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The Blog


Why Restorative Practices Begin with the Adults
Restorative practices only work when adults lead by example first. If we want schools to be spaces where students feel safe, connected, and accountable, we must first build that same culture among the adults.
Audrey Lappe
Aug 112 min read


Helping Families Navigate Indiana’s 3rd Grade Retention Law
The recent changes to Indiana’s 3rd grade retention law are prompting important conversations between schools and families.
Dianne McKinley
Jul 241 min read


Your Summer AI Toolkit : Supporting Your AI Journey
Summer break is the perfect time for special education educators to recharge, but it's also a fantastic opportunity to explore new tools and strategies for the upcoming school year. One area that's rapidly evolving and offering immense potential for special education is Artificial Intelligence (AI). It can all feel very overwhelming especially with the constant evolution of new and improved technology. Below are some tips to guide you as you begin, or continue on your AI jour
Dr. Reneae Staley
Jul 143 min read


5 Top Tips to Ensure Active Learning by Your Students
To prepare students for this modern world, we must shift away from passive, "sit-and-get" instruction and focus on cultivating active learne
William Reed
Feb 103 min read


Revamping Your Curriculum Maps: How to Align with High Quality Curricular Materials
Are you adopting new High Quality Curricular Materials? Are you struggling to determine how to revamp your curriculum maps to align to these
Dianne McKinley
Jun 11, 20241 min read


7 Ideas for Relentless Book Matching
By April Connelley Knowing the power of good “read” motivates educators and their continuous efforts to book match relentlessly. Teachers...
April Connelley
Feb 29, 20243 min read


Why Morphology Instruction Is Important
Language is a complex system of intricate connections between words and meanings. It is complex code used to communicate. Morphology is...
Dianne McKinley
Jan 8, 20242 min read


The 411 on the SAT Assessment: Now Part of an Indiana H.S. Graduation Pathway
It is extremely important for Administrators, Teachers, Parents and especially Students to understand exactly what the SAT Assessment is...
Dianne McKinley
Apr 12, 20235 min read


SAT: Process and Literacy Standards for Science
By William Reed Many people think the two most important subjects on the SAT Assessment are English and Mathematics. That is NOT a true...
William Reed
Dec 9, 20229 min read


The 411 on the SAT AssessmentEvidence-Based Reading and Writing Section – Writing and Language Test
The ability to read, write, understand, and use language properly to edit and correct passages are the important aspects of the Writing...
Dianne McKinley
Jan 13, 202214 min read


The 411 on the IN SAT AssessmentEvidence-Based Reading and Writing Section – The Reading Test
The ability to read for understanding, information, comprehension, and context are the important aspects of the Reading Test in the...
Dianne McKinley
Jan 13, 20228 min read


The 411 on the SAT AssessmentThe Math Section – Calculator and No Calculator
It is extremely important for Administrators, Teachers, Parents and especially Students to understand exactly what the SAT Assessment is...
Dianne McKinley
Jan 11, 20225 min read


Things People Say About Math
Once in a great while, I hear someone say, “I Love Math!” or “I enjoyed my math classes,” and it gives me a warm, comforting feeling...
Dianne McKinley
Jan 1, 20224 min read


Indiana Math Textbook Adoption
Back in 2011, Indiana Public Law 73-2011 altered state and local textbook adoption procedures. Under this law, Indiana no longer follows...
Dianne McKinley
Nov 15, 20214 min read


Have Your Students Trained You?
My guess is if I ask teachers who have taught for more than one year, they can name a student they know who will come to class without...
Dianne McKinley
Nov 1, 20216 min read


How to Differentiate Instruction
Differentiation is a term that all teachers know. We read about it in books, hear about it in training, and see it on our evaluation...
Dianne McKinley
Nov 4, 20204 min read


5 Tips on How to Improve Student Achievement
Improving student achievement is one of the main goals of all teachers. Student achievement measures the academic content a student...
Dianne McKinley
Nov 4, 20203 min read


What Is Rigor?
Rigor has been advancing in educational circuits, but many educators are still not familiar with the concept and how to support it within...
Dianne McKinley
Nov 4, 20203 min read


Lesson Planning – How to Create an Effective Lesson Plan
A lesson plan is a teacher’s guide for running a specific lesson. It includes the goal (what students are supposed to learn), the method...
Dianne McKinley
Nov 4, 20203 min read


Why Does the US Use Standardized Testing?
In this post, we will answer the question, “Why does the United States use standardized testing?”
Dianne McKinley
Apr 8, 20194 min read
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