More students than ever are failing. In a recent meeting with math leaders, we considered the case of high school mathematics grades in a district where failure rates had increased by 34%. We were stunned. What to do? The pandemic is one source of the blame:...
Revised versions of the Universal Screeners for Number Sense (USNS) were released in July 2020 and the initial interest has been exciting. Unique downloads of the Screeners are approaching 3,000 as of the date of this article. Forefront, which supports the collection and analysis of classroom...
Classroom assessments are closely aligned to instructional programs. They serve a variety of purposes for teachers: grading, informing instruction, and for teacher collaboration. At this time when classroom assessments are more difficult than ever to administer, their importance is never more paramount. Classroom assessments do not...
Aligning Classroom Practice with School-wide Systems School-wide systems exist first and foremost to support teachers to create effective classrooms. As we emerge from this epidemic, it will be more important than ever for schools to align their initiatives. To maximize learning for all students, schools must...
The challenges teachers face right now cause unwelcome distractions from the initiatives and projects that were underway before COVID-19. There are so many things that have suddenly stolen our attention and usurped our priorities. Nonetheless, initiatives such as fully implementing standards-based grading persist and will...
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is highlighting injustice and racial discrimination in policing. Some districts are already taking strides to remove police from schools. Beyond the debate about police reform, this is a valuable time for us as educators to look at racism and...
Over the past year a lot has been happening at Forefront Education behind the scenes, and soon it will be on your screens! The newest version of Forefront (v5) will be in place on July 1, 2020. Below are some highlights of this updated version: New...
Is your school or district making the shift to standards-based or standards-aligned grading? Standards-based grading goes well beyond a new report card and a shift to a 1 - 4 scale. Standards-based grading changes how schools and school districts report about student learning and understanding....
Last month, the White House gave blanket approval for states to cancel standardized tests. Next fall, teachers will adjust to students coming from a wide variety of remote learning experiences. They will also face an unprecedented lack of data. Information will be vital, and yet...
Of all the assessments teachers, schools, and districts use, classroom assessments provide the most detailed, precise, and timely information. These everyday quizzes, unit tests, and exit tickets provide: Formative information teachers need to improve instruction Focus for teacher-parent communication The data teachers rely...