Making sense of the enormous amount of student data in any classroom or school is probably the biggest challenge we face individually and in our school communities. Here you'll find everything from one-page templates created by teachers for use in their classrooms to videos of staff teams poring over large data sets. We don't have all the answers, but we do have the tools to help you ask better questions as you evaluate students and talk about assessments with your colleagues.

Data Cards: Assessment Profiles at a Glance (VIDEO) "Data Cards" are ingeniously designed to allow an entire grade-level team to look at the reading levels of all students in the grade. In this four-minute video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) explain how they work. . . . more Assessment Conferences: Listening to and Learning from Our Students Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan As we work with teachers on conferring during reader's workshops, we often rely on Lucy Calkin's instructional model for one-on-one conferences: research, decide and teach. Recently in our coaching, we have been talking with teachers about using some of our conferences just to "research." This has given us an opportunity to observe what strategies children apply when reading independently, and to listen to what children have to say about their own reading process. . . . more Assessment: Inside and Outside Views Andrea Smith Recent events tested my view of assessment tools used to capture students' growth and learning. I finished publishing my report cards and our school "went live" using a new, on-line grade book tool that parents and students view from their home computers. After the blur of report cards and the launch of this public grade book, my attitude was a mixture of confidence and jitters about a communication tool that caused more questions than answers for me as a teacher. . . . more Ending the Year with Literacy Gifts Franki Sibberson Recently I received an email from a student who was in my kindergarten class nine years ago. He is now a freshman in high school and just wanted to say hello. It was a great note - he shared homecoming pictures, and information about how he was doing in school and at home. But what struck me most were the things he remembered about kindergarten. He told me he still watches the end of the year DVD that I gave each child as a parting gift - a collection of photos set to music celebrating our year together. . . . more Implementing RTI: Keeping Students at the Heart of Our Conversations Jennifer Allen The latest acronym you are likely to hear in any educational conversation is RTI, otherwise defined as Response to Intervention. Those three letters are popping up everywhere, from educational catalogs promising the perfect "program" that will fix all students struggling in literacy, to professional books on the topic. . . . more Grade Level Team Meeting: Test Preparation (VIDEO) In this video of a third-grade team meeting, literacy coaches Janet Scott and Gail Boushey help third-grade teachers think through what is going well with test preparation, and what might be adapted before the tests begin in a few weeks. The teachers make many connections between the literacy required for both math and reading examinations . . . more Balancing Assessments Through Better Classroom Notes Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Marie Clay reminds us, "The one closest to the classroom experience is in a unique position to see and communicate a reliable and valid instructional perspective of the child." (An Observation Survey, 1993) In data meetings and professional learning communities, we sometimes become concerned that conference notes and teacher observations are not being viewed as valid assessments. We are hearing that only "universal screeners" count in the world of response to intervention . . . more Making Data Analysis a Motivating and Worthwhile Process Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan At first glance, the task of data analysis seems simply to be mathematical. Teachers look at the numbers, decide what students need to learn, and then plan instruction. However, the reality is that those numbers reflect each teacher's hard work in his/her classroom; and unfortunately those numbers do not always exemplify a teacher's efforts. The data results are sometimes not what we expect. . . . more Assessment Beyond Levels: The Reading Grid Cathy Mere Assessment systems that work are difficult to find. I've been teaching for just over 20 years now, and I'm quite sure I've tried nearly that many systems for organizing assessment information. I've tried mailing labels, note cards, file folders, and post-its (that was a mess!). I've created charts, templates, grids and checklists. I'm fascinated to see how other teachers collect information in their classrooms, and until a few years ago was always looking for a system that worked for me. I think that's the key: finding a system that works in YOUR classroom. About five years ago I tried to find a system that allowed me to keep individual conference notes over time in one handy place. Using a spiral notebook, I divided the pages so each child had 3-5 pages, and kept notes on reading and writing conferences. . . . more Moving from Assessment Data to Classroom Practice The purpose of this cluster is to help teachers make sense of the data that they are collecting about their students, and use it to design instruction. . . . more It's Not the Assessment - It's How You Use It Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Required district or school assessments are often viewed as a list of numbers that need to be provided to a certain person by a certain date. The goal is to get them done; recorded; and delivered. Kids are then sorted by scores, and resources for extra services are allocated. The quantitative performance is emphasized, and often the only aspect of the assessment that is considered. . . . more What to Say on Parent/Teacher Night Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan As the school year gets in full swing throughout the country, many teachers and literacy coaches have been talking about and preparing for parent/teacher night or the annual school open house. This night is a once-a-year chance to talk with families not only about what their children will learn during the school year, but also about the ways in which children acquire new skills and knowledge. As teachers, we have so much experience watching a particular age group learn and grow. Parent/Teacher Night is a great time to share this knowledge with families . . . more Triangulating: The Importance of Multiple Data Points When Assessing Students Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We went to a professional development session a few years ago with Elizabeth City and she gave us a name for something we have always believed - the importance of "triangulating" our data. Triangulating data means you use multiple sources of data to illuminate, confirm, or dispute what you learned from an initial analysis of one piece of data. . . . more The DIBELS Divide (LITERACY COACH CONFIDENTIAL) We have a new curriculum coordinator who requires the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) as our primary assessment tool. I am an experienced teacher, confident about the assessments I use. . . . more Test-Taking Strategies Part III: Whole Class Debrief (VIDEO) Andrea Smith I am captivated by teachers' abilities to maximize time with students. Only an elementary teacher can check students' understanding of multiplication facts, conduct a class survey based on a student created question, write two parent notes and fill out a library book request form while waiting for a fire drill to pass. The same efficiency and commitment to maximizing time with students can be applied to our workshop classrooms, not by speeding things up, but by slowing down and taking time to honor all parts of our workshop experiences with children. . . . more I Do So Like Green Eggs and Ham Shari Frost I decided that I didn't like the Kindle (a digital reader) before I had even tried it. Then one day, a Kindle arrived in the mail. It came with a note that said, "Keep an open mind." . . . more Sharing Data with Families at Parent/Teacher Conferences Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan For many of us who teach, the change of the seasons to spring or fall brings glimpses outdoors we love - of flowers newly in bloom, or leaves turning to vivid bright colors. Unfortunately, in many schools the coming of spring or fall also means administering assessments and preparing for 20-30 early morning and/or evening parent/teacher conferences. Work can become unmanageable, as teachers spend many hours interpreting assessment results and culling through piles of completed student work in order to prepare for conferences. . . . more Ecstatic: When Words Shape Thinking Carol Wilcox I'm trying, as best as I can, to get my struggling, intermediate grade readers ready for state examinations without taking too much time away from actual, authentic reading and writing instruction. All year long, we have been working on strategies that make kids better readers and also better test takers, e.g. identifying main idea, summarizing, thinking about text structure, determining importance, visualizing, and inferring, except we mostly do them in the context of real reading and writing. . . . more Creating Data Teams Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan A concern that arises in thinking about the collection and use of data is the number of schools that are assigning the job of "data manager" to their reading coaches/specialists. A good portion of the "data manager" job includes sorting and distributing paper; data entry; photocopying; filling in paper work; and walking around gathering assessments from teachers. We need to ask ourselves, "Are these the right duties for the most knowledgeable teachers of reading in our buildings?" . . . more How Do We Talk with Parents About What It Means to Be Challenged in Reading? Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan When we meet with the parents of young advanced readers, we begin by using data to show just how much their student knows as a reader. We want the parents to know that we have spent time learning about their child and that we recognize their child's particular strengths . . . more Assessment in Writing Workshop: Considering Students Katie DiCesare Because of time constraints, I decided to approach this cycle of reflection using a conference approach. I asked students to choose three pieces in their writing folder they were proud of and to talk to me about why. We discovered strengths, and then decided to set a goal for what next to practice. After randomly sitting with two writers on Friday, I have loads of information for my own reflection. I am using this information to write my summaries on report cards, to help me communicate to parents during conferences, and to guide my planning for writing workshop. Below I share briefly shared how each conference played out. . . . . . more Challenging Advanced Young Readers: Harder Texts Aren't Always the Answer Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan As we work with primary grade teachers during reader's workshop, many ask us how to challenge the advanced readers in their classrooms. These young students learn to read quickly and quite naturally -- in fact many were reading before they entered kindergarten. Teachers sometimes find themselves struggling to challenge these students in a developmentally appropriate manner. How do we facilitate these students' continued development as readers while concurrently allowing them to embrace the joys of being 5 and 6 year olds? . . . more Conferring Close-Up: Test-Taking Strategies Part II (VIDEO) Andrea Smith Workshop teachers provide time and opportunities for listening to classmates' questions and comments. Sentence Observations, a common word study practice, routinely turns students into language detectives, readers studying the work of writers, asking how and why strong writers grab our attention with their craft. The routines of sharing questions and sentence observations can also help students prepare for tests. Just as students studied a variety of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry throughout the year, test questions can also be studied examples of text. . . . more Understanding Students in Intervention Programs Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Using data to make wise decisions about students who are struggling is one of the most important tasks in schools. In one district we worked with, the data team wanted to monitor the progress of students in reading intervention. The district collects data on this subset of students on a monthly basis. so it was essential for the team to sift through the data and find patterns to research in more depth. . . . more Data Cards: Assessment Profiles at a Glance (VIDEO) "Data Cards" are ingeniously designed to allow an entire grade-level team to look at the reading levels of all students in the grade. In this four-minute video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) explain how they work. . . . more Moving from Data to Practice Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Data is now being used by many different constituencies and for many different reasons in schools. Districts are reporting data to state or federal agencies to meet grant requirements; school committees who want to evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum, programs or interventions; principals who want to monitor the progress of their school; curriculum directors who want to determine areas for professional development; and teachers who want to inform their instruction. Too often districts are duplicating efforts, trying to provide slightly different versions of similar data to all of these sources. The paperwork seems endless and overwhelming. . . . more From "Data Drowning" to "Data Wise": Helping Teachers Make Sense of Assessments Part 1: What Are We Doing Now? Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Our work brings us into many districts and we see daily how overwhelmed many teachers and schools are by the amount of data collected. Far from "data wise," we seem to be "data drowning." Data can help improve instruction, but excessive time spent collecting data can impede a teacher's ability to teach effectively. . . . more Test-Taking Skills: Reading Strategies for Word Problems - Part I (VIDEO) Andrea Smith If I've learned anything from the past 22 years of teaching, I know how valuable children's playground philosophies are for dealing with the confusing world created by adults. As a teacher I think of these words as I've come to terms with the country's fascination and obsession with academic testing. I have officially decided that childhood rule #3 helps me maintain sanity when confronted with the complex dilemmas presented by testing - you are not the boss of me. . . . more A Reason to Learn Jennifer Allen As a literacy specialist and coach, I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about professional development. I am passionate about learning, and often knee deep in designing and facilitating professional development programs for colleagues. But I have also figured out that not everyone is as passionate about learning as I am. . . . more Talking About Tests (VIDEO) For several years, I have been spending about a month before state testing on a test-taking genre in reading. It works like any other genre study, allowing students to learn strategies for comprehending the genre. So much of the work is in helping students use the strategies they have learned throughout the year while they are reading a test. I used to believe that this would happen naturally but have learned that students need explicit work in the area. . . . more Better Report Card Comments (CHOICE LITERACY CLUSTER) This cluster is designed to help teachers think about strategies for writing more meaningful report card comments, as well as ways to gather good materials for comments daily in workshops. . . . more Recordkeeping During Workshops (CHOICE LITERACY CLUSTER) In this cluster on assessment, we look at various tools that teachers use to keep student records during workshops. This cluster is designed to help teachers revise and refine their recordkeeping systems. . . . more Hallmarks of Reading Workshop Karen Szymusiak One of the many things we value at our school is ensuring that the experiences students have in workshops are authentic. Part of the process of coming to common understandings about what "authentic" means within our school community is sharing expectations of what reading workshops include. . . . more Looking for Evidence: Seven Questions Ruth Shagoury I have created a list of "Seven Questions" to hold in my mind as I am assessing students' reading, helping me to look for evidence that will support continued growth. These questions are a beginning: I invite you to revise and add to them as you learn from colleagues and students at your school. . . . more Ready for Guided Reading? Shari Frost The kindergartners at Kate's school are caught in a familiar dilemma. Teachers are feeling pressure to start reading with children sooner than ever. When I was a novice teacher in the late 70's, first graders traditionally spent the first six weeks of the school year on "reading readiness." Now everyone seems to believe that all children should leave kindergarten reading. Most of the published reading programs culminate with actual, direct reading instruction rather than pre-reading at the kindergarten level. The instructional materials for kindergarten include leveled books. . . . more Student Reading Interview: Assessing Ana (VIDEO) Karen Szymusiak In this first video in a two-part series, Principal Karen Szymusiak interviews Ana, a second grader, to learn more about her strengths and needs as a reader. In next week's installment, Karen will share her findings with Ana's teacher. . . . more Starting the School Year: A Checklist for Literacy Coaches Jan Miller Burkins It occurred to me at the beginning of last year that there are certain tasks I do each fall as a literacy coach to organize myself for the work of the upcoming year. Over the last few years, this list has become refined and I share it with you here in the hopes that it will help you as you organize your work. . . . more Easing into Assessments During the First Six Weeks of School Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak For the first several days of independent reading, we don't administer assessments in the traditional sense. Instead, we watch, listen, and learn about what students do in the routines. This is an important time for informal assessments. This work is so informative. For example, we may learn that a few children are struggling and others are quite secure in their reading. We try to notice as much as we can about our new students, including the following . . . more Bucking Broncs and Spitting Bulls Andie Cunningham It was in those opening moments of the rodeo that I thought of the first days of elementary school: how older students welcome the new and younger learners, how faculty energetically smile as they give directions to lost visitors. Assemblies, pledges, and administrative addresses all signal the beginning of great possibility. Announcements and messengers interrupt the day's activities with ease. The momentum of those first days encourages participants to dream of what is possible. The beginning of this rodeo felt vaguely similar . . . more Tiger Teams: Mixed Age Student Groups (VIDEO) In this video, Karen Szymusiak (principal at Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Dublin Ohio) explains how Tiger Teams work. Tiger Teams are mixed age groups of K-5 students who meet regularly to talk about their learning and the school community. At this meeting, students are sharing the books they are reading. . . . more Aligning Curriculum with Struggling Readers in Mind Franki Sibberson Years ago in a workshop, Shelley Harwayne asked us to think about how many books our struggling readers were reading on any given day. When you think about struggling readers, they may be reading a book that they've chosen on their own during independent reading time, and they may also be listening to a book being read aloud by the classroom teacher. Their special education or reading teacher may be reading another book with them. A parent volunteer may come in and ask them to participate in a book club about yet another book. With all of the right intentions, this child who struggles with reading may be expected to engage with 3-5 books per day. For younger students who can often read books in one sitting, this is not usually a problem. For older students who are beginning to read chapter books, sustaining comprehension for multiple chapter books at the same time may be too much of a challenge. . . . more Tracking Young Children's Writing Growth and Development in Writing Workshops Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury It's important to us to be aware of each child's writing growth as they progress through the year. Knowing what a child is attempting, experimenting with, and mastering helps us plan appropriate instruction. Understanding what they are writing helps us build on children's needs and celebrate their strengths. Here are the assessment tools we use regularly... . . . more Read Our Walls: Bridging Professional Development and Student Achievement Jennifer Allen How do we connect professional development to student learning? Does it really matter that teachers change instructional practices if we can't demonstrate student achievement? These questions have been haunting me all year. . . . more If Boot Camp Was Standards-Based Franki Sibberson As I move into my fourth month of fitness boot camp, I can't help but reflect on my time there so far. The initial shock to my body is past, and I now find getting up at 4:45 every morning a bit less daunting. . . . more Getting Started with Sentence Observations Karen Terlecky If you watched the recent video clip posted on Choice Literacy of a sentence observation in my classroom, you may have noted the sophisticated language and discussion strategies of the students. My students did not start the year with nearly that level of complexity in their language and attention to detail Getting to that point has been a year-long work in progress. In this article, I'll chronicle how we reached the point by mid-winter where students are comfortable and adept at analyzing the structure, vocabulary, and writer's craft in model sentences. . . . more First Grade Guided Writing Group: Targeting Common Spelling Needs (VIDEO) Katie DiCesare In this video of a first-grade guided writing group, Katie DiCesare works with three girls on spelling confusions that have emerged in their writing. By grouping the students together, she is able to use her time well in addressing common needs among students. . . . more Assessing Spelling in Writing Workshop Part 3: Embedding Instruction Katie DiCesare I recently came up with a form that would help me record information about my students and how they are spelling high frequency words, sounds and patterns in words. This form has helped me discover patterns I am noticing in individuals, groups of students, and my class as a whole. In this third part of my series on using this new assessment form, I'll explain how I am using the information I have gathered about my students to help me plan for instruction. My goal is to embed spelling instruction and address specific spelling confusions students have within reading and writing workshop routines already in place in my classroom. . . . more Forming Teams to Help Struggling Readers: A Pilot Project (TEMPLATES) Andrea Smith For a teacher, a struggling learner makes you feel like you are planning a solo assault on Mt. Everest. Working with at-risk students is layered with complicated challenges that are beyond our control. Watching a child who is unsuccessful year after year leaves you pausing like a climber clinging to the side of a boulder questioning every move and hand hold. This child consumes your professional conversations with your closest colleagues. We all know the scenario as you pass one another in the hall: "How is ___ doing? What are you thinking about as you watch him read?" . . . more Assessing Spelling in Writing Workshop Part 2: Noticing Patterns in Individuals, Small Groups and the Whole Group Katie DiCesare Regie's insight into assessment has raised questions in my own teaching about spelling and word study. Recently, I created a form that would help me assess spelling within authentic writing. I created this form in response to questions like . . . how can looking at student's authentic writing help me further their learning of words? How can I assess what high frequency words they are using successfully or confusing in their writing? How can I monitor where to go next by looking at word parts and sounds in words? By using this form, I was able to collect specific information about each of the writers in my room. As I looked at the assessments, I began to see patterns in my writers. Here is what I noticed . . . more Assessing Spelling in Writing Workshops Part 1: Thinking through the Assessment Katie DiCesare My mind has been circling the issue of spelling and word study this year. Specifically, I wonder how I can look at my students' writing to help me further their learning of words? How can I assess what high frequency words they are spelling correctly? How can I monitor where to go next with looking at word parts and sounds in words? After lugging home 22 bright red and overflowing writing workshop folders with two months' worth of student writing in them over holiday break, the folders just sat in a pile. Instead of diving in their stories, I knew I needed to have some organizational tool that could help me record and look back at individual spelling successes and confusions. . . . more The Draw-a-Reader Test: Informal Assessment Supporting Teacher Inquiry Suzy Kaback With the help of preservice teachers working in a professional development partnership at the local school, we devoted five thirty-minute sessions to collect Draw a Reader Test data. Third graders were asked to "draw a picture of a reader reading" on one side of a piece of paper. On the other side, we asked them to write a brief explanation of their drawings, and to indicate their name, age and gender. In total, drawings and explanations from sixty-two students in four third-grade classrooms were collected and analyzed. . . . more Team Sharing of Writing Curriculum Innovations (TEMPLATE) Ruth Shagoury Literacy coaches know that the most successful staff development provides lots of time for colleagues to share their teaching stories, questions, and ideas. Hearing what is happening in the classrooms down the hall or across town is generative--and prompts creative leaps to enliven our own inquiries and curricula. The January doldrums can be swept aside for fresh ideas. . . . more Assessing Our Work as Literacy Coaches RESOURCE ROUND-UP What are some useful tools for literacy coaches who are trying to assess what's going well and what's not by late fall? . . . more Helping Aaron Find His Voice as a Writer...and Mine as a Teacher Erin Ocon In my first two months of teaching, Aaron was the student that kept me up at night. He was the face I saw while sipping coffee at a red light on my way to work, or on Sunday afternoon when I drew my lesson planning notebook to my lap with a sigh. He was a part of fifth period, my most rambunctious class period. In fact, Aaron had told me during a class discussion that I shouldn't expect anything out of seventh graders at two o'clock in the afternoon. "It's a scientific fact," he explained to me. "Well, that's the time we're in class," I shot back, not caring anymore if I sounded annoyed. . . . more Collaborative Team Meeting: Assessing and Planning Part II (VIDEO) Gail Boushey We continue to share resources we've developed together - in this part of the meeting, we distribute copies of the "Strategies Group" template. This is a tool that can be used to cluster students in reading groups around common needs. . . . more Collaborative Team Meeting: Assessing and Planning Together (VIDEO) Gail Boushey Collaborative team meetings take place every 9-10 days in our schools. In these meetings, teachers from one grade level, literacy coaches, and our principal meet together to discuss individual students, the curriculum, and goals. I want to share video from one team meeting early in the year. In September, three 4th grade teachers, a literacy coach, the principal and I sat down together in a collaborative team meeting to pore over the assessments of students from the previous year, comparing these notes to our ongoing fall assessments of individual students. . . . more An Assessment Notebook That Works for Me Franki Sibberson I have been looking for the perfect assessment organization system since I started teaching over 20 years ago. I remember my excitement when I heard about others who were using address labels to take conference notes, then transferring those to a child's individual folder. But when I gave it a try, I found that I never actually put the stickers into the appropriate folder. Instead, these pages of disorganized stickers piled up. . . . more State Assessment Tests: Warm-Ups for Wandering Minds Jennifer Jones It's that time of year in Wisconsin. The winds have picked up and are whipping and howling. Most homeowners have succumbed to the chilly temperatures and cranked on the furnace. The days are short and the nights are long. All of this indicates one thing; it's time for state standardized assessments. My role as a literacy leader often turns to assessment administrator this time of year, and I recently made an interesting observation. . . . more Reflecting on the First Six Weeks of Word Study Franki Sibberson Going into word study with a different plan is always a little scary. With the first six weeks of school finished, it feels like it is time to see where we've been and what I've learned. This year, I am working hard to make sure that my word study work makes a difference. Rather than going through the motions of studying patterns, sorting words, etc. I am making sure that every lesson connects in some way to students' reading and writing. And I want them to know that too. . . . more Conferring Notebook for Coaches (VIDEO with TEMPLATE) Gail Boushey I am always on the hunt for new ways to reorganize the records I keep as a literacy coach. I want to be sure I have good records of encounters with colleagues, but I don't want to spend more time taking notes than I do collaborating with teachers. Recently I revised my coaching conferring notebook to mirror the notebooks I encourage teachers to use in their own classrooms as they keep track of conferences with students. The video below explains the components of the notebook . . . more Recordkeeping Forms for Literacy Coaches: Resource Round-Up This week, Choice Literacy Member Denise Trainor writes: Reality has set in! We are beginning our adventure as literacy coaches and are stumped as to how to keep track of our work with the teachers. Do you have any suggestions? Any templates? A number of our contributors have posted recordkeeping materials for coaches over the past year. Though these coaches work in a range of schools throughout the country, what the forms have in common is simplicity. . . . more Bookroom Tours Part II (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this three-minute video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) continue their tours of school bookrooms. The focus in this presentation is on the checkout system used to keep track of where sets of books are in different classrooms. . . . more Whole Class Interviews: Building Community in Writing Workshop (TEMPLATE) Franki Sibberson At the beginning of the year, I want my students to feel valued as part of our learning community. To do that, I also want them to develop their own identities as writers. I know that if they know themselves as writers - what they like, their strengths, their goals, etc. they will grow in all areas of writing. So, I've developed a writing interview that I plan to administer to my students as part of their first writing conferences during those first few weeks of school. By asking them questions about their lives as writers, I place value on their lives outside of school. . . . more Things May Not Be As They Appear Jan Miller Burkins My eleven-year-old twin sons do not brush their teeth. We have to ride, remind, monitor, and penalize. Perhaps their evolving interest in girls will soon motivate them. The challenge has, however, motivated my husband and I to explore various dental care tools. We have the blue liquid indicator they can swish to see the plaque on their teeth. We were certain that this exercise would catapult them into compulsive brushing, but they were uninspired. We buy them electric toothbrushes, flossing tools, glow-in-the-dark toothpaste. I'm sure we spend more than the national average on dental hygiene. . . . more Evaluation Quotes There is a comedian on television who jokes about putting together a difficult, five-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle: It was all sky! Too much talk about standards, and not enough of the kind of professional development that makes change at the classroom level is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle of the sky. It takes an impossible amount of time and it doesn't add up to much. Shelley Harwayne . . . more Concepts of Print: Conferring with a Kindergartner (VIDEO) In this conference with five-year-old Mariano, Joan Moser (of "The Sisters") assesses his understanding of reading, print, and books at the start of the school year. After the conference, Joan debriefs with Gail Boushey about appropriate next steps for this kindergartner. . . . more The Conferring Notebook: Organizing for Teaching in Workshops (VIDEO with TEMPLATES) In this five-minute video, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) describe how they organize their conferring notebook. The notebook includes a section for each student, as well as grids for organizing flexible reading groups and calendars for scheduling conferences. If you would like to download any of the templates mentioned in the video, they are available just below the video player. . . . more Notetaking Series, Part VI: Establishing a Routine Brenda Power Once you decide when you're going to keep more notes, you'll need to find ways to preserve that time. This is no small feat for teachers and literacy coaches. We want to capitalize on the teachable moments in our classrooms, which means it's often hard to stick to routines. And unfortunately, others rarely see teachers' time as our own. Administrators cavalierly interrupt class schedules with assemblies featuring a talking mouse droning on about dental hygiene; colleagues stop in for a quick cup of coffee during the time they know your students are in music class; a parent can only come in for a conference during a time outside the designated conference period. . . . more Notetaking Series Part V: Getting Out of Notetaking Ruts Brenda Power Routines are wonderful -- they help us organize our days, weeks, and months in a way that helps us accomplish goals. Yet routines also can lead to ruts -- certain ways of doing things that inhibit innovation and insight. This is especially true with notetaking. If you've been honing your notetaking skills this year, you've probably developed some habits and routines for ensuring you keep up with your notetaking goals. Here are some strategies for getting out of the ruts that are sure to creep into anyone's notetaking routines. . . . more Notetaking Series, Part IV: What Counts and Writing the Unwritable Brenda Power Most teachers seem to follow that Midwestern principle of better living in their notetaking--if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. But the most interesting and useful information in your classroom or school may make you blush. Give yourself permission to write the most inconsequential garbage in the world. You're trying to see students in new ways, and that requires really being open to what you're seeing around you. . . . more Notetaking Series Part III: "Raw" and "Cooked" Notes Brenda Power Sometimes I learn the most when I am uncomfortable, unsure, and attempting new things. As you use new tools to observe and note events in your classroom, you may gain new learning and insights. But your first days and hours of taking notes may cause moments of discomfort and uncertainty. In fact, if your notes are to improve, chances are you have to seek out that discomfort by pushing yourself to reconsider what you write about. . . . more Notetaking Series Part II: Honing Your Notetaking Skills, One Strategy at a Time Ruth Shagoury and Brenda Power When we were learning how to take notes, becoming skilled at writing down observations seemed an almost mystical undertaking. We read accounts by anthropologists, war stories from their time in the "field," but we found little written about their growth process in developing notetaking skills. We were told we would learn by doing when it came to notetaking, but we often felt lost in that "doing" phase. There were thousands of incidents and details that could be recorded in any classroom. We often had no idea if we were recording the right details in the right way. . . . more Notetaking Strategies Part I: "In the Midst" and "After the Fact" Notes Brenda Power Regardless of how you will use your notes, there are two times observational notes can be taken: "in the midst" and "after the fact." It's helpful if you think about and test out each way of taking notes as you begin to get into a rhythm and routine of observing. You need to figure out when notetaking makes the most sense, fitting both your goals and the needs of the students and colleagues you work with. . . . more Assessing Student Writing Franki Sibberson The standards and testing movement almost made me lose sight of the "workshop" part of writing workshop. It's been hard to keep the energy, joy, and excitement of a thriving writer's workshop and still do all the things states and districts are asking us to do when it comes to assessment. I decided before this year began to think really hard about third and fourth graders as writers--where they are in their learning at this stage in their lives, what excites them, and how to tap that energy in writer's workshop again. For me, the challenge has been combining the energy of writer's workshop and what we know works for teaching writers with all the standards and skills that are required by any district or state these days. . . . more Small Group on Fluency: Leading Groups Based on Needs, Not Levels (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this small group targeting fluency, all students are reading different books. Many have experiences with small group reading in the past, so Joan spends less time on norms and there is no common text. . . . more Watching Teachers Teach: An Observation Form for Literacy Coaches Jan Miller Burkins Early in my first year as a literacy coach, I tried to go into classrooms to watch teachers teach. I wanted to know what was happening in classrooms, and I was receiving a fair amount of encouragement from the administration to do so. However, I was not always sure how to most appropriately share feedback with teachers. They inevitably wanted to know if they had "done it right." I wanted to give them written feedback, and I wanted to meet with them individually. However, I was not sure how to structure either of these contexts... . . . more Learning to Cross-Check: Conferring with Hailey (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this conference, Joan Moser confers with five-year-old Hailey and helps her set a reading goal. Hailey reads a text, and Joan helps her see how cross-checking is a useful strategy for readers in decoding and comprehending text... . . . more Moving Beyond the Basics: Teaching Inferring to a Fluent Young Reader (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this conference, Gail Boushey (of "The Sisters") confers with Brandon, a reader who is becoming fluent in his skills. Gail helps him understand the concept of inferring, and Brandon sets a goal to post on the CAFE (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary) board for future reference. Part II of the video also includes a debrief with Joan Moser about the conference and how to teach inference. . . . more The CAFE Assessment System: Helping Young Children Set Literacy Goals (AUDIO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) "CAFE" is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary. Students work with their teacher during one-on-one conferences to set goals according to their individual strengths and needs, charting these goals with the whole class on a master chart. Teachers then refer to the goals in subsequent conferences, also using them to target small-group instruction and design whole class lessons. . . . more Reflection Sheets: A Tool for Assessment and Conferring (VIDEO and TEMPLATE) Franki Sibberson I use reflection sheets a few times a month with my third- and fourth-grade students in reading and writing workshops. The students answer a few questions around some issue we are considering related to reading strategies or writer's craft. We then refer to these sheets in individual conferences, talk about the student's growth or needs, and set goals or chat about next steps... . . . more The Power of Observation Jennifer Allen This month we incorporated peer observations into our regular morning agenda of the new teacher group. The new teachers enthusiastically embraced the time given to observe other teachers. I am confident this will be time well-spent each month for participants. Everyone felt that observing other teachers in the school was a valuable part of their day. . . . . . more Two-Column Notes (E-GUIDE) It's hard to know who to credit for the incredibly useful two-column note tool. While two-column notes are definitely a kissing cousin to the Cornell Note-Taking System, in recent years the tool's popularity has grown with teachers because of the work of the Denver Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC) in reading strategy instruction. . . . more What's Valued? Exploring Different Values in Evaluation (E-GUIDE) This series of four activities is designed for use in workshops or mentoring sessions, with a goal of helping everyone ferret out their school community's history, beliefs, and goals in evaluation of students. It's a useful workshop series for times when a school or district is thinking about revising its report card or assessment system, or concerns are expressed among staff that there is too much variation in evaluation standards or grades across the school or district. . . . more Enlisting Students as Observers Brenda Power If you are trying to build more observation into your assessment of students, enlisting students as class observers is a wonderful way to gather more notes daily. The activity has benefits far beyond the task of recording student comments, questions, and behaviors. As each student has a stint as an observer, he or she will have the opportunity to reflect upon what their classmates contribute to the community, and how different behaviors support learning in the group. . . . more Adjectives to Anecdotes: Writing Better Report Card Comments Brenda Power and Kelly Chandler-Olcott If your report card allows you to write only a few sentences about each student, a bit of advance planning helps if you want to be specific and concrete. Try to begin at least two or three weeks before report cards are due. If you put in just a few hours prep time in the weeks before the report comments are written, you will find you save yourself lots of stress the final days before report cards are due. . . . more Assessment and Curriculum Mapping (VIDEO) Jennifer Allen In this three-part video from a new teacher study group for grades 3-5 teachers, Jennifer Allen demonstrates how teachers can use assessment data to develop instructional plans for individual students and create curriculum maps for an entire class of students at the same time. . . . more Ready for Report Cards? October 14, 2006 In 1983, English Professor Peter Biedler said, "We've got to get our students to the point where they stop asking, 'Will this be on the test?' and start asking, 'Will this be like falling in love?'" . . . more Student Goals (TEMPLATE) This student goal sheet is designed to help focus each student's learning, and elicit response from parents. The form is simple and open-ended, to allow for use at almost any grade level. The goals can serve as a starting point for conversations in parent-teacher conferences. . . . more Family Survey: Report Cards and Evaluations (SURVEY) Before you begin the arduous process of writing report card comments and evaluation narratives for your students, it helps to know a little bit about the audience for your words - the beliefs and histories of the family members who will be reading your comments. This one-page survey to send home with students often has a terrific response rate, because it is short (only four questions), personalized, and open-ended. . . . more Starting Points: Easy Beginnings for Writing Better Narrative Assessments and Report Card Comments Brenda Power and Kelly Chandler-Olcott Teachers despise cheaters. We want students to do their own work, take pride in it, and stand on their personal accomplishments as learners. We expect the same of ourselves as teachers, and that independent and honest streak has led to many innovations in our profession. Yet we've discovered that teachers who write quality assessments of students are living oxymorons--honest cheaters--as they learn how to budget time, resources, and energy in their evaluation scheme... . . . more Goal Sheets for Conferring (TEMPLATES) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) When we confer with students, we set goals with each child based upon their emerging needs. The forms include a space for us to record instruction we've provided to assist the child in meeting the goal (individually, in a small group, or with the whole class) and what we've observed with the child related to the goal. There is also a space to record what steps the child has said he or she will take to meet the goal... . . . more Reflective Observation: Helping Teachers Observe, Analyze, and Guide (TEMPLATE) Jennifer Allen Our new teacher support group includes monthly observations of peers, with time scheduled following the observations for group discussion and analysis of what everyone saw. I wanted to develop some observation tools the teachers could use that wouldn't intimidate the observer OR the teacher being observed... . . . more Check-In for Independence: A Recordkeeping Form to Track Independent Work (TEMPLATE) The Sisters (Joan Moser and Gail Boushey) We find our Daily Check-In is an essential tool for helping children monitor their own reading and writing. By checking in with us at the start of independent work periods, they learn the importance of planning for a variety of literate activities themselves, rather than waiting for guidance for us... . . . more Defining Beliefs and Aligning Practices: Debbie Miller Interview (Part I) In her new book, Teaching with Intention: Defining Beliefs, Aligning Practice, and Taking Action, Debbie Miller advises teachers to slow down and think about what's really important in literacy teaching and learning. Debbie is good at taking her own advice -- she spent six years crafting this book. Written during a time of transition for Debbie from full-time teaching to full-time consulting with teachers across the country, the book is an honest, funny, and wise companion to Reading with Meaning. . . . more Professional Development Needs Assessment Inventory Gayle Brand As part of my work as a literacy coach, I distribute a Professional Development Needs Assessment to every classroom teacher. My hope in giving out this inventory is to see where teachers need help and plan professional development accordingly. . . . more