Cop gives "NO EXCUSES" for Record # of complaints..0 .. Check this out. ...

Is a traffic stop similar to what we do? I think so! Think of all the bad news we have to share such as poor test grades or bad attendance. I cannot emphasize this enough: Teachers, don't lose the humanity! You are human; students are human. Be understanding but be firm at the same time (like the police officer in the video). Tough love DOES have a LOVE component.

Cool website for animated gifs.

I love using gifs! (Please just don't ask me how to pronounce it. Gifs or jifs?) Animated gifs are clips either constructed by individuals or taken off television and movies. A good gif can add a megabyte or two to your Power Point but I think it's worth it. I use them in my Quizizz, Kahoot, and Power Points. Right now, the best website for animated gifs is www.giphy.com

How do you insert this into a Power Point? Don't copy and paste; it doesn't work. In most cases, you should be able to right-click it and save as. Save it just like any other jpeg. Then you can insert it into Power Point or upload it to Quizizz or Kahoot. Gifs really add an element to the lesson.

Using Zipgrade in Your Classroom

I hate paying for software. I pride myself on always finding a better, free version of everything. I made an exception this past year. I definitely do not regret it! Zipgrade is an app you can download on your iPhone or Android phone. Your students will complete a multiple choice exam on scantrons provided by their website. As students are finishing, you can walk around with your phone and scan their tests to give them instant feedback on their test. Here is a video demonstrating the app.

Zip Grade Demo from Joseph Bue on Vimeo.

One thing I love about this app is I can look for patterns immediately. When you scan a student's answer sheet, you will get instant feedback that looks like this:

If I notice that a student did well on the first 2/3 of the test but bombed the last third, I can ask them to go back and fix that problem without telling them exactly which questions he or she missed. Many students will stop trying near the end of the test and this app helps me to stop that from happening.

Also, I like to tell the students which questions they missed so they can go back and correct them. I know this inflates the grade and skews the data but I'm more concerned about them learning the material than having accurate grades.

I did have a few minor problems. Sometimes I couldn't get an accurate scan. I wasn't sure if the lighting was too bright or too dark. I also had some students bubble E when they meant to bubble D. So be very mindful at the beginning of the year.

Overall, I love this app and the price ($6 per year). Now, I don't have to beg for thousands of dollars to replace my aging clickers. It's data-driven; it's very easy to use.

Raising Students' Standardized Test Scores

I get it! In the old days, teachers made their own tests; if students failed then it was because the student didn't try hard enough. Today, tests are a measure of teacher performance and, in some cases, a basis for a raise.

Since I'm not willing to fight the system by going to the state capitol and speaking in front of the school board, I'm going to focus on what goes on in my classroom. To those who are fighting the good fight, I applaud you. But high test scores gave me the only decent raise I ever received in my 13 years of public school education. This is how I do it.

First, find out what is on the test. If it's a state standardized test, google the name of the test and the word released and obtain all the released exams. In Texas, google "released starr eoc." In New York, google "released NY regents exam." Feel free to be more specific with grade and subject. For AP courses, you will need to access them on the College Board website after you log in as an instructor. Sadly, you can find some older released AP exams online. Is there a "blueprint" of the test, meaning a list of what topics will be covered on the test? If so, print it out! My biggest challenge in teaching AP Psychology has been figuring out what has generally been tested and what has not. Once you get a firm grasp, you can focus your instruction on those things.

Focus your lessons on what is on the test. This seems to be a no-brainer but it deserves emphasis here. If you decide to teach something that is not on the test, make sure it is interesting and/or valuable. For example, in my history classes I like to spend a few days teaching about the Kennedy assassination. I know it will not be on the test but I know my students are interested. A good example of this is World War II. Teachers and students love WWII. However, there is a difference between a World History class and a US History class in what to emphasize. Rosie the Riveter will probably not be on a World History test. Teach what you want, but have students take notes only over what is on the standardized test. Make sure your in-class exam has questions that match what's on your standardized test.

Know your students! After 4 or 6 weeks, give a well-written assessment that matches the difficulty of the standardized test you are preparing for. Take those student scores and do something with them. One of the most effective moves is to call each student up to your desk and talk to them about it. In a Title I school, many students will take a test, fail it, and put it out of sight and out of mind. Their parents will never hear of this test. You, the teacher, must call the student up to your desk and look directly at them and ask them, "Hey! You got a 47 on this test. What happened? [insert awkward pause here] Did you try? Or did you just blow it off?" As a teacher, this is where your people skills come in handy. At minimum, you need to instill the idea that the next time they take a test, they will need to try harder so they don't have to go up to the teacher's desk and have an awkward conversation. Ideally, you could go over the test with them and figure out if there is a pattern regarding which questions they missed. If they did well but missed the last third of the test, that probably means they got lazy and just bubbled in random answers. Ask them directly if that is what they did. If they admit to getting lazy at the end, then directly ask them, "Could you please not do that? It makes me look bad." I can hear your groans as you read this, but it works with the students that I teach. They won't do it for themselves, they won't do it for their parents, but they will do it for me!

After the second major test, the failure rate generally drops. Then I can focus on students who really need the help. At this point, I'll take a cue from homeschooling and work with the students individually or small groups. I try to assess whether the students did not know the material or was it the wording of the questions. This is a big deal since phrases like "the Silk Road facilitated the spread of Buddhism" can throw a LEP student. What does "facilitate" mean? How about the answer choice "Freud's theories were not empirical"? Words like empirical and facilitate can be a challenge to all students, especially LEP students.

Adjust your seating chart. I recommend you place your low-scoring students close to you. However, many teachers like to pair their low scoring students with their high scoring students. That's up to you. I don't like paring because students will just copy off each other. However, on the next test, if your approach doesn't work, try something else. Making adjustments based on test scores is what data-driven instruction is all about! It's something we teachers have always done before we named it something. If you don't make any adjustments to your seating chart, at least write, in pencil, their test grade next to their name. You need to call on these students more. You need to keep these students off their phones.

Notice, I haven't mentioned tutoring. If you can get them to come, then great! Many teachers have morning PLCs and afternoon coaching. Many students have to catch a bus or go to work. Some students have their own kids they need to go take care of.

Finally, don't forget good instruction! In short, good instruction involves enthusiasm, visuals, gamification (Kahoot and Quizizz), and repetition.