Testing
Rain Clouds and a Growth Mindset
By Guest Blogger on October 12th, 2017
I’m not a science teacher. But I know that when the dark, gray, thick clouds roll in, it means rain isn’t far behind. Most people see dark clouds as foreboding and impending doom.
When they roll in, they run for cover. Continue reading
Ready…Set…Test!
By Guest Blogger on April 24th, 2017
We all deal with the grueling task of being tested, whether we are in grade school, in college, on the job site – or dealing with everyday situations (parenting, teaching, etc.).
It seems we face some sort of test in our life every day, whether a paper/pencil exam or making the right moral choices. As a school counselor, I am tasked with assisting students and parents with making the right choices to successfully work their way through school – academically, socially, and emotionally.
Today I want to focus on the academic realm and the tests and exams that all students must go through. I’ll share tools to help them be successful when faced with these assessments.
Some of the points I will share can cross into other facets of tests that we all go through in our personal and professional lives as well.
Be sure to save this handy acrostic blog post full of tips for your next big exam!
R.E.A.D.Y. … S.E.T. … T.E.S.T. Continue reading
Why Every Teacher Should Go See “Hidden Figures”
By Guest Blogger on March 1st, 2017
Last month I saw the movie “Hidden Figures” and I was so incredibly inspired.
I am a former English teacher, so my love is words and writing and reading. But I ventured to see this movie because it empowers women and sheds light on some pretty amazing mathematicians who had the power to make this word-loving English teacher a fan of math. I mean, as a teacher I’ve always loved data, but for me, seeing this movie reinforced why numbers are just as important as words.
We look at data a lot in education, but most of the time I believe we are just looking at numbers and not really grasping the full story data can tell us.
Data does tell a story.
Sometimes it’s a story we don’t want to hear; sometimes it’s a story we already know and we’re just validated. Sometimes it’s a story we never gave any thought and a whole new path is opened for us. If the data you look at regularly is just numbers on a screen and it’s not telling you a story, maybe some insights from “Hidden Figures” will help. Continue reading
10 Tried and True Test Taking Tips
By Amy LaGrasta on April 15th, 2015
Number two pencils are not the only thing you need for test day!
Reporting to a test prepared both physically and mentally can help you succeed on test day. Whether you’re taking a simple quiz, an EOC exam, or a standardized test like the SAT or ACT, here are 10 things to remember about test day!
Looking for more tips and study skills?
Be sure to join an upcoming test-taking webinar or watch one of our recordings here. Continue reading
Getting Past the Fear of DBAs
By Guest Blogger on March 19th, 2015
This article is based on student work published in the FLVS student newspaper, News in a Click.
If discussion-based assessments make you nervous, these tips from FLVS students may help!
DBAs are verbal assessments and are often the most dreaded assignments for FLVS students. Instead of comfortably typing essays and worksheets on their laptops, students communicate with an instructor one-on-one over the phone.
But why is this so terrifying? Surely the verbal component of the DBA is not intimidating, especially when the assignments are approached by the instructor as a conversation instead of an oral exam.
TIP: Did you know that DBAs can be completed in a live lesson setting or over a video call? Ask your teacher about this option! Learn more in this post about mastering the DBA.
However, if you compare talking on the phone for twenty minutes to being the only student called on to answer random questions for 20 minutes in a classroom, you can see why students are reluctant to dial their instructors’ numbers. Continue reading