An Exam that Measures Growth

As we continue the administration of the FCAT, I receive so much feedback about the FCAT from parents, business leaders, and community members. Many say that student growth can not be measured on a single snapshot like FCAT. Research would bear this out. I am a firm believer that what gets measured gets done and that we should have high stakes exams. That said, I do feel that we need to encourage our state to substitute the single snapshot type assessment to one which measures growth over time for each child. This would help ensure a year or more of academic growth in a year’s service---and more for students who are behind.

Quality Teaching

I recently had an opportunity to visit the classrooms of our 2007-08 Teacher of the Year finalists. I continue to be inspired by the high-quality teaching and learning happening in our schools. How do you define quality teaching? How do you make it visible?