Miscellaneous School Info

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A COLLECTION OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS

http://www.educ.state.ak.us/tls/frameworks/mathsci/ms5_2as1.htm

The Alaska Department of Education assembled this useful reference

page that describes various assessment strategies and how they might

be used at various grade levels. You'll find information about

graphic organizers, interviews, observation, performance tasks,

creative performances and exhibitions, self and peer evaluations;

journals and learning logs, contracts, and more.

THE MYSTERY OF THE EXCELLENT SCHOOL

http://www.pbs.org/merrow/tv/sleuth/index.html

When a mysterious woman hires Detective Merrow to help her

choose the right school for her children, the hard-nosed sleuth

launches an investigation. He discovers there are three kinds of

schools: Bad, " Good Enough, " and Excellent. It's not an easy case,

particularly when he upsets the status quo. Underneath the

tongue-in-cheek humor, the Peabody Award-winning " School Sleuth " is a

serious documentary that explores five key aspects of education and

presents 25 practical measures of educational excellence. The PI will

be familiar to PBS viewers as host of The Merrow Report and a regular

Newshour contributor. " School Sleuth: The Case of an Excellent

School " is now available on a DVD that includes the one-hour program

and seven additional hours of resources and tools for evaluation. A

great discussion starter for schools and community groups.

TEACHING STRUGGLING MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS

http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=/articles/ash

/index.html

" Teaching Readers Who Struggle: A Pragmatic Middle School Framework "

by Gwynne Ellen Ash suggests a practical framework for reading

instruction focused on the needs of learners aged 11 to 14. Five

practices -- daily oral or shared reading, guided reading in flexible

groups, word study, self-selected extended reading and writing, and

explicit comprehension strategy instruction -- form the basis of the

framework. Based on research with middle school teachers, and a

synthesis of successful tutoring programs and critical literacy

theories. (From the International Reading Association's " Reading

Online " collection, March 2002)