Teachers–present and future–want to design psychometrically sound questions for quizzes and tests? Who doesn’t?! Here is “cheat sheet” for designing good test questions. We call questions “items” in psychometrics. This two-page document was designed for EDPS 345 and 393 with Matthew Stuve but its intended to be shared with any educator at any level. The […]
As stated by Daarel Burnette II, author for Education Week, the ESSA act gives states the opportunity to set heir own goals. This is a replacement for No Child Left Behind, which didn’t give states as much ability to set their own goals. For example, Michigan ranks in the bottom half of the country academically, […]
On November 8, 2016, Jennifer McCormick from Yorktown Community Schools won the seat of new state superintendent of public instruction. As of right now, she is focused on a few things before January. McCormick wants to build her department and prepare for the legislative session. She will also be discussing and determining a replacement for […]
Everyday teachers are using formative assessments in one way or another, including exit tickets or a “thumbs up/down” check. However, teachers need to start making sure the questions are valuable by planning for their formative assessments. Teachers should ask themselves is this essential for my students to learn, how can I access that, and how […]
Self-assessment involves developing the ability to assess and revise your own work. The three-step process that the New Mexico School for Arts utilizes includes seeing examples of mastery, learning vocabulary specific to their craft, and practicing peer critique. Teachers should show students mastery work that way they have an idea as to the expectation is […]
On October 18, formal state superintendent Glenda Ritz and state superintendent candidate Jennifer McCormick were asked various questions from a crowd of 65 at Ball State University’s Alumni Center. One topic discussed was on testing. Ritz wants to implement a computer-adaptive test that focuses on reading rather than writing, which will save the state $12 […]
Interactive notebooks are spiral bound notebooks that students glue or tape handouts on the pages and write notes on others. It can be utilized for multiple reasons including organizing students’ handouts and notes, focusing on the process, and incorporating different learning styles. However, it can also be a way to assess students. Teachers should continuously […]
Testing Advisory Committee Raises Concerns Over ISTAR Test The ISTAR assessment has made its first year of administration in Indiana schools. Students with cognitive disabilities took this test and a state testing committee is now testing its validity. The three tiers of ISTAR evaluate students at different levels. However, some believe that the test cannot […]
Indiana Scraps ISTEP but will its replacement face a political test? On March 22nd 2016, Mike Pence signed a bill that eliminated the controversial ISTEP assessment. With the newly formed academic standards, Indiana citizens are questioning how much the state education officials can change the assessment. They must stick to the standards, so will […]
Recently there has been a push toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in education. With this new push, it is important to find engaging ways to teach it to students. Students in any grade can, and should, explore STEM. Below is a link to a STEM lesson plan resource for third grade about simple machines. […]
This resource was created by Ball State University Juniors Emily Folland, Paige Pohlmann, and Jenna James. The resource consists of a presentation about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In the presentation, we detail background information that brought about the change from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to ESSA, information regarding what ESSA actually is, […]
A recent article and interview was published regarding teaching in an urban setting. The individual being interviewed, Christopher Edmin has recently written a book titled “For the White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too”. He discussed the importance in teachers who come from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds of […]
A recent article was written regarding a particular student who is not only gifted, but she is also an English Language Learner. Throughout this article, it not only discusses this particular young lady and her experiences, but it also talks about ELL students in general. The 17 year old student was fortunate to have a […]
On April 11, 2016 an article was written regarding the new law that is to replace No Child Left Behind. Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA is to do a number of things. Currently a few tweaks are being worked out with the law. One concern that is addressed in this article focuses on how […]
On March 25, 2015 Allie Bidwell wrote an article that focuses on the growth that has occurred since the Common Scores have been adapted in many states. Studies have be completed in order to determine whether or not gains have been made. One factor that makes it difficult to determine how the Common Core standards […]
May 2015 While taking another class at Ball State University involving high school curriculum, I came across a great book,“The Global Achievement Gap,” which all teachers should at least skim. In this book, Dr. Wagner interviews many teachers, administrators, business leaders, and college professors, to compile what he calls “The Seven Survival Skills” that all […]
When David Berliner arrived on February 5th, 2015 on Ball State’s campus, I assumed he’d be a stuffy philosopher. I figured he’d come in with facts and statistics of why education was in trouble and rally teachers around his cause to change the world. I was both right and wrong. Berliner enlightened me in so […]
Submitted by Caitlyn Gear May 2015 This website hosted by the Indiana IEP Resource Center offers resources for all people involved in the IEP process. As I explored the site, I found that the Resource Center not only offers their own knowledge, but they also offer other resources such as articles and PDFs with information […]
Submitted by Sierra Emilson May 2015 On April 22, 2015 I attended a presentation at Ball State University featuring the 2014 National Teacher of the Year, Sean McComb. McComb is a high school English teacher in Maryland and also works with pre service teachers at a local university. About 97% of the students McComb works […]
Submitted by Shelby Meints May 2015 ActiVote is an example of a student response system or learning response system. This specific response system allows teachers to poll students at any time during class to assess progress and, based on responses, customize lessons to specific student needs. Using ActiVote will allow you to determine if students […]
Submitted by Paige Pohlmann May 2015 It is likely that if you are a professional educator or studying to be a professional educator that you have heard the term formative assessment at some point in time. This is due to the simple fact that formative assessment is an essential component of the teaching profession. Although […]
Submitted by April Hampton May 2015 Sean McComb spoke about the importance of sparking hope into education as students continue to pursue their goals and ambitions. McComb, the 2014 Teacher of the Year, discussed how hope in education is not a wish, like some define the word, but rather it is a belief in the […]
Submitted by Lindsey Kuhn May 2015 Classflow is a free online software that enables teachers to engage their students in a meaningful presentation of material. Educators can create lessons using teacher and student cards, which are similar to slides in a PowerPoint. These cards can be interactive with the students in the classroom. Teacher cards […]
Submitted by Jacklyn Snoek May 2015 Rainn Wilson walked across the stage to the podium, donning a sweater vest and a venti Starbucks coffee, and moved the audience to tears with the single line, “Wow, I could make so many jokes about your university’s name.” He then asked the audience to pull out their cameras […]