During the month of April, we will examine the place that assessment has in the lives of both educators and students. Keep this question in mind as you view, read, and share thoughts from this month's content: How can we assess what we value?
“There are positive and negative sides to the accountability coin, but in education accountability seems only to connote shortcomings and isn’t used to acknowledge success."
What happens when teachers meet frequently to identify what is working, made adjustments and share bright ideas to move instruction forward?
In his article The Value that is Added, available for download below from the Heinemann Digital Library, George Shea describes the weekly professional practice among teachers at his school. In teams, they “document the why behind student achievement” to shed light on the positive value added to classroom instruction. By weighting the identification of what is working, they can discover the types of high-quality instruction that contribute to student achievement - and use these discoveries to guide future instruction.
Whether you are an administrator or classroom teacher, we would love to hear your thoughts on this type of work. If this is common practice in your school, share your discoveries! If not, then consider: How can team time be refocused to examine what is driving success?
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Wondering where to connect online? Start by signing up below for Heinemann's Online PLC! Each week, we'll share content from the Heinemann Digital Library as food for thought and discussion. Our conversations can occur in comments here on the blog, on Twitter using #OnlinePLC or in our Facebook Group. Looking forward to sharing content, conversation and camaraderie!
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