News: State Standards or Benchmark Exams

It’s Not About the Size of the Pandemic Slide—It’s About Where to Start Teaching (Part I)

It’s Not About the Size of the Pandemic Slide—It’s About Where to Start Teaching (Part I)During a Crisis, You Have to Change the Definition of SuccessDear Colleagues,Introduction   The existence and i...

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Teaching in this Fall’s Post-Pandemic World: Addressing the Academic Needs of the “Way High” and “Way Low” Students (Part II)

For Some Students, There Will Be No COVID-19 SlideDear Colleagues,Introduction   The pandemic clearly is not over.    In fact, over the past two weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths have inc...

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Underachieving, Unresponsive, Unsuccessful, Disabled, and Failing Readers (Part II)

Underachieving, Unresponsive, Unsuccessful, Disabled, and Failing ReadersDiagnostic Assessment Must Link to Intervention: If We Don’t Know “Why,” We Can’t Know “What” (Part II)Dear Colleagues,Introduc...

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Literacy Instruction and Student Reading Proficiency: The Multi-Tiered Whole Must be Greater than the Sum of Its Disconnected Parts (Part I)

How a Comprehensive Blueprint Prevents Isolated Solutions and Inconsistent ResultsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Well. . . “all of a sudden,” there has been a nationwide rush of policy, publ...

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Closing Secondary Students’ Significant Academic Skill Gaps: Teach at Their Grade Level or Their Skill Level? (Part II)

Reviewing Two Recent Studies of Math Deficient StudentsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Two Blog messages ago (on September 28th), I began a two-part discussion on:Closing Academic Gaps in Mid...

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Reconsidering What Effective High Schools Do, and What Failing High Schools Miss

Credit Recovery Programs Should be Strategic, Selective, Student-Focused, and Not the Only Game in TownDear Colleagues,Introduction:  What Really is an “Effective” High School?   I cons...

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