S.T.A.T.
Going Digital
April 2015
Happy April Fools' Day! [In fact, I had to look up the placement of the apostrophe. "There are multiple fools in the world for which April Fools is their holiday. Following this same logic would also explain why the holiday is sometimes referred to as All Fools’ Day because there are many many fools and this is their day.")
If you need a bit of a brain break, read the bullets below.
If you need a bit of a brain break, read the bullets below.
- "I still remember April Fool's Day when I was a fourth grader. A reading comprehension worksheet went out to the class, and in minutes, we were all dumbfounded. The story and questions were incomprehensible, written in complete gibberish. But our teacher went along with the joke. We had a half hour to finish it, and it was going to be worth a substantial amount of points.
- I don’t remember how long the gag lasted exactly, but I do remember all of us sitting there, mouths agape, wondering if the assignment was serious. Then, once we’d all thrown our hands up, our teacher let us in on the joke: 'April Fools!'"...want to read more: April Fool's Day in the Classroom: 8 Resources for Teachers. [Ha, note the placement of the apostrophe this author used.]
After Presidents' Day I was thinking Spring Break would be so far away, but with the delays, closings, and early dismissals it came way too fast. I'm keeping this newsletter short in hopes that you can find just a few minutes to preview and learn something new prior to leaving for the break.
DIY PD...Just Under 5 Minutes!
Learn more about formative assessments via FAME (Formative Assessment for Maryland Educators.
Formative Assessment for Maryland Educators
See what Maryland teachers and students have to say about the benefits of using formative assessment and the need for sustained professional learning.
View the video here.
View the video here.
Formative Assessment vs. Summative Assessment
Click on the image above to read the differences.
Strategies for Checking Under-standing
Click the image for a better view into building independent, self-directed, lifelong learners.
Your turn to take a formative assessment (just 10 seconds)...
Here's a fun, little FA (formative assessment) for you. Just think how this can be used with students and devices next year.
Good to Know
April 2: End of 3rd Quarter, Early Dismissal for Students
April 2: 5:00 p.m. grades pulled from BCPS One and posted in STARS (grades 3-5)
***Grade performance factors, comments, effort codes, and domain subject codes entered in STARS manually prior to April 2nd at 5:00 p.m., will NOT be overwritten. All grades posted to STARS should be reviewed for accuracy and corrections can be made in STARS.
April 3-12: Spring Break
April 10: BCPS One will undergo routine site maintenance from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m
April 11: BCPS One will undergo routine site maintenance from 1 to 5 p.m.
April 14: Tech Tip Tuesday, 8:45 in the library
April 15 & 16: Grade 5 Science MSA
April 22: Earth Day
April 2: 5:00 p.m. grades pulled from BCPS One and posted in STARS (grades 3-5)
***Grade performance factors, comments, effort codes, and domain subject codes entered in STARS manually prior to April 2nd at 5:00 p.m., will NOT be overwritten. All grades posted to STARS should be reviewed for accuracy and corrections can be made in STARS.
April 3-12: Spring Break
April 10: BCPS One will undergo routine site maintenance from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m
April 11: BCPS One will undergo routine site maintenance from 1 to 5 p.m.
April 14: Tech Tip Tuesday, 8:45 in the library
April 15 & 16: Grade 5 Science MSA
April 22: Earth Day
Sites to Bookmark
FAME (Formative Assessment for Maryland Educators): Learn more about formative assessments through this MSDE blog.
Easypolls: EasyPolls is a user friendly tool for creating online polls. It is free to use for everyone!
Plickers: A simple formative assessment tool requiring just your iOS or Android device.
BCPS One Manual: With a simple click on "Teacher" you will be amazed with the resources beyond entering grades. Learn more about assignments, course maps, lessons (lesson tiles), tests & quizzes, etc. This manual is in constant development and will continually be updated with resources to reflect updates and enhancements made to BCPS One.
Easypolls: EasyPolls is a user friendly tool for creating online polls. It is free to use for everyone!
Plickers: A simple formative assessment tool requiring just your iOS or Android device.
BCPS One Manual: With a simple click on "Teacher" you will be amazed with the resources beyond entering grades. Learn more about assignments, course maps, lessons (lesson tiles), tests & quizzes, etc. This manual is in constant development and will continually be updated with resources to reflect updates and enhancements made to BCPS One.
S.T.A.T. Newsletter Archive
Amy Spencer, S.T.A.T. and Reading Specialist
Email: aspencer2@bcps.org
Twitter: @MrsAmySpencer
Prize Time!
Email me for a prize: What would you like to see in a future newsletter?