How do we know what students know?

     Many of us can relate to a moment when we sat in a classroom perhaps confused or unsure about a concept being taught in class.  For the bold, the raising of the hand and asking a question of the teacher was not difficult.  But for many students, seeking direct clarification from the teacher can bring anxiety to the point that the risk of maybe being embarrassed  just isn't worth it.  

       As teachers, we are frequently checking in with students in an informal way to see if everyone is on the same page.  We look for raised hands, we engage in random calling and will often give a problem to solve or a question to answer.  Yet, is this enough and are we doing it as frequently as we should?  Are there better and more efficient ways to collect feedback from students to find out what they know and don't know?  

      Research shows that use of formative assessments (quick checks that guide the daily instruction of teachers in real time) are one of the best practices in teaching that can have a solid impact on overall student achievement.  The key is to get the feedback quickly from students and modify instruction to meet their needs.  Recently, some of our  teachers have been asking students to take short polls via cell phones in class to gauge where the class is at.  Some teachers use other methods such as "turn and talk,"  whiteboards, "ticket to leave" and so on.  Next month, we are sending a team of teachers to attend a training on how to develop formative assessments and use data to guide instruction more effectively.  They will take a look at a practice called "error analysis" which involves "identifying patterns of errors students are making, investigating student thinking that may have led to the errors, and taking targeted corrective action." 

     Our staff does a great job in creating a caring environment in the classroom where students feel safe in being an active participant in their education.  Our hope is that learning more about the practice for checking for understanding will build upon this.  

Flip Your Classroom

   
     A recent article in the The Daily Riff,  discussed "21 things that will become obsolete in education by 2020."  The list included lined rows of desks (students will be collaborating on a daily basis), computer labs, computers, homework, standardized tests as we know them, paperbacks, high school algebra I (will be required in 8th grade) and paper, to name a few.  
     Homework gone forever?  Well, not exactly.  There is a new phenomena sweeping schools these days called,  Flipping the Classroom.  The concept begins with students watching the teacher developed mini-lessons online on course content and doing specific readings at home.  This eliminates the need for the teacher to spend so much time lecturing in class.  Instead, the teacher acts as a facilitator and coach, if you will.  When students come to class the next day, they are not taking notes but are working collaboratively in groups to demonstrate an understanding of the content knowledge or applying it to real world scenarios developed by the teacher.  The teacher is then spending the majority of the class time answering questions and guiding students both in groups and individually.  
     The role of the student is now to closely work with each other to solve problems and develop answers to questions they may have.  This concept, engages,  by far,  the highest levels of thinking- analysis, prediction and evaluation.  As our teachers start to develop their own professional learning groups with their colleagues, it is my hope that ELHS can explore this model and put it into practice.

Our Building...

 
  Everywhere you turn these days, it seems like another new high school is popping up...Minnechaug, Longmeadow, Putnam, West Springfield.  I can not deny that I'm a little jealous.  These new buildings are no doubt accommodating the needs of students and teachers to promote 21st century learning in very exciting, new ways.  From the physical layouts to the technology integration of these new buildings, our building can not compare, however, it is nice to know that our town is looking to renovate where needed and feasible.    
     This year, our school district has secured a "building study" of ELHS.  These facility experts will give us a very detailed examination of where we will need to focus on in terms of improvement.  From electrical, technology and structural needs, our 50 year old school will need some help.  Right now, we have been doing little things to bring some life and modern elements to our space.  This summer, the bright blue poles outside were painted to match the building.  We opened up and renovated some of our courtyards for our students to enjoy.  We gave the main office a little facelift and painted some internal areas.  We replaced the old gym windows and we renovated the boys' locker room.  We also installed new security cameras.  
     As structurally sound as our building is, we can not ignore that some areas do need some expensive updates.  Our library, for example, is extremely outdated.  Our hope is to renovate this area to create more of a "media center" where students,  teachers and community groups will be drawn to gather more frequently for studying, collaboration and professional development.   Our auditorium is also an area that could use some TLC.  Our hope is to update the sound system, lights and fading curtain as it is not only a hub for the high school, but for the community as well.   
     The biggest area of focus is the access to technology in our building.  Our town's IT department as been closely working with our schools to help update our infrastructure to allow our students to access technology in ways that promote collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.  We are thankful that they continue to work with us to find out ways to get technology into the hands of all our students.  If I had one wish right now, it would be to have ELHS be a 1:1 iPad school...where every teacher and student had this device in hand.  There is a great deal of research out there that supports the use of these devices to cut down on the cost of textbooks and paper, however, there is even more research out there to support how these devices can help students organize and learn more efficiently and effectively.  Some schools have initiated "lease to own" programs to make the 1:1 program a reality.  
     At the end of the day, it is the people within the school that make the real difference and I could not be more proud of our teachers and students.  I am very thankful to be work and live in a community that values education as much as East Longmeadow does.  

It's Never Too Early to Start Thinking About College

   
      The GPA (grade point average) is that magic number that can have a huge effect on the rest of a student's life as it plays a big part in determining what college/university they will be able to get into.  The SAT/ACT scores and extra curricular activities such as sports, clubs and community service also play a big role in this, however, it is the GPA that lays the foundation.  
     Colleges/universities want to see that high school students are challenging themselves.  This is why we encourage all our students to take a few honors or Advanced Placement classes.  They generally want to see an upward trend in grades, however, life is not over if a C graces a report card.    They also want to see that the student has made a positive contribution to their school and community.  A friend of mine who is the Director of Admissions for Catholic University in Washington D.C.  once told me that the bottom line for most colleges/universities is that they want to accept students who will enhance the university with their learning and participation efforts.  The GPA, SAT/ACT scores and extra curricular activities helps them gauge this.  
     It's never too early to start thinking about the process while in high school.  I encourage freshmen to start researching the colleges/universities that are of interest to them now so they can learn about their entrance requirements and start setting some goals.  For example, the University of Massachusetts, generally is looking for a 3.5 GPA, a mid 500 score on the SAT components or a 24-26 on the ACT.  
     I encourage all of our sophomore students to take the PSAT this fall so they can gauge where they stand on taking this very important assessment.  If the student is not where they want or need to be, it might be a good idea to think about SAT/ACT prep classes.  Our guidance department has many resources and ideas for students who are looking to start planning now.  I encourage all our students and parents to take advantage of the services and information provided by guidance.  Good luck and know that we are always here to help!