First Steps Linking Assessment Teaching And Learning

Linking assessment, teaching and learning (First Steps)

Foundations of First Steps - About writing - Phases of writing development - Profiles of writing development.

With this updated document, IRA and NCTE reaffirm their position that the primary purpose of assessment must be to improve teaching and learning for all students. Eleven core standards are presented and explained, and a helpful glossary makes this document suitable not only for educators but for parents, policymakers, school board members, and other stakeholders. Case studies of large-scale national tests and smaller scale classroom assessments (particularly in the context of RTI, or Response to Intervention) are used to highlight how assessments in use today do or do not meet the standards.

"The analysis of programs presented is extremely thorough and complete. The comparisons are easy to follow due to the use of the same logical framework for each program." Karen L. Tichy, Associate Superintendent for Instruction Archdiocese of St. Louis Improve reading outcomes by using research and evidence-based instructional methods! Early reading and literacy have become the focus of policymakers, with a renewed emphasis on the early grades. In this essential new resource, authors and educational specialists Edward P. St. John, Siri Ann Loescher, and Jeffrey S. Bardzell provide a unique guide to today′s most important and most effective research-based reading programs. The book′s in-depth coverage analyzes and compares features, frameworks, tools, methods, outcomes, and reform components for 17 major reading programs: Early Intervention in Reading Early Steps Reading Recovery First Steps Four Blocks Literacy Collaborative Waterford Early Reading Program Readers′ and Writers′ Workshops Teacher Inquiry Accelerated Schools Project ATLAS Communities Modern Red Schoolhouse Yale School Development Program America′s Choice Different Ways of Knowing Lightspan Achieve Now Success for All Improving Reading and Literacy in Grades 1-5 offers a balanced approach by the authors and can be used by elementary school principals, district curriculum directors, and all reading specialists charged with aligning their reading and literacy instruction with new federal requirements and best instructional practices.

An easy-to-read and useful guide to state-of-the-art, best practices in assessment. This practical, teacher-friendly book provides step-by-step instructions on choosing and administering classroom assessments; analyzing, interpreting, rating, and monitoring results; and reporting student progress. Whether new to authentic or informal assessment, or keenly familiar with traditional testing, this book will interpret and guide the teaching professional on how to integrate cutting-edge assessment measures seamlessly into their daily teaching schedule. The book is chock-full of the latest in authentic curriculum and performance-based assessment measures with direct connections to instruction, IEP development, and methods of reporting to parents. Busy teachers will appreciate the clear, accessible writing style and how easily the textbook helps them to determine what test to use, the specific diagnostic questions to ask, the classroom materials that will be needed, clearly informed administration strategies, and the explicit examples that are included and can be taken straight from the page to the real classroom. Remaining focused on providing teachers with a variety of assessment procedures, including the why, what, and how of testing, the text furthermore gives directions on how to construct, administer, and score assessments as well as how to interpret, graph, monitor, write, and report assessment results to families and school support personnel. Another key feature includes suggested interventions to use when test results indicate that specific skills have been mastered, are emerging, or need to be introduced. An ideal book for school administrators, supervisors, and remedial specialists, and for those implementing Response to Intervention (RI), Assessment Procedures to Ensure Progress for Students. Also appropriate for professional development and in-service practicing teachers who want an easy-to-read and useful guide to state-of-the-art, best practices in assessment.