January ASCD Top 5 Collection OCM BOCES Instructional Support provides these selections from ASCD's collection for your use. View our complete ASCD collection.

Teaching Reading in the Content Areas Seeks to help educators understand how to teach reading in their respective disciplines, choose the best reading strategies from the vast array available, and positively influence student learning. Read more

Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind Provides the rationale behind engaging students, generate more ideas, and build the attitudes to succeed with students who live in poverty. Read more

Total Participation Techniques Techniques are examined in depth and presented in four parts: overview, implementation instructions, student participation, and classroom personalization, with real-world examples and toolkits for all levels of learning. Read more

Rethinking Homework Covers the debate over whether homework is an essential component of rigorous schooling or a harmful practice. Tells how to avoid the "homework trap" and how to work with parents about homework". Read more

Grading Smarter Not Harder: Assessment Strategies That Motivate Kids and Help Them Learn Reveals how many of the assessment policies that teachers adopt can actually prove detrimental to student motivation and achievement, and shows educators how they can tailor their policies to help students better understand the lessons that are being taught. Read more

January 1, 2016

Image: Daniel X. O'Neil

Here’s some good, simple advice for classroom communities – good for the start of a New Year.

We’re getting closer to the adoption of new requirements for K-12 Counseling Plans. Board of Regents action is imminent. A special session has been planned to help districts get started with the implementation of the new planning model, based on the National Model form ASCA. Trained BOCES facilitators will work with designated leadership pairs from districts (one administrator and the district’s counselor leader) to launch and support the new process.

These five policies maintain dignity in your classroom, and you can implement them in the New Year. Little things can make a big difference.

APPR will be changing, again. Here’s what we know and what we don’t know at this point. We can’t really do anything until we get the next round of guidance.

The Center for Innovative Science Education is hosting “Draft Parties” at which time you can take a facilitated look at the draft of new Science Standards (each gathering is the same, so choose which one works best for you:

• January 7. 2016 at McEvoy in room 701, 4-6 pm
• January 20, 2016 at the Science Center, 3:30-5:30 pm

PBL 101
1/13, 1/14, 1/20, 1/21	McEvoy 701
2/3, 2/4, 2/10, 2/11	O & M
3/1, 3/2, 3/8, 3/9	McEvoy 701
3/14, 3/15, 3/21, 3/22	O & M
5/11, 5/12, 5/18, 5/19	Main Campus Canandaigua Room

PBL training dates for next year have been scheduled (a new cohort starts nearly every month).  The next cohort begins February 2nd in Cortland.

 huffingtonpost.com

If you are looking for an “introduction” to Project-Based Learning, try this one.

The Authentic Assessment Academy is an opportunity for teams of teachers to explore best practices in assessment design. Authentic and performance, and standards-based assessments will be emphasized. Another cohort begins soon.

 US Department of Education

This teacher has made the literature circle nearly paperless.  He uses Schoology, but any platform would work.

An encore performance has been scheduled for the Teacher's Literacy Toolbox Series: Reading, Writing and Research in a Common Core Classroom. By the end of this three-session series, participants will fill their "literacy toolbox" with strategies to help their students with close reading, writing from evidence, and research.

The Responsive Classroom Winter Institute is an interactive, highly practical 28-hour entry-level training course. It gives classroom and special area teachers everything needed to start using core Responsive Classroom teaching practices.

Help your students by teaching (and expecting) them to deliver effective presentations. If we want students to learn how to be confident presenters, we have to teach it like any other skill.