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

How to Design Questions and Tasks to Assess Student Thinking Provides specific guidelines to help educators design targeted questions and tasks that align with new academic standards and assess students' ability to think at higher levels. Read more

How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading Outlines the difference between various kinds of rubrics, explains when using each type of rubric is appropriate, and highlights examples from all grade levels. Read more

How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms Describes ways of structuring lessons to provide "scaffolds" for the lesson content, the procedures used in learning, and the products of learning. Read more

How to Motivate Reluctant Learners Shows examples of what great teachers do to motivate reluctant learners without relying on elaborate rewards systems or creative tricks to reach students who actively or passively resist investing themselves in the classroom. Read more

How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom Covers how to develop and use test questions and other assessments that reveal how well students can analyze, reason, solve problems, and think creatively. Read more

February 19, 2016

Use these questions to guide students’ reflection.

Continue the conversation about Standards-Based Grading at the next CNY NYS ASCD meeting on March 10th.  Dr. Cathleen Haubner, an elementary school principal, will explain her school’s implementation. If you aren’t already a member of CNY NYS ASCD you can join at any time. Just come to a meeting and check it out; annual dues are just $15.

Honor one of these amazing librarians by nominating them for CNYSL's Soaring through Excellence: Super Librarian Award.

SUNY Cortland is hosting a screening of Most Likely to Succeed on February 24th. This feature-length film explains our current system of education and offers a different, project-based deeper learning alternative.

Several districts have had personnel changes during the middle of the year which has prompted the need for emergency Lead Evaluator Training.  To meet this need, we’ve scheduled a special two-day, intensive course for February 25th and 26th.  Here’s the registration link.

We often hear about the mediocre rankings of the United States on international tests, including the PISA. This paper raises questions about the test, the rankings, and the interpretation.

www.mentoringnminds.com

This list of ideas for an active classroom is especially for math teachers.

Preparing and supporting learning for diverse students can be challenging!  Scaffolding for Student Outcomes: Meeting Diverse Needs meets for four days during February and March. Educators will examine how standards-based education and differentiation work together to promote appropriately high levels of achievement for all students.  Join us starting February 24.

Learn about the new format of the SAT at this session provided by The College Board.

This clip shows differentiation in a science classroom. You can see several examples of scaffolding and challenge.

inservice.ascd.org

This post explains how formative assessment is a key to successful differentiation.

PBL 101
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-101 is the foundational four-day workshop inspired by the work of the Buck Institute for Education, New Tech Network, Edutopia, and Expeditionary Learning. It provides attendees with the skills and knowledge needed to design, assess, and manage a rigorous, relevant, and standards-based project. A Cortland cohort begins March 1st. Another Syracuse cohort launches March 14th.

Teachers who are already implementing PBL might be interested in connecting with other PBLers at the first PBL Educamp on March 7th. With facilitation by the PBL trainers and coaches, teachers will learn from each other in a grassroots way!

In case you are looking for a review of
literature about Project-Based Leaning,
here it is. The effectiveness is evident.

ascd.org

If you were shut out of the February Myron Dueck session, you can take advantage of another opportunity on March 10th through NYS ASCD.

Leadership Networks meet several times during the year in order to provide the latest information and build content-specific leadership expertise in our districts. Upcoming sessions include:

• Literacy Leadership Network: February 24th
• Instructional Coaches Network: March 28th
• Project Based Regional Network: March 31st

Here are some great tips to share with students as they prepare a presentation. There are tips about content and format.

This site has a number of different resources to use in your drug prevention classes and programs.

You can learn about risk and protective factors in young people that explain the different paths students take when facing similar situations. Some students make bad decisions, others persevere.

Once again, Syracuse is ground zero for Solutions Tree’s PLC and RTI work. This time, it’s a Response to Intervention at Work Institute, June 28th – 30th. BOCES has a limited number of discounted seats available for this event.

Another cohort of Standards Based Planning for the 21st Century - Instruction for All has been scheduled, by request! It is a comprehensive course about planning and instruction that is beneficial whether you are in your second year of teaching or your 20th!  The spring sessions begin March 4th.

Watch Rick DuFour explain the difference between groups and teams. Which do you have in your school?

Registration is now open for the next round of summer social studies, July 18th – 21st, facilitated curriculum work.
There are two threads:  

• Summer Social Studies Curriculum Work: grades 9-12 
• Summer Social Studies Curriculum Work: grades K-4

Here’s a short list of things that teachers can do today that helps children to be better prepared for tomorrow.