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The Dos and Don'ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips

http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/dos-and-donts-classroom-management-your-25-best-tips?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=community-UGCclassroomtips-new

What Do Schools Risk By Going ‘Full Google’?

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/08/what-do-schools-risk-by-going-full-google/

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/08/what-do-schools-risk-by-going-full-google/

8 Weeks of Free Teacher Resources for Back to School

http://www.edutopia.org/article/8-weeks-free-teacher-resources-back-school?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=free-teacher-downloads-b2s-resource

Understanding Assessment: Resources for Parents

We've compiled a resources list to help families understand various uses of assessment in schools, what questions to ask, how to help children prepare, and all about standardized tests. (Updated: 4/2014)

BY ROBERTA FURGER, ASHLEY CRONIN

Resources by Topic:

• Classroom Assessment Strategies
• All About Standardized Tests
• Helping Children Prepare
• Additional Resources

Though tests (especially standardized tests) may be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word assessment,comprehensive assessment encompasses a wide range of methods for evaluating a child's social and emotional and academic abilities. As a parent, it's critical that you know about alternative types of classroom-based assessments, in addition to traditional tests and the standardized tests mandated by your school district or state department of education. Below, we've collected resources to help you understand various types and uses of assessment, identify questions you can ask your child’s teachers and school, and support your child during testing.

Classroom Assessment Strategies

• There are many ways to measure a student’s abilities. Which ones do your child’s teachers use?

  Take advantage of parent-teacher conferences and back-to-school nights to talk with teachers about their assessment strategies. Do they use portfolios of student work? Do they conduct performance-based assessments? How do test results inform the way they work with a particular student or group of students? Consult the resources below for more information about different assessment types and other questions you can ask.

• For Every Child, Multiple Measures (Northwest Evaluation Association, 2012)

  This 2012 report by the Northwest Evaluation Association andGrunwald Associates LLC describes feedback from parents and teachers on what kinds of assessments are most useful, relevant, and cost effective, and makes recommendations for assessment developers, policymakers, and state and district leaders based on their findings. Edutopia blogger Anne O’Brien has written a helpfuloutline of the report findings.

• Healthier Testing Made Easy: The Idea of Authentic Assessment(Edutopia, 2006)

  Grant Wiggins discusses how formative assessment and authentic assessment can help learners get the feedback they need to improve and progress.

• Performance-Based Assessment (Project Appleseed)

  Project Appleseed, a nonprofit advocacy organization for parent involvement in education, provides an excellent primer on the many types of performance assessments and their advantages, as well as strategies for improving student performance. For more about performance assessment, take a look at Edutopia contributing writer Roberta Furger’s 2002 article, “Take a Deeper Look at Assessment for Understanding.”

• A Parent's Guide to Testing at Your Child's School  (National Education Association, 2007)

  This two-page brochure, developed in 2007 by the National Education Association (NEA) in partnership with the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), describes some of the types of tests used in schools and what parents can do. It’s also available as a PDF download in Spanish.

• Parents: 19 Meaningful Questions You Should Ask Your Child’s Teacher (Edutopia, 2013)

  Forget about all the vague, superficial information out there. Edutopia blogger Terry Heick cuts to the chase with 19 meaningful questions--including questions related to assessment--parents can ask their children's teachers at the beginning of the school year.

All About Standardized Tests

• Ask questions and talk to your child's teacher or a district assessment specialist about implications of test results and possible follow-up action. Are high-stakes decisions based on student performance on this single measure? Are the state's standardized tests aligned to content standards? Are test results used to better inform teaching and learning? How does the school or district use this information to better meet student educational needs? Browse the resources below for more information about standardized tests, including new tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

• What Should Parents Know About Standardized Testing? (Project Appleseed)

  Learn about the purposes of standardized tests and how they are used, as well as how you can help your child prepare and questions to ask.

• Testing Our Schools: A Guide For Parents (PBS Frontline, 2002)

  PBS’ Frontline offers an easily navigable explanation of high-stakes testing that includes basic information about what tests measure, how they’re developed and scored, specific tips for parents, and links to additional resources. Though the package was produced in 2002, it's still a valuable resource.

• The State of the Common Core (Edutopia, 2013)

  Vanessa Vega, Edutopia's former research analyst, offers a work-in-progress view of how the Common Core is being implemented and assessed nationwide. For more about what parents need to know about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), check out Anne O'Brien's “What Do Parents Need to Know About the Common Core?”

• Parents’ Guide to Student Success—Frequently Asked Questions(National PTA)

  The National Parent Teacher Association partnered with experts on the Common Core State Standards to create parent guides for grades K-12 that include information about what children should be learning in each grade once the standards are implemented, activities that parents can do at home, and strategies for building stronger parent-teacher relationships. To find out more about your states CCSS’s implementation plans, check out their State Education Agencies page.

• Parent Roadmaps (Council of the Great City Schools, 2012)

  The Council of the Great City Schools has developed content and grade-specific parent roadmaps in English and in Spanish that provide detailed information for parents about the expectations of the Common Core in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

• Accommodations, Modifications, and Alternate Assessments(GreatSchools, 2010)

  Your child may be eligible for modifications to help him succeed in the classroom--and on standardized tests. For more information about how students with special needs will be assessed on the Common Core State Standards, see “Application to Students with Disabilities,” from the website for the Common Core.

Helping Children Prepare

• In their book But Are They Learning? A Commonsense Parents' Guide to Assessment and Grading in Schools, Richard Stiggins and Tanis Knight emphasize that assessment and grading strategies should be defined at the start of a project--in terms that students can understand. Get clarification from the teacher any time your child seems unclear about expected outcomes for a project or assignment. The resources below include useful strategies for supporting children during testing.

• Helping Students Understand What a Test is and Is Not (Edutopia, 2014)

  Neurologist, teacher, author and Edutopia blogger Judy Willis explains how students' performance on tests can often be affected by their perceptions of and feelings about why they're being tested and what's being assessed.

• Survive and Thrive During Testing Season (Edutopia, 2014)

  Guest blogger Lori Desautels considers the brain research on why test prep can be so stressful, and offers six brain-compatible strategies to help students feel better about themselves and more connected to the material.

• 4 Tips to Build Student Confidence (Edutopia, 2014)

  Edutopia blogger Matt Levinson, recognizing that students get overwhelmed by unfamiliar material and choke up on assessments, offers four confidence-building strategies: verbalizing, brain dumps, non-linear thinking creativity.

  • Parent Tips: How to Help Your Child Prepare for Standardized Tests(Colorin Colorado, 2008)

    This resource from Colorin Colorado, a bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners, provides suggestions to parents to support children before tests, on test days, after tests, and on a daily basis.

Test Prep with Virtual Tools: 10 Flashcard Apps for Mobile Devices - Monica Burns Blog

SUBSCRIBE APRIL 18, 2014

When children are told to "go home and study," many aren't quite sure what this means. "Do I stare at the pages of a textbook? Should I redo old homework problems? Will I remember this new list of vocabulary words if I read them over and over?" Giving students the tools to develop study skills is one step in the right direction.

Children need to take ownership of their learning, and one way that teachers and parents can help is by providing the right guidance and materials. Help students set time aside in their homework routine or school day and ask them to review key terms and concepts they've learned. The flashcard apps in this post can be used to build independent study skills in children.

Check out these apps to see what will work best for your students. Most are free to download, and many have extra features that are accessible through in-app purchases.

Math Vocabulary Cards (iOS and Web App - Free)

The Math Learning Center has some fantastic apps, including this simple flashcard tool designed for K-5 students. Children will see models and diagrams with each new word and can quiz themselves by hiding and revealing different parts of the screen.

Flashcards (+) (Android - Free)

Students can create their own flashcards or access decks created on Cram orQuizlet. With this app, kids can organize their flashcards into folders and even play a memory game.

Vocabulary.com (iOS - $2.99; Web App - Free)

For students ready to start studying for high-level exams, Vocabulary.com has a comprehensive program for learning new words. This app is perfect for high school students trying to boost their vocabulary through a personalized learning experience.

gFlash+ (Android and iOS - Free)

With lots of different ways to study, gFlash+ gives kids a chance to try out a couple of ways to review content. Users can create and edit cards from within the app, and gFlash+ makes it simple to purchase pre-made decks of flashcards for a variety of subject areas.

Flashcards with Cram.com (iOS and Android - Free)

Students can connect with their Cram.com account by logging into this app. They'll have access to flashcards that can be downloaded for online or offline use. This app lets students work through flashcards at their own pace, giving them the option to focus only on the ones that they've missed.

Flashcards* (iOS - Free)

This app (and yes, the asterisk is part of the title) is super simple and makes creating new flashcards straightforward and user friendly. Students can download decks of cards from Quizlet that have been created by teachers or another user. The ability to add images to the cards makes it great for English-language learners.

Evernote Peek (iPad - Free)

With this app, students can use the smart cover on an iPad 2 to peek at the text in an Evernote notebook as they study. If you have a different type of iPad or case, Evernote Peek still lets users swipe and peek using a virtual cover. Kids can access study materials by linking to their Evernote account.

Brainscape - Smart Flashcards (iOS and Web App - Free)

If you want to push students to take more ownership of their study routine, Brainscape - Smart Flashcards is a great choice. This app asks students to self-assess as they practice key terms. It uses this information to figure out the best time to quiz them again. Kids can create flashcards in the app or on Brainscape's website.

StudyBlue (iOS and Android - Free)

This app lets teachers create flashcards to share with students. Kids can set a reminder on their device to help them develop a study routine. StudyBlue also gives kids a chance to make their own flashcards that include audio, images and equations.

Flashcards Deluxe (iOS - $3.99)

Students looking to use their time efficiently will like all of the features built into Flashcards Deluxe. This includes the ability to integrate spelling tests with audio support, use images on each card, and divide cards into categories. Once users have created a set of flashcards, they can back them up to their computer and search through them to find a particular key term. Flashcards Deluxe also has a smart study mode that helps kids focus on the cards that they've missed.