Thursday, June 30, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/reclaimdropouts
Several education experts write in this article that while the classroom effectiveness of Teach for America is widely debated, the program does have a track record for developing education reformers, such as former Washington, D.C., schools chief Michelle Rhee and the co-founders of KIPP Academy. They write that a research analysis they conducted shows that about 15% of entrepreneurs leading major nonprofit education organizations created since 1989 have TFA experience.......

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

AMSTI - Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative

http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor38

The mission of the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) is to improve math and science teaching in Alabama so all students develop the knowledge and skills necessary for success in postsecondary studies and in the workforce. To accomplish this AMSTI provides teachers with ongoing, grade and subject level professional development and the equipment and materials needed to teach math and science using hands-on, activity-based instruction. Additional information about AMSTI can be found at http://www.amsti.org..........


What's good for ELLs is good for all

http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor37

Posted: Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

By: Reading Rockets

One presentation I went to was "Vocabulary Instruction and Language Development for English Language Learners," presented by Maria Elena Arguelles. She's a dynamic speaker whose anecdotes had us laughing all the way through. As she talked about effective instruction for ELLs, I was reminded that what's good for ELLs is really good for all young learners. That's a good thing for teachers! We definitely don't need more work.....

Ideas for Making U.S. History Fun

The results of a recent nationwide test have revealed that U.S. students don't know their history, according to a report released by the New York Times. Only 20 percent of fourth graders, 17 percent of eighth graders, and 12 percent of high school seniors proved themselves proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Another recent test showed that U.S. students are struggling with Civics knowledge as well..........

Top Rated Edutopia Resources: Week Ending June 10, 2011

By Betty Ray  6/10/11 Found theses sites to be interesting.

 
As the year starts to wind to a close, here are Edutopia's most highly rated resources for this week. Note that our resources can be rated along three parameters:
  • PRACTICAL Practical materials are ones that you can use to improve your classroom or school right now. These include lesson ideas, tips and strategies for implemeting a new practice, or anything else that is useful RIGHT NOW (as opposed to something that may take 10 months and several committee meetings to implement).
  • INNOVATIVE These are materials that inspire you with their cutting-edge ideas. Not necessarily something you can implement right away, but if they're Practical too, then you can certainly rate them with both.
  • PERSUASIVE Persuasive resources are those that make the case for a particular practice or idea. Maybe they helped to change your mind. Or maybe they could change someone else's mind. You could use these materials to persuade your school board, for instance, or your principal to adopt a new approach.

We'll surface the most Practical, Innovative and Persuasive resources on the site, via social media and in our newsletter. So please rate as you read! The feature was released recently, so the numbers are still a little low. Please rate anything that moves you; this is only useful if you share your opinions! :)

 

Criteria for Effective Assessment in Project-Based Learning(PBL); By Betty Ray   2/28/11

http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor34

One of the greatest potentials for PBL is that it calls for authentic assessment. In a well-designed PBL project, the culminating product is presented publicly for a real audience. PBL is also standards-based pedagogy. Oftentimes when I consult and coach teachers in PBL, they ask about the assessment of standards. With the pressures of high stakes testing and traditional assessments, teachers and administrators need to make sure they accurately design projects that target the standards they need students to know and be able to do. In addition, teachers need to make sure they are continually assessing throughout a PBL project to ensure their students are getting the content knowledge and skills that they need to complete the project. Below are some criteria to ensure that your PBL project demands that demands high expectations, aligned to standards and assessed properly.........

http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor33
Online teacher and education consultant Andrew Miller considers elements of the Common Core State Standards for math and how to best apply them in the classroom using project-based instruction. For a geometry standard related to area and volume, he suggests lessons that would be appropriate for students in elementary, middle and high school. The culminating project for each product could be presented in any number of forms, including a podcast, a marketing plan or a short story, Miller writes.......

The Official Site for the GED Tests

http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor32

GED Testing Service, a program of the American Council on Education, develops, delivers and safeguards the GED Tests.

Start here for accurate and reliable information about the GED testing program........

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Sports Editors to Train, Mentor Midcareer Journalists of Color

http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor31

The nation's sports editors, recently told that they preside over what is likely the whitest, most male section of newspaper and website newsrooms, are planning a nine-month program intended to train midcareer women and journalists of color for sports-department leadership positions..........

 


DIGEST OF EDUCATION STATISTICS
The primary purpose of the Digest of Education Statistics is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the Digest, material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international education. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data.
Forty-seven percent of twelfth-graders reported using letters, diaries, or essays written by historical people at least once a month in their studies of U.S. History in 2010.

As part of the 2010 U.S. history assessment, twelfth-graders were asked about the extent to which they used various resources when studying history.

The percentage of students who responded in each category are shown.

Approximately 71 percent of twelfth-graders reported reading from a textbook at least weekly, while 17 percent reported using with the same frequency letters, diaries, or essays written by historical people.
The average U.S. history scores for all reported racial/ethnic groups were higher in 2010 than in 1994.
Black and Hispanic eighth-graders scored higher in 2010 than in 2006.
  • View student performance by various student groups, including gender, race/ethnicity, type of school, family income level (based on eligibility for the National School Lunch Program), parental education, students with disabilities (SD), and English Language Learners (ELL).
  • Move the cursor over data points to see more detail.
  • When viewing average score figures, click on a group within the legend to show detailed information about its performance.
  • When viewing the achievement level or percentile figures, use the drop down menu to show data for each group.
  • Below each figure, click the button for "chart options" to see the data displayed in other chart formats.
CHECK IT OUT!
Profile of Degree/Certificate-Seeking Entering Undergraduate Students, By Control and Level of Institution
These Web Tables compare enrollment information for entering full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students to three other degree- or certificate-seeking entering student groups: (1) part-time, first-time students; (2) full-time, transfer-in students; and (3) part-time, transfer-in students. The Web Tables present the distribution of these four student groups across institutions possessing different characteristics and by the gender and race/ethnicity of the entering student population.
 
High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09): A First Look at Fall 2009 9th-Graders
On June 28, the National Center for Education Statistics will release High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09): A First Look at Fall 2009 Ninth-Graders.

This report features initial findings from the base year of a new longitudinal study that started with a nationally representative cohort of ninth-graders in the fall of 2009 and will follow these students through postsecondary education and the world of work. The base year data focus on students' transitions into high school, especially their decisions about courses and plans for postsecondary education and careers. The HSLS:09 study captures these decisions, plans, expectations, and activities generally but also specifically in math and science.

Findings include the news that half of America's ninth-graders are taking algebra 1 (51%) and 22% are taking geometry. About 86% of ninth-graders are proficient in understanding algebraic expressions based on their HSLS:09 math assessment scores, but just 18% are proficient at understanding systems of equations and 9% are proficient at understanding linear functions, both of which are more advanced topics within algebra. Of students whose parents hold a master's degree or higher, 44% are in the top quintile of math performance and 5% in the bottom quintile. Of students whose parents have earned a high school diploma or equivalent, 24% are in the bottom quintile of performance on the assessment and 15% are in the top quintile.

At this age, about 22% of students did not report any educational expectations, while 39% report expecting to earn a graduate or professional degree. More female ninth-graders than male ninth-graders expect to obtain a graduate or professional degree (44% versus 35%). More socioeconomically advantaged ninth-graders expect to earn a graduate or professional degree than their peers in the lowest socioeconomic stratum (56% versus 27%). Over half – 53% of Asian students and 52% of Black students – report that they definitely can complete college, compared to 40% of Hispanic students and 49% of white students who report the same confidence.
How many educational institutions exist in the United States?
During most of the last century, the trend to consolidate small schools brought declines in the total number of public schools in the United States. In 1929–30, there were approximately 248,000 public schools, compared with about 99,000 in 2008–09. But this number has increased over the past 10 years: between 1998–99 and 2008–09, there was an increase of approximately 7,800 schools. Since the early 1970s, public school systems have been shifting away from junior high schools (schools consisting of either grades 7 and 8 or grades 7 to 9) and toward middle schools (a subset of elementary schools beginning with grade 4, 5, or 6 and ending with grade 6, 7, or 8). Although the number of all elementary schools (schools beginning with grade 6 or below and having no grade higher than 8) was 1 percent lower in 1998–99 than in 1970–71 (63,500 vs. 64,000), the number of middle schools was 439 percent higher in 1998–99 than in 1970–71 (11,200 vs. 2,100). During the same period, the number of junior high schools declined by 53 percent (from 7,800 in 1970–71 to 3,600 in 1998–99). Between 1998–99 and 2008–09, the number of all elementary schools rose by 6 percent to 67,100, while the subset of middle schools rose by 17 percent to 13,100. During the same period, the number of junior high schools declined by 16 percent to 3,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics, 2010 (NCES 2011-015), Chapter 2.

How are American students performing in reading?
The main National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports current reading assessment information for the nation and specific geographic regions of the country. The assessment program includes students drawn from both public and nonpublic schools and reports results for student achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12. The main NAEP assessment data were first collected in 1992 and are reported on a scale of 0 to 500. From 2007 to 2009, there were no measurable changes in average reading scores for 4th-grade males and females or for 4th-grade students from any of the five racial/ethnic groups. From 1992 to 2009, male 4th-graders' average reading scores increased from 213 to 218 and female 4th-graders' scores increased from 221 to 224. At grade 4, the average reading scores in 2009 for White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students were not measurably different from their scores in 2007. The 2009 reading scores for White, Black, and Hispanic students did, however, remain higher than scores from assessment years prior to 2007. The 2009 average NAEP reading scale score for 8th-graders was 1 point higher than the 2007 score and 4 points higher than the 1992 score, but the 2009 score was not always measurably different from the scores on the assessments given between 1994 and 2005. For 12th-graders, the 2009 average reading score was 4 points lower than the score in 1992 but 2 points higher than the score in 2005 (12th-graders were not assessed in 2007).

The 2009 main NAEP reading assessment of states found that the average reading proficiency of public school 4th- and 8th-graders varied across participating jurisdictions (the 50 states, the Department of Defense overseas and domestic schools, and the District of Columbia). For 4th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 220, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 202 in the District of Columbia to 234 in Massachusetts. For 8th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 262, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 242 in the District of Columbia to 274 in Massachusetts.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics, 2010 (NCES 2011-015), Chapter 2.
 

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Explore the U.S. History 2010 Report Card

http://nationsreportcard.gov/ushistory_2010/ushistory_2010_report/

About the U.S. History Assessment

Nationally representative samples of more than 7,000 fourth-graders, 11,000 eighth-graders, and 12,000 twelfth-graders participated in the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. history. At each grade, students responded to questions designed to measure their knowledge of United States history in the context of democracy, culture, technological and economic changes, and America's changing world role. Comparing the results from the 2010 assessment to results from three previous assessment years (1994, 2001, and 2006) shows how students' knowledge and skills in U.S. history have progressed over time.

The results from the 2010 U.S. history assessment are based on nationally representative samples of public and private school students at grades 4, 8, and 12. Private schools include Catholic and other private schools. In 2010, results are disaggregated for students attending private schools at grade 8 only because participation of students attending private schools at grades 4 and 12 was not sufficient to permit reporting. Unlike NAEP assessments in other subjects such as reading, mathematics, and science, the U.S.history assessment was not designed to report results for individual states.

The U.S. history assessment was developed and reviewed by a committee of history and measurement experts to capture the goals of the U.S. History Framework. The National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the development of NAEP frameworks, incorporated the expertise of many individuals involved in U.S. history and education when developing the framework.

The series of tables on the student population and sample, school and student participation rates, and inclusion of students with disabilities and English language learners provide context for interpreting the results of the assessment. Read the NAEP inclusion policy to learn more about NAEP accommodations and the history of the policy.

Achievement Gaps: How Hispanic and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress
This report provides detailed information on the size of the achievement gaps between Hispanic and White public school students at the national and state levels and describes how those achievement gaps have changed over time. Additional information about race/ethnicity in NAEP is given in Appendix A. Most of the data in this report is derived from the results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) main assessments in mathematics and reading; however the trend data provided is derived from results from as early as 1990. Achievement Gaps: How Hispanic and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, follows our previous report that provided similar information on the achievement gap between Black and White students.

Friday, June 24, 2011

I am trully dismayed by the drop-out rate in
HUNTSVILLE, the TENNESSEE VALLEY,
the state of ALABAMA, & the USA!

We can make a difference,
1 child at a time!

 

HELP ME RAISE $64,000 FOR THE JANICE MITCHELL ISBELL ACADEMY and support the education of 6th thru 8th graders struggling in a traditional classroom.  Help educate the LEADERS of the FUTURE!

 
JMIA YEARBOOK CAMPAIGN!        http://goo.gl/rUQTx
The purposes of the Janice Mitchell Isbell Academy (Isbell Academy) are:

(1) Provide educational services for at-risk students.

(2) Accelerate the knowledge, skill, and abilities of the students to at and/or above grade-level expectations.

The Isbell Academy is a non-profit, tax-exempt, private, institution of learning. Isbell Academy believes in training the whole student - intellectual, social, spiritual, and physical. Isbell Academy admits students of any race, color, nationality, religion, and ethnic origin. Isbell Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, or physical disability in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school sponsored programs.

 

 

Go to this website and donate:   http://goo.gl/rUQTx

Black Caucus Wants to Get You a Job

Frustrated by inaction from Capitol Hill, the CBC is trying a new line of attack on unemployment: a traveling job fair with a twist.

 

Things have not been working out for the Congressional Black Caucus. Between its 43 members, this year the organization has introduced 40 different jobs bills to address the national unemployment rate of 9.1 percent (and 16.2 percent for African Americans in particular). They've met twice with President Obama on the issue. But their legislative efforts haven't gained enough support to pass through Congress. So they've decided to sidestep the usual tactics with a new approach: hitting the road for a multicity jobs tour........

NAACP Suit Is Latest Salvo in Fight Over Schools

The lawsuit is ground zero in a battle splitting advocacy groups over whether charter schools can help our children succeed...........

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Department Officials Visit Hawaii to Learn About Progress Made in Implementing Race to the Top Plan


Contact:  
Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov


A team of leaders from the U.S. Department of Education's Implementation and Support Unit (ISU) travelled to Honolulu yesterday for a two-day on-site program review with representatives from Hawaii's Race to the Top team.

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-officials-visit-hawaii-learn-about-progress-made-implementing-race-to

Missing weblinks

Making History for Students with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities

http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/06/making-history-for-students-with-developmental-and-intellectual-disabilities/

 

U.S. Education Secretary Duncan Challenges Nation to Work Together to Make Hispanic Educational Excellence a Priority

 

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-education-secretary-duncan-challenges-nation-work-together-make-hispanic-educ

 

Making History for Students with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities

U.S. Education Secretary Duncan Challenges Nation to Work Together to Make Hispanic Educational Excellence a Priority

New Report on Comprehensive National and State Performance Data Shows Hispanic-White Achievement Gap Unchanged Over Last Two Decades

Contact:  
Toby Chaudhuri , toby.chaudhuri@ed.gov
Ida Kelley , ida.kelley@ed.gov


WASHINGTON – U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan today urged parents, educators and school leaders at every level of government to make Hispanic educational excellence a national priority. Secretary Duncan's challenge follows the release of a sobering new report on the Hispanic achievement gap by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the U.S. Department of Education's statistical center............

Greetings All,   

It is that time again for our biggest fundraiser of the year - JMIA YEARBOOK CAMPAIGN!

JMIA Yearbook Fundraiser helps educate students struggling in a traditional classroom (6th - 8th Graders).

You will receive an ad in our yearbook and on our webpage.  PLUS A T-Shirt!  PLUS additonal gifts!

 
JMIA YEARBOOK CAMPAIGN!        http://goo.gl/rUQTx
The purposes of the Janice Mitchell Isbell Academy (Isbell Academy) are:

(1) Provide educational services for at-risk students.

(2) Accelerate the knowledge, skill, and abilities of the students to at and/or above grade-level expectations.

The Isbell Academy is a non-profit, tax-exempt, private, institution of learning. Isbell Academy believes in training the whole student - intellectual, social, spiritual, and physical. Isbell Academy admits students of any race, color, nationality, religion, and ethnic origin. Isbell Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, or physical disability in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school sponsored programs.

 HOW DOES YOUR DONATIONS HELP?

Below is just a sample of the many outreaching ways your donation meets the needs of JMIA's students.

$500 buys a complete CD-ROM Curriculum for one student.
$250 buys a complete Traditional Curriculum set for one student.
$100 buys Educational Software for the classroom.
$50 buys art supplies for one project for the classroom.
$25 buys supplies for one student for one semester.
$10 buys a dictionary for one student.
$5 buys a Spanish-English dictionary for one student.

These are just a few of the many ways you can help educate a student!

Go to this website and donate:   http://goo.gl/rUQTx

OR

Call me for pickup @ 256-694-9451.

 

JMI



TEAM REDEMPTION!  
http://www.iboplus.com/jisbell
No Excuse - A Philosophy for SUCCESS!
Mrs. Janice Mitchell Isbell
256-859-9758 home
256-694-9451 cell
http//:www.janiceisbell.com

KHAN Academy
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Watch. Practice. Learn almost anything—for free.
What started out as Sal making a few algebra videos for his cousins
has grown to over 2,100 videos and 100 self-paced exercises and
assessments covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance,
and history......
Study Finds Gaps Remain Large for Hispanic Students
Published Online: June 23, 2011
By Sarah D. Sparks
http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor21
While growing numbers of Hispanic students have changed the face of
American education over the past two decades, the gap between them and
their white classmates in math and reading remains as wide as it was
in the 1990s, according to a new federal study......

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

You might find this District Administration article interesting: A
Humble, Small Learning Communitiiy
http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=2836
As enrollment increased rapidly in the Humble (Texas) Independent
School District, administrators found a way to keep standards high.


Young scientists highlight need
At competition, teachers lament students' overall lack of interest
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/19/young-scientists-highlight-need/
WE HAVE TO HELP MOTIVATE NEW SCIENTISTS! @jmitutor

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Gateway to College program helps high school dropouts

House clarifies high school dropout age

Updated: Monday, 06 Jun 2011, 1:41 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 06 Jun 2011, 1:41 PM EDT

Hartford, Conn. (AP) - The Connecticut House has passed legislation requiring school principals to give parents a heads-up if their student is in danger of flunking a course......

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/politics/house-clarifies-high-school-dropout-age

Program eyes Biddeford High School dropout rates

Posted: Thursday, June 2, 2011 1:15 pm

Research changes immigration debate, to a degree

By JEANNIE KEVER
Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle

June 9, 2011, 5:37AM

A report set for release today seeks to reshape the national immigration debate and notes that for the first time, immigrants with college degrees outnumber those who haven't finished high school.

"There's more high-skilled (immigrants) than people believe," said Audrey Singer, senior fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and co-author of the report, which contends that the economic contribution of immigrants has been overshadowed by the rancorous debate over illegal immigration..........

Dropouts down in Dothan City Schools

A new alternative high school program appears to be helping curb dropouts in the Dothan City Schools.

The city school system had 88 dropouts for the 2010 school year. In 2011, the system had 29.

The difference? Dothan City Schools administrators claim new tactics, including an alternative high school that allows students to complete coursework online, are helping to cut the system's number of dropouts.

Allyson Morgan, director of secondary curriculum, said better student tracking, improved interventions and the new high school program are all cutting the city schools' dropout rate...........................

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2011/jun/20/dropouts-down-dothan-city-schools-ar-2003373/

ANOTHER SPIN: Let's put an end to high school dropouts

By Debbie Spingarn/Wicked Local Norwood Columnist
 

A headline in the Boston Globe a few days back caught my eye: "Dropout rates still a concern."  

The article details the dropout rate among local South Shore towns, of which Norwood is included.

As a taxpayer, teacher, parent and citizen, this troubles me. Most of all, as a human being what concerns me is the devastating effect dropping out of high school can have on an individual, especially in today's difficult world.......

Monday, June 20, 2011

High School Dropouts - Benefits of Graduating High School

http://tinyurl.com/jmitutor16

Dropping out of high school has lifetime consequences for students, including poverty and a lower quality of life. Helping students graduate is important......

High School Dropouts in America

 

Over a million of the students who enter ninth grade each fall fail to graduate with their peers four years later. In fact, about seven thousand students drop out every school day. Perhaps this statistic was acceptable fifty years ago, but...

 
Published: August 3, 2004

Dropouts

Updated June 16, 2011

tp://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/dropouts/

When students drop out of school, the course of their lives may be totally reset. Dropouts typically earn less than their peers with more education, and they are more likely than high school graduates to end up in prison. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the population of U.S. 18- through 24-year-olds..........

Proposed Law Would Ban High School Dropouts From Getting Driver's License

BOSTON (CBS) – A bill that would ban high school dropouts from getting their driver's license has been proposed on Beacon Hill.

In order to get a license......

 

Friday, June 3, 2011

How the right questions can help students learn (URL)

FORGOT TO ADD THE URL!
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2011/05/31/effectivequestioning.html?tkn=QZCC9FW30OYuqTyCrdW5UWjydmcR74Z%2F4hfD&cmp=clp-sb-ascd

How the right questions can help students learn

Teaching Secrets: Asking the Right Questions

I LOVE THIS PART OF THE ARTICLE!
We have to engage our students in order to keep them in the classroom
through graduation!

"First, a few tips for setting the stage:

Cooperative learning is a must. Shake things up a bit sometimes. Break
free from traditional row seating to allow students to collaborate.
Setting aside time for socialization around your topic will increase
active learning, and generally works best when students are free to
engage in dialogue. Divide the class into two groups, small groups, or
pairs.

Encourage students to ask their own meaningful questions. Prepare
lessons that make your job as facilitator painless. Remember the idea
is to have your students in charge of their learning. You want them to
ask meaningful questions, seek relevant answers, and explore the
thinking of peers with an open mind. You can guide their ability to
investigate and vary their thinking around topics by providing a
visual scaffold (such as Bloom's taxonomy) that guides them to think
critically. Plan to "listen-in" during each group's discussion. Jump
in as necessary—adding questions, giving compliments, or making
comments that will help students dig deeper.

Observing can be part of learning. Think about how much you learn as
you observe students. Students can also learn by observing one
another. Give those quiet ones a purpose for listening and new ways to
share their thinking through oral or written expression. Encourage
students to take turns being active listeners and speakers. You'll be
surprised by how much it will help the quiet students assume a more
active role in learning. It can also work wonders in strengthening the
listening skills of those students who tend to "steal the show."

Give yourself time to roam. Take advantage of opportunities for
assessment, which are plentiful during student discussions and
inquiry. To make the most of this time, prepare a grid or have a
notebook handy with a list of all students' names. During class, you
can jot down your observations and snippets of what you hear them say.
This provides valuable insights about students' learning in the moment
and can help inform future lessons.

Some effective question types to deepen learning and keep discussions going:

Open-ended questions leave room for students to say what's on their
minds without worrying that there is only one right answer. These
questions also give students a chance to justify their thinking by
explaining their responses. What's your opinion of…?

Diagnostic questions require students to explain information and
formulate some kind of understanding of what could be going on behind
the scenes. What would happen if…?

Challenge questions ask students to analyze, apply, and evaluate. Do
you agree or disagree…why?

Elaboration questions nurture students' listening and speaking skills
as well as comprehension skills. Can you add your thinking to…?

Extension questions inspire students to think beyond the text. Can you
think of an original way to…? How would you adapt this to make it
different?"

High school dropouts in America



@jmitutor Sent from my iPad

Trends in High School Dropout Rates


Child Trends (2011) High School Dropout Rates. Retrieved fromwww.childtrendsdatabank.org/alphalist?q=node/162.


@jmitutor Sent from my iPad