100% Graduation in Baltimore

College and Career Readiness

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland, has done it--100% graduation and 100% passing rates on every standardized test. They didn't do it by lowering the standards, and they didn't fire every teacher and replace them with "experts." But what they did do was to provide more opportunities for the students and focused professional development for teachers.

This video is not about PD 360. It's not about School Improvement Network. It's about students who succeeded and teachers who knew they could. (You can see the video on YouTube here.)

The Seedling

As a quiet little seedling
      Lay within its darksome bed,
To itself it fell a-talking,
      And this is what it said:

"I am not so very robust,
     But I'll do the best I can;"
And the seedling from that moment
     Its work of life began.

So it pushed a little leaflet
     Up into the light of day,
To examine the surroundings
      And show the rest the way.

The leaflet liked the prospect,
      So it called its brother, Stem;
Then two other leaflets heard it,
      And quickly followed them.

To be sure, the haste and hurry
     Made the seedling sweat and pant;
But almost before it knew it
     It found itself a plant.

The sunshine poured upon it,
     And the clouds they gave a shower;
And the little plant kept growing
     Till it found itself a flower.

Little folks, be like the seedling,
     Always do the best you can;
Every child must share life's labor
      Just as well as every man.

And the sun and showers will help you
     Through the lonesome, struggling hours,
Till you raise to light and beauty
     Virtue's fair, unfading flowers.

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Student Achievement Best Practices in Unlikely Places

Tupac in April

 By Lori Lustig, Special Education Teacher

image courtesy of goldbergenglish.wordpress.com

The poetry unit got off to a bad start. The tenth grade English class didn't respond any better to the poetry in the English text book, than they did to Romeo and Juliet. And they didn't like Romeo and Juliet at all.  Tough crowd.

Onto April and poetry. Pablo Neruda told us how poetry changed his life as a teenager.  I had them read poems that should have grabbed the attention of an adolescent: "Nikki Rosa" by Nicholas Giovanni, and "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks.  I  thought they would love these pieces.  They were short, I thought they could relate to the content.

No dice.

Kenya had his head down, Elma told me repeatedly it was the most boring thing we ever did.(Hard to get under the bar that the Romeo and Juliet unit set). The dean was making frequent visits to the room.

It didn't help.

And then I rode the bus home with the math teacher. In his sonorous deep Jamaican voice he suggested I look at a poem by Tupac Shakur, "The Rose that Grew in Concrete."

I am a middle-age woman why would I look at a rapper's words?  Weren't they misogynists? Aren't rappers lyrics filled with obscenities?

But I looked at the poem. No obscenities. I found a YouTube clip of Tupac reading it aloud.  I played it in class the next day and Kenya picked up his head.  Elma asked me to play it again.

Like the rose that grew in concrete, I found the “crack” not in an expensive poetry anthology, but on a city bus seat shared with a colleague.  I read more poetry by Tupac and found myself questioning my preconceived notions about rappers and popular culture.                        

Tupac, he did change everything. I was the cause of much mirth throughout the unit since I never did figure out how to say his name quite the right way.

The dean still needed to make frequent visits.

The room still looked like a war zone when the period was over.

But Elma and Kenya and the other tenth graders read and wrote poetry that April. And talked about it. Sometimes even in the cafeteria.

Maybe April really isn't the cruelest month.

Student Achievement Best Practices: How to Get Creative

And the Moral of the Story Is...

By Portia Scott, 9th and 10th grade inclusion teacher

Here is a poem, or short story if you will, about getting school work done. As far as best practices are concerned, it is something that I have used with students to teach a variety of literary elements. Additionally, teachers with whom I have shared this find it worth a smile. And the moral of the story is, with the hectic schedules of educators that include instructing, grading, meetings, parent contacts, standardized tests, scaffolding, differentiated instruction, and a plethora of other necessary requirements, sometimes we have to remember to take a break and have a little laugh.

"Please Let Summer End"

By Portia Scott copyright 2012

I’m on the inside, yes on the inside the facts are hard to take.
For the last nine months, nine very long months, I’ve craved my summer break.

Where I sit, it’s nice and cool, not one drop of sweat on me.
But outside, where freedom reigns, other children enjoy liberty.

How did I get here, one might ask, I can now calmly speak.
But when I was first given my fate, I felt like a busted boat headed up a stinky creek.

Things begin as they usually do with all the fuss and drama.
We study math, history, science, English and how to use the comma.

My parents scream. My teachers nag. They are all overreacting.
I wish they could just chill-out and give me a break. I know what I am doing.

Assignments come, assignments go; I get most of them done.
Life really is one big bowl of cherries and I just want to have fun.

The bell has rung. The doors spring open. The students now spew out.
On the street there is a mass exodus as we embrace our familiar routes.

There’s smiling and laughing, clapping and shouting, and even the stamping of feet.
“It’s over! We made it!” someone cried. “Leave those teachers in the agony of defeat.”

Left behind is the path of studying; the streets are all ablaze.
“Cheers to us!” We toast in celebration as our juice pouches are raised.

So long, adios, sayonara, arrivederci--parting comes with no sorrow to leave 4th grade.
It is time to relax and get started with fun; our best-laid plans have been made.

Forging ahead I set my sights on the game store and the local swimming pool.
In celebration of the day’s release, friends “tweet” each other terms like, “righteous,” “gnarly” and “way cool.”

Today is a day for transition. I am reborn, revived, renewed.
I am the sultan of summertime and will now get to do what I want to do.

My morning breakfast has given me great strength. I left not one single Cheerio.
Far behind me are the books, paper, and pencils. I am ready to let the good times roll.

I am covered in sunscreen. I have my hat, my toy, and my towel.
In just a few minutes, I will be out the door. Ooooo I could really howl.

On the fresh horizon, what a beautiful sight, I see sweet shimmering bliss.
When you are 9 ½ in Texas, it doesn’t get any better than this.

All of a sudden my plans are halted; I think I might just pass out.
My eyes well up and my knees buckle. This is more than a little bad, without a doubt.

On the kitchen counter with all the mail, I see a letter from the school I attend.
The envelope is open. No one is around. So, I decide to peek in.

One B, three Cs, a D and two Fs, I thought I was too big to cry.
But as my tears splashed on the words “Summer School,” I knew I could kiss my sweet summer fun good-bye.

I’m in distress. My life is over. I’m head toward the pearly gates.
I beg and plead for just one more chance, but alas, it is too late.

Now here I sit for the next six weeks, six very long weeks as a matter of fact.
Today’s events have been horrific and traumatic. I must straighten up my act.

Believe you me, this won’t happen again. I promise I have learned my lesson.
I do not want spend an eternity in 4th grade, again with Mrs. Wesson.

Books are important; school is too. I’ve got to give it my all.
I’ve changed. I’m new. You’ll see a better me. Just you wait until next fall.

Can you find:
-alliteration
-simile
-metaphor
-onomatopoeia
-foreign words
-hyperbole
-idiom
-allusion
-foreshadowing
-flashback
-theme
-plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution-also called The Witch’s Hat)


Portia Scott is a 9th and 10th grade inclusion teacher at Longview High School in Longview, Texas. She has taught high school for 2 years, elementary for 1 year and taught in higher education for 4 years.

Student Achievement through Writing

Writing as an Essential Part of Education

By Melanie Mayer, English Teacher

It occurred to me after twenty years in the high school English classroom, that there was a disconnect between what we were asking our students to read, and what we were asking them to write.  For example, we read primarily fiction: short stories, poetry, novels, drama.  But we ask students to write personal narratives, documented arguments, compare/contrast essays.  I believe for students to really become accomplished writers, and lose their fear and dread of writing, we need to provide them access, motivation, and empowerment through professional and mentor models. 

I devoted a chapter to this in my book (July 2010), Two Roads Diverged and I Took Both: Meaningful Writing Instruction in an Age of Testing, and have since made it one of the subjects of my workshops and presentations I give regularly to teacher groups.  I ask my students to write a personal narrative, a story of a chapter from their own lives.  Then, before they turn it in, we read narratives, such as excerpts from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (they love “Champion of the World”), and discuss what makes these narratives so good.  Students will acknowledge the use of dialogue, of description that “shows instead of tells” the story, the pace, diction, point of view.  We’ll read a couple of really good student-written narratives as well.  Invariably, students will ask if they can have more time to rewrite theirs.  Yes!  Since I have started teaching narratives this way, the work my students have produced has been so much higher quality.

For teaching argument, we might read Ward Churchill’s “Crimes Against Humanity” and talk about his invective tone, his examples, allusions, proof (or lack of).  Then we’ll read the humorous “Cruelty, Civility, and Other Weighty Matters,” by Ann Marie Paulin, to show that argument writing can take many forms and tones.  I’ll show them Public Service Announcements, professional and student created, and we’ll talk about writing arguments for media.  We’ll read student essays.  Asking a group of students to write a documented argument paper, even with instruction, if they are not used to reading this type of writing, complete with in-text citations and works cited lists, isn’t fair.  It causes anxiety, fear, and dread.  It can be overwhelming.  But empowering them first through access, and motivating them by discussions of causes that are close to their hearts, allows them to confidently – and eagerly - approach the assignment. 

We read a lot of non-fiction now: causal analysis, comparison/contrast, memoirs, blogs, editorials.  Kids should learn to read and write in school the things they will be reading and writing outside of school, for their life’s purposes.  Education is to enhance quality of life.  Connecting reading and writing instruction, and providing access and motivation, empowers students to write confidently, passionately, and thus, have a voice in their world.

Melanie Mayer has been teaching high school English in Port Aransas, Texas for 23 years, and has been an adjunct instructor at Del Mar College for 10 years.  She is the winner of the Texas Exes Outstanding Teacher Award, Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Award, and is a state finalist for HEB Excellence in Education Lifetime Achievement Award.  She has published several articles and a book on the subject of teaching English. 

Formative Assessment: The Key to Maximizing Student Potential

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

By Elizabeth Williams, Math Teacher

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When I started teaching fresh out of college four years ago, I thought that I would be able to teach my students math using the same methods my teachers used. We were taught the material, did homework every night for practice, and then took a test at the end of every chapter.  My first year of teaching I covered nearly the whole Algebra curriculum using this method. The students did not do well on tests and never did their homework. This method was not working. I thought my goal was to TEACH everything, now I realize that my goal is for the students to LEARN as much as they can. The key to this change in mentality is to use formative assessments, not summative assessments. Formative assessments should give students feedback to reflect on and make goals to improve their knowledge and understanding.

Feedback is a critical component of assessment. I use responders in my lessons so that students get immediate individual feedback whether they are right or wrong. We also have discussions about how someone could have reached an incorrect answer. Personal interaction between the teacher and student is also important for students to understand where they need to improve. Another type of feedback is the teacher’s comments on a test. Questions should not just be right or wrong, students should know where they make a mistake.

Once feedback is given, students need to be taught how to use that feedback to improve. Students should look at each question that was incorrect and assess whether it was a careless error or they didn’t understand. If they didn’t understand they need to ask the teacher or another student to help. Then they should redo the problem. The teacher should give them credit for redoing the problem correctly. Once they have reflected on the reasons for their errors, students need to make specific goals to improve.

Finally, the teacher needs to ask the question:  “Are students ready to move on?” Sometimes the students should be retested after the topics have been taught using different methods. The teacher should make specific goals regarding what to do differently and where the students need to be before the class goes to the next topic.

I don’t cover nearly as much material as I used to, but I feel like my students actually LEARN more.  Both teachers and students need to make reflect on their work and make specific goals to reach their full potential.

Elizabeth Williams, Math Teacher, Midland Trail High School, WV

About the Author: I am in my fourth year teaching math in WV.  I graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics from Davidson College and a M.A. in Teaching from Marshall University.  I love trying new teaching strategies and using technology in the classroom.

How a Trouble Child Became an A-Student in 1 Week

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

By Rhonda Rountree, Reading Specialist

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image courtesy of fctd.info

One thing that I learned by accident a few years ago was give students a chance.  One day while teaching 3rd grade many years ago, I received a call from the office that I had a new student.  I sent down one of my current students to get “Johnny” and escort him to my room.  His parents had to leave and weren’t able to come and meet me that day. 

When Johnny came in my room, I showed him his seat and told him what we were working on.  I wasn’t able to get any information except his name, address, phone number, and what bus he was to ride home.

 A few days later, his parents showed up at my door wanting to know how Johnny was doing.  I told them he was doing fine, making friends, and seemed to be adjusting well.  The parents looked at me dumbfounded.  They even asked me, “Are you talking about our son?”  I reaffirmed that he was very bright, and was getting along with everyone in class.

Now it was my turn to be confused… why was this information so shocking?  His parents informed me that at his previous school, he was in the office just about every day for some type of infraction and it had been this way for a few years.  So when I told him that he was getting along with everyone, it was a shock to them.  Johnny was on the AB honor roll in my class and was well liked by his peers.

When Johnny came into my room, I didn’t have the knowledge of his past behaviors so I didn’t look for bad behavior.  I expected him to behave like a third grader ( inquisitive, impulsive, and wanting to please).  I treated him like I treated the rest of the class.  To encourage friendships and cooperation, my class was set up in groups of 3 and 4 at the time so I introduced him to a group that had just lost a member. The group knew what was expected on cooperation and just started showing Johnny the ropes. 

I saw Johnny this year. He will be graduating from high school and his parents told me that he is getting straight A’s.  They want to give me credit for the change in Johnny but really all I did was give him a chance.

Too often we as teachers see the name of a challenging student on our roster and think “Oh, no! Not them!” Johnny is an example of this mentality.  I think that when the teachers saw Johnny’s name on their roster they started off with the perception of this student is going to be trouble and I need to make sure he doesn’t disrupt my class.

Before Johnny, I was guilty of going to the teacher from the previous year and asking, “What do I need to be on the lookout for?” meaning what "bad behavior do I need to watch for?"  With Johnny I didn’t have a teacher from the previous year to fill me in on all the bad stuff so I couldn’t look for it in him. When I looked for good behavior, that’s what I got.  Johnny didn’t look like a kid with trouble, he looked “normal” so that was the way I treated him.  Johnny finished his elementary career at our school, and he did end up in the office a couple of times.  But he wasn’t in the office everyday like he was at his old school. I don’t think the schools are different in the way they treat students, but I do think the perceptions were very different.  I didn’t see Johnny as a “bad kid”; I saw him as a student that just moved.  I think that perception is what allowed Johnny to reach his full potential.

Now, when I look at my roster and I see the student that is challenging, I think of Johnny and wipe the slate clean.

A First Year Teacher's Struggle with Student Achievement

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

 by Tracy West, 4th Grade Teacher, Carver Elementary, GA

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image courtesy of oureducationalbooks.com

As an educator, each year I am introduced to new students, new attitudes, new beliefs, and new goals.  However, it is my job and responsibility to help each of them reach their goals.  In order to do that, I try to instill in every student that they can succeed. 

All I require them to do is start at their level, and work to make a gain.  No, not all children are at the same level, but every child can obtain a goal.  It is my hope that by the end of the year, they have learned enough to meet or exceed the standards. 

My first year, as a teacher, I didn't understand how Bobby could be reading on a second grade level, however, be in the fourth grade.  It took a lot for me to look past his weaknesses, and focus on his strengths.  By the end of the year, Bobby was reading on his grade level.  I owe his accomplishments to him believing that he could succeed if he put his mind to it.  I allowed him and the other students an opportunity to learn through hands-on, the use of technology, peer tutoring, and other teaching strategies. 

In the end, whatever it took to help them reach their goals, I used it.  That is what change is all about.  From then on, I entered the classroom the first day, looking for strengths. 

Hands On, Minds On: Student Achievement and Successful Best Practices

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

By Linda Kelleher, Math Teacher

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image courtesy of education-portal.com

When I first started teaching math, my primary focus was planning lessons.  My reasoning was that with so many unknowns in the classroom, I would at least know what I would be teaching.  And, so I thought, after the first year, my plans would be complete and I could focus on other elements of teaching such as classroom management.  Now, nine years later, I’m still making lesson plans.  I’ve changed and grown a great deal as a teacher since then, but one thing that never varied for me was the importance of the plan.  A lot of classroom management issues are avoided with an engaging lesson, and when participation is high, retention of the material is also high. 

Five years ago, I started teaching a large number of English Language Learner students.  One of the things that enhanced my teaching for all, but especially for the ELL’s, is the incorporation of visuals.  Pictures enliven any text, but like my four-year old daughter’s emergent reading, pictures also give children clues to the text.  But beyond this, pictures facilitate hands-on activities.  We use fraction pieces to disprove fraction misconceptions, such as ½ + 1/3 = 2/5.  I also have the students develop a feel for customary capacity by pouring water into a cup, pint, quart and gallon containers.  My students cut out shapes and manipulate them into rectangles or parallelograms in order to show them how the formulas are derived, use snap cubes to help them visualize volume, and they can toss dice and spin spinners when they are learning probability. 

A hands-on classroom is an active classroom.  Far too many children are passive in school and at home, not participating or interacting the way kids did before cable and computers and texting provided constant distractions.  An engaging classroom helps students disprove their misconceptions.  For instance, many students will tell you that the probability of rolling a 2 on a die is 2/6.  In order to dispel their mistaken beliefs, you need to replace it with the correct idea.  So, rather than telling them that there is only one two (favorable outcome) on a die, I let them run the experiment 60 times, and compare the results to their theoretical probability.  On the topic of circles, in order to reinforce the formula for the circumference of a circle, I have students measure the circumference and diameter of various circles and then have them compare the circumference to diameter of each circle with a ratio.

So, now class, who can tell me the rule for adding fractions?  Who can tell me how to improve classroom outcomes?

Linda Kelleher Schirling is a ninth year math teacher.  She is a career-changing Teaching Fellow.  She teaches in IS61, Leonardo Da Vinci, in Corona, Queens, New York.  She was rated as “Above Average” on the Teacher Data Reports and has consistently produced gains with her at-needs students.

Student Achievement Best Practices Thanks to Collaboration

When Children Help Others, Everyone Benefits

 by Renee Heiss, Retired Teacher

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image courtesy of thedoodlerz.com

So often, teachers focus on the student and the learning, but forget about the value of helping others to change student behavior.  The mind set for today’s youth appears to be one of guided egoism. I say “guided,” because most teachers, counselors, and parents help children to achieve high grades through a rewards system.  Honor roll certificates, stickers, National Honor Society membership, and other grade-based rewards force the child to focus on the grade.  While there’s nothing wrong with this system, it’s not the total package.  When children learn that there are others who are less fortunate, and that they can help those people, the children become more responsible with everything they do.

When children think of others first, everyone benefits. There will be fewer fights in schools and fewer bullies in the hallways. A child's boosted self-esteem usually carries over to better class work and regular attendance. Philanthropy empowers children to be positive members of the community. According to Dorothy A. Johnson, President of the Council of Michigan Foundations, “The earlier we introduce the concept of giving and public service, the more successfully we incorporate it into a child’s daily behavior, and the greater the impact on society as a whole.”

Whatever children learn when they are young generally carries through to their adult years. If they learn that you need to get all that you can to become successful, they will probably become greedy adults. If they learn that in helping others, they help themselves, these children are more likely to grow up to be responsible members of the greater community.

When children are responsible for the welfare of others, they also learn the value of commitment. Teens learn punctuality, for example, when a senior citizen waits patiently for a visit and then is disappointed when the youth is late.

Sacrificing time or money for a charitable cause shows the young person that personal needs may not be as critical as they once thought. It is gratifying to the child and his parents when he spends a Saturday morning volunteering at a soup kitchen instead of playing video games. Again, everyone benefits.

Volunteering also teaches the child to budget her time wisely so that she can find time for her own activities and the charitable project. When young people have less free time, they are less likely to cause problems for teachers, parents, and the community. Surprisingly, they also manage to get their homework done in record time with more accuracy when they know that their “cause” waits for their help.

Teens who volunteer regularly become more self-assured in their ability to make a difference in other people’s lives. This same mentality carries over into their own lives. They may find ways to help family members. They should be able to present oral reports with confidence. They will probably become proactive about their future. They contribute positively wherever they go.

When kids work in the community, they see people of many different ages and ethnicity. They learn that senior citizens have unique personalities just like their friends. They learn that people with a foreign heritage have amazing life stories to share. They learn that everyone is different and should be respected for those differences.

So how do you help your students reach their potential?  By showing them how to help others reach theirs.  Organize a buddy system with younger grades.  Arrange for a planned field trip to a nursing home.  Create books for children in hospitals while using the vocabulary words for the week.  Have a fund raiser that incorporates concepts in your science or social studies classroom (imagine a toga car wash, for example!) The possibilities are endless if you have some creativity and a dedication to helping others while you help your students to help themselves.  Try it - I think you’ll like the change in your classroom!

 Renee Heiss is the author of several books for teachers (Feng Shui for the Classroom, Helping Kids Help, and The Kinetic Classroom), and three books for children (Somebody Cares!, Woody's World, and Ducklings in a Row).  Although retired from public school teaching, she keeps active in education as an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature.  Visit her website to see all her activities: www.reneeheiss.com and her blog for tips for teachers and parents from her experience and research: http://parent-teacher-child-connection.blogspot.com/.

Student Achievement through Checking for Understanding

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

 By Sara Campbell, Chemistry Teacher

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image courtesy of tarahighschool.org

A lot of times it is easy to forget that achievement is more than a number.  It is students understanding of the concept and their explanation that truly determine achievement.  As a chemistry teacher I am lucky enough to have the same students the entire year.  Just like Amy I also have a questionnaire that I give my students.  I sue this questionnaire to see what their interests are.   This allows me to tie the chemistry aspect into a real life application in order to give them something they can understand. 

Whether they test good or bad, I always have my student’s "pair share" certain topics.  This allows me to see what they truly understand.  I also use whiteboard when we are working out problems or discussing new topics.  The whiteboards are a great way to check for understanding.  In my class, all whiteboards must have something written on them.  If they do not know the answer then they must write what part of the topic they are struggling with.  Not knowing is not an option in my classroom. 

Last Friday, I gave my students a 15 quiz questions.  The averages for all four of my classes ranged from a 55-65.  Knowing that this was not acceptable I decided to review the main objectives and my students go over each of the quiz questions.  They each had to defend why they choose that answer.  If it was not the correct answer then as a class we collectively decipher not only what the correct answer but why it is that answer. 

My name is Sara Campbell and I am a 2nd year chemistry teacher.  I am working on my pre-Ap and AP certifications this summer. I currently teach 11th graders and love every minute of it.  Teaching is a rewarding experience and I look forward to it every day.  My goals are to increase the rigor and grow as teacher in any way that I can.

Speech-Language Achievement Best Practices

Finding the True Potential of Language-Impaired Students

 by Peg Marshall, Speech-Language Pathologist

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image courtesy of sciencebuddies.org

As a speech-language pathologist, my students face a variety of challenges in the classroom.  Language deficits can affect every subject and every grade level.  There are many valuable strategies that teachers can use to build the confidence of language impaired students in their classrooms through achievement.  The key to student achievement best practices for my students is to continually look at the many aspects of language and find the ones that the student excels in. 

Art work can be a fun way for the student to express complex thoughts and ideas with simple drawings. It is also a valuable tool for the classroom teacher to check student understanding when the student may not have the vocabulary skills to express their ideas.  Students can learn language structures such as sequencing and quotations by sketching their answers in comic strip style.  A teacher wanting to reinforce idioms, similes and metaphors might encourage students to draw humorous pictures of the language structure to reinforce learning.

Knock, knock.  Who’s there? Figurative language! Using humor in the classroom is another fun way to build vocabulary skills for language impaired students.  Homophones are frequently used in jokes to grab the listener’s attention.  Teachers can get a quick check of comprehension by noting which students laugh at the joke.  Expand the activity to include an explanation of the reason the joke is funny to incorporate the link between receptive and expressive language.

Timing is everything for language impaired students. Some students are impulsive and quickly shout out the first word they think of. These students are better at games like ‘Around the World’.  Others prefer to take their time and practice their response in their head. These students prefer small group activities and skits that have a script to follow. Teachers should try to take note of the timing style of the student and gradually try to move them toward the middle so they are able to find success in both types of responding. 

Technology is a comfortable form of expression for many students.  Teachers – don’t let it scare you off, but move beyond video games and text messages to stretch language skills.   Allow the students the opportunity to give detailed directions as they teach you how to use a new app.  The less you know about the activity, the more teaching they will have to do, and the greater variety of language structures they will be forced to use.  Podcasting, tablets, video-cameras, WIKI and apps are valuable language tools in our digital world.  Let the students show you what potential they truly have!

As Winston Churchill said, “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”  In speech-language pathology, we try everything to help our students communicate, because language is everywhere!

Peg Marshall has practiced speech-language pathology in a variety of settings; including schools, medical clinics, hospitals, home health and skilled nursing facilities.  She is passionate about helping students achieve in the classroom and advocates for inclusion in special education.  She is married and has two children.  She enjoys music, sewing and writing in her free time.

Peg Marshall is a speech-language pathologist at Lake Asbury Elementary School in Clay County, Florida.

Student Achievement Best Practices: A Perspective From Home Schooling

Student Achievement Best Practices

By Jennifer McMahon, National Board Certified Literacy Specialist, Founding Director of Literacy for Humanity


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image courtesy of literacyforhumanity.org

As a literacy specialist, I always tried to have very clear goals for my students. As a matter of student achievement best practices, I used running records and comprehension checks to keep track of progress, but even with small groups of students, I found myself moving them through their leveled books without always being sure every student had mastered every skill.  My students always made progress, so developing a new approach didn't seem that important. My perspective on teaching changed this year, though, when I started homeschooling one of my own children.

We made the decision to home school our youngest son after he had a very rough beginning to his school year.  Since it was intended only as a temporary arrangement (the remainder of the year) we used the school district's curriculum and Common Core as our guide.  I wanted to make sure my "school time" with my son was productive, so I pre-assessed him before introducing any new topic.  Sometimes this was a discussion, other times it was a written pre-test or a writing assignment.  I kept track of what he already knew and compared it with what he still needed to know.  Then, I explicitly taught him anything he didn't know.  I reassessed him after teaching and either moved on to the next goal (if he grasped the concept) or retaught the material in a new way, assessing all along until he was proficient.  Since I only had one child's achievement to focus on, I could easily make sure my lessons were tailored to fit his needs.  Using this approach, my son showed mastery of an entire year's curriculum in three months.
This made me truly reevaluate what we do in a public school all year long.

How could I thoroughly cover every subject area in a quarter of the time?  Simple. I focused instruction on the areas of most importance.  The curriculum told me what my son needed to know, understand, and be able to do.  My pre-assessments told me which of those goals I needed to focus on, and I was unwilling to move forward until I made sure he was proficient.  If he didn't understand something, I used every teaching technique in my repertoire to make sure he learned the concept.

After thinking about my homeschooling experience, I decided to see if a similar process might work with my reading students. I began by changing my mindset.  My goal as a teacher is to make sure every student of mine is able to achieve every learning standard.  Even though they are grouped together, I need to think of them as individuals.  With this in mind, I created a checklist/observation sheet for each of my students.   For every grade-level, I listed the learning goals/curriculum.  Next to each goal, I have a space for pre-assessments, a space for teaching points, and a space for post-assessments.  I have these in a loose-leaf binder (although I hope to leverage technology for this in the future).  Creating the recording sheets is an initial investment of time, but the benefits are worth the preparation time.  With my recording sheets handy, I pre-assess my students before I teach anything.  I do this "homeschooling style." Many times it is a quick check around the table or a conversation to determine what my students already know.  Individual dry erase boards are great for this. I can ask them to write the vowel sounds they hear, for example, and can quickly determine if a student needs more assistance with short vowels or if they are ready to move on to vowel combinations.  I record all of this information on my student sheets and then can design my lessons to meet each student's needs.  I can also share this information with classroom teachers, so we can work together to meet students' goals.

By using an individualized approach, my daily lessons look a bit different.  I am still using leveled texts and mini-lessons, but I am differentiating my lessons in order to reach each student.  Sometimes this means pulling a student aside during a reading conference to teach and reteach a particular point.  I have found I am spending more time on what my students really need to know and less time on the skills and strategies they have already grasped.  With individual student achievement at the forefront of my mind, I have found all of my students are moving forward and making progress.

During our homeschooling adventure, I came to appreciate a few ideas that helped transform my teaching:

1. Have high standards for every student.  I was not willing to let my son move on until I was certain he understood and was fully proficient.  As an educator, it is important to have this same drive and set of high standards for every student.
2. Use every moment as a teachable moment.  Every conversation "counts" in the world of homeschooling.  It was a great reminder that every discussion or interaction in the classroom should also be thought of in that way.  Truly getting to know kids by making personal connections is one of the best ways to assess what students know and what they need to know.
3. Learning should be joyful.  My son reminded me of this idea.  It can sometimes get lost in the world of standardized tests and continual assessment, but it is important.  I worked very hard to think of creative and engaging ways to present concepts and skills.  I worked just as hard to make sure my assessments were authentic and meaningful.  There are many ways besides a paper and pencil exam for students to show what they know.
4. Rich life experiences help build students' background knowledge and allow them to make connections.  The importance of these experiences cannot be underestimated.  Students who have had the opportunity to study the sky or make a barometer or visit an aquarium are going to more accurately visualize when they read about stars, weather, or aquatic animals.  They are also going to be able to make personal connections between their experiences and their reading.  These connections will lead to deeper comprehension.  While it isn't practical to take a field trip every week with a class of students, it is possible to focus on offering hands on activities, building background through discussions, pictures, and realia, and taking the time to help students make connections.

While homeschooling is not for everyone, there are definitely aspects of the homeschooling philosophy that can be borrowed by classroom teachers for student achievement best practices. Viewing each student as an individual and creating individualized learning plans based on the needs of students can have a significant impact on student achievement.

Jennifer McMahon is a National Board Certified Literacy Specialist at Brooks Hill School in Fairport, NY.  A mother of four, Jennifer is a passionate educator and student advocate.  She is also the founding director of the new non-profit organization Literacy for Humanity. Watch it take shape at www.literacyforhumanity.org.

Helping Students Reach Their Potential

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

 By Monica Jones, ELA Consultant, Detroit Public Schools

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image courtesy of education-portal.com

“Why are you still here?”I asked him.

Bradford looks up at me with sad eyes, but his smile is magnetic. “I gotta pass this class.  Can I do some extra credit?”

His statement made the hair on my neck stick straight out. “Well I really don’t have any extra credit assignments that you could do. Perhaps if you came to my class every day you could catch up on all of your missed work.”

Bradford smiled again.  “I be tryin’, but I have to babysit.”

His statement gave a whole new ring to an age old problem; trying to meet the student where they are.  We don’t live in a perfect world, so as educators how can we expect perfect students? Student achievement relies on meeting the needs of each student which often times is difficult because the student isn’t there.  And after missing so many classes or days, it becomes impossible for the student to catch up.  This leads to everyone becoming dismayed and puts the student at risk for dropping out of school.  Excessive absenteeism can be the cause of why students are not reaching their full potential.

Now I’m not proposing that educators hold their heads and cast their eyes to the ground.  It can be done; but with patience and diligence. The 21st century student has evolved so that lecturing in front of a class for sixty to ninety minutes does not guarantee that loads of learning is taking place.  Educators must be cognizant of the various backgrounds  that are sitting in front of them and make strong efforts to ensure that lessons are being delivered that addresses  the needs of the students.   Lecturing, hands-on projects, student centered lessons are all pedagogies that can be used that have the potential of reaching each and every student across the academic spectrum.  But, of course, they have to be there in order to learn.

Getting back to Bradford, his problem was not that he needed academic or remedial help; he just needed a remedial attendance program.  I contacted his guardian, who happened to be his aunt, and explained the situation of why he was failing not only my class but two others.  Of course, she feinted shock and claimed to not realize that he was failing, but she was also not aware of our district’s attendance policy.  We met and she and Bradford verbally agreed that they would both make an effort to ensure that Bradford was in school and not at home babysitting.  Simple, right?  In this case it was.  Bradford and his aunt both kept their promises and by the end of the year Bradford went into his junior year with a 3.2 GPA.

The teaching profession, unfortunately, doesn’t always teeter on the norm.  Some days are better than others.   I once had an eighth grader who brought her three year old cousin to school because there was no one to babysit.  Am I a daycare now?  Because the last time I looked at my check I was not receiving daycare pay for each student.   I took a deep breath and gently nudged her and her toddler cousin towards the counseling suite.  “No sweety.  Your little cousin can’t stay with you while you’re in class today.”   Unfortunately, my student had to be sent home that day because why…she had to babysit.

From the ritzy suburban school of choice to the decaying urban school on the corner, there are going to be students who are at risk of failing because they just don’t come to school.  And often times, they want to, but they have other distractions that prevent them from being in a chair everyday that the school door opens.  As conscientious educators, we must carve out some time during our much needed prep and at least attempt to get to the root of why all the chairs are not filled in our classrooms.  It has often been said, that one of the perks of teaching is once the bell rings, you can close your door and do your thing.  But when the bell rings and your door is closed and you are looking at far too many empty seats, that is a sign of a serious gap. Those empty seats represent a person who is entitled to an education and unfortunately, they are not there to receive it.

Student Achievement Best Practices vs. Standardized Tests

 A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

by Kristin Garaas-Johnson, English Teacher

image courtesy of iqrafoundation.com

While the debate regarding the necessity for standardized assessments ensues for some school systems, many educators have voiced their support.  According to a poll conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Scholastic Inc., 92 percent of teachers believe frequent in-class assessments are essential in measuring students’ abilities (Listening to American Teachers, 2010, p. 6).

Fluckiger, J. Vigil, Y., Pasco, R., & Danielson, K. (2010) highlight the benefits of formative feedback for students and educators in secondary school systems, noting, “These techniques give feedback in time for revisions to occur, provide scaffolding for learners, inform instruction, and most importantly, involve students as partners in assessment” (“Formative Feedback: Involving Students as Partners in Assessment to Enhance Learning”, p. 140).  While the feedback need not necessarily be in the form of a standardized assessment, Fluckiger et al. acknowledge the inherent benefits of open communication between instructors and students in the learning process, in which students are afforded the opportunity to voice their opinions on the decisions that drive instruction.

Many educators estimate their personal success based on students’ performance on assessments.  While the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Scholastic Inc. found that a majority of teachers support classroom assessments, only 27 percent of teachers agreed that state-mandated standardized tests were essential (Listening to American Teachers, 2010, p. 6).

In his letter to the American people regarding educational reform (which is featured in “The Blueprint for Reform”), President Barack Obama writes:

"A world-class education is also a moral imperative – the key to securing a more equal, fair, and just society.  We will not remain true to our highest ideals unless we do a far better job of educating each one of our sons and daughters.  We will not be able to keep the American promise of equal opportunity if we fail to provide a world-class education to every child."

Researchers from both sides of the debate would agree with Obama’s statement, as the need for educational reform is not only an economic imperative, but also is a concern of human rights. In as much as research supports the US Department of Education’s guidelines for educational reform through assessment-directed curricula, research also supports the detriment to authentic learning environments when such assessments are designed to measure rote-concept recall.  With the Whole Child Movement gaining positive support, perhaps, school systems could foster a “happy-medium” by encouraging educators to continue to explore best practices through professional learning communities while continuing to monitor students’ progress in core curricula through a variety of formative and summative assessments.

Though research has yet to fully determine whether standardized tests, produced by national test-generating facilities, are an appropriate measurement of students’ proficiency and are culturally impartial, school administrators should continue to provide ample professional development opportunities for teachers to acquire the necessary skills—such as interpreting and implementing data attained through formative and summative assessments—as a means to properly educate our youth for the 21st century.

Meanwhile, teachers should have a keen awareness of students’ needs, whether formative and summative assessments are intuitively administered during classroom activities, or through formally administered through teacher-generated or test-bank generated multiple-choice or essay tests.  Research has shown that a greater awareness of students as individuals leads to the greater likelihood for academic success (Austin Buffum, Pyramid Response to Intervention, 2008).

Most educational leaders will readily accept that there is no one valid method of determining teacher accountability and student performance; however, we must learn to forage new applications, ideologies, and compromises in our own commitment to educating our nation for generations to come (Stiggins, 2002).


Kristin Garaas-Johnson is pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of North Dakota. Currently, she teaches high school English at Thompson Public School in Thompson, ND.

Play to Win! - Ideas on Student Achievement Best Practices

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

by Susan Varner, Media Coordinator

image courtesy of freewebphoto.com

Most of the students in our upper elementary school play recreational ball of some form, and, like generations before them, dream of being a pro athlete. After flashing photos of current faces in the sports world - Manning, O'Neal, etc., I ask the kids "do you think that these guys played rec ball when they were 10 ?" After the realization that they probably did, I move onto "Do you think that, between seasons, they watched tv, played video games, & ate lots of junk food ? Or do they practice the skills that they are missing, and keep their bodies in shape? " Then, we go on to talk about playing ball for the school team, getting into college, - increasing skills through practice, keeping in shape, etc. - ending up in the pros as a great success -  all the while keeping the focus on these world class athletes who the kids see as the ultimate success stories.

After the kids  are really "into" the discussion, I stop and pick up an easy reader. The kids are RIGHT THERE, and I tell them that, after learning to read in first grade, they had just stopped practicing, content with the basic skills, then they would still be reading first grade books. And, at this age, if they don't try new words, find new skills, don't read during the "off' season, don't keep up with their 'teammates',  then eventually, they will lose their skills and fall so far behind that they will never make it past this level of reading. Just as if Michael Jordan had stopped practicing after learning how to make a free throw in rec ball - would he NOW be MICHAEL JORDAN ?

It is a awesome discussion, and the faces of the kids are the proverbial "lightbulb". Each year, after this discussion, the students bombard me with requests for books that are "a little bit hard" - and this, after all, is exactly what I want them to do !

I hope that you will try this with your kids and let me know how it turns out !

Targeting Student Achievement: Putting Students Behind the Trigger, Not the Barrel

Student Achievement Best Practices

By Jon Moore,  English Teacher

I swear I have read this exact same essay ten times.  Twenty.  Thirty.  The same errors, the same comments, endlessly on and on.  Bang.  The gun goes off at the students in my class.  They know the drill-receive a paper, check the grade, put it away.  Move on. 

After engaging in the same dance for years I had had enough.  How do I put the students back in charge of their own achievement?  How do I make them care?  Why don’t they care now?  At least the last question I was able to answer with ease-too much information.  I score essays using a modified 6 trait scoring system, as do most teachers in my school; however, those traits had become abstract letters with no meaning.  Looking at it from a student perspective-I see 6 traits, 6 numbers-what do I do now?

Shortly after identifying (with the aid of my students) one of the issues, I devised a solution: targeted weaknesses.  The next essay I picked one of the traits for each student to work on-their “weak trait”.  I chose the trait based on which trait scored the lowest, and also which ones I deemed most important (i.e. ideas before voice).  The target was now back in front of my students, not on their chest; yet how to make them responsible for attacking that trait and improving achievement?  Let’s be honest, achievement to most student means grades--that is their target.  Therefore, as one of my student achievement best practices, I instituted a reward system based on their ability to hit the target.

After each essay students have a weak trait to target: let’s say "ideas."  I have several resources available to help them see what good ideas are, and why the score is low.  I also offer one-on-one help during our tutorial period.  The student can focus on improving Ideas on their next essay.   When they receive the second essay, that focus should improve achievement simply by improving the essay’s scores.   However, I also offer extra incentive.   If the trait improves by 2 points (a significant jump on a 5 point scale) I award them a 5 percent increase on the new-and-improved paper. 

I feel the system puts students in charge of their achievement in two ways.  First, they have a target to improve and focus on, rather than several abstract moving targets.  Second, they are responsible for tracking their scores and turning in improvements.  They monitor their weak trait from paper to paper and work to reach that 2 point increase. 

I swear I have read this exact same essay. . . .Wait--this one is different: more detail, stronger examples.  The next has better organization-something they have been working on.  Bang.  Another student pulls the trigger and achieves success.

Jon Moore is an English teacher in Shepherd, Montana. He has 15 years of classroom experience and is passionate about improving not only his students, but himself as well.

Making Use of My Time for Student Achievement

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

By Milissa Meyer-Hanna, 4th Grade Reading Teacher

image courtesy of steppingstonetutors.com

Education is my 2nd career. Previously, I was a graphic artist and had the pleasure of working with a variety of businesses and clients. Some clients’ needs were relatively straight forward, while others presented unique challenges. From time to time, a specific set of criteria was set up by the client that seemed highly improbable to achieve. But no matter what was needed, the goal was to ALWAYS find what worked for that client – giving up was not an option. Early on in that career, I had the great luck to be mentored by a sage advertising rep/artist with many years of experience. He shared one nugget of wisdom which he admonished my to care enough to always apply to every person I came in contact – to anyone, anywhere, at any time: Treat the person you are with as if they are the most important person in your life at that moment in time.

Now, 14+ years into the education field, as a teacher, that adage is even more apropos. A core strategy and one of my student achievement best practices that I strive to use in each of my classes is to make time to have individual student conferences with as many children as possible on a daily basis. During the time I meet with each child, I stress the point that the conference time we are having is all about them – NOT the class, NOT the student sitting next to them, but about THAT specific student. During those few moments, I tell students that I am THEIR individual tutor – this time belongs to them exclusively.

So, how are this many conferences organized in a way that provides “equal time” to all students? Students don’t sign up for conferences, and conferences are not a prescribed amount of time. Instead, students earn conference time – these conferences are a privilege of one-to-one tutoring earned as the result of their on-going work effort. As students are working, either independently or cooperatively, I fit in few moments here and there to interact with them individually. I always start by asking that child to point out a specific success pattern that they are having for a specific skill (what they’re doing right), and we both ponder a specific error pattern (a bug-a-boo skill area that presents difficulty for them), then set a mini goal which we’ll discuss the very next time we meet. Do I always have time to speak with each child individually every day in a conference? Sometimes yes, other times no – it all depends on what each child needs. Whichever child I end with today, I start with the next one tomorrow. And after meeting with everyone, we begin a new round of conferences. Some days I can meet with many students twice - if it’s a quick conference venue. The amount of time isn’t of key significance. Whether or not that student feels like the most important person in the room during their individual conference - & we are working together to meet their specific needs as fully as possible - is my primary objective.

And what about the student who chooses to be off-task? Or who hasn’t met his/her goal from our previous individual conference time? I teach students that our time together in the classroom is valuable to everyone in the room. If a child is not prepared for his/her conference (ie: has not had time to finish a certain portion of an activity, or has chosen not to attempt an activity, or maybe has demonstrated negative behavior that required my intervention, etc.), then they will be able to have a conference with me at a later time when they are more prepared. For this conference time to be as productive as possible for them – and to allow everyone to have the maximum amount of time with me, conference time is not spent coaxing students to work. Rather, it’s to be spent discussing work accomplished, or setting future mini-goals. I guarantee them my undivided attention (with the understanding that they will receive as much of my attention as possible, while I’m monitoring the rest of the class), and they are responsible for bringing their best effort/work to the table for us to discuss. Students are also taught to be respectful of others’ individual tutoring time with me – if someone has a question while I’m conferencing/tutoring, they can either ask another student in their group (if work is being done cooperatively), or they can put a “dot” next to a question they’re having difficulty with, and we’ll discuss it when I meet with them.

The value these conferences add to students’ experiences in the classroom is measurable & highly necessary. This time allows me to monitor progress continually, addressing needs as they come up, rather than waiting for a test to measure student growth individually or collectively.

The best measure of success for incorporating daily tutoring conferences? Student responses – their comments either to me, or as retold by their parents when we speak together about their student’s progress, about the one-to-one instruction their child frequently receives. Every child receives this same opportunity, and is required to share responsibility for his/her own learning.

How to Make a Game of History

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

by Taylor Nix, World History Teacher

image courtesy of en.wikibooks.org

My 1st hour World History class was struggling at the beginning of the year. I teach in a very low income area that is plagued with utter apathy. My 1st hour was by far the worst of my classes. Getting a single student to raise their head from the desk to even look in my general direction was difficult. No lie. As I listened to them in the hallways between classes I began to hear that many of my students were gamers. I have a decent amount of experience as a gamer and so  I decided that I would turn my classroom into an adventure role playing game.

I enacted my plan at the beginning of the 3rd quarter after Christmas break. Each of my students was no longer an ordinary student at a desk, they were world explorers of their own choosing. The first stage was creating their characters. They picked a name, a class (a specific role a character fills), and even wrote short background stories that explained who they are and where they came from. We decided to split into two teams which would work to compete against each other in classroom activities.

From now on I was Mstrnix, the leader of a group of data gathering soldiers bound and determined to gather and collect information about different civilizations throughout history. Each day in class they would be given a different quest to venture on and experience. Some days both teams would work towards one goal, some days they would do solo quests, and others would be team oriented. Turning in work that was done in class would yield them experience points, also called XP. The xp would be added up in order to cause their character to “level up”.  In the gaming world leveling a character can allow you to use better items, go to new places, and learn new abilities. Each player (student) would start out at level 1 and by doing quests would increase their levels allowing them to use new items, attend parties, and learn abilities that they would not previously have.

I pointed to the back of the room where there was a brand new bulletin board with 8 sheets of paper on it. I explained that every Tuesday I would post 8 new quests on the board for them to complete. They would have from Tuesday to Tuesday to complete them and they have to complete at least 4 of them each week. Five of the quests were for individual completion, while the other three were designed to be completed with either a partner or a member of their team.

Loot, as it is called in the game-o-sphere, is what drives most players to continue to play the game, the idea that you can make your character more super awesome than it already is, and most importantly to increase your stats. All of their loot was designed to fit one of the three categories. I made it extremely simple in that students only have two stats, attack and defense. The heavy class was designed to buff up their defense stat, the medium to be an equal balance of attack and defense, while the light class was to build up the attack stat.

At the end of each chapter I would use a jeopardy type of template to create what I call a “raid”. In the gaming world the most challenging play comes from battling extremely difficult opponents in an attempt to get rare and powerful items. The same was true in my class version. To review for the test we split into teams and using my template would simulate this. I would have five categories on the board that represented different hallways for the raid. Once a group chose a hallway they would attempt to go through five doors of increasing difficulty to get to the boss at the end of the hall. They would first choose a door, I would ask them a question, if they got it right they would go through the door. On the other side of the door was a culturally or area specific creature or monster which would have its own attack and defense stat. The students would roll a dice to determine if their attacks were successful and whether or not they survived. If they defeated their foe they would receive a number of items to split up amongst their team. The day after the raid they would individually fill out a “field report” that documented their encounters in the raid. If you didn’t catch on the field report is just a standard test that covers the chapter or section that we have completed.

I would love to continue explaining some of the other workings and ideas that I have implemented in this hour, but I feel that I am getting a bit off subject a little bit. The key point that I want to drive home to you fellow educators is to embrace your student’s interests. I do not believe that what I have created is in any way a cure all for every class. That being said, I have found a way to inspire and motivate kids to do quality work by using their own creativity and interests in a positive way. They show up to my class ready to succeed and more importantly ready to play. I won’t lie and tell you that it is easy to plan because it’s not. It is almost life consuming to plan just this one class, but I can’t stop. If there was ever any evidence for why I became a teacher it is because of what I have seen in this class.

Student Achievement through Music

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

by Daryl Silberman, Director of Orchestras

West Salem Titans Orchestra

I love to hear the stories from my mom about when she grew up – no TV’s, no cell phones, no computers, not much of anything other than a radio. After school, kids back then maybe had a few activities they could pursue in sports, music or dance. Most kids would come home after school, get their homework done, and then play or help around the house. My mom was raised in a culturally inspired family – she took dance classes and music lessons. She remembers actually having time to practice flute and piano. She took the train into the city (NY) for her dance class once a week.

I compare that schedule to the schedule of my orchestra students – the busiest student of mine has the following activities: Advanced Chamber Orchestra, after school Advanced Symphony Orchestra, Varsity swimming for our high school, club swim team, varsity cross country, Students for Change club, 4 hours a week volunteering at the Salem Hospital, taking 3 AP exams in May, 4.0 GPA and graduating Valedictorian this year. She is the only person I know who can actually fall asleep playing violin, and yet still play all the notes correctly and be counted upon to lead a section. My students on the whole are so much busier than I ever was, and certainly more busy than my mom’s generation.

With all that in mind, I challenge myself to share my passion of music with my students and endeavor to help my students become the best musicians they can be. My goal is that they love music and support the arts (classical and/or string music in particular) for the rest of their lives. So, well beyond my preparation, teaching and grading, I concern myself with introducing them to as many aspects of a musical life that I can. I bring guest conductors into my program often, making sure there is time for the students to ask them questions about how they got to be where they are in life. I bring coaches in to work with my individual sections. I make sure that all students in my program have access (for free or little money) to attend local collegiate and professional symphony orchestra concerts. I also make sure that stringed instrument music is presented in many genres – orchestral, historically informed baroque performance, chamber music, solo recitals, contemporary (rock/jazz/crossover). Students need to know that music happens all around them and that at whatever level they can play it, they are always welcome to love it.

Today is the day after the spring concert for me – we played mainly classical pieces, with the exception of Robert Kerr’s Gathering Storms and a really cool arrangement of Bach Cello Suite I Prelude by “Piano Guys” Stephen Sharp Nelson for 8 cellos – and we will celebrate by playing some electric stringed instruments for the next few days. I have brought in all my electric violins and my electric guitar sound effects pedals – our A wing will be filled with the lovely sounds of experimenting stringed instruments for the rest of the week. All in the name of keeping strings relevant in the 21st century.

Daryl Silberman has been the director of orchestras at West Salem High School in Salem, OR since August 2007. Under her leadership, the orchestra has traveled to Chicago and Boston with Heritage Festivals, hosted the Salem-Keizer District Orchestra festival annually, and her Chamber Orchestra has qualified and performed at the OSAA State Orchestra festival annually (placing 1st in 2011). She came to public school teaching after a successful career as a freelancer for years.

The Ticket to Increasing Student Understanding

A Post on Student Achievement Best Practices

 by Andrea Melargni, 6th Grade Language Arts and Science Teacher

Woodworth Middle School, Dearborn, MI

"Ok?" "Got it?" "Any questions?"

Yes, I'll admit it.  I'm guilty of asking these questions at the end of a lesson.  The response?  Blank stares from some, reassuring and confident nods from others.  Alright, so I'm ready to move on to the next lesson, right?  Wrong!  What makes us think that we can accept the answers of a few, as the understanding of all?

In order to improve student achievement, as educators we need to have a better understanding of the information students are truly comprehending.  This is how we can actually see if they "got it", without asking a rhetorical question.  But, how?

We need a simple and effective way to check for understanding on a daily basis providing us opportunities for driving instruction based on student learning.  This is where the exit ticket comes in...  It provides the opportunity of giving each and every student a prompt to explain their comprehension of the day's lesson.

Draw a picture of an event from today's short story.  Write three sentences about magnetic compasses and how they work.  What's one question you still have about today's lesson?  These short and sweet prompts give every student a chance to really share what they understood or didn't quite get.  Quickly handing them in as they slip out the door provides the teacher an opportunity to check-in on student understanding before moving on to new material.  Students can 'park' their exit stickies on the way out on a poster board near the door.  Another idea shared with me by a wonderful colleague is to red-yellow-green light them to indicate their level of understanding (red-confused, yellow-needs more help, green-good grasp).  On the way out, students would indicate their own level of understanding by placing their exit slip in the corresponding colored area of a box.  Of course, it's still important for the teacher to verify their understanding based on the actual written response.

So, students have completed their exit slips.  Now what?  Here comes the most important part...the results.  Based on these individual responses, record what concepts need to be reviewed.  Have those students that really 'got it' work with those that didn't.  Pair up the 'green light' and 'yellow light' students to work on a task while you (the teacher) work one-on-one with the 'red lights'. Let the student understanding drive instruction, and ultimately, increase student achievement.

Andrea Melaragni teaches sixth grade language arts and science at Woodworth Middle School in Dearborn, Michigan.