Effective Assessment for Informed Instruction

Features

Considering the Positive Increased Assessment
Jim Paterson
It may not be a silver lining, but some middle school administrators and teachers are trying to make the most out of the cloudy, threatening atmosphere blown their way by high-stakes testing and standards-based reform.

Beyond Report Cards: Assessing Students on What Matters
Elaine Elston
The mission of Campus Community School in Dover, Delaware , is to develop self-directed learners. With that goal in mind, the staff built its assessment program on a rubric that measures habits of mind and reports progress via a student profile.

Planning Made Easier: Using a Content Analysis Process
Katherine E. Misulis
Today's teachers are challenged to determine what content is vital for students to learn, what standards need to be met, and how to present it in a coherent lesson. Content analysis does just that.

Talking to Students About Cyber-Ethics
Bob Kruger
For middle school students, fitting in is everything. If their classmates are making copies of each other's computer games and software, then young teens are eager to do so as well. Introducing cyber-ethics early, while young people are still forming their own value systems, can have long-lasting benefits.

Academic Success for Below-Level Readers
Robert Ruder
Rather than expend time and money attempting to solve the mystery of "why" students fail to succeed academically, prudent middle school educators focus their energies on the "what to do now" piece of the challenge.

Departments

Teams in Action
Joan Cavallo, Cynthia Myers, Meghan O'Donnell, Samantha Lash, William Bloomhardt, Clarice Cutler, and William Hayden
Alpha Team members at Shelburne (VT) Community School both – teachers and students – share their strategies for ensuring students' voices are heard in the classroom and in the field.

Teaching in the Middle
Rick Wormeli
Summarization can be a compelling learning strategy for middle school students if they understand the process and know how to use a variety of summarization techniques.

The Mark of Leadership
Gary Stebbins
Increased federal requirements and diminished education funding have some school leaders feeling like they have lost control of their schools. One veteran administrator offers thoughts about staying focused on what education is all about.

Spotlight on Science

Storm Busters: A Science and Technology Integrated Unit
Linda Dombchik

"Keep the Heat" Sparks Students
Bill Brennan<