From the category archives:

ESOL

Keeping Education Test Scores Low – Apparently a laudible goal for state government.

by Mark February 28, 2010 ESOL

The Washington Post brags it’s reporting helped Virginia officials decide to sharply limit the alternative testing program to the No Child Left Behind. This alternative test is called the Virginia Grade Level Alternative (or VGLA). It is a portfolio assessment. A portfolio assessment is exactly as it sounds–a collection of work-product done by the student showing mastery of each test question.
The Post claims growing numbers of students are being assessed this alternative way and test scores are noticeably higher as a result.

21 Things That Will Be Obsolete in 2020? Try 2010.

by Mark December 16, 2009 ESOL

A list of 21 things in Education some believe will be obsolete. At a small title one elementary school outside Washington, many of them already are.

Teacher Productivity Vs. Teacher Effectiveness

by Mark December 4, 2009 ESOL

So going forward I’m going to focus on these two concepts: “teacher productivity” and “teacher effectiveness.” I’m going to list the tools, means and ways the productivity experts have come up with over the years and how they can be applied to the administrative, troublesome and ancillary aspects of our jobs as teachers. I’m going to list and think about all the ways teachers can become more effective at their craft–the art of teaching. And I’m going to try not to mix up the two.

25 Digital Things All Teachers Should Know – Updated

by Mark June 4, 2009 ESOL

There are 25 important tools for increasing teacher productivity, from saving and sharing bookmarks with your colleagues and class, to capturing video. 25 easy things to do that make things easy. Tackling these 25 things are a good year-long goal for the uninitiated and a check-list for the tech-savvy.