Category Archives: Commentary on assessments

Discussions of assessment instruments in use, their constructions, and complications in finding time to teach because of assessments.

Reflections on John Gatto

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Filed under Commentary on assessments, Philosophy and politics of education

Week Twelve: Time to Teach/Time to Learn Tally of Hours

November 3 – 7, 2008 Tally of time for teaching and learning Monday, November 3:  Uninterrupted day at school = 5 C & I hours Tuesday, November 4: Uninterrupted day = 5 C & I hours Wednesday, November 5:  Substitute … Continue reading

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Filed under Commentary on assessments, Time Keeper: Tally of Time to Teach

Waste

There is the waste of paper. There is the waste of instructional time. There is the waste of students’ learning time. There is the waste of professional time—the time of all those professionals who have been promoted out of the … Continue reading

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Filed under Assessment costs, Commentary on assessments

Measuring Up

The statistics are public now.  The scores on the first Benchmark tests are online.  In the four Upper Elementary classes at Denison, there are approximately 48 fourth graders distributed equally among the classes, which also have fifth and sixth graders … Continue reading

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Assessment in a “Progressive School” by Chris von Lersner

Introduction by Ann: My niece Sabine is attending a progressive middle/high school this year.  Her mother and I decided that the assessment climate at Denison, the public Montessori school where she attended last year as a student in my class, … Continue reading

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Re-authorization of NCLB: Commentary by Barbara L. Minton

Re-authorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and Its Hidden Agenda by: Barbara L. Minton From Natural News: The re-authorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has become a priority for the final year of the Bush … Continue reading

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Vygotsky’s ZPD

“How Learning Occurs” according to constructivist learning theorist Vygotsky, who described the  “zone of proximal development (ZPD)”*** Zone of Proximal Development, an idea developed by Vygotsky over one hundred years ago, falls within a socio-cultural context and seeks to define … Continue reading

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AYP Pressure Mounts

Thursday, October 2, 2008, the Denver Post announced that only 48 of 151 Denver Public Schools schools met the adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals mandated by NCLB law.   The article went on to report that statewide only 60% of Colorada … Continue reading

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A Special Education Assessment: Speed up Learning!

On the first day of October, I attended a meeting before school with the Special Education team to discuss the academic capabilities and needs of a boy who is in my class for the second year, now as a fifth … Continue reading

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Assessment Blunders

Friday shortly before noon I learned from the assistant principal in charge of assessments dropped by my classroom to tell me she would need her help.  It seemed that some of the scoring sheets for the Benchmark tests of two … Continue reading

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Filed under Assessment costs, Commentary on assessments