School Administrator: January 2017

Measuring Student Learning

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Digital Badging
BY SHERYL L. GRANT
The practice of recognizing students’ mastery of discrete skills with credentials so they can better communicate who they are and what they know.


Measuring Learning and Readiness Through Badging
BY AMANDA ROSE FULLER
Aurora, Colo., has reimagined its Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness program, allowing students to earn evidence-based credentials proving the skills and knowledge they’ve attained.

    A Case for Standards-Based Grading and Reporting
    BY KEN O’CONNOR
    An expanded-format report card shares progress on student learning and work habits beyond a numerical mark.


    A Measured Approach to Measuring Students
    BY STEVEN T. WEBB
    The superintendent in Vancouver, Wash., on his district’s use of broad and balanced indicators to assess performance, including his own.

    At the Speed of Teaching: Data’s New Frontier
    BY RONALD S. THOMAS
    Yes, big data has its place, but medium and small data will inform classroom instruction more usefully for educators and students.





    STARTING POINT 
    Insights into the profession in our monthly infographic.

    STATE OF THE SUPERINTENDENCY
    Hesitancy Toward the Job
    What discourages applicants for superintendent posts?

    BEST OF THE BLOGS
    Excerpts from four superintendents’ reflective blog posts.

    ETHICAL EDUCATOR
    A Nuanced Recommendation
    Is a superintendent doubling as an adjunct professor obliged to write a recommendation letter for a manipulative advisee?

    SOCIAL MEDIA
    What Constitutes Effective Blogging?
    BY MICHAEL LUBELFELD
    A tech-savvy superintendent points to compelling content that fits the local audience and the profession.

    BOARD-SAVVY SUPERINTENDENT
    What’s the Root of School Board Conflict?
    BY MICHAEL R. FORD
    The author’s research findings on disharmony in governance sheds light on some soft spots in relationships.

    LEGAL BRIEF
    Boundary Issues for Staff Relationships
    BY MICHELE V. HANDZEL
    Avoiding the liability of workplace romances.


    FOCUS: PARENT RELATIONS
    Raising Engagement With Monetary Incentives
    BY LINDSAY A. WHITLEY
    Greensboro, N.C.’s program using go-betweens to link parents with their children’s schools in innovative ways.

    MY VIEW
    The Revisionists and the Traditionalists
    BY M. DONALD THOMAS
    Amidst cries for overhaul, administrators must preserve the historical common purpose of public schooling.

    MY VIEW
    The Function and Dysfunction of Hiring
    BY YAW OBENG
    In Burlington, Vt., various stakeholders, even students, help select qualified candidates.


    Reading & Resources

    • Book Reviews
    • Why I Wrote This Book...
    • Abstract
    • Bits & Pieces


     

      

    PRESIDENT’S CORNER
    ‘It Used To Be a Good School’
    BY ALTON L. FRAILEY
    Let the community define what it values and expects of its schools.

    EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE
    Redefining What’s Meant by Quality
    BY DANIEL A. DOMENECH
    As long as we measure success by a test score, the achievement gap may never close.

    INSIDE AASA
    Gayane Minasyan and Deanna Atkins on Social Media
    The association’s use of Twitter and other new tools to engage followers.

    PEOPLE WATCH
    Our monthly compilation of who’s moving up or moving into retirement.


      PROFILE: MATT AKIN
      Analyze, Then Act
      BY PAUL RIEDE
      Guiding his Alabama schools in an unlikely digital transformation.





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