Blog

March 1, 2019 High-Quality Aligned Assessments Aren’t Enough: Teachers Need Assessment Literacy

As an elementary student, I was introduced to the importance of using data and professional development to improve instruction. On the last day of third grade, I remember seeing a teacher’s edition and student workbooks from our reading program overflowing the garbage can outside Mrs....

February 28, 2019 “What Black History Month Means to Me: A Conversation with Memphis Teacher Candace Hines”

Her laughter and smile are just as vivid over the phone, as she is in person. She is one of the most effusive people I’ve ever met, with a bubbly personality that you can tell shines through in her classroom. Needless to say, I was...

February 20, 2019 State Report Cards: A Starting Point for Addressing the Teacher Shortage

Education in America is at a crucial point. According to a report released in August 2018 by Learning Policy Institute, school districts all across our nation, regardless of location, economic bracket and racial demographic, are facing the crisis of an ever-growing teacher shortage. Hundreds of...

February 1, 2019 The Impact of the Illinois Learning Standards in Science

After adopting higher standards in English Language Arts and math, Illinois adopted the Illinois Learning Standards in science. Like their counterparts in math and ELA, these standards also hold students to a higher bar. As a science teacher, I was both excited and nervous about...

January 25, 2019 Schools Get Graded Too

As a student, I can remember how excited I was to show my report card to my grandmother after I received it. After I looked over it, I would feel such a sense of accomplishment. I would rush home to see my grandmother’s eyes light...

January 22, 2019 The Challenge of Engaging Students with Aligned, Rigorous Assignments

We weren’t even midway through the school year and I had pangs of guilt, feeling like I had my assignments weren’t resonating in the way I hoped they would. “I can’t seem to get students interested in my assignments,” I complained to a colleague, “it’s...

January 18, 2019 Checking the Turbines: The Role of Assessments in Students’ Growth

I was born and raised in central Illinois, where I have been a high school math and science teacher for almost 24 years. One constant of living in this part of the Midwest is that there’s a lot of wind. Recently, a wind farm was...