In This Issue

Common Assessment resources

StudyJams! By Scho-lastic

Annenberg Learner

Mastery Connect Im-plementation Plan

SLDS Update

What’s Trending

Tough New Curricu-lum Begins in Eng-land!

Should Schools ban homework?

Dave Weber—Revisited

History of the Com-mon Core State Standards

Monthly Newsletter providing cutting-edge

educational resources to MPS educators

September 2014 Volume 1, Number 3

Common Assessment Resources

This summer, fifty-four teachers and the MPS administrative team attended our Assessment Camps on August 5-7. The goal of these Camps was different depending on the level.

For k-5 teachers, the first day was an opportunity for elementary teachers to review building common assessments and look at how our current trimester tests may be improved. The second day was the first part of a two-day training on Mastery Connect. More information on Mastery Connect is available below.

For 6-12 teachers, Mitzi Hoback, from Marzano Research Labs, introduced the Marzano process for building common assessments (see below) and the second day was a work day for teachers to begin this process.

The Marzano process for developing quality common assessments:

1. Prioritize essential learning goals from existing work or Common Core

State Standards.

Each department/grade level must determine the essential

learnings in each quarter/trimester. These are the standards/

skills that should be assessed in the common assessment.

2. Develop a proficiency scale for each essential learning goal.

This is a tool to help in developing common assessments. It is

meant to help teachers determine what is proficiency for each

Essential Learning.

3. Create common assessment questions aligned to one or more proficiency scales.

Using the proficiency scales, teachers develop/find questions that

appropriately assess each essential learning goal.

Information to better understand each of the above

steps can be found at the ‘Teacher Resources’ link un-

der the Common Assessment Resources tab on the dis-

trict website.

Engaging Video Resource for Math and Science

By: Scholastic

StudyJams! offers multiple learning methods to match the different learning styles of your students. It includes videos, music and songs, step-by-step math instruction, or slideshows. This free site is done in Scholastic style with inter-active media using real world examples in the areas of math and science. De-signed with grades 3-8 in mind, this site covers more than 200 topics.

Math Topics Science Topics

Below is a snapshot from the Water Cycle video which is found under the topic Ecosystems. Each math and science topic listed above has many subtopics. Be sure to look at the subtopics also. The subtopics for math tie into the common core standards.

To view the subtopics click on a topic and the options appear below the top-ic heading. For example, the Ecosys-tem has 11 different subtopics includ-ing biomes, symbiosis, the carbon cy-cle, and food webs to name a few.

In the math area the topic of measure-ment contains 17 subtopics including area, volume, circumference, telling time, elapsed time, perimeter, and conversions.

Each subtopics lists and defines key vocabulary. An optional “Test Your-

self” button is included for each subtopic with multiple choice questions to check for understanding.

Complement an existing lesson plan using StudyJams! to introduce, reinforce, or review key concepts.

A list of concepts for quick reference is available. To visit the StudyJams! home page use the link below or find the link under ‘Video Resources’ on the Teacher Resources Tab.

Studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/index.htm

One of the resources that we found this summer that includes high quality instructional

material is the Annenberg Learner website. The link for this site can also be found un-

der ‘Video Resources’ on the Teacher Resources Tab . They have a link to their Video

Series that includes the following:

Arts

Foreign Language

Literature & Language Arts

Mathematics

Science

Social Studies & History

Learner Express—Learner Express is a gallery of short video modules distilled

from over 350 hours in the Annenberg Learner Collection. The science topics are

useful in a STEM-based curriculum, while the math and English language arts topics

align with the Common Core Standards.

Each of the topics above is divided into grade levels. The grade levels are:

K-2

3-5

6-8

9-12

When you choose a

Topic and then a

Grade Level you will

be given a list of Pro-

grams available. Each

program may have

many videos available. When you choose a program it will show you the Individual Pro-

gram Descriptions. To the right of each description there may be a Video on Demand

(VoD) icon. Click on that icon to play the video for the pro-

gram. In the player window there should also be an icon to

expand the video to Full Screen.

Mastery Connect Implementation Plan

Mandan Public Schools invested in the Mastery Connect Program for this com-ing school year to be utilized by all elementary teachers. This program will give teachers the opportunity to score tests electronically and track student progress by standard.

Our implementation plan is as follows:

1. We are currently training 30 staff members to help in implementing the program across the district. Our second day of training will be on Tues-day, September 30th.

2. Once this initial training is complete, we will be looking to set up grade level meetings in October to train all staff within these PLC groups on the use of the program.

3. Additional follow-up training sessions will be available in January at our Tecknowledge Day.

All elementary staff should have received an invitation to Mastery Connect already. If you have not received that invitation, please contact me and I will get another invitation out to you.

~Perry Just~

You can find more information regarding Mastery Connect under ‘Mastery Connect’ on the Teacher Resources Tab.

Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) update

Last spring, MPS made the decision to withdraw our subscription to View-point and begin utilizing the SLDS program to access student data. At that time, we conducted a training with 40 staff members and administrators on using SLDS to access student data warehouse.

We are in the process of securing usernames/passwords for all staff members to have access to the SLDS. Once this have been completed, we will send out that information. We apologize for the delay in getting this out to staff and ask for your patience in rolling this information out.

More information on the SLDS can be found under ‘SLDS’ on the Teacher Re-source tab.