Category Archives: Assessment

Grading Is Broken, and It Needs Fixing

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Written by Dr. Ryan Rathje

Why do the vast majority of classrooms use traditional point/percentage/letter grading systems?

Do these systems effectively communicate the progress of student learning?
No.

Do these systems give the student feedback on how to improve?
No.

Do these systems output data that are valid or reliable?
No.

Do these systems support a growth mindset in students?
No.

Do these systems align with what we believe about student growth and development?
No.

Do these systems help students who need the most help?
No.

Are letter grades, points, and percentages necessary for someone to learn?
No.

Do these systems align with common sense?
No.

Are parents aware of how faulty the traditional system is?
Absolutely not.

Is there any justifiable rationale for these systems to continue?
No. Continue reading →

Foster Teacher Collaboration with Micro-Credentials

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Written by Dr. John Meyer

What are the teachers at your school talking about? Schools where teachers talk positively about ways to improve teaching and learning are more successful than those that complain about students and parents (Ronfeldt, Owens Farmer, McQueen, & Grissom, 2015; Gruenert, 2005). Principals and teachers can use micro-credentials as a tool to create the kind of positive, professional collaboration that improves student achievement (Crow & Pipkin, 2017).

Micro-Credentials: Formal Recognition for Informal Learning
Earning Micro-Credentials is a way that teachers can receive formal recognition for skills learned informally. After all, teachers are constantly reflecting on and improving their practice. They experiment with new approaches learned through books, articles, inservices, and conferences. These new skills become effective teaching strategies in a teacher’s toolbox. But such competencies don’t show up in credits or clock hours. Micro-credentials give teachers a way to receive formal recognition for their skills from a respected institution, including colleges like the University of Wisconsin, MIT, Penn State, and Martin Luther College. Continue reading →

Formative Assessments Using Technology

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Written by Michael Plocher

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

Assessing learning is an important part of teaching. Whether in a traditional classroom, confirmation class, Sunday school, or other learning environment, purposeful formative assessments can raise standards of achievement (Black and Wiliam, 1998). Popham (2008) and Ainsworth (2015) also tell us that formative assessments are a planned process in which teachers or students use assessment-based evidence to adjust what they are currently doing rather than using it to gather information for letter grades. The cycle of teaching new information, figuring out who understands the content, and planning for how to reach the student who does not, happens in a variety of educational settings. Using traditional methods of conducting formative assessments can be time-consuming, provides limited temporary information, and can produce results that can be difficult to interpret. Continue reading →

Differentiation for Students with Disabilities

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Written by Amanda Weinrich

The Issue
As I began my teaching ministry, I quickly realized that I was underprepared to help the students with disabilities that I had in my classroom. I did not know the best way to teach them. I concluded that other WELS teachers might experience the same problem.

Since teachers who receive even a brief introduction about creating diverse lesson plans have been shown to include more modifications, alternatives for communications, and activities that involved students (King-Sears, 2008), I decided to help a fellow teacher learn about differentiation as part of my capstone work in my master’s program. The results are important for all teachers because all teachers will at some point have students with disabilities, and the number of students with disabilities is on a steady increase (Allsopp, Kyger, & Lovin, 2004). Continue reading →

The Language Arts Endgame

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Written by Larry Czer

Opening Gambit
If you look at most goals and outcomes for language arts programs, you will see a strong emphasis on reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The Minnesota language arts standards included both viewing and media literacy outcomes to prepare students for the future job market. These six skills comprise our endgame for teaching in the language arts. These skills should also influence both the way we teach and the way we prepare teachers for today’s language arts classrooms. Continue reading →

Improving Instructional Coaching and Evaluation

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Written by Seth Fitzsimmons

We need a good evaluation system in our WELS schools. Multiple education researchers, however, agree that teacher evaluation systems are troubled. Most do not do a good job differentiating between effective and ineffective teachers, and they do not aid much in professional growth. The annual conversation that WELS principals and their teachers have using the synod’s Teacher Performance Assessment tool can be uncomfortable and accomplish little. A more productive model for encouraging conversation and fostering teacher growth exists via the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching (FFT). The FFT is an excellent model for principals and staffs at WELS schools to consider because it focuses on teacher development rather than teacher evaluation. Continue reading →

Where did Recess go?

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By: Professor Daniel Gawrisch

This topic was initially started in a previous blog post, addressing the value recess has on physical activity and the psychomotor domain. This second blog post will focus on the cognitive and affective learning domains and spiritual growth applications.

“What is your favorite part of the school day?” Ask most children this question and the inevitable response will be, “Recess!” Although you may have been looking for an “academic subject” as a response, think twice before you correct the child. Recess is a highly valuable part of the daily school schedule that accomplishes educational objectives and battles childhood obesity. Opportunities at recess promote growth in the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective learning domains and provide students with spiritual growth applications. Continue reading →

Recess: A Critical Part of the School Day

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By: Professor Daniel Gawrisch

“What is your favorite part of the school day?” Ask most children this question and the inevitable response will be “Recess!” Although you may have been looking for an academic subject as a response, think twice before you correct the child. Recess is a highly valuable part of the daily school schedule that accomplishes educational objectives and battles childhood obesity. Opportunities at recess promote growth in the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective learning domains and provide students with spiritual growth applications.

This topic will be covered in 2 separate blog posts.  The first blog post will focus on the psychomotor learning domain and value of physical activity. Continue reading →

Should Lutheran Teachers Use Differentiated Instruction?

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Written by Alan Spurgin

The way teachers were instructed how to teach, even as little as ten years ago, followed this line of thinking: Teachers were to teach to the middle, and those who were very bright (high cognitive ability) would learn in spite of the teacher. The child with low cognitive ability, or the emotionally and behaviorally disturbed child, would do menial tasks. Continue reading →

Elementary School Students Do Not Require Homework

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Written by Rebecca Berger

Homework assigned by teachers is an imposition on family time that has not been proven to benefit elementary school (kindergarten through grade 5) students. Educators in the United States have been researching homework for over 80 years without arriving at definitive conclusions about its purpose or efficacy. Continue reading →