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Assessment and Grading
in the Differentiated
Classroom
Fair Isn’t
Always Equal
Rick Wormeli 2007-2008
For further conversation about any of these topics:
Rick Wormeli
[email protected]
703-620-2447
Herndon, Virginia, USA
(Eastern Standard Time Zone)
Define Each Grade
A:
B:

C:
D:
E or F:
A Perspective that Changes our Thinking:
“A ‘D’ is a coward’s ‘F.’ The
student failed, but you didn’t
have enough guts to tell him.”
-- Doug Reeves
• A
• B
• C
• I or IP or NTY
Once we cross over into D and F(E)
zones, does it really matter? We’ll do the
same two things: Personally investigate
and take corrective action
Prompt:
Write a well-crafted essay that provides a general
overview of what we’ve learned about DNA this week.
You may use any resources you wish, but make sure to

explain each of the aspects of DNA we’ve discussed.
Student’s Response:
Deoxyribonucleic Acid, or DNA, is the blueprint for who
we are. Its structure was discovered by Watson and
Crick in 1961. Watson was an American studying in
Great Britain. Crick was British (He died last year). DNA
is shaped like a twisting ladder. It is made of two
nucleotide chains bonded to each other. The poles of
the ladder are made of sugar and phosphate but the
rungs of the ladder are made of four bases. They are
thymine, guanine, and cytosine, and adenine. The
amount of adenine is equal to the amount of thymine
(A=T). It’s the same with cytosine and guanine (C=G).
(Continued on the next slide)
The sequence of these bases makes us who
we are. We now know how to rearrange the
DNA sequences in human embryos to create
whatever characteristics we want in new
babies – like blue eyes, brown hair, and so
on, or even how to remove hereditary
diseases, but many people think it’s
unethical (playing God) to do this, so we
don’t do it. When DNA unzips to bond with
other DNA when it reproduces, it sometimes
misses the re-zipping order and this causes
mutations. In humans, the DNA of one cell
would equal 1.7 meters if you laid it out
straight. If you laid out all the DNA in all the
cells of one human, you could reach the
moon 6,000 times!

Conclusions from
Sample DNA Essay Grading
The fact that a range of grades occurs among
teachers who grade the same product suggests that:
• Assessment can only be done against commonly
accepted and clearly understood criteria.
• Grades are relative.
• Teachers have to be knowledgeable in their subject
area in order to assess students properly.
• Grades are subjective and can vary from teacher to
teacher.
• Grades are not always accurate indicators of
mastery.
‘Interesting:
“The score a student receives
on a test is more dependent on
who scores the test and how they
score it than it is on what the
student knows and understands.”
-- Marzano, Classroom Assessment & Grading That Work
(CAGTW), p. 30

Four Questions on DI:
1. What if we differentiated instruction for all
students, kindergarten through 12th grade?
What kind of person would we graduate
from our schools?
2. What if we never differentiated instruction
for all students, Kindergarten through 12th
grade? What kind of person would we
graduate from our schools?
3. Is the world beyond school differentiated?
4. Did our own teachers differentiate for us
when we were students?
Differentiated instruction and
standardized tests –
‘NOT an oxymoron!
The only way students will do
well on tests is if they learn the
material. DI maximizes what
students learn. DI and
standardized testing are mutually
beneficial.
Definition

Differentiating instruction is doing
what’s fair for students. It’s a collection of
best practices strategically employed to
maximize students’ learning at every turn,
including giving them the tools to handle
anything that is undifferentiated. It requires
us to do different things for different
students some, or a lot, of the time. It’s
whatever works to advance the student if
the regular classroom approach doesn’t
meet students’ needs. It’s highly effective
teaching.
What is fair…
…isn’t always equal.
What is Mastery?
“Tim was so learned, that he could name
a horse in nine languages; so ignorant,
that he bought a cow to ride on.”
Ben Franklin, 1750, Poor Richard’s Almanac
“Understanding involves the appropriate
application of concepts and principles to
questions or problems posed.”

-- Howard Gardner, 1991
“Real comprehension of a notion or a theory --
implies the reinvention of this theory by the
student…True understanding manifests itself
by spontaneous applications.” -- Jean Piaget
From the Center for Media Literacy in
New Mexico –
“If we are literate in our subject, we can:
access (understand and find meaning in),
analyze,
evaluate,
and create
the subject or medium.”
Working Definition of Mastery
(Wormeli)
Students have mastered content when they
demonstrate a thorough understanding as
evidenced by doing something substantive
with the content beyond merely echoing it.
Anyone can repeat information; it’s the
masterful student who can break content into
its component pieces, explain it and alternative
perspectives regarding it cogently to others,
and use it purposefully in new situations.

Non-Mastery…
• The student can repeat the
multiplication tables through the 12’s
…and Mastery
• The student can hear or read about a
situation that requires repeated
addition and identifies it as a
multiplication opportunity, then uses
multiplication accurately to shorten the
solution process.
Non-mastery…
• A student prepares an agar culture for
bacterial growth by following a specific
procedure given to her by her teacher.
She calls the experiment a failure when
unknown factors or substances
contaminate the culture after several
weeks of observation.
…and Mastery
• A student accounts for potentially
contaminating variables by taking extra
steps to prevent anything from

affecting an agar culture on bacterial
growth she’s preparing, and if
accidental contamination occurs, she
adjusts the experiment’s protocols
when she repeats the experiment so
that the sources of the contamination
are no longer a factor.
Non-mastery…
• The student uses primarily the bounce
pass in the basketball game regardless
of its potential effectiveness because
that’s all he knows how to do.
…and Mastery
• The student uses a variety of basketball
passes during a game, depending on
the most advantageous strategy at that
moment in the game.
Non-mastery…
• The students can match each of the
following parts of speech to its
definition accurately: noun, pronoun,
verb, adverb, adjective, preposition,
conjunction, gerund, and interjection.

…and Mastery
• The student can point to any word in
the sentence and explain its role
(impact) in the sentence, and explain
how the word may change its role,
depending on where it’s placed in the
sentence.
Consider Gradations of Understanding and
Performance from Introductory to Sophisticated
Introductory Level Understanding:
Student walks through the classroom door while
wearing a heavy coat. Snow is piled on his
shoulders, and he exclaims, “Brrrr!” From
depiction, we can infer that it is cold outside.
Sophisticated level of understanding:
Ask students to analyze more abstract inferences
about government propaganda made by Remarque
in his wonderful book, All Quiet on the Western
Front.
• Determine the surface area of a cube.
• Determine the surface area of a rectangular prism (a
rectangular box)

• Determine the amount of wrapping paper needed for
another rectangular box, keeping in mind the need to
have regular places of overlapping paper so you can
tape down the corners neatly
• Determine the amount of paint needed to paint an entire
Chicago skyscraper, if one can of paint covers 46 square
feet, and without painting the windows, doorways, or
external air vents.
_______________________________________________
• Define vocabulary terms.
• Compare vocabulary terms.
• Use the vocabulary terms correctly.
• Use the vocabulary terms strategically to obtain a
particular result.
• Identify characteristics of Ancient Sumer
• Explore the interwoven nature between religion and
government in Sumer
• Explain the rise and fall of city-states in Mesopotamia
• Trace modern structures/ideas back to their roots in the
birthplace of civilization, the Fertile Crescent.
_______________________________________________
• Identify parts of a cell.
• Explain systems within a cell and what functions they
perform.
• Explain how a cell is part of a larger system of cells that

form a tissue
• Demonstrate how a cell replicates itself.
• Identify what can go wrong in mitosis.
• List what we know about how cells determine what kind
of cell they will become.
• Explain how knowledge of cells helps us understand
other physiology.
1. Multiply fractions.
2. Multiply mixed numbers.
3. Multiply mixed numbers and whole numbers.
4. Critique the solutions of five students’ work as
they multiply mixed numbers.
5. Multiply mixed numbers and decimals.
6. Divide fractions.
7. Divide mixed numbers.
8. Divide mixed numbers and whole numbers.
9. Given similar problems completed by
anonymous students, identify any errors
they’ve made and how you would re-teach
them how to do the problems correctly.
What will you and your colleagues
accept as evidence of full mastery and
as evidence of almost mastery?
• Spelling test non-example

• No echoing or parroting
• Regular conversations with
subject-like colleagues
• Other teachers grading your
students’ work
• Pacing Guides and Common
Assessments?
Avoid hunt-and-peck, call-on-just-a-
sampling-of-students-to-indicate-the-
whole-class’s-level-of-understanding
assumptions:
“Does everyone understand?”
“Does anyone have any questions?”
“These two students have it right, so the
rest of you must understand it as well.”
Get evidence from every individual!
Don’t take time to assess,
unless you are going to take action
with what you discover.
Consider:

• The Latin root of assessment is, “assidere,”
which means, “to sit beside.”
• From Assessment expert, Doug Reeves:
“Too often, educational tests, grades,
and report cards are treated by teachers as
autopsies when they should be viewed as
physicals.”
Feedback vs Assessment
Feedback: Holding a mirror up to a student
and showing him what he did, comparing it
to what he was supposed to do; ‘NO
evaluative component
Assessment: Gathering data in order to
make a decision
Greatest Impact on Student Success:
Formative feedback
What does our understanding of
feedback mean for our use of
homework?
Is homework more formative or
summative in nature? Whichever it is,
its role in determining grades will be

dramatically different.
Be clear: We grade against
standards, not routes students
take or techniques teachers use to
achieve those standards.
What does this mean we should do with
class participation or discussion grades?
Assessment OF Learning
• Summative, final declaration of
proficiency, literacy, mastery
• Grades used
• Little impact on learning from feedback
Assessment FOR Learning
• Grades rarely used, if ever
• Marks and feedback are used
• Share learning goals with students from
the beginning
• Make adjustments in teaching a result of
formative assessment data
• Provide descriptive feedback to students
• Provide opportunities for student for self-

and peer assessment
-- O’Connor, p. 98
Teacher Action
Result on Student
Achievement
Just telling students # correct and
incorrect
Negative influence on
achievement
Clarifying the scoring criteria Increase of 16 percentile points
Providing explanations as to why
their responses are correct or
incorrect
Increase of 20 percentile points
Asking students to continue
responding to an assessment until
they correctly answer the items
Graphically portraying student
achievement
-- Marzano, CAGTW, pgs 5-6

Item
Topic or
Proficiency Right Wrong
Simple
Mistake?
Really Don’t
Understand
1 Dividing fractions
2 Dividing Fractions
3 Multiplying Fractions
4 Multiplying fractions
5 Reducing to Smplst trms
6 Reducing to Smplst trms
7
Reciprocals
8
Reciprocals
9
Reciprocals
The chart on the previous slide is based
on an idea found in the article below:
Stiggins, Rick. “Assessment Through the
Student’s Eyes,” Educational Leadership,
May 2007, Vol. 64, No. 8, pages 22 – 26,

ASCD
“If we don’t count
homework heavily,
students won’t do it.”
Do you agree with this?
Does this sentiment cross a line?
Two Homework Extremes
that Focus Our Thinking
• If a student does none of the homework
assignments, yet earns an “A” (top grade) on
every formal assessment we give, does he
earn anything less than an “A” on his report
card?
• If a student does all of the homework well
yet bombs every formal assessment, isn’t
that also a red flag that something is amiss,
and we need to take corrective action?
Pre-Assessments
Used to indicate students’ readiness
for content and skill development.
Used to guide instructional decisions.

Formative Assessments
These are in-route checkpoints,
frequently done. They provide ongoing and
clear feedback to students and the teacher,
informing instruction and reflecting subsets
of the essential and enduring knowledge.
They are where successful differentiating
teachers spend most of their energy –
assessing formatively and providing timely
feedback to students and practice.
Sample Formative Assessments
Topic: Verb Conjugation
Sample Formative Assessments:
• Conjugate five regular verbs.
• Conjugate five irregular verbs.
• Conjugate a verb in Spanish, then do its parallel in
English
• Answer: Why do we conjugate verbs?
• Answer: What advice would you give a student
learning to conjugate verbs?
• Examine the following 10 verb conjugations and
identify which ones are done incorrectly.

Sample Formative Assessments
Topic: Balancing Chemical Equations
Formative Assessments:
• Define reactants and products, and identify them in the
equations provided.
• Critique how Jason calculated the number of moles of
each reactant.
• Balance these sample, unbalanced equations.
• Answer: What do we mean by balancing equations?
• Explain to your lab partner how knowledge of
stoichiometric coefficients help us balance equations
• Prepare a mini-poster that explains the differences
among combination, decomposition, and displacement
reactions.
Samples of Formative Assessment
• Solve these four math problems.
• What three factors led to the government’s decision to…
• Draw a symbol that best portrays this book’s character
as you now understand him (her), and write a brief
explanation as to why you chose the symbol you did.
• Record your answer to this question on your dry-erase
board and hold it above your head for me to see.
• Prepare a rough draft of the letter you’re going to write.

• What is your definition of…?
• Who had a more pivotal role in this historical situation,
______________ or ________________, and why do
you believe as you do?
Samples of Formative Assessment
• Identify at least five steps you need to take in order to
solve math problems like these.
• How would you help a friend keep the differences
between amphibians and reptiles clear in his mind?
• Write a paragraph of 3 to 5 lines that uses a
demonstrative pronoun in each sentence and circle each
example.
• Play the F sharp scale.
• In a quick paragraph, describe the impact of the
Lusitania’s sinking
• Create a web or outline that captures what we’ve learned
today about….
Additional Formative Assessment Ideas:
• “Reader’s Theater” -- Turn text, video, lecture,
field trip, etc. into script and perform it
• Virtual Metaphors (Graphic Organizers)

• Projects, dioramas, non-linguistic represenations
• Multiple Choice questions followed by, “Why did
you answer the way you did?”
• Correct false items on True-false tests.
Summative Assessments
These are given to students at the end of
the learning to document growth and
mastery. They match the learning objectives
and experiences, and they are negotiable if
the product is not the literal standard. They
reflect most, if not all, of the essential and
enduring knowledge. They are not very
helpful forms of feedback.
Tips for Planning Assessments
• Correlate all formal assessments with
objectives.
• While summative assessments may be large
and complex, pre-assessments usually are
not.
• Get ideas for pre- and formative
assessments from summative assessments.
• Spend the majority of your time

designing/emphasizing formative
assessments and the feedback they provide.
Tips for Planning Assessments –
Planning Sequence
• Design summative assessments first, then
design your pre- and formative assessments.
• Give pre-assessments several days or a
week PRIOR to starting the unit.
• Design your lesson plans AFTER reviewing
pre-assessment data.
Lesson Designs:
Suggested Planning Sequence
1. Identify your essential and enduring
knowledge
2. Identify your students with unique needs,
and what they will need in order to
achieve: change content, process, or
product?
3. Identify formative and summative
assessments – useful feedback
Lesson Designs

[Continued]
4. Design the learning experiences
5. Run a mental tape of each step in the
lesson sequence -- Check lesson(s)
against criteria for successful
differentiated instruction – Revise as
necessary.
Lesson Designs
[Continued]
6. Review plan with colleague.
7. Obtain/Create materials needed.
8. Conduct the lesson.
9. Evaluate and Revise plans for
tomorrow’s lesson.
Evaluating the Usefulness
of Assessments
• What are your essential and enduring skills and
content you’re trying to assess?
• How does this assessment allow students to
demonstrate their mastery?
• Is every component of that objective accounted for
in the assessment?

• Can students respond another way and still satisfy
the requirements of the assessment task? Would
this alternative way reveal a student’s mastery more
truthfully?
• Is this assessment more a test of process or
content? Is that what you’re after?
Clear and Consistent Evidence
We want an accurate portrayal of a
student’s mastery, not something clouded
by a useless format or distorted by only
one opportunity to reveal understanding.
Differentiating teachers require
accurate assessments in order to
differentiate successfully.
Great differentiated assessment
is never kept in the dark.
“Students can hit any target they
can see and which stands still for
them.”
-- Rick Stiggins, Educator and Assessment expert
If a child ever asks, “Will this be on
the test?”.….we haven’t done our job.

Successful Assessment
is Authentic in Two Ways
• The assessment is close to how
students will apply their learning in
real-world applications. (not
mandatory, but nice if it happens)
• The assessment must be authentic to
how students are learning. (mandatory)
Successful Assessments are Varied
and They are Done Over Time
• Assessments are often snapshot-in-time,
inferences of mastery, not absolute
declarations of exact mastery
• When we assess students through more than
one format, we see different sides to their
understanding. Some students’ mindmaps of
their analyses of Renaissance art rivals the
most cogent, written versions of their
classmates.
Potential distractions on
assessment day:
growling stomach, thirst, exhaustion, illness,
emotional angst over:
parents/friends/identity/tests/college/politics/
birthday/sex/blogs/parties/sports/projects/

homework/self-esteem/acne/holiday/report
cards/future career/money/disease
It’s reasonable to allow students every
opportunity to show their best side, not just
one opportunity.
Portfolios
Portfolios can be as simple as a folder of collected
works for one year or as complex as multi-year, selected
and analyzed works from different areas of a student’s
life. portfolios are often showcases in which students and
teachers include representative samples of students’
achievement regarding standards and learning
objectives over time. They can be on hardcopy or
electronic, and they can contain non-paper artifacts as
well. They can be places to store records, attributes, and
accomplishments of a student, as well as a place to
reveal areas in need of growth. They can be maintained
by students, teachers, or a combination of both. Though
they are stored most days in the classroom, portfolios
are sent home for parent review at least once a grading
period.
“Metarubric Summary”
To determine the quality of a rubric, examine the:
• Content -- Does it assess the important material and
leave out the unimportant material?
• Clarity -- Can the student understand what’s being

asked of him, Is everything clearly defined, including
examples and non-examples?
• Practicality -- Is it easy to use by both teachers and
students?
• Technical quality/fairness -- Is it reliable and valid?
• Sampling -- How well does the task represent the
breadth and depth of the target being assessed?
(p. 220). Rick Stiggins and his co-authors of Classroom
Assessment for
Student Learning (2005)
Rubric for the Historical Fiction Book Project – Holistic-style
5.0 Standard of Excellence:
• All material relating to the novel was accurate
• Demonstrated full understanding of the story and its
characters
• Demonstrated attention to quality and craftsmanship in the
product
• Product is a realistic portrayal of media used (examples:
postcards look like postcards, calendar looks like a real
calendar,
placemats can function as real placemats)
• Writing is free of errors in punctuation, spelling,
capitalization,
and grammar

• Had all components listed for the project as described in the
task
4.5, 4.0, 3.5, 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.5, 1.0, .5, and 0 are awarded in
cases in
which students’ projects do not fully achieve all criteria
described for excellence. Circled items are areas for
improvement.
Keep the important ideas in sight and in mind.
Two Rubric Ideas to Consider:
• Only give the fully written description for
the standard of excellence. This way
students won’t set their sights on
something lower.
• 4.0 rubrics carry so much automatic,
emotional baggage, parents and students
rarely read and internalize the descriptors.
Make it easier for them: Use anything
except the 4.0 rubric – 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 6.0.
Why Do We Grade?
• Provide feedback
• Document progress
• Guide instructional decisions
---------------------------------------------
• Motivate

• Punish
• Sort students
What about incorporating attendance,
effort, and behavior in the final grade?
Consider…
• Teaching and learning can and do occur
without grades.
• We do not give students grades in order to
teach them.
• Grades reference summative experiences
only – cumulative tests, projects, demonstrations, NOT
formative experiences.
• Students can learn without grades, but they
must have feedback.
• Grades are inferences based upon a
sampling of student’s work in one snapshot
moment in time. As such they are highly
subjective and relative.
Premise
A grade represents a valid and undiluted
indicator of what a student knows
and is able to do – mastery.

With grades we document progress in
students and our teaching, we provide
feedback to students and their parents,
and we make instructional decisions.
10 Practices to Avoid in a Differentiated
Classroom
[They Dilute a Grade’s Validity and Effectiveness]
• Penalizing students’ multiple attempts at
mastery
• Grading practice (daily homework) as
students come to know concepts [Feedback,
not grading, is needed]
• Withholding assistance (not scaffolding or
differentiating) in the learning when it’s
needed
• Group grades
• Incorporating non-academic factors
(behavior, attendance, and effort)
• Assessing students in ways that do not
accurately indicate students’ mastery
(student responses are hindered by the
assessment format)

• Grading on a curve
• Allowing Extra Credit
• Defining supposedly criterion-based grades
in terms of norm-referenced descriptions
(“above average,” “average”, etc.)
• Recording zeroes on the 100.0 scale for work
not done
0 or 50 (or 60)? = F or an F?
100-pt. Scale:
0, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100 -- 83% (C+)
60, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100 -- 93% (B+)
When w
orking w
ith stud
ents,
do we c
hoose th
e most h
urtful,
unrecov
erable e
nd of th
e “F”

range, o
r the mo
st
constru
ctive, re
coverab
le end
of the “F
” range?
Be clear: Students are not
getting points for having done
nothing. The student still gets an
F. We’re simply equalizing the
influence of the each grade in the
overall grade and responding in a
way that leads to learning.
Imagine the Reverse…
A = 100 – 40
B = 39 – 30
C = 29 – 20
D = 19 – 10
F = 9 – 0

What if we reversed the
proportional influences of the
grades? That “A” would have a
huge, yet undue, inflationary
effect on the overall grade. Just
as we wouldn’t want an “A” to
have an inaccurate effect, we
don’t want an “F” grade to have
such an undue, deflationary, and
inaccurate effect. Keeping
zeroes on a 100-pt. scale is just
as absurd as the scale seen
here.
A (0) on a 100-pt. scale is a
(-6) on a 4-pt. scale. If a student
does no work, he should get
nothing, not something worse
than nothing. How instructive
is it to tell a student that he
earned six times less than
absolute failure? Choose to be
instructive, not punitive.
[Based on an idea by Doug Reeves, The Learning Leader,
ASCD, 2006]
100
90
80
70

60
4
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
50
40
30
20
10
0

Consider the
Correlation
Temperature Readings for Norfolk, VA:
85, 87, 88, 84, 0 (‘Forgot to take the reading)
Average: 68.8 degrees
This is inaccurate for what really
happened, and therefore, unusable.
Clarification:
When we’re talking about converting
zeroes to 50’s or higher, we’re referring to
zeroes earned on major projects and
assessments, not homework, as well as
anything graded on a 100-point scale. It’s
okay to give zeroes on homework or on small
scales, such as a 4.0 scale. Zeroes recorded
for homework assignments do not refer to
final, accurate declarations of mastery, and
those zeroes don’t have the undue influence
on small grading scales.
“We are faced with the irony that
a policy that may be grounded in
the belief of holding students
accountable (giving zeroes)
actually allows some students to

escape accountability for
learning.” -- O’Connor, p. 86
Grading Late Work
• One whole letter grade down for
each day late is punitive. It does
not teach students, and it removes
hope.
• A few points off for each day late is
instructive; there’s hope.
• Yes, the world beyond school is
like this.
Helpful Consideration for Dealing
with Student’s Late Work:
Is it chronic….
…or is it occasional?
We respond differently,
depending on which one it is.
Are we interested more in holding students
accountable
or making sure they learn?

Avoid, “learn or I will hurt you” measures.
(Nancy Doda)
This quarter, you’ve taught:
• 4-quadrant graphing
• Slope and Y-intercept
• Multiplying binomials
• Ratios/Proportions
• 3-dimensional solids
• Area and Circumference of a circle.
The student’s grade: B
What does this mark tell us about the student’s
proficiency with each of the topics you’ve taught?
Gradebooks in
a Differentiated Classroom
• Avoid setting up gradebooks according
to formats or media used to
demonstrate mastery: tests, quizzes,
homework, projects, writings,
performances
• Instead, set up gradebooks according
to mastery: objectives, benchmarks,
standards, learner outcomes

Set up your gradebook into two sections:
Formative Summative
Assignments and assessments Final declaration
completed on the way to of mastery or
mastery or proficiency proficiency
Unidimensionality – A single score on a test represents a single
dimension or trait that has been assessed
Student
Dimension
A
Dimension
B Total Score
1 2 10 12
2 10 2 12
3 6 6 12
Problem: Most tests use a single score to assess multiple
dimensions and traits. The resulting score is often invalid and
useless. -- Marzano, CAGTW, page 13
100 point scale or 4.0 Scale?
• A 4.0 scale has a high inter-rater reliability.
Students’ work is connected to a detailed

descriptor and growth and achievement rally
around listed benchmarks.
• In 100-point or larger scales, the grades are
more subjective. In classes in which
teachers use percentages or points,
students, teachers, and parents more often
rally around grade point averages, not
learning.
Consider:
• Pure mathematical averages of grades for a
grading period are inaccurate indicators of
students’ true mastery.
• A teacher’s professional judgment via clear
descriptors on a rubric actually increases the
accuracy of a student’s final grade as an
indicator of what he learned.
• A teacher’s judgment via rubrics has a
stronger correlation with outside
standardized tests than point or average
calculations do.
(Marzano)
Office of Educational Research and
Improvement Study (1994):
Students in impoverished communities

that receive high grades in English earn
the same scores as C and D students in
affluent communities.
Math was the same: High grades in
impoverished schools equaled only the
D students’ performance
in affluent schools.
Avoid using the Mean: Accurate grades
are based on the most consistent evidence.
We look at the pattern of achievement,
including trends, not the average of the data.
This means we focus on the median and
mode, not mean, and the most recent scores
are weighed heavier than earlier scores.
Median: The middle test score of a distribution,
above and below which lie an equal
number of test scores
Mode: The score occurring most frequently in
a series of observations or test data
“The main problem with averaging
students’ scores…is that averaging
assumes that no learning has occurred
from assessment to assessment…that
differences in observed scores…are
simply a consequence of ‘random error,’

and the act of averaging will ‘cancel out’
the random error…”
-- Marzano, CAGTW, p. 96
Allowing Students to Re-do
Assignments and Tests for Full Credit:
• Always, “…at teacher discretion.”
• It must be within reason.
• Students must have been giving a sincere effort.
• Require parents to sign the original assignment or
test, requesting the re-do.
• Require students to submit a plan of study that will
enable them to improve their performance the
second time around.
Allow Students to Re-do Assignments and Tests
for Full Credit:
• Identify a day by which time this will be
accomplished or the grade is permanent.
• With the student, create a calendar of completion
that will help them achieve it.
• Require students to submit original with the re-done
version so you can keep track of their development

• Reserve the right to give alternative versions
• No-re-do’s the last week of the grading period
• Sometimes the greater gift is to deny the option.
Inclusion – Clarifying Philosophies
Before partnering and frequently
throughout the partnering, clarify:
-- Each person’s role
-- Acceptable grading policies
Administrative direction on these are
critical.
Inclusion – Focus
• All students in the inclusion/regular class are considered
to be the regular education teacher’s students.
• Focus of Regular Education teacher: the mandated
curriculum and each student’s progress toward
mastering it. ‘Has expertise in the subject and the
teaching of it.
• Focus of the Special Education teacher: how to teach
students with identified needs, as well as students’
individualized education plans. ‘Informs the regular
education teacher of those goals and works with the

regular education teacher to make accommodations
necessary for identified students to achieve the regular
education standards/objectives. ‘May or may not have
expertise in the class’s curriculum.
Grading Inclusion Students
Question #1:
“Are the standards set for the whole class also
developmentally appropriate for this student?”
• If they are appropriate, proceed to Question #2.
• If they are not appropriate, identify which
standards are appropriate, making sure they are
as close as possible to the original standards.
Then go to question #2.
Question #2:
“Will these learning experiences (processes)
we’re using with the general class work with the
inclusion student as well?”
• If they will work, then proceed to Question #3.
• If they will not work, identify alternative pathways
to learning that will work. Then go to Question
#3.

Question #3:
“Will this assessment instrument we’re using to get an
accurate rendering of what general education students
know and are able to do regarding the standard also
provide an accurate rendering of what this inclusion
student knows and is able to do regarding the same
standard?
• If the instrument will provide an accurate rendering of the
inclusion student’s mastery, then use it just as you do
with the rest of the class.
• If it will not provide an accurate rendering of the inclusion
student’s mastery, then identify a product that will
provide that accuracy, and make sure it holds the
student accountable for the same universal factors as
your are asking of the other students.
Grading Gifted Students
• Insure grade-level material is learned.
• If it’s enrichment material only, the grade still
represents mastery of on-grade-level
material. An addendum report card or the
comment section provides feedback on
advanced material.
• If the course name indicates advanced
material (Algebra I Honors, Biology II), then
we grade against those advanced standards.

• If the student has accelerated a grade level
or more, he is graded against the same
standards as his older classmates.
summative notes/Authentic Assessment.pdf
Authentic Assessment (/Authentic+Assessment)
# Edit ! 3 (/Authentic+Assessment#discussion) " 29
(/page/history/Authentic+Assessment)
… (/page/menu/Authentic+Assessment)
Authentic Assessment
What is Authentic Assessment?
Good question! Authentic assessment is a method of evaluation
in which students perform real-life tasks to demonstrate their
ability to apply relevant
knowledge and skills. An authentic assessment typically
includes a task for students to complete and a rubric which
indicates how the task will be
graded. Criterion-reference , a term typically associated with
authentic assessment, stresses the ability of authentic
assessment to evaluate a specific
test or specific area of content material. In other words,
authentic assessment directly assesses a student's mastery of
certain knowledge and skills.
Authentic assessment is unique to the individual experience of
each student.
Authentic assessment is also known by other names:
performance-based assessment-this is this is a popular term

when referring to authentic assessments. However, some feel
that this is not an
appropriate term as there is not reference to the authentic nature
of the assessment, as it is possible to have the student perform a
task that has
no authentic connection to the real world.
direct assessment-this refers to the direct nature of the
assessment and the student shows directly how to apply the
knowledge. In contract, a
student would indirectly show knowledge in a multiple-choice
type test.
alternative assessment- as it is an alternative to traditional
assessment
Why do We Need Authentic Assessment? Preparing Students for
the Real World
While multiple-choice tests can be valid indicators or predictors
of academic performance, too often our tests mislead students
and teachers about the
kinds of work that should be mastered. Norms are not standards;
items are not real problems; right answers are not rationales.
Multiple-choice tests
also encourage memorization of facts, rather than acquiring
specific skills standards are designed to enforce.
What most defenders of traditional tests fail to see is that it is
the form, not the content of the test that is harmful to learning;
demonstrations of the
technical validity of standardized tests should not be the issue
in the assessment reform debate. Students come to believe that
learning is cramming;
teachers come to believe that tests are after-the-fact, imposed
nuisances composed of contrived questions--irrelevant to their

intent and success. Both
parties are led to believe that right answers matter more than
habits of mind and the justification of one's approach and
results. This type of assessment
also sends a message to students that information is learned for
a test, and as soon as the test is completed, students often do
not see the importance
of retaining this information.
A move toward more authentic tasks and outcomes thus
improves teaching and learning: students have greater clarity
about their obligations (and are
asked to master more engaging tasks), and teachers can come to
believe that assessment results are both meaningful and useful
for improving
instruction.
When students leave high school or even college they are
expected to be able to function in our world based on a certain
standard set of skills. Those
life skills often do not include knowledge on ancient
civilizations or chemical composition. It is great for students to
have a well rounded education and a
plethora of content knowledge, but if they cannot apply their
skills to any content or task, teachers or schools have not
prepared them for the real world.
Click on the video below to learn more about authentic
assessment in "Assessment Overview: Beyond Standardized
Testing"
Assessment Overview: Beyond Standa…
Basic Elements of Authentic Assessment:
Students are asked to develop responses rather than choose from

a list of possibly correct answers
Fosters higher order thinking
Takes a direct approach to evaluate projects and the process of
creating the
final product
Aligns with classroom instruction
Uses student work which has been collected over time
Based on clear criteria given to students
Allows for multiple interpretations
Students learn to evaluate own work
Relates more to classroom learning
Ten Features of Authentic Assessments
1. Authentic activities have real-world relevance: Activities
match as nearly as possible the real-world tasks of professionals
in practice rather
than decontextualized or classroom-based tasks
2. Authentic activities are ill-defined, requiring students to
define the tasks and sub-tasks needed to complete the activity:
Problems
inherent in the activities are ill-defined and open to multiple
interpretations rather than easily solved by the application of
existing algorithms.
Learners must identify their own unique tasks and sub-tasks in
order to complete the major task.
3. Authentic activities comprise complex tasks to be
investigated by students over a sustained period of time:
Activities are completed in
days, weeks and months rather than minutes or hours. They
require significant investment of time and intellectual

resources.
4. Authentic activities provide the opportunity for students to
examine the task from different perspectives, using a variety of
resources:
The task affords learners the opportunity to examine the
problem from a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives,
rather than allowing a
single perspective that learners must imitate to be successful.
The use of a variety of resources rather than a limited number
of preselected
references requires students to detect relevant from irrelevant
information.
5. Authentic activities provide the opportunity to collaborate:
Collaboration is integral to the task, both within the course and
the real world,
rather than achievable by the individual learner.
6. Authentic activities provide the opportunity to reflect:
Activities need to enable learners to make choices and reflect
on their learning both
individuall and socially.
7. Authentic activities can be integrated and applied across
different subject areas and lead beyond domain-specific
outcomes: Activities
encourage interdisciplinary perspectives and enable students to
play diverse roles thus building robust expertise rather than
knowledge limited to
a single well-defined field or domain.
8. Authentic activities are seamlessly integrated with
assessment: Assessment of activities is seamlessly integrated
with the major task in a
manner that reflects real-world assessment, rather than separate

artificial assessment removed from the nature of the task.
9. Authentic activities create polished products valuable in their
own right rather than as preparation for something else:
Activities
culminate in the creation of a whole product rather than an
exercise or sub-step in preparation for something else.
10. Authentic activities allow competing solutions and diversity
of outcomes: Activities allow a range and diversity of outcomes
open to
multiple solutions of an original nature, rather than a single
correct response obtained by the application of rules and
procedures.
How Does Authentic Assessment Compare to Traditional
Assessment?
With traditional assessment students are asked to demonstrate
their knowledge of subject matter based on multiple choice or
true/false questions and
matching. Unlike authentic assessment, traditional assessment
does not show the thought process which led students to arrive
at the answer they
selected. In contrast to traditional assessment, authentic
assessment is much less structured and provides a more in-depth
method of evaluating
understanding in a subject area. The process is valued just as
much as the product when the assessment is complete. The chart
below compares and
contrasts some characteristic of authentic and traditional
assessment.
..................................................Traditional Assessment

perform a task................................................................select
a response
real-life
task...................................................................simulated and
contrived
application and original
construction.................................recall or recognition
student-
based................................................................teacher-based
direct
evidence...............................................................indirect
evidence
ongoing over a long period of
time....................................completed once for a specific
amount of time
integrated seamlessly within
learning...............................completed once learning is
"finished"
Though there are differences in the two, it does not mean they
cannot be used together. Sometimes, these two types of
assessments make great
partners. An widely used example is how to choose a chauffeur
if there was a choice between one that has only passed the
writing portion of the test
and one that has only passed the driving portion. Most would
choose the chauffeur that has passed the driving portion (the
authentic assessment),
however most would prefer their chauffeur has past both parts,
the authentic assessment and the traditional assessment. This
would insure that the
chauffeur had basic knowledge of driving and road laws, as well
as the skill to drive.
Types of Authentic Assessment:

Scoring Guides/Rubric: A scoring scale is used to assess student
performance along a task-specific set of criteria. A
list of required elements are grouped together to make the
scoring guide with point specific designations.
Portfolio/E-Portfolio: A collection of a student's work
specifically selected to highlight achievements or demonstrate
improvement over time (e-portfolio is electronic and usually
accessible on the Internet).
Authentic Task: An assignment given to students designed to
assess their ability to apply standard-driven knowledge
and skills to real-world challenges.
Self-Assessment: Evaluating one's own performance to
determine strengths and weaknesses, as well as reflecting
on what improvements can be made to enhance product
Oral Interviews: The teacher asks the student questions about
the subject matter
Story or Text Retelling: Student retells main ideas or selected
details of text experienced through listening or
reading.
Writing Samples: Student generates narrative, expository,
persuasive, or reference paper.
Projects/Exhibitions: Student works with other students as a
team to create a project that often involves multimedia
production, oral and written
presentations, and a display.
Experiments/Demonstrations: Student documents a series of
experiments, illustrates a procedure, performs the necessary
steps to complete a
task, and documents the results of the actions.
Constructed-Response Items: Student responds in writing to
open-ended questions.
Teacher Observations: Teacher observes and documents the
students attention and interaction in class, response to
instructional materials,
and cooperative work with other students.

Why Use Authentic Assessment?
1. Highlights constructive nature of learning and education
2. Allows students to choose own path for demonstrating skill
set
3. Evaluates how effectively students can directly apply
knowledge to a variety of task
4. Legitimizes learning by completing it in a real-world context
5. Allows for collaboration among students and across
curriculum
Authentic Assessment: Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages
Focuses on analytical skills and the integration of knowledge
Time-intensive to manage, monitor, and coordinate
Promotes creativity Difficult to coordinate with mandatory
educational standards
Reflection of real-world skills and knowledge Challenging to
provide consistent grading scheme
Encourages collaborative work Subjective nature of grading
may lead to bias
Enhances written and oral presentation skills Unique nature may
be unfamiliar to students
Direct match of assessment, instructional activities, and
learning
objectives
May not be practical for large enrollment courses
Emphasizes integration of learning over time Challenging to
develop for various types of courses and ranges of
objectives

How to Use Authentic Assessment
Follow these helpful steps to create your own authentic
assessment:
1. Identify which standards you want your students to meet
through this assessment.
2. Choose a relevant task for this standard, or set of standards,
so that students can demonstrate how they have or have not met
the standards.
3. Define the characteristics of good performance on this task.
This will provide useful information regarding how well
students have met the
standards.
4. Create a rubric, or set of guidelines, for students to follow so
that they are able to assess their work as they perform the
assigned task.
Creating Rubrics for Authentic Assessment
Before making a rubric teachers need to identify what they want
to assess. Rubrics should be created before the unit to ensure
the students are taught
the main components. In addition, it can assess criteria from
previous units. Assessments should usually evaluate no more
than five elements for each
task. If too much is being assessed it is difficult to truly
identify the strengths and weaknesses of a student
Once the criteria for the assessment is identified, a rubric can
be created. Making a rubric is simplified with the
aid of online rubric-makers. Before teachers create a rubric it is
best to do a search for the specific rubric to save
time. For example, input letter writing rubrics into a search
address box and numerous letter writing sample
rubrics will be displayed.

Making rubrics are time consuming in the initial stages but are
worth the investment. Rubrics are a wonderful tool
to ensure a more authentic assessment of student work. The
assessment tool gives students a framework on
expectations and teachers a framework on what is being graded.
(http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/jantho1)
I am also interested in learning more about Authentic
Assessments and the
ePortfolio
Authentic Assessment and ePortfolio
jantho1 (http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/jantho1) Dec 5,
2010
(http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/jantho1)
I am also interested in learning more about Authentic
Assessments and the
ePortfolio
Authentic Assessment and ePortfolio
jantho1 (http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/jantho1) Dec 5,
2010
(http://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/tinaq)
Authentic Assessment & ePortfolio
A rubric provides a teacher with a scale of where the student's
current knowledge and performance are currently at as well as
what they may

need to improve upon.
A rubric provides a student with their own guidelines while they
are working on an assessment. They are able to guide
themselves, as well as
assess their own work or the work of their classmates using the
rubric provided to them.
A teacher can work with his or her students to develop
assessment criteria for a rubric. This way, students are taking
part in the evaluation
process and feel more of an attachment to what they are
working on. They need to live up to their own standards
(criteria) as well as that of the
teacher.
Examples of Authentic Assessment Rubrics:
Web Project Rubric
Classroom Web Page Rubric
WebQuest Rubric
Middle School Research Project Rubric
*Rubric Template for creating your own rubric**
Challenges of Authentic Assessment:
Usually takes longer to plan, complete, and evaluate than other
methods of assessment
Difficult to ensure assessment accurately aligns with curriculum
and standards
Allows for greater margin of evaluator bias/judgments of
assessment
Examples of Authentic Assessment

http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/litass/class.html
http://www.funderstanding.com/coaster
http://boe.ming.k12.wv.us/teachers/di/di_rubrics/authentic%20a
ssessment.htm
http://www.ndtwt.org/hotlists/hotlists_LPsites.htm#AA
Sources/References:
Funderstanding-Authentic Assessment
Authentic Assessment Toolbox
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
Wik ED--Authentic Assessment
Park University-Incorporating Authentic Assessment
$
$
$
summative notes/Leading to Change - Effective Grading
Practices.pdf
Home Current Issue Archives Buy Contact
February 2008 | Volume 65 | Number 5
Teaching Students to Think Pages 85-87
Leading to Change / Effective Grading Practices
Douglas B. Reeves
If you wanted to make just one change that would immediately
reduce student
failure rates, then the most effective place to start would be
challenging prevailing

grading practices. How can I be so sure? Try this experiment in
your next faculty
meeting. Ask your colleagues to calculate the final grade for a
student who receives
the following 10 grades during a semester: C, C, MA (Missing
Assignment), D, C, B, MA,
MA, B, A. I have done this experiment with thousands of
teachers and administrators
in the United States, Canada, and Argentina. Every time—bar
none—I get the same
results: The final grades range from F to A and include
everything in between.
As this experiment demonstrates, the difference between failure
and the honor roll
often depends on the grading policies of the teacher. To reduce
the failure rate,
schools don't need a new curriculum, a new principal, new
teachers, or new
technology. They just need a better grading system.
Ineffective Grading
The results of my experiment are not surprising. Guskey and
Bailey (2001) and Marzano (2000) have
synthesized decades of research with similar findings. Neither
the weight of scholarship nor common sense
seems to have influenced grading policies in many schools.
Practices vary greatly among teachers in the
same school—and even worse, the practices best supported by
research are rarely in evidence.
For example, the most effective grading practices provide
accurate, specific, timely feedback designed to
improve student performance (Marzano 2000, 2007; O'Connor,
2007). In the best classrooms, grades are

only one of many types of feedback provided to students. Music
teachers and athletic coaches routinely
provide abundant feedback to students and only occasionally
associate a grade with the feedback. Teachers
in visual arts, drafting, culinary arts, or computer programming
allow students to create a portfolio to show
their best work, knowing that the mistakes made in the course
of the semester were not failures, but
lessons learned on the way to success. In each of these cases,
"failures" along the way are not averaged into
a calculation of the final grade.
Contrast these effective practices with three commonly used
grading policies that are so ineffective they can
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be labeled as toxic. First is the use of zeroes for missing work.
Despite evidence that grading as punishment
does not work (Guskey, 2000) and the mathematical flaw in the
use of the zero on a 100-point scale (Reeves,
2004), many teachers routinely maintain this policy in the
mistaken belief that it will lead to improved
student performance. Defenders of the zero claim that students

need to have consequences for flouting the
teacher's authority and failing to turn in work on time. They're
right, but the appropriate consequence is not
a zero; it's completing the work—before, during, or after
school, during study periods, at "quiet tables" at
lunch, or in other settings.
Second is the practice of using the average of all scores
throughout the semester, a formula that presumes
that the learning early in the semester is as important as
learning at the end of the semester (Marzano,
2000; O'Connor, 2007). Interestingly, when teachers and
administrators have been students in my graduate
courses, they routinely insist that they should be evaluated on
the basis of their understanding at the end of
the semester rather than their work throughout the term.
Third is the use of the "semester killer"—the single project,
test, lab, paper, or other assignment that will
make or break students. This practice puts 18 weeks of work at
risk based on a project that might, at most,
have consumed four weeks of the semester.
A small but growing number of school systems are tackling the
issue head-on with comprehensive plans for
effective grading practices. (The policy developed by one such
district, Grand Island Public Schools in
Nebraska, is available at
http://wikiassessments.editme.com/files/GradingandReporting/G
%26R%20Guiding%20Docs.pdf.)
But even in districts that have attempted to put effective
grading policies in place, enforcement is often
inconsistent. Grading seems to be regarded as the last frontier
of individual teacher discretion. The same
school leaders and community members who would be indignant

if sports referees were inconsistent in
their rulings continue to tolerate inconsistencies that have
devastating effects on student achievement.
High-Stakes Grading
The Alliance for Excellent Education estimated that the annual
cost of high school failure exceeds $330
billion ("An Economic Case," 2007). Some of these failures are
no doubt caused by excessive absences and
poor student performance. But, as the experiment at the
beginning of this column clearly indicates, many
failures are caused by the differences in teacher grading
policies.
Do another experiment: Randomly select 30 course failures
from the last semester, and determine the
cause for failure. Two common causes are missing homework
and poor performance on a single major
assignment—a term paper, lab, or project. What would it mean
to your school if you could reduce the
number of failing grades resulting solely from uncompleted
homework?
The stakes of grading practices are not limited to student
failure. When grading policies improve, discipline
and morale almost always follow. For example, Ben Davis High
School in Indianapolis, Indiana, achieved a
remarkable reduction in course failures through focused
attention on improved feedback and intervention
for students (Reeves, 2006). I recently checked in with the
school, and Principal Joel McKinney reported that
the success of this challenging urban school (74 percent free
and reduced-price lunch, high mobility, and
increasing numbers of English language learners) did not stop
with reducing 9th and 10th grade failures. As

of fall 2007, enrollment in advanced placement classes had
increased 32 percent; suspensions had declined
67 percent; elective opportunities in music, art, and technology
had increased; class cuts and tardiness had
fallen significantly; teacher morale and school climate had
noticeably improved—and the course failure rate
http://wikiassessments.editme.com/files/GradingandReporting/G
%26R%20Guiding%20Docs.pdf
had continued to decline (personal communication, December 5,
2007). When schools take steps to reduce
failures, lots of good things happen.
The Steps to Take
Although changing grading systems is a challenging leadership
task, the benefits are so great that it's worth
doing.
First, create a sense of urgency. Identify the exact cost of
inconsistent grading practices. How many failures
can we prevent this semester if we improve our grading
practices?
Second, identify teacher leaders who are already improving
policies. Chances are that some teachers in your
school have already eliminated the use of the average and the
zero on a 100-point scale and created
meaningful opportunities for corrective feedback outside of
grades. Provide a forum for these teachers to
share their insights with colleagues and lead the effort to
develop improved policies.
Third, get the facts; gather evidence that will create a rationale

for decision making. At the end of the day,
your choices about teaching practice must be guided by
evidence, not opinions. For example, although
many people sincerely believe that giving poor grades as a
punishment is effective, Guskey (2000) has
marshaled 90 years of evidence to the contrary.
Fourth, reassure parents, students, and teachers that certain
things will not change. Students will still have
letter grades, transcripts, honor rolls, individualized education
plans, and everything else that they have
counted on as part of their grading system. What they won't
have is irrational grading policies that give
students widely different grades for the same work.
The benefits of effective grading practices are not limited to a
reduced failure rate—although that benefit
alone is sufficient to justify change. When student failures
decrease, student behavior improves, faculty
morale is better, resources allocated to remedial courses and
course repetitions are reduced, and resources
invested in electives and advanced courses increase. When was
the last time a single change in your school
accomplished all that?
References
An economic case for high school reform (Editorial). (2007,
November 1). Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Available:
www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/11148976.html.
Guskey, T. R. (2000). Grading policies that work against
standards … and how to fix them. NASSP
Bulletin, 84(620), 20–29.

Guskey, T. R., & Bailey, J. M. (2001). Developing grading and
reporting systems for student learning.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Marzano, R. J. (2000). Transforming classroom grading.
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Marzano, R. J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A
comprehensive framework for effective instruction.
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/11148976.html
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
O'Connor, K. (2007). A repair kit for grading: 15 fixes for
broken grades. Portland, OR: Educational Testing
Service.
Reeves, D. B. (2004). The case against zero. Phi Delta Kappan,
86(4), 324–325.
Reeves, D. B. (2006). Leading to change: Preventing 1,000
failures. Educational Leadership, 64(3), 88–89.
Douglas B. Reeves is Founder of the Leadership and Learning
Center; 978-740-3001;
[email protected]
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summative notes/Summative note 1.pdf
Summative and Authentic Assessment
Designing the Summative Assessment
This is the origin of the phrase, beginning with the end in
mind.” The summative assessment is the
culminating task that will require students to draw upon the
skills and concepts they have developed
throughout the unit in order to demonstrate their understanding.
Traditional units tests (with multiple-choice,
true/false, and short answer questions) are poor summative
assessments because they rarely require the
application of skills and concepts or the demonstration of
understanding. Summative assessments must
require the application of skills, concepts, and understandings,
rather than a mere reporting of information.

Sometimes these types of summative assessments are called
performance assessments because they require
students to apply skills, concepts, and understandings to a new
problem in a different context or to a different
text(s). The best summative assessments often incorporate the
essential question(s) that have focused the
unit, requiring students to answer one or more of the essential
questions drawing upon ideas from personal
experience, from the texts studied, and from new text(s)
encountered as a part of the assessment.
The assessment should be designed before the lesson/unit is
taught. To be able to do this, you need to decide
what is essential for students to know and then determine how
students will demonstrate their understanding.
Designing your assessment must occur early in the planning
process to give both you and your students a
clear destination for the unit; the teacher is then able to create
the best roadmap for the learning experiences
required to get there. Some considerations are:
How will the summative assessment require students to
demonstrate their understanding and their
ability to apply essential skills and concepts?
How can I incorporate/integrate the essential question(s) in the
summative assessment to check for
each student’s understanding?
How will I communicate the components/elements of this
summative assessment to the students at the
beginning of the unit so students will know what will be
expected and required?
How will I communicate the criteria for a successfully

completed performance assessment? (See the
rubric link to the left for standard-based rubrics)
How might I integrate one of the eight required writing tasks as
a part of the summative and/or
formative assessment?
What role can students play to help shape the summative task
that they will complete?
Authentic Assessment requires students to demonstrate skills
and competencies they have mastered.
More On Authentic Assessment
summative notes/technology_upgrades.pdf
May 6, 2015
Technology Upgrades for Performance Tasks and Assignments
Source: Learning to the Core: Assessing What Matters Most
by
Jay McTighe
FROM TO
Book report Book Hooks –
http://www.bookhooks.com/index.cfm
Create a Book Trailer – http://www.booktrailersforreaders.com/
Voicethread (iPAD APP) – http://voicethread.com/

Brainstorming
on paper
Inspiration – http://www.inspiration.com/
Bubbl.us (brainstorming too) – https://bubbl.us/
Bulletin board Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/
Educlipper – http://www.educlipper.net
Padlet – http://www.padlet.com
Cartoon/Comics Toondoo – http://www.toondoo.com/
Pixton – http://www.pixton.com/
Toontastic (iPAD APP) – http://launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/
Kerpoof – http://www.kerpoof.com/
Strip designer (iPAD APP) –
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strip-
designer/id314780738?mt=8
Exhibit (e.g., art-
work or science
fair display)
Vocaroo – http://vocaroo.com/ record voice over and include a
QR
code on the display to listen
Aurasma – http://www.aurasma.com/ turns a static image or
display board it into a video.
Explanation
(written, verbal)

Educreations – http://www.educreations.com/
Explain Everything (iPAD APP) –
Filmstrip
Photo Exhibit
Museum display
iMovie –
http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/
Animoto – http://animoto.com/
Photostory – http://microsoft-photo-
story.en.softonic.com/
How-to guide Create an App – https://www.yapp.us/
JING – Screencasting tool –
http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
May 6, 2015
Oral presentation Podcast – http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrBbczS9
Audioboo – http://audioboo.fm/
Voicethread (iPAD APP) –
http://voicethread.com/
Pen pal Skype chat – http://skype.com

Poster
Infographic
Smore – https://www.smore.com/app
Pictochart – http://piktochart.com/
Padlet – http://www.padlet.com
Glogster – http://www.glogster.com/
Multi-media
products
Prezi – http://prezi.com/
Edmodo – http://www.edmodo.com
Slideshare – http://www.slideshare.net/
Capzles – http://www.capzles.com/
Research Report Website creator –
http://kidswebsitecreator.com/
Science Project Science report writer –
http://sciencewriter.cast.org/welcome;jsessi
onid=64D53C43AD80D6FAB1A0F95ABC
FCA054
Summary
Tweet – https://twitter.com/

Timeline TimeToast – http://www.timetoast.com/
Timeline – http://xtimeline.com/index.aspx
Vocabulary Notebook Visual Thesaurus –
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/
Written
products
Issuu – http://issuu.com/
Flipsnack – http://www.flipsnack.com/
Meograph – http://www.meograph.com/
Blog – http://edublogs.org/
Blogger –
https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?s
ervice=blogger&ltmpl=start&hl=en&passiv
e=86400&continue=http://www.blogger.co
May 6, 2015
Career Awareness
At Napa County, we are building a robust college and career
readiness system that will enable students to make sound
decisions
regarding their post-secondary goals.

NCOE launched the first countywide implementation of
Naviance in
October 2013. NCOE partnered with local school districts to
fund this
program for all middle and high school students in Napa
County.
Prior to implementation, students had little exposure to career
exploration, goal setting, and college planning tools. Students
now
have access to curriculum designed to help students define and
navigate through their post-secondary journey. The curriculum
helps
guide students through a series of lessons covering topics like
financial aid, building self-confidence, and goal setting.
Students can
also explore potential careers they otherwise would not consider
(think Astrobiologist or Zen Master) through Roadtrip Nation’s
video
interview library housing hundreds of real-world examples.
Students have found the curriculum engaging and easy to
navigate.
Over 8,000 middle and high school students completed
activities
since implementation in October 2013. By 2015 we expect to be
serving over 10,000 students in Napa County.
are ThinkCERCA – which helps teachers create reading
assignments that push their students’ critical
thinking skills
digital story telling
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/08/26/digital-storytelling-
classrooms-987/
*website to support digital story telling

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/
AMT chart (Tom)
Written
products
Issuu – http://issuu.com/
Flipsnack – http://www.flipsnack.com/
Meograph – http://www.meograph.com/
Blog – http://edublogs.org/
Blogger –
https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?s
ervice=blogger&ltmpl=start&hl=en&passiv
e=86400&continue=http://www.blogger.co
m/home#s01
Summary Tweet – https://twitter.com/
May 6, 2015
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OYWKczRIkfl5gBqXcI
iqSQrxFnvYW7A
aEqbn51kIToA/edit?pli=1#gid=0
Tom March – I have a “Tools Panel” I’ve created so people and
copy/paste it into
their own blog or use as a launch pad from their Interactive
Whiteboards:
http://tommarch.com/strategies/skills-checklist/web2panel/
100 Apps from Microsoft
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/07/03/100-apps-education-

673/2/
Tools for Data Analysis
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/helping-students-develop-digital-
literacy-suzie-boss
https://tuvalabs.com/
Username: syron Class code bh03j
https://www.tuvalabs.com/explore/
Writing Tools
Tomatoi.st
The pomodoro technique is a popular productivity method. If
you are keen to improve your
writing process, you can easily adapt this method by using
Tomatoi.st. It is a simple web-
based tool were you can click the timer to follow the pomodoro
technique. The timer will
encourage student writers to be productive and organized when
writing their papers.
Cliché Finder
It is difficult to find clichés in your own work, especially when
you use it as a personal writing
style. But clichés are not highly accepted in writing. To fix your
output, let Cliché Finder help
you edit these words and improve your work.
ProWriting Aid
This is an online editing tool that helps student writers improve
their articles. The tool helps
edit the grammar, spelling, readability, and consistency of their
article. It also checks
redundancies, clichés, and abstract words in the content. The
tool is highly accurate so it
helps a lot in improving the quality of student’s work.

Twitter — Kids Blog
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-wide-twitter-chats-
stephen-baker
http://kidsedchatnz.blogspot.co.nz/
http://yr7chat.blogspot.com/
Microsoft OneNote: Mac, Windows 7, Windows 8, iPad/iPhone,
Windows Phone, Android, Free
The advantage of taking notes with this app is that it allows you
to include pictures, videos
and weblinks right into your notes. It also stores all your notes
in one place for easy access
and allows you to move the text around the page.
May 6, 2015
You can also share your notes and edit them as a group which is
a helpful feature for group
projects and in class collaboration. It also provides the
opportunity for a teacher to share
their own notes or presentations so that students can add on
their own notes and things they
have learned.
Created by 22-year-old Sumner Murphy, Mobento is a video
learning platform that curates
content from world-class instructors and institutions such as
Stanford, Yale, Khan Academy,
and TED. The website includes more than 4,200 instructional
videos arranged in 26

categories; most are about 10 minutes long. Free apps for iOS
and Android devices allow
users to search for, download, and watch videos on a mobile
device, which works well for
students with limited internet access at home. The site’s main
innovation is a search tool that
lets you search for keywords mentioned in the videos.
http://www.mobento.com/
A nice extension for Chrome. If you are trying to record audio
for feedback
(especially Formative feedback) Kaizena. Kaizena allows you to
comment or
RECORD audio feedback. It is very easy to install - go to the
Chrome Store and
get Kaizena. Then relaunch your browser and open a Google
Doc. You can
now record simple comments and write comments. Finally here
is the
short Tutorial Video
Ipadagogy wheel
http://mrjexperience.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/ipadagogy-
wheel-
001.jpg
The Hemingway App provides students and writers a way to
critically analyze
their writing. It works by simply writing or copy/pasting into
the application page.
It provides a Readability Rating, counts words sentences and
paragraphs and
identifies common errors. It is a super easy tool to use and

helps students
improve their own writing.
Welcome to Writinghouse!
The fully automatic bibliography and citation maker. Save time
by
creating a cited page instantly in the MLA, APA, Chicago,
or Harvard referencing styles! It's easy, fast and it's free!
http://writinghouse.org/
http://www.chronozoom.com/#/t00000000-0000-0000-0000-
000000000000
ChronoZoom is an educational tool for teachers and students
who want
to put historical events in perspective. A great many resources
have
been created already in ChronoZoom
May 6, 2015
Stripgenerator is a cool online tool for building comic strips.
This is a great
way for students to retell, explain or synthesis learning in a
creative
way. Simply go to http://stripgenerator.com/ and register - it is
free! (*The
Activation email might go to your Spam so check there if you
don't get it

right away) Once your account is setup begin building. There
are cool
characters, voice bubbles, different layouts and an array of
layout
tools. When you are done simply print or save to pdf and you
have a real
comic strip.
Mind mapping is a great way to start thinking about a topic,
planning projects or
simply brainstorm. MatterMap is the latest technology in this
field. This is a very
robust site. It provides a place for students to capture quotes,
put in citation
information and manage findings. Then it allows users to
develop their own Mind
Map (MatterMap) about the topic. Images, Tech, Quotes can all
be built around
a single idea. Then this can be printed or shared as needed. It is
a great tool for
visualizing thinking. https://www.mattermap.nl/
Website Creation: Weebly
Websites are a great way for your students to combine creativity
with writing, research, and
technology. Have them create a website for a historical topic,
event, or location, or ask them
to create a blog for a famous person. This is also a great way to
incorporate primary and
secondary sources into instruction.
http://www.weebly.com/
1. Blogging

This one is simple. WordPress, Blogger and a variety of
education-focused blogging platforms
help students establish their own digital space to meet the
world. It allows the embedding of
images, videos, tweets and of course text. To be successful
here, they just need a reason to blog.
2. Storify or Storehouse
Storify and Storehouse essentially allow students to collect
media bits and pieces from across the
web, and to socialize them -- that is, to shape them into a
unique form of expression through
May 6, 2015
social media. The focus here is less on the student articulation
of ideas (in contrast to blogging),
and more on what they share and why they share it. In other
words, the content itself is the star.
To be successful here, students need an eye for compelling
content, as well as an understanding
of the ways that various digital media can work together to tell
a story.
3. Podcasting or VoiceThread
While podcasting and VoiceThread have fundamental
differences, they boil down to the ability for
students to express themselves verbally around an idea
important to them. To be successful
here, students need to be comfortable talking, and to be able to
do so in ways that are interesting
to listen to. They also need strong audience awareness -- but
then again, when don't they?

4. YouTube Channels
YouTube is the ultimate digital distribution channel -- billions
and billions and billions of views. It
works, and it's staggeringly efficient, with a world of analytics
and an instant global audience for
any video that can find traction. Students can create review
channels, perform music, humorously
remix existing content, act, create documentaries, and a million
other possibilities. Success here
depends on a student's comfort level in front of a camera (if
they're somehow performing), and/or
an eye for standing out in front of said billions and billions of
competing videos (if they're behind
the camera or somehow producing).
To work with YouTube -- and really with any of the above-
mentioned media -- students need to
have a strong awareness of both legal copyright issues and
notions of digital citizenship. As a
teacher encouraging them to find their voice, you are in a
unique position to teach or reinforce
these concepts.
Technology Upgrades
Setting up On-line Study Groups for students
http://thinkbinder.com/
Video --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZzzYOQsaUA&feature=co
like
http://langwitches.org/blog/2012/03/31/ipad-apps-and-blooms-
taxonomy/
http://www.curriculum21.com/clearinghouse/

September 9th, 2013
Creating videos for flipped learning
By Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor @eSN_Meris
Vodcasting, otherwise known as video podcasting (vod stands
for Video-On-Demand), has been around for
a few years, but it’s thanks to the recent interest in flipped
learning that educators are taking a closer look
into the low-expense creation of education videos.
What do you need to make a vodcast?
May 6, 2015
To begin making your own vodcast, which can be an entire
lesson, concept, or explanation of a recent
topic, Holden suggests having all software downloaded and
beta-tested. This includes screencasting (video
screen capture often containing audio narration) software,
editing software (optional), and a place to post
your vodcasts (or a place to post the video links).
Screencasting software for iPads includes: Replay Note ($4.99),
Explain Everything ($2.99), Screenchomp
(free), and ShowMe (free). Holden’s personal favorite is
Explain Everything.
Screencasting software for a laptop or desktop includes: Jing
(free), Snagit (free), Screencast-o-matic
(free), Camtasia ($199, but reduced for educators), and aTube
Catcher (free). aTube Catcher also exists for
Mac.

atube Catcher is Holden’s favorite, he said, because it offers
different options other than screencasts.
Third- and fourth-grade students at a Massachusetts elementary
school are using the
free online math program,SumDog.com
Apps to call on students randomly – This Educational
Leadership
item suggests three apps to cold-call students:
- Pick Me! www.classeapps.com/pick-me generates student
names and keeps track of who’s called on.
- Class Cards http://classcardsapp.com lets the teacher
quickly rate the quality of a student’s response and can put
the student on hold until he or she is ready to respond.
- ClassDojo www.classdojo.com lets the teacher establish
several desired behaviors – for example, participating in
classroom discussions, working effectively with teams, or
persisting with challenging work – and give students instant
feedback. Students can create avatars and monitor their
progress.
Bloom’s Taxonomy apps
May 6, 2015
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/09/blooms-

taxonomy-apps-great-
resource.html?goback=.gde_2811_member_271893813#!
6 Free Online Resources for Primary Source Documents
SEPTEMBER 6, 2013
This post by MONICA BURNS originally appeared in
Edutopia's TECHNOLOGY
INTEGRATION
blog.
Christopher Bell’s website – good tech resources here
https://sites.google.com/a/isb.ac.th/technology-coaching-
through-the-implementation-of-
a-learning-management-system/home/technology-tips-tricks
Image credit: life.time.com
The Common Core Learning Standards describe the importance
of teaching students how to comprehend
informational text. They are asked to read closely, make
inferences, cite evidence, analyze arguments and
interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text. Primary
source documents are artifacts created by
individuals during a particular period in history. This could be a
letter, speech, photograph or journal entry.
May 6, 2015
If you're looking to integrate social studies into your literacy
block, try out one of these resources for
primary source documents.

1. National Archives
The National Archives is a fantastic resource. Their website is
easy to navigate and includes lots of teacher
resources. They feature a daily historical document relating to
an event from that day in history. The online
catalog can be searched using keywords, and 100 "milestone"
documents are identified as significant to
American history.
Library of Congress
Historical Thinking: The Library of Congress
My favorite thing to do is find some resource on the LOC
website, project it, and get students
(or teachers) to start discussing the item and asking questions.
The LOC has everything from
maps and photographs to letters, paintings, and audio files. Let
your students explore the
resource, and then you can ask inquiry-type questions to foster
the discussion.
http://www.loc.gov/index.html
2. DocsTeach
Also run by the National Archives, DocsTeach is full of
activities for educators. The documents are
organized by different periods in American history. If you're
teaching "Civil War and Reconstruction" or
"Revolution and the New Nation," just click on the topic to find
hundreds of primary source documents.
DocsTeach provides audio, video, charts, graphs, maps and
more.
3. Spartacus Educational

Spartacus Educational is a great resource for global history. It
contains free encyclopedia entries that
directly connect to primary source documents, making it a
perfect tool for educators looking to give
students a starting point in their research. It can even be used
for a historical figure scavenger hunt!
4. Fordham University
Fordham University is another good resource for global history.
Similar to how DocsTeach organizes
primary sources into periods of American history, this site
categorizes documents as well. From the
"Reformation" to "Post-World War II Religious Thought,"
teachers can find full texts available from
Fordham or similar institutions. These sources are appropriate
for the middle school and high school
classroom.
5. The Avalon Project
May 6, 2015
Broken down by time period then listed in alphabetical order,
the Avalon Projectat Yale University also has
primary sources for global history teachers. This database starts
with ancient and medieval documents and
moves into present times. In addition to categories that address
specific historical periods, the Avalon
Project includes links to human rights documents as part of
Project Diana.
6. Life Magazine Photo Archive
Google and Life Magazine have a wonderful search engine that
lets users search millions of images from

the Life Magazine Photo Archive. Not only can you type in key
terms to guide your searches, you can also
look through images organized by decade (1860s through 1970s)
or significant people, places, events or
sports topics.
Easy iPad Access
Using iPads in your classroom? Check out these free apps for
primary source documents:
• National Archives DocsTeach: access to documents and
activities available on
their website
• Today's Document: quick look and searchable database of
documents connected
to a specific date in history
• Quotable Americans: important quotes in American history
with supporting
images
• Manifest Destiny: information on Westward Expansion
connected to John Gast's
famous painting
• Building Titanic: National Geographic's app includes images
and diagrams of this
famous ocean liner
Where do you go to find primary source documents to use in
your classroom?
• MONICA BURNS'S BLOG

14 Science Experiments on YOUTUBE
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1tcdHi
STEM RESOURCES
Elementary school
S The Lawrence Hall of Science: Students play games and have
interactive, engaging
experiences as they learn about all manner of science topics
T EduBlogs: Secure blogging to help young students organize
their thoughts and learn how
to interact online
E eGFI, from the American Society for Engineering Education,
offers lesson plans, class
activities, and outreach programs for students of all ages,
including K-5 students.
May 6, 2015
M Developed by a teacher, Math Cats is designed around open-
ended and creative math
exploration.
Middle school
S Through a free basic membership, students can use BioDigital
Human to learn and
virtually explore the human body.
T Scratch: This programming resource is designed for children
ages 8-16, and is perfect for
middle school students who want to learn more about
programming
E Central Texas Discover Engineering: While this resource is

Texas-based, the middle
school engineering activities are engaging and encouraging.
M Math Central: This safe site is maintained by teachers,
faculty, and students at various
Canadian universities. Students can ask questions, try out
challenging math problems, and
more.
High school
S Coaster Crafter: Building roller coasters is one way to learn
about physics, and this
resource helps students learn about force and motion while
testing their constructions.
T Prezi: High school students can learn how to create and give
presentations on their own or
with peers, learning valuable skills for college and the
workforce
E Engineer Your Life is an engineering guide for high school
girls.
M The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a library of
interactive web-based virtual
manipulatives and concept tutorials. The tools help engage
students and prompt them to
visualize mathematical relationships in unique ways.
Luhtala reviewed 50 apps that can help teachers and librarians
organize materials, locate information and
resources, and more. Her entire presentation is available here,
and resources found in that presentation are
available here (free registration is required in both cases).
Twenty-two apps are included below, and you can locate the
rest via the two links above.
Utilities

Airdrop: Users receive a notification that someone wants to
share something, they accept, and the resource
is shared wirelessly.
Airplay: A neat AirPlay function is mirroring, in which users
can take what they do on their phone and
display it on a computer. If you add that with a screencasting
tool, Luhtala said, you have fabulous tutorials
that you’ve made on your phone.
Numbers
Google Sheets (iOS and Android): Create, edit, and collaborate
with others on spreadsheets from your
device with the free Google Sheets app.
OneReceipt: Store receipts in the cloud, automatically pull in
eReceipts, organize spending, and scan
receipts to enter electronically. A useful tool for teachers to
keep track of school spending, and a nice way
for students to learn about budgeting.
Information management
May 6, 2015
Feedly (iOS and Android): Feedly is an RSS news reader re-
imagined for mobile devices. It makes
browsing faster and more fun: the content of your rss feeds,
news sites and blogs are transformed into
pocket-sized cards which load very fast and are easy to browse.
Flipboard: It’s a single place to discover, collect and share the

news you care about. Add your favorite
social networks, publications and blogs to stay connected to the
topics and people closest to you.
News360: News360 is an app that learns what you enjoy and
finds stories you’ll like around the web.
Pocket: This app helps people save interesting articles, videos
and more from the web for later enjoyment.
Once saved to Pocket, the list of content is visible on any
device–phone, tablet or computer. It can be
viewed while waiting in line, on the couch, during commutes or
travel–even offline.
Pearltrees: Pearltrees is a place for your interests. This free app
lets you organize, explore and share
everything you like. Add web pages, files, photos or notes and
organize them naturally. Explore amazing
collections that relate to your interests and subscribe to their
updates. Access your account anytime and
share anything from your computer, mobile and tablet.
LastPass: LastPass is a password management app that saves
your passwords and gives you secure access
to them from every computer and mobile device. With LastPass,
you only remember one password–your
LastPass master password. LastPass will fill your logins for you
and sync your passwords everywhere you
need them.
Geography
Google Maps (iOS and Android): The Google Maps app for
iPhone and iPad makes navigating your world
faster and easier. Find the best spots in town and the
information you need to get there.

Museum Finder: This app quickly identifies your location and
lets you choose the nearest museum. When
you select a listing, you can see the museum’s location on the
map, the address, telephone number, and the
distance from where you are. You can also call the museum
directly by tapping on the phone icon on your
iPhone.
World Explorer Gold: With more than 350,000 locations, it’s
like having a professional tour guide always
by your side. Using the speaker or headphones, listen to
explanations about locations and resources. The
app also has augmented reality features.
LibAnywhere: The library catalog is now available for your
mobile phone! Search, discover, and interact
with participating libraries–anywhere you are, right away.
History Pin: The Historypin app reveals photos near your
current location and allows you to view them
layered over the modern scene in front of you. You can also
explore Collections of some of the best old
photos from around the world, wherever you are.
What Was There: This app will detect where you are and show
you any historic photographs that were
captured nearby, plotted on a map. Switch into Camera view for
an augmented reality experience of the
history that surrounds you. If you’re at a location where a
historic photo was taken, enlarge the photo to full
screen mode to use your camera and the on screen fader to
transition between past and present.
FieldTrip (iOS and Android): Field Trip can help you learn
about everything from local history to the latest

and best places to shop, eat, and have fun. You select the local
feeds you like and the information pops up
on your phone automatically, as you walk next to those places.
Field Trip runs in the background on your
May 6, 2015
phone. When you get close to something interesting, it will
notify you and if you have a headset or
Bluetooth connected, it can even read the info to you.
Images
iStopMotion Remote Camera: iStopMotion Remote Camera
allows the use of the camera as a remote
camera for iStopMotion running on an iPad (2 or newer, incl.
iPad mini) or iStopMotion 3 on a Mac. The
remote camera is connected via a WiFi connection.
iTimeLapse Pro: Create stunning time lapse and stop motion
videos straight from any iphone, iPod, or iPad
2.
Strip Designer: Use this app to create your own personal comic
strips, created on your iPad, iPhone or iPod,
using photos from your photo album or iPhone camera.
Fuse: Get photos and videos from your mobile device to your
favorite TechSmith desktop products. Import
an existing photo or video, or capture something new using the
app’s built-in camera. Then, send your
video to TechSmith Relay, or use the editing power in Snagit
and Camtasia to create custom, shareable
content.

Twister: Take photographs, enhanced videos and panoramas in a
snap. Watch your iPhone rotate
automatically when you put it on a flat surface.
ED WEBS APP SITE
http://www.pearltrees.com/mluhtala/edwebet49-apps-b-
side/id11726005
As the new school year gets underway, NPR checked in with
school technologists and teachers to see what
digital tools they're using.
May 6, 2015
i
The Remind app enables teachers to send notes to a class en
masse. Here, Michael Buist, a fifth-grade
teacher in Chandler, Ariz., notifies parents and students about a
reading assignment via a voice message.
Elissa Nadworny/NPR
Remind
One of the most popular mobile apps we heard about was
Remind. Think of it as a combo of sticky note
and class newsletter for the digital age: Remind allows teachers
to send messages — via email, cellphone,
iPad or Android device — to an entire class with the push of a
button.

Teachers are using it to notify parents and students about
homework, highlight upcoming school events or
let parents know what's going on in class.
An estimated 18 million people have downloaded Remind, the
company says, with 200,000 to 300,000 new
users coming on board per day. In states like Texas and
Mississippi, the company says, 1 out of 4 teachers
uses Remind.
Remind has recently added a voice messaging function, which
Michael Buist, a fifth-grade teacher at Knox
Gifted Academy in Chandler, Ariz., loves. His class is currently
reading Where the Mountain Meets the
Moon by Grace Lin. To tell the class and their parents about the
next reading assignment, Buist recorded
one student, 10-year-old Robert Turner, reading a paragraph.
"We're so happy with all this technology," says Sarah Turner,
Robert's mother. "Robert has dysgraphia, a
handwriting disability, so doing things with technology has
really helped him."
May 6, 2015
i
ClassDojo lets teachers note students' positive and negative
behaviors during class — with a point system
as well as nice and not-so-nice sounds.
Elissa Nadworny/NPR
ClassDojo

ClassDojo might be described as a way to help students find
their classroom mojo. The app lets teachers
recognize both positive and negative behavior in real time
during class.
Good behavior — like working hard, helping others, asking a
good question — earns points and a high-
pitched game-show chime for all to hear. Poor behavior — like
disrupting class, being off task or wasting
time — results in a loss of points and a sad, out-of-tune bass
sound. The kids choose fun avatars — a purple
bear with yellow lips and horn, a one-eyed furry gray creature
— and parents who sign up for notifications
receive updates on how their children are doing.
ClassDojo works on cellphones and tablets, as well as outdated
Web browsers like Internet Explorer 8. And
that's by design.
"We want teachers to be able to use ClassDojo regardless of
how much money their school or district has,"
says Manoj Lamba, ClassDojo's marketing lead. The company
estimates that at least one teacher at one-
third of all U.S. schools uses the app.
Libby Gronquist credits ClassDojo for getting her through her
first years of teaching eighth-grade social
studies at KIPP Liberation College Prep in Houston.
May 6, 2015
She connected ClassDojo to the class speakers so everyone
could hear the app's sounds — good and bad.

"It made all my students hyperaware of their behavior," says
Gronquist. "They all wanted that positive
sound to be theirs."
Since the app debuted three years ago, it's developed new
features that enable messaging and photo-sharing
between parents and teachers.
Brenda Johnson was introduced to ClassDojo last year when her
son Austin, 10, was a third-grader at
Penngrove Elementary School in Rohnert Park, Calif. She says
the app gave her a better understanding of
what was happening in the classroom and helped spark
conversation at home.
"Austin needed it. He'd come home from school and want to
know how he did," says Johnson. "If he hadn't
done well we could talk about it, so it became a conversation
about his behavior."
i
Teachers are using QR scanners like i-nigma in a variety of
ways, including showcasing students' work
online.
Elissa Nadworny/NPR
QR Code Readers
May 6, 2015
Teachers are also trying to break the QR code — that's "quick

response" code, a kind of digital bar code.
Among them is Ed Campos, a math and tech teacher at Visalia
Charter Independent Study high school in
Visalia, Calif. He recently emailed parents requesting they
download QR code readers in preparation for
the school's upcoming open house.
To show off his students' digital work, Campos plans to leave
QR codes throughout the classroom so
parents can scan them with their smartphones to access online
portfolios.
Campos, a self-declared tech fanatic, incorporates technology
into the majority of his assignments. Student
work includes Google presentations and video testimonials; they
will also use a website — QRStuff — to
create QR codes that lead their parents to their online work.
"We're using QR codes to link the physical to the digital,"
Campos says. He recommends i-nigma as his
QR code scanner of choice.
i
Students tweet about historical events they've learned in teacher
Nicholas Ferroni's Union High School
history class in New Jersey. Twitter handles have been blurred
to protect students' privacy.
Elissa Nadworny/NPR
Twitter
Other teachers are employing the mobile apps their students are
already using to reinforce classroom

lessons and encourage kids to continue their discussions online.
May 6, 2015
Students of Nicholas Ferroni, a history teacher at Union High
School in Union, N.J., send tweets sprinkled
with emoji that describe historical events like the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 or the British
Stamp Act of 1765.
He's also embracing his students' digital lives in other ways,
such as asking them to create memes using
photos related to what they're studying in class. For example, a
student paired a picture of a typewriter with
the line: "Macintosh ... I am your father!" The students can then
share the images on their own social media
platforms.
Ferroni also uses everyday apps such as Vine, Facebook and
Instagram, and recommends Poptok, a game
structured like Candy Crush that teaches 1 of 11 languages.
i
Teachers are using Socrative, a polling app, not only to quiz
their students about what they're learning, but
also to learn more about the students themselves.
Elissa Nadworny/NPR
Socrative
As its name suggests, Socrative relies on questions: In its
simplest form, Socrative is a polling app.

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