The Blog

Concept-Based Instruction: Building Units with Depth and Complexity, which emphasizes designing units that promote both rigor and relevance, while focusing on thinking over task completion and transfer over recall.

With the right tools and strategies, you can harness data to personalize instruction without adding hours to your workload. Here’s how to make student data work for you—not the other way around.

Special education programs are more than just mandated services; they are investments in our students' futures.

Supporting Students During High-Stakes Tests

Understanding High Ability Cluster Grouping

Teachers must vary their instructional methods to include online resources, videos, and make direct connections for ALL students to perform

What have you done to prepare students, parents, and all other groups that might be involved?

Too many times we assume students know or have experienced things that they have either forgotten or never been exposed to. Every year in the classroom, instead of going over the traditional classroom rules and policies I would do two things.

Educational Changes Educators are transitioning from the old 2020 Indiana Academic Standards to the new 2023 Indiana Academic Standards. At the secondary level, we are transitioning from the old online/paper-pencil PSAT and SAT Assessments to the new Digital PSAT and SAT Assessments. In grades 3 through 8, there is one more year of the current ILEARN Assessment then there will be two years transitioning to the new ILEARN Assessment which include “Checkpoint” (the new benchma

Sometimes things can seem overwhelming so we avoid them. For example, my hall closet was a mess and I was desperate, so desperate I offered money to my teenagers to work on it. It’s the catch-all closet, the place where we shove stuff and then forget about it. Needless to say, that didn’t work, my teenagers wouldn’t take the bait, so eventually, after saying for several months I needed to clean it, I finally just did it. When it comes to hall closets, that’s okay, no harm, bu

You probably have heard the PSAT and SAT are changing for the 2023-2024 school year. The New Digital SAT Suite of Assessments includes the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT10, and the PSAT 8/9. The changes will start early this fall with the new Digital PSAT10 and Digital PSAT/NMSQT. It will continue in the Spring of 2024 when all Indiana juniors will take the new Digital SAT. Everyone needs to know about and understand the changes that will be taking place. If they do, they can help stu

It is extremely important for Administrators, Teachers, Parents and especially Students to understand exactly what the SAT Assessment is and how it is written. Knowing how the test is written as well as strategies on how students can perform at their very best is essential to overall success for this assessment.  

Many students experience test anxiety at varying levels. When kids are anxious, they aren’t always able to think as clearly as they might when calm. It may be difficult to sustain attention for long periods of time when anxious thoughts consume the mind. Students may also sweat more, have increased heart rate, become emotionally upset, begin to doubt themselves or become agitated. This is even more prevalent for students who have struggled in a school setting in one way or an

As I observe math classes, I see processes and procedures being taught! This worries me more and more! Please do not get me wrong, processes and procedures are important. However, if the processes and procedures we are teaching are not attached to any structure or context, it is just memorization! I do not know about you, but my memorization skills have their limitations.

The ability to read, write, understand, and use language properly to edit and correct passages are the important aspects of the Writing and Language Test in the Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT Assessment. The Writing and Language Test is one of two parts of the SAT Assessment’s Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section. The other part is the Reading Test. 

The ability to read for understanding, information, comprehension, and context are the important aspects of the Reading Test in the Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT Assessment. The SAT Assessment’s Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section is divided into two tests. The Reading Test and the Writing and Language Test.

In education, information speaks volumes. Data analysis can provide an overview of what students know, of what they should know, and what can be done to meet their academic needs. With proper analysis and interpretation of data, teachers can make informed decisions that positively affect student outcomes. In this article, we will discuss how to make data-based decisions to inform your instruction.

Data is important, and it is everywhere. Teachers collect all sorts of information about students. These data can inform and influence teachers how to teach, what to review, and what to adjust. Yet, some teachers may still not be aware of how to get data and how to use it. In this article, we will answer these questions: Where can you find data? And why is it important to use data in your classroom?

Standardized testing has fueled a national debate in the last few decades. Some argue that standardized tests narrow the curriculum and encourage teacher-centered instruction. Many parents also don’t feel comfortable with the fact that their children are being judged on the basis of tests that puts too much emphasis on test scores, and too little on personal background, innovation, and critical thinking. In this post, we will answer the question, “Why does the United States u