The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) has set forth its vision of the educational program needed to provide a fully effective program for young adolescents in This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents (National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010)). This paper is a supplement to that foundational document focusing on the critical areas of curriculum,
Designing assessments to analyze teaching and learning One of the most frustrating parts of teaching for me has been assessments. There have been so many times when I’ve felt success in learning with my students throughout a unit only to realize they haven’t learned what I thought or hoped they had. It’s equally frustrating for
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously remarked that “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”—and the same is true for middle level education. No transformative educational meal was ever created based on fear. I understand that fear is a natural emotion in the schoolhouse; however, we must not let our fears dictate the nature of our
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Diverse ways for students to show their thinking. The need for effective assessment is an important topic for both school administrators and classroom teachers. Practical ideas and fresh concepts are essential, and meaningful assessments require both of these elements. The following six assessment strategies may be used in any middle school classroom where student achievement,
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How can you ensure your assessments provide accurate feedback? What’s the best way to assess students’ learning? During the past several years, we have developed a process that help us ensure we are using valid, effective, and rigorous assessments with our students—a process that every middle level teacher can use. Step 1. Deconstruct the standards.
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A commitment to understanding assessment for learning changed this school’s culture. Much of today’s conversations around assessment include discussions about standards-based grading. Missing from this dialogue have been anecdotes about schools that have successfully made the transition from “traditional” grading to something different. Rock Quarry Middle School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, did just that. Last year,