Tag Archives: Using Data

Professional Development Ideas to Support Literacy Instruction

Posted on April 14, 2015 by

This has been a particularly challenging year in our field. As teachers and school leaders continue to wrestle with how best to prepare students to meet and exceed the Common Core Standards, I would like to humbly submit some professional … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, Argument, Assessment(s), Close Reading, Comprehension, Curriculum, DBQ Approach, ELA Common Core Standards, Essential Questions, Events, Evidence, Explanation, Grant Wiggins, Inference, Lesson-planning, Literacy and the Common Core BOOK, Literacy Manipulatives, Literary Analysis Writing, Main Idea, Narrative Writing, Nonfiction, Novels, Paraphrasing, PARCC, Presentations, Professional Development, Quadrant Analysis, Reading, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Research Writing, Resources, RPM Objectives, Socratic Seminars, Test Prep, Text Selection, The Literacy Cookbook BOOK, TLC Website Resources, Trajectory Analysis, Unit-planning, Using Data, Vocabulary, Vocabulary in Context, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

FREE WORKSHOP: “Our Students Are Struggling: Now What?”

Posted on March 20, 2015 by

I will present “Our Students Are Struggling: Now What?” at the Eatontown Barnes & Noble in the Monmouth Mall on Tuesday, April 14, from 6:00-7:30pm. There is no charge, and participants will earn professional development hours. To sign up, please click … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, Assessment(s), ELA Common Core Standards, Literacy and the Common Core BOOK, Presentations, Professional Development, Reading, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Resources, The Literacy Cookbook BOOK, Using Data | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PARCC Administration Logistical Tips

Posted on February 25, 2015 by

As we approach the PARCC Assessment starting line, many schools are conducting dry runs with practice tests to troubleshoot in advance. Based on research and discussions in the field, here are some tips that may be helpful when you administer … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment(s), Compare and Contrast, Literary Analysis Writing, Narrative Writing, PARCC, Research Writing, Resources, Test Prep, TLC Website Resources, Using Data | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UPCOMING PRESENTATION: “Our Students Are Struggling: Now What?”

Posted on February 20, 2015 by

I am pleased to report that I will present a workshop on “Our Students Are Struggling: Now What?” at the NJ Charter Schools Annual Conference on March 30, 2015 at Bally’s in Atlantic City. For registration details, click here. Many … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, ELA Common Core Standards, Literacy and the Common Core BOOK, PARCC, Presentations, Professional Development, Reading Informational Text, Resources, RPM Objectives, Test Prep, TLC Website Resources, Trajectory Analysis, Using Data | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PARCC Prep: How to Unpack Reading Assessment Results

Posted on December 20, 2014 by

Many schools use interim assessments to track student progress and adjust instruction accordingly. This post offers a process for making sense of the results. Identify any standards where students scored below 65%. Use the RIT/RL Trajectory Analysis Chart(s) on TLC … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, Assessment(s), Comprehension, ELA Common Core Standards, PARCC, Professional Development, Reading, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Resources, Test Prep, TLC Website Resources, Trajectory Analysis, Using Data | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PARCC Prep: How and Why to Analyze Reading Questions

Posted on December 12, 2014 by

Tests are a genre. We don’t have to do test prep 24/7, but we do need to ensure that our students are familiar with that genre. One way to do this with PARCC reading comprehension questions is to analyze the … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, Assessment(s), Comprehension, ELA Common Core Standards, Genre, PARCC, Professional Development, Questioning, Reading, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Resources, Test Prep, TLC Website Resources, Using Data, Vocabulary in Context | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Approaches to the Common Core: WHY ANNOTATION MATTERS*

Posted on October 12, 2012 by

Over the years, students have taught me many vital lessons.  Najla was no exception.  Here is the story….  Not long after we began to implement data-driven instruction at North Star Academy (a high-performing school in Newark, NJ, where I worked … Continue reading →

Posted in Annotation, ELA Common Core Standards, Nonfiction, Reading, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Resources, The Literacy Cookbook BOOK, TLC Website Resources, Using Data | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Approaches to the Common Core: SHIFTS IN WRITING INSTRUCTION

Posted on September 22, 2012 by

Every once in a while, someone writes something that I wish I had written.  In this case, it’s a piece by Peg Tyre in The Atlantic about how the teachers at New Dorp High School changed their writing instruction and … Continue reading →

Posted in Analyzing the Common Core Standards, Argument, Curriculum, ELA Common Core Standards, Evidence, Professional Development, Resources, TLC Website Resources, Using Data, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We Just Downloaded Our NJ ASK Results: NOW WHAT?

Posted on September 20, 2012 by

School leaders in NJ have just received access to more complete NJ ASK results for their students, and no doubt many are trying to make sense of this information.  It’s a bit of a Good-News-Bad-News-Good-News scenario.  The Good News is … Continue reading →

Posted in NJ ASK Analysis, Resources, TLC Website Resources, Using Data | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment