Technology for School Administrators » Your Turn to Blog

Standardized Testing and the EC Student

nolefan1 — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:33:30 +0000

I have often wondered why students identified with learning disabilities are expected to demonstrate mastery of grade level skills at the same time as non-disabled students. What is the rationale in expecing children, who don’t learn at the same rate as others, to take the same standardized test, at the same time? Yes, accomodations are made (i.e. extended time, multiple testing sessions, separate room, read aloud, etc.) but it doesn’t change the fact that these students are being tested on the same material as their non-disabled peers. They, in essence, have had the same amount of time to learn the same amount of material as other, non-identified students. Does that make any sense? Here are these children, who require different instructional techniques, different pacing, and different assessments in the classroom, who are often faced with failure at the end of the year when they are assessed in the same way as those not identified with disablities. If we as teachers are struggling to teach all the material to “regular ed” students before the test, think of what teachers of EC students are faced with. They, too, are expected to follow the same pacing guide, and yield the same results as those whose students are not identified. For the first time, I am teaching an inclusion class. I am amazed at the levels of disabilities that are grouped together. I have students who struggle to write their name on a piece of paper, can not yet add or subtract fluently (I teach 5th grade), and who read on a 1st grade level. They have taken the EOG each year, and are expected to take it again this year. These students have never passed the EOG, and, despite the progress they have made in their personal academics (IEP goals), do not recognize themselves as successful. Regardless of the praise they recieve for their progress or efforts, they are faced with the disappointment of failing the “big” test. As if that weren’t enough, they get to endure the treacherous burden of remediation and retesting that comes after they fail the test the first time. (Just think… they get to look forward to taking it 2 more times!) I really don’t know what the answers are. I do know that there must be other ways to test these children. The “one size fits all” approach we have for testing is just not working.

Technology in the 21st Century

mlarkin — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 01:05:42 +0000

As an educator, it is truly amazing to see how involved technology is in education. Just about every workshop & staff development I’ve attended in the past few years has been centered around methods to intregrate technology use.

This change is exciting. I enjoy using technology devices to enhance a lesson. Anytime I use a different technology device with a lesson, the students seem more engaged. They love anything & everything about technology. I especially enjoy the promethean board. You can really use it for any lesson. It allows the teacher and students to interact together, while meeting the 21st century skills.

Academic Integrity

kmt121195 — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:20:22 +0000

One of the biggest concerns that I have been dealing with is the issue of academic integrity. I have dealt with kids who think nothing of sharing answers and homework assignments with each other. I attribute this, in some ways, to the trend towards cooperative learning. Students think that its perfectly acceptable for a group to get together and for them all to have the same answers. Then, I talked to a number of colleagues who were facing the same thing. They and I agree that the other issue here is lack of integrity period. In this society, we have reached a point where many people (kids and adults) view the rules as applying to everybody but them. This is called situational ethics. Unfortunately, this is not going away in our culture. My question for those leaving comments is this:

In as much as you can’t change the whole culture, or what a family does, what can we do as educators and administrators to improve the eroding academic integrity of our students?

Addendum: Just viewed a news article (saw the news piece on tv) which discussed a scandal in NH regarding this subject. The town has swung the other way and are charging the kids. the kids are facing charges which could bring them prison time. Surely the answer lies somewhere beteen the nothing we have been doing and this extreme.

Article taken from CNN.com is below

nh-cheating-scandal.doc nh-cheating-scandal.doc

Highly Qualified in Whose Book?

jbmorrisey — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:09:18 +0000

Under the guidelines of No Child Left Behind, a public elementary or secondary school teacher is considered to be Highly Qualified if he or she has (1) obtained full state certification or passed the state teacher licensing examination, (2) holds a license to teach in the state, and (3) not had a certificate or license requirement waived under emergency, temporary or provisional conditions. If a teacher meets the aforementioned requirements, he/she is deemed highly qualified by Congress. However, while these attributes might satisfy federal guidelines, they fall a long ways shy of meeting the needs students?

If a teacher meets the criteria of the federal government, but is not effective with the students or valued by the parents, can she really be considered “highly qualified?” If an administrator finds the teacher critical of students and unwilling to work well or accommodate the needs of others, will he deem her as a “highly qualified” member of the staff? Research indicates that the quality of teaching impacts student achievement. With high standards and accountability being such a strong focus in the state of North Carolina, school administrators are not only looking to meet the federal guidelines when they hire a teacher, but they also have a personal agenda, as well.

In my career as a school administrator, I’ve served on various interview panels and spoken with quite a few teacher applicants. More times than not, the personal attributes of the applicant outweighed their professional accomplishments. We didn’t look for full state certification or a current state license. We looked for a love of children and a passion to teach. We didn’t look to see whether or not a license requirement had been waived, but rather a willingness to grow as an educational professional, learn new strategies, and adapt to the needs of students. If a teacher is missing any or all of those traits, as a school administrator, I would be hesitant to hire her to work as a member of my staff. Achieving “highly qualified” status under federal guidelines, in my opinion, is only half the requirement. It takes an individual who’s committed to the profession of education and helping children achieve their absolute best to be “highly qualified” in my book.

Should school administrators lose National Board pay?

chicklit — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 03:11:14 +0000

North Carolina currently leads the nation with the most National Board Certified teachers, 11, 300 to be exact. Part of the reason for this is that the state of North Carolina pays the majority of the $2,300 application fee and offers a salary increase of 12% for earning this certification. Teachers earning a master’s degree in this state receive only a 9% increase. Recent studies have shown that Nationally Board Certified teachers show more gains in student acheivment than non-certified teachers, particularly in regards to young children and low-income students (CRPE, 2004). It seems logical that teachers who earn this certification be utilized as school leaders, particularly in low-performing schools. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has developed guidelines stating that National Board Certified teachers must spend 70% of their work day in classroom instruction to be eligible for the 12% salary increase. NC DPI clearly states that nationally certified teachers working as coordinators or principals are not eligible for this pay unless the majority of their day is spent in classroom instruction. Isn’t one of the functions of a school administrator to be an instructional leader for teachers? I understand that the purpose of recruiting teachers to become nationally board certified is to keep qualified teachers in the classroom, but what happens when these teachers are called to fill leadership roles? Is it fair to take away the 12% raise for teachers who want to serve as curriculum specialists or school administrators? The National Education Association published a report recently that listed ideas and policy recommendations that evolved from a summit which included national board certified teachers from across the state of North Carolina. One of the recommendations listed was to “develop NBCTs as leaders for high-needs schools.” It only makes sense that if research has shown that national board certified teachers are more effective in raising the achievement of low-income students that they would make effective leaders in a high-needs school. As the need for school administrators rises, the state should be doing everything they can to encourage NBCTs to take on school leadership positions, not penalize them for it.

References

www.dpi.state.nc.us/recruitment/nationalboardcertification/

“National Board Certification Successfully Identifies Effective Teachers” March 2004 www.crpe.org

“Every Child Deserves Our Best: Recommendations from North Carolina’s National Board Certified Teachers” www.nea.org/nationalboard/nc-everychild.html

Teacher recruitment and retention

wdseed — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:26:21 +0000

I am concerned about teacher recruitment and retention because a large percentage of educators are nearing retirement. Over the years I have seen what I have perceived as very bright and promising teachers leave the profession with in five years. The reasons are varied on why they leave a career that can be very rewarding. A number of new teachers leave because of more lucrative salaries and benefits. Others leave because of the sometimes overwhelming discipline problems and lack of parental support. Then their are others that were not a part of a supportive teacher induction program which included on site mentors. New teachers need to be nurtured and supported through those crucial years of entering the profession. More incentives should be given to teacher that go beyond the call of duty for their students and school community. The practice of giving new teachers the most difficult students and classes should be discouraged because we are losing too many great teachers that fail this proverbial test by fire.

Blogs

tarheel — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:21:58 +0000

I guess my blog will be about blogs. I have heard a lot about them and messed with them a little. I am interested to see what all the hype is about. I can see some of the potential benefits of blogs in the education world. I think it is a neat way for students to express themselves and participate, especially those that might not do so in a traditional classroom. However, some adult blogs can seem a little overbearing – like they are venting or, for lack of a better word, blabbing.

Is discipline being handled correctly in our schools

uncwgrad — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:15:40 +0000

When leadership is discussed discipline never seems to be brought up. What is effective? What isn’t? What are some common issues schools are having with discipline? This might become an important, but overlooked aspect of school leadership.

Awakening Genius

pegcozbourne — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:46:28 +0000

As an educator, what is your most inspirational idea? For me, it is the book Awakening Genius, by Thomas Armstrong. It is a short book, 70 pages, first published in 1998 by ASCD. I highly recommend it. The book is organized into three parts – Every Student is a Genius, The Genius Shuts Down, and How to Awaken Genius in the Classroom. Armstrong defines genius as “giving birth to one’s joy”. I believe Oprah has said it is following one’s passion in life. Armstrong further defines genius as the guiding force that inspires one at crucial moments in one’s life. He also provides his definintion for the twelve qualities of genius: curiosity, playfulness, imagination, wonder, wisdom, inventiveness, vitality, sensitivity, flexibility, humor and joy.

The book is a must read for anyone who has kids or teaches. As educators we want to help kids develop their potential, and Armstrong gives ways to support students in finding their inner genius. He states in his conclusion, “Right now in your classroom you may have a student who had the potential to someday develop a vaccine for AIDS, or to create a plan to combat world starvation, … If you embrace the notion that genius is just for the elite few, you might let this student slip by unrecognized, and theat gift might be lost to the world.” As administrators, we have the added responsiblity of our staff. To protect and nurture their genius, make sure teachers do the same for their students, allowing everyone to reach their potential.

Let’s Set an Example

pps1 — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:22:28 +0000

I can only wonder if the women at my neighbor’s weekend party house think about our future as humans on planet earth. I sat on my porch Friday afternoon and watched six women drive oversized SUV’s to their summer house alone! They are from out of town, but come on. Not one of them lived close enough to carpool? I find that hard to believe. I really enjoyed watching them try to park their all-terrain vehicles into the normal sized driveway.

As I drove to work this morning I passed a few bags of bottles ready for disposal at the end of their driveway. Do they feel bad throwing away all those bottles and cans when a recycling center is only a few miles away? I don’t know. I do know that getting them, or at the very least their kids, to care about our future is our job as educators.

Teaching our youth how to make environmentally sound decisions is vital. They must be exposed to the dangers that lie ahead if as a society, we do not change our ways. They need the exposure daily through school wide programs, and classroom projects that highlight green living. There are countless ways to integrate “eco options” into daily classroom procedures and lessons.

I am not proposing rewriting an entire science curriculum to focus solely on the environment, but Earth Day activities and novelty units are not going to do the job anymore.

Changing our wasteful ways as a society will take a while, but it can be done. A classroom, school, or school district could be an excellent place to start. Having an “eco friendly” school can be something an entire community can brag about.

pps1