News: State Standards or Benchmark Exams

Teaching in this Fall’s Post-Pandemic World: Addressing the Academic Needs of the “Way High” and “Way Low” Students (Part II)

For Some Students, There Will Be No COVID-19 SlideDear Colleagues,Introduction   The pandemic clearly is not over.    In fact, over the past two weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths have inc...

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Underachieving, Unresponsive, Unsuccessful, Disabled, and Failing Readers (Part II)

Underachieving, Unresponsive, Unsuccessful, Disabled, and Failing ReadersDiagnostic Assessment Must Link to Intervention: If We Don’t Know “Why,” We Can’t Know “What” (Part II)Dear Colleagues,Introduc...

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Literacy Instruction and Student Reading Proficiency: The Multi-Tiered Whole Must be Greater than the Sum of Its Disconnected Parts (Part I)

How a Comprehensive Blueprint Prevents Isolated Solutions and Inconsistent ResultsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Well. . . “all of a sudden,” there has been a nationwide rush of policy, publ...

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Closing Secondary Students’ Significant Academic Skill Gaps: Teach at Their Grade Level or Their Skill Level? (Part II)

Reviewing Two Recent Studies of Math Deficient StudentsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Two Blog messages ago (on September 28th), I began a two-part discussion on:Closing Academic Gaps in Mid...

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Reconsidering What Effective High Schools Do, and What Failing High Schools Miss

Credit Recovery Programs Should be Strategic, Selective, Student-Focused, and Not the Only Game in TownDear Colleagues,Introduction:  What Really is an “Effective” High School?   I cons...

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School Improvement, Strategic Planning, ESEA, and Multi-Tiered Services: An Anthology of Previous Blogs

Integrating Successful Research-to-Practice Strategies into the New School Year (Part I of II)Dear Colleagues,Introduction   While some of you are starting to “trickle” back to your schools, districts...

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