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AYP, NCLB and
Value-Added, Oh, My! |
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Does
the endless inundation
of acronyms (short for
educational jargon)
leave you with a
confused, dazed, and
almost glassy-eyed look?
Do you find yourself at
a loss to understand
when your principal or
superintendent is
discussing the need to
improve because of AYP,
NCLB, or the latest -
value-added measurement
of learning? This
presentation will
explain in a friendly,
comprehensive manner
exactly what Adequate
Yearly Progress is, how
it relates to No Child
Left Behind, and
finally, how Value-Added
progress ties in.
Participants will come
away with a clear
understanding of these
essential educational
issues, and how they
apply to and affect them
in their own districts.
The training will show
teachers how to figure
out the subgroups for AYP, and if their
respective schools have
met AYP within the
subgroups. This will be
accomplished through a
guided, step-by-step
process that will end
with a clear action plan
based on the data. Using
the information
provided, teachers will
come away from the
training able to explain
these important issues
to colleagues, parents,
and even the students
themselves. |
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Critical Thinking
Skills |
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We
hear a lot these days
about critical thinking,
otherwise known as
higher-level thinking
skills. Mostly what we
hear is that our
students cannot think at
a high level, and that
we need to teach them to
be critical thinkers.
Did you ever wish
someone could show you a
simple process for
teaching these skills?
Would you like to learn
how to change all of
those lower-level,
knowledge questions that
you have accumulated
throughout the years, to
higher-level thinking
questions with just a
few minor tweaks?
This session will teach
participants a simple,
easy-to-use formula that
will make writing these
types of questions less
grueling than in the
past. In addition,
participants will learn
how to evaluate the
answer to these
higher-level questions
to ensure that their
students really are
thinking at a critical
level. Finally,
participants will
discover instructional
strategies that will
provide critical
thinking practice for
their students everyday.
After all, critical
thinking should not be
something that's
difficult, but rather
something that is
challenging and most
importantly - fun! |
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Differentiated
Instruction |
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In
this age of standardized
testing and data
analysis, one essential
question emerges for
teachers - now that I
know the strengths and
weaknesses of my
students, what do I do
about it? The answer, of
course, lies in
differentiated
instruction. That's what
the "experts" tell us.
What they don't always
tell us is how to do
this with 30 students in
our classes (many with
learning and/or
behavioral problems),
and limited time,
resources, and even
support from parents and
administrators.
This session will
explain in simple terms
what differentiated
instruction is, how to
differentiate, when to
differentiate, how to
assess differentiated
activities, and finally
how to manage the
classroom discipline
while differentiation is
occurring. Participants
will leave this session
with a clear plan on how
to start differentiating
instruction in their own
classroom without being
overwhelmed in the
process. Practical,
easy-to-follow
directions for
differentiating will be
provided, and
participants will learn
strategies that they
will be able to take
back with them and put
into practice
immediately. While
differentiating within a
classroom requires a
shift in how we instruct
students, this session
will help teachers start
the journey toward "no
child left behind". |
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Power Standards |
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Did
you ever feel
overwhelmed by the
quantity of the
standards you are
required to teach? Did
you ever wish you knew
what the top standards
were so you knew how to
divide your instruction
time for maximum
results? This training
will show you how to
identify the Power
Standards in your
curriculum. You will
learn the criteria for
developing these Power
Standards and go through
a step-by-step process
that is easily
applicable to any
school. In addition, you
will learn how to
incorporate these Power
Standards into your
daily instruction.
Lastly, you will develop
an awareness regarding
assessment of the Power
Standards. Participants
will leave with a
step-by-step action plan
that will allow them to
implement this process
in their own school. |
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Creating Short-Cycle
Assessments |
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Have
you ever wanted a
predictor of how your
students will perform on
the high stakes test?
Have you ever wanted
clear-cut data ahead of
time that would drive
your instruction? This
training will provide
teachers and
administrators with an
overview of the
framework used in
creating common
short-cycle assessments.
This overview includes
educating the classroom
teacher on the format of
questions, the level of
questions (including
those higher level,
critical thinking
questions),
standardization of
administration and
grading, and how to
write questions that
really assess the
standards.
The presenter will use
the SCORE process for
short-cycle assessments
detailed in her book
Short-Cycle Assessment:
Improving Student
Achievement through
Formative Assessment
(Eye on Education,
February, 2008).
Participants will leave
with an understanding of
the short-cycle
assessment process,
including data analysis
and how this process can
be developed in their
own school districts. |
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Special Education and
the Standards |
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Have
you ever asked yourself
the following questions... How do we help Special
Education teachers to
think differently so
that they can prepare
their students to have a
chance to be successful
on the high stakes test?
How do we teach Special
Education students the
content standards at
their grade level when
their instructional
level is 2-3 years below
their actual grade
level? If the answer is
"Yes!" then consider
this workshop that will
give Special Educators
the tools they will need
to prepare those
students for the high
stakes test, as well as
making sure that those
students have learned
the content at their
grade level, and not
just their instructional
level.
This session will help
teachers explore the
issues of assessment
modification,
instructional
strategies,
instructional resources,
and the rationale behind
teaching special
education students the
content standards at
their grade level.
Participants will learn
strategies for teaching
students at grade level,
as well as strategies
for assessing those
students. Participants
will also be provided
with ample time to share
and collaborate with
other special educators
as they move to "close
the gap". |
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Student-Led
Conferences |
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Have
you ever had the
following experience
when it was time for the
twice-yearly
Parent-Teacher
Conferences ... you and
the parent sit down to
discuss the student's
progress for 20 minutes,
then the parent goes
home and tells their
child what the teacher
said? In this case, the
parents and the teacher
assume responsibility
for the student's
learning. The most
important person, the
student, is left out of
the process. What if you
could learn a new way of
conducting annual
conferences - one that
moved the ownership for
learning back to the
student? Student-led
conferences allow the
students to present their
accomplishments,
strengths and
weaknesses, and plans
for improvement to their
parents, either in the
school or the home
setting. In the process,
students also increase
their oral presentation
and leadership skills.
In addition, student-led
conferences have been
known to increase
parental involvement in
the school - something
that many schools
struggle with in this "hurry up" age of ours.
This session will teach
participants a
step-by-step process for
implementing student-led
conferences in grades
kindergarten through
grade 12. Participants
will leave the session
with a detailed plan -
one that will allow them
to be successful in
transferring the
conference process from
the teacher and parent,
to where it really
belongs - in the hands
of the student. |
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Vertical Alignment |
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Did
you ever wish that the
teacher before you had
taught your student the
one or two things that
you consider to be
important
pre-requisites? Did you
ever feel like you waste
a lot of important
instruction time at the
beginning of the school
year on review
activities?
This session will
provide a process that
will help teachers and
administrators to track
the content standards
across the grade levels
to develop an
understanding of what is
being taught at each
level. It will also
provide a protocol to
have cross grade level
discussions about
academic content at your
own school. Participants
will come away from this
session with an action
plan that will allow
them to begin vertical
alignment within their
own school as they
strive to maximize
instruction time and
truly leave no child
behind. |
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