Category: Professional Development

Creating a discourse community in the world language classroom

For students to have adequate opportunity to acquire language and develop proficiency in a language other than English, maximum use of the target language in the classroom by teachers and students is critical. While the research-based recommendation is that target language use represents 90% of teacher and student discourse in the classroom, many teachers struggle to maximize the use of L2 (world language that the student is working to learn during instruction).

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Close reading with text-dependent questions: conducting a text investigation

Making meaning of a complex text is itself a complex process. When students flex their literacy muscles to read something that is challenging for them, they grow as readers, as thinkers, and as writers.  Helping students develop stamina and supporting a productive struggle with challenging texts through routine practices provides the foundation for strong writing skills.

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Individual assessment in the large group ensemble

You can’t enter a school in Maine today without hearing conversations about proficiency-based diplomas and standards-based grading. Given this focus, arts educators have an interest in ensuring that they are using standards-based assessments to evaluate a student’s growth and development. The information gathered through assessment should be used to determine whether or not students understand and can apply content, and this process is perhaps the most critical aspect of the learning process for teachers. However, arts teachers nation-wide tend to lean towards assessing non-achievement criteria such as behavior, effort, participation, and attendance.

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MEA alternate testing window opens

The Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) for mathematics and English language arts/literacy testing window opens Wednesday, March 30 and closes May 13. Maine’s alternate assessment is required for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8 and in the third year of high school.

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