ACES '98

Thursday

The wisdom of Lynne: - thank you, dear!
I think some of the most important goals of our teaching are, indeed, difficult and perhaps impossible to measure _by standardized tests_ but good teachers are always assessing...
If your goal is to have kids relish our language and its precision and to enjoy their own creations, you're watching to see their facial expressions, checking to see if they volunteer to share their work, and checking their writing to see evidence of their growing skill...
And, if they don't, you're finding better models, re-structuring the learning environment, building trust in the community so that you can achieve that goal...
Assessment needn't be standardized testing...it does, however, need to be formalized to some degree...
I remember an education professor once eplaining how she trained ed students in assessment...They were to write down "What matters?" to them, to their kids, in their learning...Then they were to figure out how they would know that their kids had attained whatever the skills or concepts they had deemed important...
On the one hand, this sounds like a very informal type of assessment instrument...but if you _really_ think about what matters in your teaching, it can be a very powerful and rigorous format for assessment.
Assessment drives curriculum....it is a self-check that keeps us revising our lessons, learning from our kids, and improving all of our education :)
Lynne

Pruning, weeding, adding fertilizer - results of assessment?
By stepping back and gathering data about our teaching strategies and student learner outcomes we can make informed decisions that will enhance the growth of our students. These assessments will tell us what practices to "prune" and what to keep.
In addition to mandated and standardized test scores that are published it is also beneficial to share with the tax paying community the many achievements of our students that are perhaps not measurable by numbers. Community members who invest tax dollars in our technology programs are asking serious questions and want us to show why they should invest more money in our efforts. It is our challenge to show them that, yes, the students are performing better and we have impressive results. Our promise is to return the favor and send our young people into the business world prepared with skills needed to succeed.

8:00 - 8:15 Welcome and review

8:15 - 9:30

Forms of Alternative Assessment - Miami Museum of Science
PEG - Profile of an ECELL Graduate (Allen Awaya and Hunter McEwan)
Assessment Grids/Scoring Guides - Sharon Dumas (ECELL)
Assessment - clarifying our expectations and converting them into something observable and measurable.
Alternative Assessments
How to Assess and Evaluate Technology in the Classroom
Thoughts on Assessment from our planning discussions:

Patti, Joy and Pam discuss Assessment
Technoloy Infused lessons: How do we assess? - Mahenaz, Joyce and George
Assessment - Mahenaz, Betty, Lynne and John
Barb asks for help in assessing her Oil Spill Mystery project
How will technology change the way we teach and students learn?

Did anybody learn anything? From Now On
Emerging From the Smog: Making Technology Assessment Work For the Schools - Jamie McKenzie

9:30 - 10:00 Sharing the wealth of our online work - student, school and district web pages, student portfolios, evaluating web sites - Kathy Schrock's Guide

10:00 - 12:00 Making simple web pages

12:00 -12:30 Lunch

12:30 - 3:30 Independent time: During this time you will work on your projects. Sample rubrics can be found here:

Sample rubrics for Line graphs
Sample rubrics for Circle graphs
Sample rubrics for Reading
Sample rubrics for Language Usage
Sample rubrics for Writing

The wisdom of Lynne: - thank you, dear! I think some of the most important goals of our teaching are, indeed, difficult and perhaps impossible to measure _by standardized tests_ but good teachers are always assessing... If your goal is to have kids relish our language and its precision and to enjoy their own creations, you're watching to see their facial expressions, checking to see if they volunteer to share their work, and checking their writing to see evidence of their growing skill... And, if they don't, you're finding better models, re-structuring the learning environment, building trust in the community so that you can achieve that goal... Assessment needn't be standardized testing...it does, however, need to be formalized to some degree... I remember an education professor once eplaining how she trained ed students in assessment...They were to write down "What matters?" to them, to their kids, in their learning...Then they were to figure out how they would know that their kids had attained whatever the skills or concepts they had deemed important... On the one hand, this sounds like a very informal type of assessment instrument...but if you _really_ think about what matters in your teaching, it can be a very powerful and rigorous format for assessment. Assessment drives curriculum....it is a self-check that keeps us revising our lessons, learning from our kids, and improving all of our education :) Lynne Pruning, weeding, adding fertilizer - results of assessment? By stepping back and gathering data about our teaching strategies and student learner outcomes we can make informed decisions that will enhance the growth of our students. These assessments will tell us what practices to "prune" and what to keep. In addition to mandated and standardized test scores that are published it is also beneficial to share with the tax paying community the many achievements of our students that are perhaps not measurable by numbers. Community members who invest tax dollars in our technology programs are asking serious questions and want us to show why they should invest more money in our efforts. It is our challenge to show them that, yes, the students are performing better and we have impressive results. Our promise is to return the favor and send our young people into the business world prepared with skills needed to succeed.

8:00 - 8:15	Welcome and review
8:15 - 9:30	Forms of Alternative Assessment - Miami Museum of Science PEG - Profile of an ECELL Graduate (Allen Awaya and Hunter McEwan) Assessment Grids/Scoring Guides - Sharon Dumas (ECELL) Assessment - clarifying our expectations and converting them into something observable and measurable. Alternative Assessments How to Assess and Evaluate Technology in the Classroom Thoughts on Assessment from our planning discussions: Patti, Joy and Pam discuss Assessment Technoloy Infused lessons: How do we assess? - Mahenaz, Joyce and George Assessment - Mahenaz, Betty, Lynne and John Barb asks for help in assessing her Oil Spill Mystery project How will technology change the way we teach and students learn? Did anybody learn anything? From Now On Emerging From the Smog: Making Technology Assessment Work For the Schools - Jamie McKenzie
9:30 - 10:00	Sharing the wealth of our online work - student, school and district web pages, student portfolios, evaluating web sites - Kathy Schrock's Guide
10:00 - 12:00	Making simple web pages
12:00 -12:30	Lunch
12:30 - 3:30	Independent time: During this time you will work on your projects. Sample rubrics can be found here: Sample rubrics for Line graphs Sample rubrics for Circle graphs Sample rubrics for Reading Sample rubrics for Language Usage Sample rubrics for Writing