Research on effective teaching and learning shows that when students set and monitor their own learning goals, it significantly narrows achievement gaps. While teacher-written objectives are important for clarity, when these objectives are re-written as personal statements, they evolve from what a teacher needs to teach to what students want to…

The standards-based learning and grading movement of the past twenty years has ushered in a critical shift in assessment that demands clarity in both what is being measured and how well students are learning. Seeing the value in this evolution, a wave of schools has invested enormous effort to institutionalize the policy and practices of the…

Mastery learning is an instructional approach that empowers every student to progress with confidence. Using flexible pacing and targeted supports, teachers guide students through a cyclic process of preparation, demonstration, and formative feedback until there is a mutual agreement between teacher and student that the student is ready to…

During the 2021-22 school year, the Mathematics Standards Review Committee reviewed the 2007 Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Mathematics, other states' recently revised standards, current academic research, K-12 instructional best practices and public feedback. This review process followed the guidelines in Minnesota Statutes 2023, section…

Maximize learning by making grades more meaningful and motivating to students. With the support of this practical guide, professional learning communities (PLCs) will discover a clear road map for implementing a standards-based grading system at the secondary level. The authors provide all of the actionable ideas and tools needed to not only…

Authors Pete Hall, Alisa Simeral, Bryan Goodwin, Bj Stone, and Bess Scott identify 24 of the most common "problems of practice" faced by educators--something that is not going quite as well as it could in the teaching-learning process--and show educators how to guide their own self-reflective journey toward solving these problems,…

Mastering the basic facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division is an essential goal for all students. Most educators also agree that success at higher levels of math hinges on this fundamental skill. But what's the best way to get there? Are flash cards, drills, and timed tests the answer? If so, then why do students go into the…

The best educators never stop learning about their students or their craft. In this second volume of the Routledge Great Educators Series, ten of education's most inspiring thought-leaders come together to bring you their top suggestions for improving your students' learning in the classroom and your own professional learning as an educator.…

"On a clear day, you can learn forever"-- that's the adapted lyric you'll be happily humming once you've covered this playbook, because you will have mastered using learning intentions and success criteria, the twin engines of "Teacher Clarity." This template-filled guide shows you how to own it, do it, and live it--and your…

Disciplinary Literacy is about to go from theory to game plan--taking students from superficial understanding to deep content expertise. And guess what? ReLeah Lent's big secret lies in highlighting each content area's "differences"--advancing a discipline-specific model in which literacy is used as a tool for strategic thinking,…

Through the voices of students themselves, "Fires in the Mind" brings a game-changing question to teachers of adolescents: What does it take to get really good at something? Starting with what they already know and do well, teenagers from widely diverse backgrounds join a cutting-edge dialogue with adults about the development of mastery in and…

The Common Core State Standards clearly define the skills students need for success in college and the 21st century workplace. The question is, how can you measure student mastery of skills like creativity, problem solving, and use of technology? Laura Greenstein demonstrates how teachers can teach and assess 21st century skills using authentic…

Do teachers have the power to close achievement gaps? Here's a book that boldly claims they do and lays out a blueprint for how to do something now to help students who are falling short of standards. Regardless of the student population you need to address--English language learners, special education, or just the unmotivated and hard to…

For middle and high school teachers of mathematics and science, this book is filled with examples of instructional strategies that address students' readiness levels, interests, and learning preferences. It shows teachers how to formatively assess their students by addressing differentiated learning targets. Included are detailed examples of…

For middle and high school teachers of social studies and English, this book is filled with examples of instructional strategies that address students' readiness levels, interests, and learning preferences. It shows teachers how to formatively assess their students by addressing differentiated learning targets. Included are detailed examples of…