In this alternately amusing and appalling exposé of the standardized test industry, fifteen-year veteran Todd Farley describes statisticians who make decisions about students without even looking at their test answers; state education officials willing to change the way tests are scored whenever they don't like the results; and massive, multi-national, for-profit testing companies who regularly opt for expediency and profit over the altruistic educational goals of teaching and learning. Although there are absurd moments--as when Farley and coworkers had to grade students based on how they described the taste of their favorite food-- the enormous importance of standardized tests in the post “No Child Left Behind” era make this no laughing matter. “This book is dynamite! The nice personal voice makes it utterly accessible and enticing, wholly apart from the terribly important ammunition it provides to those of us in the `testing wars' at national and local levels.”—Jonathan Kozol, author of Savage Inequities

"In Making Grades Matter: Standards-Based Grading in a Secondary PLC authors Matt Townsley and Nathan L. Wear provide readers with a practical guide toward the implementation of the standards-based grading system. Although much has been written about the concept and advantages of standards-based grading, in this book, the authors focus specifically on implementing the framework at the secondary level with the vital support of a professional learning community (PLC). As such, this book provides a roadmap that secondary school educators and administrators working in a PLC can utilize to initiate the multiyear process toward implementing standards-based grading schoolwide or districtwide. Not only are each of the practices needed for this change covered in detail, but each practice is connected directly with one of three foundational principles of standards-based grading. In this book, readers will find all of the tools, resources, and guidance they need to not only implement the standards-based grading system in their schools but, through collaborative work within a PLC, achieve the greatest possible success with it"--

Explains how teachers and librarians can steer students to the literature they love by focusing on three key areas: knowing the readers, knowing the books, and knowing the strategies to motivate students to read.

Proven through more than a decade of rigourous research to be effective with both teachers and students, Making Sense of SCIENCE helps teachers gain a deep and enduring understanding of tricky science topics, think and reason scientifically, and support content literacy in science, thereby increasing student achievement. The materials presented in this book help teachers gain a solid understanding of trick science concepts and common misconceptions, support productive and worthwhile professional learning communities, and prepare teachers to implement standards-based science curriculum. Topics are central to the Next Generation Science Framework and aligned with the Common Core State Standards in literacy. This book guides teachers through investigations of motion, changes in motions, force, and the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, and features: hands-on experiments with easy-to-follow instrucitons and illustrations; clear explanations of tough science concepts; examples of classic misconceptions; a bank of formative assessments; a CD containing reproducible black line masters; and a guided protocol for evaluating student work in professional learning communities.

Shows how to use thematic instruction to link skills to content knowledge and incorporates strategies for making history personal and relevant to students' lives. Activites include role playing, debate, and service learning. Grades 5-9.

"Joe Feldman shows us how we can use grading to help students become the leaders of their own learning and lift the veil on how to succeed. . . . This must-have book will help teachers learn to implement improved, equity-focused grading for impact." —Zaretta Hammond, Author of Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain Crack open the grading conversation Here at last—and none too soon—is a resource that delivers the research base, tools, and courage to tackle one of the most challenging and emotionally charged conversations in today’s schools: our inconsistent grading practices and the ways they can inadvertently perpetuate the achievement and opportunity gaps among our students. With Grading for Equity, Joe Feldman cuts to the core of the conversation, revealing how grading practices that are accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational will improve learning, minimize grade inflation, reduce failure rates, and become a lever for creating stronger teacher-student relationships and more caring classrooms. Essential reading for schoolwide and individual book study or for student advocates, Grading for Equity provides A critical historical backdrop, describing how our inherited system of grading was originally set up as a sorting mechanism to provide or deny opportunity, control students, and endorse a "fixed mindset" about students’ academic potential—practices that are still in place a century later A summary of the research on motivation and equitable teaching and learning, establishing a rock-solid foundation and a "true north" orientation toward equitable grading practices Specific grading practices that are more equitable, along with teacher examples, strategies to solve common hiccups and concerns, and evidence of effectiveness Reflection tools for facilitating individual or group engagement and understanding As Joe writes, "Grading practices are a mirror not just for students, but for us as their teachers." Each one of us should start by asking, "What do my grading practices say about who I am and what I believe?" Then, let’s make the choice to do things differently . . . with Grading for Equity as a dog-eared reference.

This alternative college guide from a former Dartmouth assistant admissions director-turned-consultant gives non-straight-A students advice on the many options available to them and tips on how to identify, gain admittance to, and pay for the schools that will allow them to flourish. Less-than-perfect grades? No problem! Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to have a 4.0 GPA or a perfect jump shot to get into a good college. This insider’s guide reveals easy tweaks that will pay off big-time in showing admissions officers that you as a whole—not just your SAT scores—are a perfect fit for their incoming class. With stellar advice on getting into schools that will allow you to thrive, this handbook reveals how to: Find great colleges that are a good match for your strengths (and will overlook less-relevant weaknesses) Painlessly beef up your application Tailor extracurriculars to showcase your uniqueness Make sure your recommendation letters emphasize the right qualities Write original essays that reveal traits beyond your transcript Make an impression on admissions officers and college interviewers Create an early-admissions strategy to increase your likelihood of acceptance Help your chances if you’re deferred Get into brand-name schools through the side door Communicate about learning disabilities or special circumstances Get scholarship money based on attributes other than grades Customize your financial aid strategy BONUS: Includes an appendix of 130+ selective colleges to consider!