Using MAP Assessment Data to Personalize Instruction

With the MAP assessment available at every grade level in our building, we now have a common assessment to personalize instruction. For primary teachers who are new to the MAP assessment, here are some of the ways MAP assessments can be utilized.

1.  Inform instruction using the data to focus for individual goals and small group instruction.

2. Monitor growth over time. This year our school district will now be using the same assessment from K-8th grade. This can enable us to look at expected growth and if students are meeting their growth targets.  One of our reading SMART Goal targets this year is that 55% of the students meet their fall-spring growth target.  You may decide to have an SLO goal similar to this SMART Goal target. To learn more about MAP growth targets check out this article. MAP Growth Targets 

3.  Screen students to look at who may need an intervention or extension.

4.  Communicate to families how their child performed in the areas of reading and math against students from across the United States using this nationally normed assessment.

What's new?
MAP Learning Continuum takes place of the old Descartes. The previous link will take you to the MAP log in page. After you log in, you will be taken directly to the continuum. Between the F+ P continuum and the MAP Learning Continuum, you'll have two superb resources for personalizing small group reading instruction.  There will be staff meeting time in October set aside to explore this resource together and learn how it can help our students. 

Rit to Resource app is great for families to learn about their child's RIT score and links to free instructional resources aligned to the CCSS at their level.

Finally in the instructional coaching tips tab, I have included a link to a blended learning blog Amanda McCarthy shared. If you are one of the teachers in the building diving into blended learning, you may find this blog useful. 

I have also included one Best Practice Observation from last week, check it out under the Best Practice Tab. 

Readers Workshop Launching Supports

During professional development at our staff meeting on Tuesday, we will be focusing on increasing guided reading for our at and above grade level readers and digging into the continuum to personalize guided reading instruction. Please bring your continuum to the staff meeting, student reading data and any guided reading scheduling you've started. At our late start start on Thursday, you'll learn about the differences between assessing to the independent compared to the instructional level. The late start is located at EP Rock Elementary and Amy Wise and Amanda McCarthy will be leading you through this staff development.

Seeing you are in the midst of launching your Readers Workshop blocks, I wanted to remind you of some resources students can access for authentic literacy activities while you are working with guided reading groups

The Daily Five
Intro to Intermediate Daily Five Video
The Purpose Behind the Daily Five Activities

After looking at these resources, please think back on the work we did with the media resources, and what literacy purposes they align with in regards to the last link above. Here is a link back to our media page Media Resources. Remember the username and password is northhudsonel.

Kids Do Well If They Can

This past summer, Heather Mathews shared a very good article about students who were lacking thinking skills which impacted their emotions and behavior. The article resonated with me when reflecting on some of the most challenging students we've worked to support and teach at North Hudson.  I found the specific list of lagging skills shared in this article helpful when trying identify the cause of the behaviors we've observed. Here is a link to the article Kids Do Well If They Can. This article is an excerpt from the book Lost at School. There is a copy in our professional library if anyone is interested in reading more. Below is a video by the author Ross Greene discussing the two factors at play that can bring challenging behaviors to the surface: lagging skills and an environment demanding those skills.

Classroom teachers, I have shared with you a PBIS All School Celebration Google Doc. All School Celebration Ideas Sometime this week, please brainstorm with your class three ideas for All School Celebrations and add your ideas to the document. Once we have a Student Council elected, Mrs. Strop will work with them to decide on three final choices to celebrate their good behavior earned through acknowledgement tickets. Last year a couple of the PBIS celebrations were roller skating and snow stations.

Remember we have a Building Forum on Tuesday at 8:05am, and I have scheduled our first fire drill for Friday, September 19th at 9:15am.

Starting Our Blended Learning

North Hudson Staff,

Thank you for all the hard work getting our students off to a great start! Staff that can, please help out with transitioning our new Kindergarten students from Door #6 into the building at 8:45am. K-2 Classroom teachers, continue to assist your walkers to the front of the building at the end of the day.

At this week's staff meeting, we will be digging into media center online resources available for literacy stations during Reader's Workshop. Some of the resources could also support Integrated Units of Study. The following link will give you access to our media center webpage where these programs are located. Online Resources for Blended Learning Opportunities. You and your students can access the following programs using this username:  northhudsonel and password:  northhudsonel (book/true/science/freedom flix, brainpop/brainpop jr, pepple go and grolier online).

During the staff meeting please dig into these resources, list the reasons you may use some of the resources and when/where (e.g. literacy choice in Reader's Workshop or for researching during Integrated Units). Here's a link to the google doc we'll use to record your ideas. Online Media Resources Brainstorming Document. Please bring your laptop or ipad to the staff meeting. This will allow you to become more familiar with these programs, and how you may use them in the content areas mentioned above or other areas such as Writer's Workshop.

2nd-5th grade teachers, you should have received a link with your Scootpad account information. To log in use your school email as your username, and your temporary password is changeme. I thought some of you may be interested in looking at how you could potentially use this online literacy/math site.