-, well, you get the picture. Instead, I am tired because I can't get them to self-motivate. In turn, my motivation tires, as I fall into a slow downward spiral, trying to grasp onto a tool to help us all!

As I watched Dateline last night, I was taken by the story of a high school class in Pomona, California. The teacher, Mr. Michael Steinman, recognized that there were students in his class worried about their personal family financial situation. Mr. Steinman asked them to share their concerns, and actually videotaped the sessions named, "Is Anybody Listening?", and posted it on You Tube. President Obama heard of the video, obviously viewed it, and mentioned by name one of the students (Yvonne) in a speech this week. President Obama then visited the school. I think it's fair to say that those students in Mr. Steinman's class are quite motivated right now. Mr. Steinman said, "For me as a teacher, the whole process was about giving the kids a voice and allowing them to use freedom of speech to express the heartache they and their families were feeling because of the economy. I made them a promise if they did it [the video], I’d make sure the president found out about it."

A few themes ran through my thoughts:

• isn't it cool that Mr. Steinman recognized that a basic necessity was lacking ($, housing, food) in his students' lives and it would be tough to motivate them to learn when they were thinking about the rent being late, or that there is no butter in the refrigerator?
• isn't it cool that technology exists that allows students to talk and the President has access to listen?
  
• how motivated are the Pomona students now?
• have they been heard?
• will it help?
  

After reading Dan's Blog, dated March 9, 2009 about motivation, I was drawn to his comparisons between our students and Pakistani students. He had read "Three Cups of Tea", by Greg Mortenson. I happen to be 2/3 of the way through that particular book and have also been struck by the motivation of these poor children, scraping letters and numbers in the dirt with sticks... without a building, a teacher, a book. Why are they so motivated?

Why won't our children work harder? I really wish I knew. Why is education such a 'trivial' component to some families? Has it been so easy to attain that is no longer considered valuable, like it is in Pakistan? Does it take a You Tube post to make it real for others? What will it take?

Teach for the Test??? Sure, why not?

Teach for the Test??? Sure, why not?

You know, I really do think that there are certain areas or conditions when it may be acceptable to "teach for the test". It is assumed here that we are considering standardized tests such as the NJASK, but I think that teachers routinely teach for all of the tests.

• What is a study guide if not a vehicle to teach for the test? Sure, we all say the study guide helps to assist students narrow down the wide range of content and direct their studying; but isn't it really teaching for the test?
• As for the NJASK, I think that teachers teach for the test all year long. Much of their curriculum maps and weekly plans reflect what has been on the test in the past. Teachers re-arrange their teaching to 'fit in' the content they think will be asked on the test.
• Beyond content, teaching the vocabulary of the test is essential.
• Finally, considering the delivery of the test... the expectations of answers through the preferred rubrics and the way in which questions are asked (in bullets, for example) need to be taught to students... in other words teaching for the test.
  

No Child Left Behind

In theory, "No Child Left Behind", or NCLB is a positive move toward equally educating all children. The government has decided what components are necessary in order to provide the education that every child deserves. I think I get the concept, but worry about the test scores and documentation that each district must reach in order to receive funding.

Although I'm not actually in a classroom, there are a certain factors contributing to our district's management of NCLB for which I am involved. In my opinion, the most frustrating area is in special education. APA is restricted to the most disabled student (1% of special education population) who is never in the general education setting. So therefore, most special education students who attend their home district school are therefore required to take the NJASK or HSPA.

Years ago (prior to this NCLB Act in 2002) students were not required to take certain state assessments based on their IEPs were written after certain consideration was given to their program. Although I believe that this system was misused, and many students were allowed to be excused without an alternate assessment, the expectation of a certain percentage of students to perform at a certain level is hard to grasp... especially when their classes are not only formatted around NJCCCS, but also individualized goals and objectives meant to remediate specific weaknesses (not necessarily @ grade level).

Standardized Test Results

For the past seven years or so, teachers have been asked to investigate the mountains of papers received by the state regarding NJASK tests. In grades where there were no NJASK, teachers deciphered TerraNova assessments (this year the district is using NJPASS for grades one and two). This is how it works...

1. Grade level and/or content area teams are formed.
2. Criteria is explained, i.e., what specific information is the district looking for? Most often, teachers are looking for weaknesses in reported subdomains. A weakness that has often been reported is in the area of mathematics - measurement. So, in that case, the teachers actually tally the number of students in a particular grade level with a weakness in measurement. Every student's record of subdomains are scrutinized for weaknesses, as well as strengths. Numbers are tallied, resulting in subdomain areas that will (moving forward) require a different approach to teaching the content (say, of measurement).
3. Latitude and longitude studies are done... is there improvement with the same students as they move from grade to grade in the reported weak areas? Is there improvement in one subdomain in a grade level?
4. Data is gathered resulting in possibly new resources, additional curriculum, professional development, etc.
5. The following year, the data is again brought out for comparisons to the current scores.

Another usage of standardized test scores, is for student scheduling. NJASK scores are used as a component of a rubric to determine student placement.

Still another use is for the district budget appeal. Scores are displayed for the community to see as a comparison to where the district falls in the state levels. Community members often use this data as a measure of success of the schools. Are we doing a good job? How are we compared to other K-8 districts in our socio-economic group?

Of course, state funding is based on this data.

Standardized test scores also help with placement into Basic Skills Instruction, Gifted and Talented, and I&RS programs.

Time Spent on Testing

"Yes, Mrs. R., I do see how you would think that I spend a lot of time on testing... sometimes it seems that EVERYTHING I do in the classroom has SOMETHING to do with an assessment of some sort.

"Let me explain my rationale... let's talk about state assessments first, because honestly, we don't have a choice in that matter. The federal government mandates through NCLB that students will be assessed at certain grade levels. The state has developed tests based on CCCS that we are obligated to utilize. The good news is that we can use scores to remediate weaknesses in the student's learning, as well as deficits in class curriculum. To make any student comfortable in the testing environment, we must practice... something we do quite often in the classroom as part of the regular lessons, through Study Island all year long, and during midterms, as we use Learnia for our mid-year assessments. All of these practice options will become 'second-nature' to the students and will assure better results.

"As far as my classroom tests, I use a variety of situations to assess students. As you know, I have weekly quizzes and/or tests to assess the success of my students in content/facts. I use observations during class discussions and independent and group work to assess how a student works in a classroom setting. Homework and classwork are important avenues to gather students work, and use repetition to hone in on skills. The gathering of work into portfolios is still another way of assessment.

"Why so much, you ask? Well, all these areas drive my daily classroom curriculum. When I have found that the students have learned/mastered an area of focus, we move on. If there is any area that needs work, this is the way I can find it. All in all, almost everything I do is related to assessment in one way or another. I don't want you to let that make you nervous for your student, but just please understand that assessment is the tool I use in my class to further instruction. I need for my students to learn, and this is how I can check that they have."

RAFT

This is an area that I am immersed in, especially at this time of year. I handle the transitioning of our 8th graders into the receiving district's high school. There have been some instances when a parent is not happy with the proposed placement of their child.

Scenerio:

R: Subject Area Supervisor (Me)
A: Parent angered about student placement (Mrs. J.)
F: Phone conversation
T: Supporting school's decision for student (Amy) placement in College Prep vs. Honors class

Me: Hi Mrs. J., I'm glad I was able to return your call. I have a message here that you have some concerns regarding Amy's placement for 9th grade? Tell me the areas or classes, and lets see how we can investigate this.

Mrs. J.: Well, Amy was placed in the college prep course for Geometry; Geometry A, and she has had straight A's every marking period in Algebra this year. Why can't she be placed in the Honors level Geometry?

Me: Give me a minute to pull her files, Mrs. J. I would like to look at her grades and teacher comment history in mathematics, as well as her 7th grade NJASK scores.

Mrs. J.: Why are you concerned with her 7th grade tests?

Me: Typically, we use a few measurements to place students, and the most recent standardized test scores are just one of the areas that we consider. She won't take the NJASK8 until May. As you know, she is taking her midterms this week, and that is another consideration to her placement. Let's see, yes, she was proficient with a 223 in the math portion of the NJASK7. And I do see that she has gotten all A's this year. You must be quite proud of her.

Mrs. J.: So you agree that she is in the wrong level?

Me: Well, not quite, Mrs. J. Although Amy was proficient in math with a 223, for an honors level course, we are looking for a student with a higher level of proficiency, even possibly an advanced proficiency level of 250 or above. Amy is a hard worker, and does earn A's, but the honors level geometry class will have few freshman... mostly sophomores in attendance. It is required that Amy has an advanced knowledge as a spring board in order to achieve success in honors Geometry.

Mrs. J.: Well, what if Amy does really well in the NJASK8?

Me: If Amy meets the criteria set in the coursebook for the high school, and she already has the algebra grades for it... if she achieves the necessary NJASK8 score in math, there is no reason why she couldn't be pushed into the honors class. We won't receive the 8th grade test scores from the State until the summer, but we have a team here, and guidance counselors work at the high school over the summer. We could look into a change then. But, I would also want you to think a bit about the transitioning into a new school. Amy is in a class of 45 here, and will be joining 350 other students in her freshman high school class. We want to balance her academic load with the social component of the transition, so that she is successful in her learning experience.

Mrs. J.: Okay, I guess we need to wait and see on this. I'm not happy, but I can't argue with the data.

Me: Thanks for your understanding, Mrs. J. I wish Amy luck in the midterms this week as well as the State tests in May. We can talk after we see how she has done, and by then she'll have a guidance counselor assigned for assistance at the high school.

Decision Making Data Use

I'm not actually IN a classroom anymore, but I find that the use of data is even more relevant to my current position in the Child Study Team.

As an LDT/C and Supervisor of Special Services / CST, most of my initial decisions are data driven. In order to bring a student to the Intervention and Referral Service Team, data must be produced from the referring teacher. This data includes benchmark assessment scores, NJASK scores, report card grades, attendance data, and any other information, including data from the medical field, that may be available.

If a child needs additional strategies outside of a general educational setting, more data is attained in a variety of areas including formal evaluation procedures. At this point, assessments such as the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement (for academic / educational achievement data) and the Weschler Intellegence Scale for Children (for ability / I.Q. data) are compared to find the child's ability versus his / her accomplishments. There may also be data gathering through speech / language and fine and gross motor formalized assessments. Additionally, the data listed in the first paragraph is utilized.

As young children prior to the age of three are referred to my department, data is collected through the Battelle Developmental Inventory; a group of 5 subtests used by in the U.S. to gather formalized data. 33% delays in one subtest would classify a preschooler and qualify him / her to receive services. 25% delays in two or more subtests would also classify a student.

Quantifying weaknesses through data is really what the classification of students eligible for special education and related services is really about.

The Influences of Assessments

1960's: I loved the Iowa tests. We sat at every other seat at the long tables in the cafeteria. The entire school took the tests at the same time. I felt especially smart because I was done before the other students.

1970's: The SAT's unnerved me. I did not feel prepared for college, so ended up taking a job (and immediately entering night school). Turns out my scores were not so bad.

1980's: The 80's were a blur... no assessments except for those associated with childbirth. I did particularly well with the ultrasound.

1990's: I loved the Miller's. Time to change vocation from industry to stay-at-home-mom to teacher. Ready to move forward.

2000's: OK - now I administer the tests that I loved so in the 1960's. Making sure that the special ed population I taught received all the modifications admissible from the state was so important to me. I want the students to feel as good about testing as I did as a little girl.

and beyond: Now I'm checking in tests, creating test schedules, training special ed teachers and instructional aides how they can best support their students in high stake testing situations.