Appraisal Centers provide authentic experienced-based communities of practice for preservice teachers (PSTs) to show application of theory into practice at critical gateways throughout their elementary education program while fulfilling School of Education dispositions, course objectives, and state standards. A goal is to provide formative…

This article describes a professional development project that sought to increase active engagement in higher education classrooms. Flipped pedagogy was the focus of the professional development, as research suggested that flipped instruction allows for increased active engagement in the classroom. The authors describe how they guided faculty in…

Assessment in physical education has undergone significant changes since in the 1990s. Teachers now place less emphasis on fitness test scores and dressing out, and more on skills and knowledge according to SHAPE America's National Standards for K-12 Physical Education. More teachers are looking into formative assessments, rather than a summative…

Very few articles, chapters or professional presentations exist that are devoted to implementing the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) within physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. Given the climate of high-stakes assessment permeating both K-12 schools and educator preparation programs, it is encouraging to know that the best…

There is substantial evidence documenting the impact of high-quality, educative learning materials on teacher practices and student learning, yet this evidence has not translated widely into more equitable learning opportunities for all students. English learners tend to have less access to intellectually rich, grade-level content and…

This article discusses the challenge of addressing student diversity in secondary physical education (PE) classes. Contemporary curriculum documents and teacher standards emphasize differentiated pedagogy in order to engage and challenge all learners. However, the reality of designing effective learning experiences for diverse students represents…

The purpose of this primer is to encourage K-12 educators to use consistent and clear prompts structured around the crosscutting concepts to provide a common scientific language that students and teachers use as they engage in the formative assessment process. "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" ("Framework"), (NRC, 2012)…

Students from many different subject areas are required to study statistics as part of their qualification. The Open University developed a statistics module which could simultaneously be studied by students from a variety of different disciplines, by engaging them with topics which are of interest to everyone, namely money, education and health,…

Computer-assisted assessment (CAA) is problematic when it comes to fostering creativity, because in educational thinking the essence of creativity is not finding the correct answer but generating novelty. The idea of "functional" creativity provides rubrics that can serve as the basis for forms of CAA leading to either formative or…

This article provides a description of three seventh grade English teachers' attempt to augment creativity, reading, and deep understanding, and the standards they used to come up with five essential questions surrounding an eight-week unit on poetry. Each of these questions helps to address the school standards and the Common Core State Standards…

In this article Jessica Hunt explores the use of clinical interviews to gain a deep understanding of students' knowledge. Examples of clinical interviews are provided and advice for planning, giving and interpreting the results of interviews is also included.

Feedback is crucial to students' growth as dancers. When used within the framework of formative assessment, or assessment for learning, feedback results in actionable next steps that dancers can use to improve their performances. This article showcases the work of two dance specialists, one elementary and one middle school teacher, who have…

Feedback is an essential part of learning in any context. Timely, detailed feedback, whether delivered formally or informally, helps people learn more effectively by providing a clear sense of where they are and what they have to do to improve. In the university context, feedback assists students in developing mastery of their disciplines and more…

This guide provides state education agencies (SEAs) and districts (LEAs) with guidance about how to assess the district's readiness to support school turnaround initiatives. Often, school turnaround efforts focus only on the school's structure and leadership. Rarely do policymakers or practitioners think about school turnaround as a system-level…

The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards calls upon social studies teachers to enhance the rigor of civics, economics, geography, history and the other social studies disciplines while building the critical thinking, problem solving, and participatory skills of students to help them become actively…