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This is a document provided by the NEA on how schools can improve students reading achievement in school. I like this resource because it breaks down steps school can use from teachers, students and parents to improve reading. It starts by discussing literacy skills taught in kindergarten and goes into talking about text meaning for older students. Great resource!

This article is very timely it talks about the NCLB law and how it isn't working. Threats to teachers firing, closing schools and students still continue to decline. Standardized testing isn't working. This is a great article, must read.

Since standardized testing has seem to surface as a way for schools to be graded on their "performance", an increasing number of schools have embraced the data driven curriculum.

This article gives good insight on using data with our instruction. Although the idea of using data to drive instruction has always been out there, within the last 2 years, this has become more of a focus in my school. Last year we started holding monthly "data meetings" in order to look at data gathered from weekly assessments, unit assessments, county and state assessments. Based on the scores we would work to create a next steps in our instruction. As a school, we also set goals to reach across grade levels.

Good article. As I was reading this article one thing hit me. One of the first things that is mentioned is NCLB, RTTT, and CCSS. I was thinking, maybe if the government would let teachers get used to a curriculum our instruction would get better and higher level learning could go on. Just my short rant.

Article discusses how teachers can use data to drive instruction.

Compose specific questions that you will ask your students (or that you anticipate they will ask you). Doing so will help you increase student participation and encourage active learning. This article offers several helpful strategies for asking questions, responding to questions, and even provides a list of sample questions a teacher can ask to help students meet specific learning goals.

Adding It Up explores how students in pre-K through 8th grade learn mathematics and recommends how teaching, curricula, and teacher education should change to improve mathematics learning during these critical years. The committee identifies five interdependent components of mathematical proficiency and describes how students develop this proficiency.

Physical education is shifting gears in a major way to help students become more comfortable and successful in PE. Introducing technology is a new way to engage students in PE other than just rolling the ball out on to the floor. Recognizing that obesity is a huge problem in the US, teachers are turning to technology to help motivate students and present PE in a new fun light.

Here are some resources and practices to help teachers understand blended learning, an approach that combines face-to-face instruction with technology-mediated learning.

This site provides templates for several different choice boards, which can be used to integrate more student choice into the work they do for classes. Providing students with a variety of options for how to complete assignments allows for teachers to differentiate instruction and assessment as well, to some degree, and also allows students to feel more in control of their learning.

This power point presentation points out the challenges of differentiating instruction in the classroom. It provides several definitions of what is differentiated instruction. Provides information 4 classroom elements that can be differentiated. Points out the obstacles teacher may face when attempting to differentiate instruction. Discusses CRIME: Curriculum, Rules, Instructions, Materials, and Environment. The presentation also gives some really great strategies for differentiated instruction towards the end.

This blog site talks about what type of "Blended Learning" setting would be the best fit for a math classroom. The benefit in this is that it helps teachers find ideas for what to use in a blended classroom specifically when it comes to math instruction.

This article provides the basics of blended learning which addresses the 4 key elements of effective math instruction as identified by The National Dissemination Center For Children with Disabilities.

The following article is a great argument for the importance of informing students on their educational data. It discusses the trend in teachers and administrators having all the numbers and students are the outsiders. The article argues that real gains can not be made unless students are analyzing their data and scores, then using that to set goals.

"When students themselves identify, analyze, and use data from their learning, they become active agents in their own growth. They set personal goals informed by data they understand, and they own those goals. The framework of student-engaged assessment provides a range of opportunities to involve students in using data to improve their learning. "