Day 2: Baseline Exam

Quote of the Day:

Question of the Day:

Lesson Sequence:

1. I had the students find their seats which were in rows (yesterday they were in groups)
2. Agenda books to write down what supplies we need for class
3. Quote, Star Student, Question of the Day
4. Pass out the materials for the Benchmark
5. Illustrative Mathematics problems about what fractions will be repeating and what will be terminating decimals 

Regrets: The baseline was pulled from all eighth grade standards using released items from the past couple of MCAS tests. As a result the students performance was awful across the board. One of the primary goals of this test though is to show growth and to verify that we will be teaching concepts that the students have not yet learned. Clearly that is the case in this instance.

Glass Half-Full: I had one conversation with a student who was concerned that he did not know virtually any question. In his words it was the worst he had felt about anything he was tested on in the last two years. I asked him why he came to school and he quickly replied to learn. I then said, good this test is the best thing that has happened to you in the last two years because you will be learning this information.

Link of the Day: This Ontario educator has some realistic viewpoints that seem like common sense, but in reality I've heard arguments like this my whole career. Problems such as finding the volume of a triangular prism are not things that 99% of us encounter everyday. Nor is it fair to expect every student to know how many players are in a starting lineup in basketball. I'm glad that America is not alone in the quest toward common sense in education.