School first to use new technology to assess progress

Madison Middle School will be the first school in the nation to have the ability to monitor progress throughout the year and gauge within a few points how students will score on the Kentucky Core Content Test.

The district has been working with three companies to design what many are calling the height of formative assessment. Turning Technologies, creator of the Turning Point Student Response System, Study Island and Edutrax, are working together to combine three unique products to create one instructional assessment and reporting tool for Madison County Schools and Madison Middle will host the pilot project.

Madison County teachers received training for the three technologies earlier this week and plan to implement them in the classrooms immediately.

Madison Middle School Principal Brad Winkler and Tina Sartori, education consultant for Turning Technologies, began working on ways to expand the school’s use of the student response systems. The solution was broken down into three core concepts: daily or weekly assessments, proven assessment questions and regularly analyzing results.

Sartori began looking at ways to utilize the data collected by the student response systems to give Madison Middle teachers and administrators an idea of where students are academically. Scott Anderson, assistant principal, suggested using Study Island to assess the students. Anderson had used the web-based instructional and assessment tool in North Carolina before coming to Kentucky.

Study Island is a research and standards-based product that allows teachers to access proven assessment questions that are in line with the Kentucky Core Content Test questions. Use of Study Island with the student response system means that teachers can collect data on a daily or weekly basis to assess where each individual student is on a concept. Study Island can also track individual student progress when students use the online instructional tools. The teacher can then assess where a class as a whole is on that concept and where the achievement gaps are appearing.

The last piece of the puzzle, according to District Technology Director Charlene McGee, was adding Edutrax, a company that can bring together the recorded data and produce a complete analysis of student learning. The company can give the teacher and the school an affordable, complete report of progress in any content area for any group of students or any individual student in a minimal amount of time.

“The students and teachers are enjoying using clickers in the classroom already, and this full solution is expected to dramatically increase student achievement and test scores for all students at Madison Middle School,” McGee said.

McGee added that a combination of three uniquely different products like this for the common goal of regular student assessment has never been done in the United States.

“This would be the first school in the nation to use these three companies for this common purpose,” she said. “That means that Madison Middle could be breaking ground on the next great tool for educators.”

“We have recognized the potential of this technology to enhance instruction through instant assessment, immediate feedback and engaging students,” said Superintendent Tommy Floyd. “These three technologies have been very successful and they will now begin to play a large role in making every student count at Madison Middle School.”

Plans to use this technology throughout the district are already in the works. If the technology is used district-wide, it would be possible for district leaders to receive reports on groups of students at any given time throughout the school year. That would give district leaders the ability to assess what groups of students need additional help in particular content areas as well as gage where the district is in regards to the KCCT standards.

Special to the Register
Published: December 18, 2008 07:47 pm
http://www.richmondregister.com/localnews/local_story_353194731.html

Richmond Register
380 Big Hill Avenue
Richmond, KY
859.623.1669

Study Island implementation Ideas

Below are several ways schools use Study Island:

"Our teachers use the Study Island outline of the state standards to map out the year’s curriculum. They use the weekly reports to determine which students are mastering the concepts and which are not. From these reports the teachers either give review worksheets from Study Island or they send the student to tutoring on the specific concept they are struggling with."

"To help ensure that students are reading the 'Lessons' and 'Explanations' on each 'Topic', I have them keep a 'Study Island Math Journal'. Students copy the 'Lessons' and 'Explanations' into their Journal and I check it periodically. This is especially helpful as a Response To Intervention (RTI) strategy when helping individual students with targeted Topics/Standards."

"We have a computer room dedicated just for Study Island. We have used the site to create standardized tests to give to our students every six weeks as a paper and pencil test."

"My students are to complete Study Island as part of their daily homework assignment. If students score advanced on a topic they earn extra credit. This is then an incentive to work on the program and do well."

"We keep a big chart on the wall that lists each student's name and the Study Island Topics for each subject. Students get to place a sticker in each box when they earn a 'Blue Ribbon'. By grouping my class into teams, I can have competitions to see which team earns the most Blue Ribbons each week/month/grading period. The students encourage their teammates to do well in Study Island and meet their 'Blue Ribbon' goals for each time period. I try to let the students select the rewards/incentives for each time period in order that they have more ownership in their efforts."

"We use it in several ways. We have a resource teacher that gives daily instruction. We also use Study Island for remediation in an after-school program, and we have a Study Island parent student night from 6-9 pm where the lab is open for students that do not have an Internet connection at home."

"We have implemented Study Island as a vital part of our Reading, Math and Writing programs. Teachers will come as a group into the computer lab for whole group instruction in core areas. Some teachers implement the program as centers in their classrooms. Children are always allowed to complete activities at home as well."

I hope this helps! As always, feel free to contact me for further usage ideas and suggestions. You can also get lots of other implementation ideas by contacting Study Island’s Support Team by telephone (800.419.3191 x3), email (support@studyisland.com) or by “Live Chat” when logged into your school’s Study Island site.

Funds sliced, teacher sells ads on tests

Money helps pay for printing costs after budget cuts

By Linda Lou [Union Tribune]

RANCHO BERNARDO - Kevin Change said it was strange the first time he saw an advertisement across the bottom of his calculus test. But now he and his classmates look for them.

"It's really interesting to see what it is each time," said Change, 16, a junior at Rancho Bernardo High School.

Some are pithy one-liners, hawking the names of local businesses: "Brace Yourself for a Great Semester! Braces by Henry, Stephen P. Henry D.M.D."

Others are inspirational quotes, like "Keep the company of those who seek the truth, and run from those who have found it - Vaclav Havel."

They only appear on the first page of an exam.

The unusual advertising may be here to stay, said calculus teacher Tom Farber, who came up with the idea to pay for his printing costs.

Farber said the money he gets for printing was cut this year to about $300 for two semesters. Printing the quizzes and tests costs more than $500, he said, and doesn't include handouts that students download and print on their own.

To reduce expenses, the Poway Unified School District chose to trim materials and supplies instead of personnel, Superintendent Don Phillips said. Each high school in the district reduced its budget for such items by 30 percent, but how that was accomplished was left to each campus, he said.

Phillips said teachers have been reaching out to parents for donations for a while, but Farber's idea is "one of the more creative ones."

Farber's customers pay $10 for an ad on a quiz, $20 to be on a chapter test and $30 for a spot on a semester final. Some of the quotes, either personal ones or by famous people, are paid for by parents.

The messages must be appropriate and in good taste. Farber hasn't received sponsorships from any major retailers or store chains, but he hasn't ruled them out. He said he would prefer to get ads from local mom-and-pop stores, such as a tuxedo shop around prom time.

Farber said he could have decided to give fewer tests to save money, but that would have meant students had less practice for passing the Advanced Placement calculus exam near the end of the school year.

Farber, a teacher in the Poway Unified district since 1992, said he has never had to ask parents for help until this year. But with the state of the economy the way it is, he said, schools might have to depend even more on parents.

Farber said he came up with the idea over the summer. He saw ads on public buses and sponsorships at Qualcomm Stadium and decided to promote his idea at Back to School Night in September. He collected $270 from parents at that event."I haven't heard any negativity," he said.

Farber said he has sold about $350 in ads, more than enough to make up what the school budget doesn't pay for. He said he still has ad space for next semester, and whatever extra money he collects will go to the math department for other teachers to use. Checks are made out to the department.

Colleagues haven't copied his idea yet, Farber said, but some have been asking parents for donations.

Students said they are paying attention to the messages.

Lauren Meyer, 17, a senior, said the ads are a good solution to the budget problem.Her classmate, Chris Nunez, 18, a senior, always looks at the ads before he starts working on the questions. Both said they enjoy the quotes.

"They're inspirational," Nunez said. "Sometimes, they help when the test is stressful."Luke Shaw, 17, was less enthusiastic. The senior said a recent sponsorship that was the name of a structural engineering company didn't do anything for him.

"I'm always hoping that someone will sponsor it with a trig formula or something useful," he said.
------------------------
Ads may be purchased by e-mailing Farber at tfarber@powayusd.com
Linda Lou: (760) 737-7574; linda.lou@uniontrib.com

Study Island Proudly Welcomes TeacherWeb to the Family

TeacherWeb, a company that provides easy-to-use and affordable templates and tools, is now a part of the Study Island family.

TeacherWeb allows educators to create customized classroom and school Web sites to improve communication with students and parents. By following easy step-by-step directions, educators can quickly create and continuously update personalized classroom or school Web sites.

Some special features include the ability to post:
Homework assignments
Announcements
Class schedules
Blogs
Online quizzes
Photos
Webquests
Podcasts
FAQ

We are very excited about the endless possibilities TeacherWeb can offer our customers! Interested in finding out more information? Check out www.TeacherWeb.com!

Teacher Ideas for Using Study Island in the Classroom

The Reading Workshop: Using Technology for Education

Having computers and other gadgets in a class is great. But, does it increase student learning? According to many, the only reason schools can justify any expense on technology is if students achievement improves.

This list details many of the ways that technology is integrated into our daily classroom routine.
1. Students do daily online lessons on Study Island. This is tied directly to the curriculum of the state .
2. Study Island "Student of the Day" is listed on the blog to recognize students with excellent performance.
3. Lessons ... are viewed by the class using the DLP projector, and then sample Study Island questions are answered.

Posted by Mr. McGuire at 10:08 AM Thursday, November 13, 2008
http://www.thereadingworkshop.com/2008/11/using-technolgy-for-education.html

What others (students) say about Study Island

Friday, October 10, 2008
From Kristen and Adam

Hi my name is Kristen and this is my friend Adam and we've done lots of cool stuff in school.First, we would like to tell you about our meal worms. We got them on the day we had the Chinese feast, isn't that great? We also just let our butterflies go. They were Painted Ladies!We also had an art teacher come. We made quilts with geometric shapes and our own free form shapes. They all looked awesome and some of them are in the hallway hanging up.

Also Mrs.Van Fossen showed us the site Study Island and it's really fun. Plus everyone's doing great on Study Island! Although it helps us learn a lot, we still have fun. You should go on www.studyisland.com so you can have fun to!!

We've been doing lots of cool experiments with Mrs.Van Fossen. For one we did an experiment with GRAVITY!!! Science is so much fun!In Social Studies we have been talking about citizenship. Mrs. Domizi has been teaching us a lot about citizenship and it's really fun. Next week we'll be talking about the election. Isn't that great?

We just finished reading the book CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE by George Shelden. We each did a project on Cricket in Times Square. They were all great!! You should read the book it's really great.We also had a magic assembly that involved reading. it was awesome!! The man who was doing it did really good tricks. Like this one trick a bowling ball come out of his notebook!!!We will write back later!!
Written by. Kristen Jesberger and Adam South. Thank you!

What others say about Study Island

Great Standards Based Website/Program

Today’s website/program of the day is studyisland.com. Study Island is a great program that is offered for grades K-12, in most states, that offers students the opportunity to review subject matter thoughout the year. This program is set up in a multiple choice format that resembles standardized tests. Each topic that is offered correlates to the standards that have been adopted by your state.

The program allows you to set up individual student accounts that can be accessed by them anywhere there is Internet access. From an administrative side, each student can be associated with a teacher, and the teachers can see exactly what a student has been doing and how they are performing on every question.

The students enjoy the program because there are games built-in that open up when the teacher allows them. These games require that the students answer the question correctly before they can play. If you are concerned about students just guessing, the program has a guessing detector built in that will stop the student and tell them to slow down.

Each topic is directly linked to a standard, and each topic offers a printable worksheet for those who don’t have computer time for the students to use. I have seen a few schools that have implemented this system, and I have yet to hear a negative comment about it.

Posted on October 2, 2008 in Products, Websites by John Phillips

The Lab Dweller
John Phillips is a STAR member of the Discovery Educator Network

(Study Island) Video games to help students learn

Click here to this watch this video news story

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Parents often have to convince their kids to stop playing video games and do their homework. But now some schools are using video games in their curriculum to teach students some very important lessons. Not only do students at IS 123 get to play educational video games, they have a choice of games to play.

"I played the home run derby game," student Desiree Rojas said. "It's fun because you have to get the answer as soon as possible before the ball passes you."

The games are generated by a Web-based program called Study Island.

"It actually taught me how to divide and how to multiply," student Nyla Jones said.

Study Island is more than just fun and games. It is designed to help students study materials that meet the academic requirements in each subject, for each state where the program is used. The games are similar to those kids already like to play. They earn the privilege of playing by scoring high on Study Island tests, which help educators keep track of student progress.

"It's material that's tested on the state test, so it's not that they're throwing in just basic level stuff," teacher Christina Varghese said. "They're actually giving them stuff that they need to know for the test, so because it's standards based, I really love it."

"It gives you more chances to make up what you got wrong," student Krizya Gutierrez said. "And if you got something wrong, it offers you an explanation."

IS 123 principal Virginia Connelly considers Study Island to be a successful part of the school's overall strategy. "We've used it very extensively in math," she said. "And we've had tremendous growth in our math scores over the past three years, the same amount of time that we've been using it." Study Island costs between $2,500 and $3,500 per year for each school. There are other ways of supplementing school curriculums, but educators at IS 123 feel it is worth the investment.For more information, visit www.studyIsland.com/ky.

What others say about Study Island

Study Island Helps Increase Standardized Test Score Performance -- New Study Released

Review of Study Islandby khayden5 (1,213 pts ) Published on Aug 16, 2008
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/reviews/4636.aspx

Study Island is a web-based computer program that allows students to practice state standards and indicators. The best part is that students, teachers and parents can keep track of student progress.

To help improve standardized test scores mandated by No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), many schools across the nation direct their students to log-on to Study Island to practice state standards and indicators. In the future, 50 states will have their standards aligned with Study Island’s programs; currently, however, only 36 states participate.
Connected to Research

NCLB requires that all educational programs need to be based on research. Study Island has provided documentation that they are using research based procedures. A new independent study, Study Island Scientific Research Base by Magnolia Consulting in July 2008, shows that it “provides documentation that connects the key features of the Study Island program to scientific and academic research literature.”

In addition, the research showed that when “teachers used web-based instruction to supplement classroom instruction it was 13%36 more effective than classroom instruction alone at teaching declarative knowledge, suggesting a combination of the two formats may lead to better achievement than classroom instruction alone.”

The content on Study Island is written from state standards. The program gives diagnostic, formative and summative results to teachers and administrators. In addition, it allows for an assessment feedback loop, reinforces learning through practice, motivates students, supports mastery, and uses a web-based platform. Anther great feature is that it encourages parental involvement.

How It Works

Study Island allows students to practice and to build skills over time toward mastery. Students can practice math, reading, writing, science or social studies. Once students are connected to the online program, they choose how many questions they want to answer. If they are not familiar with an indicator or standard, basic lessons are available. When they begin their session, they receive immediate feedback for their answers. Students and teachers can see the progress in any subject and/or indicator on the computer screen.


This supports the research from the report that says that the best feedback encourages students to keep working until they succeed and tells students what they know about the target knowledge instead of telling how they did in comparison to others.
Assessment Tools

Research also recommends that teacher assess students in ongoing classroom assessments called formative assessment. Not only do students receive immediate feedback when working, teachers can keep track of student performance at any time as well. How teachers use this assessment data to change teaching practices and for remediation is the key to helping students.
In addition, the reports offer diagnostic data to show student weaknesses and summative data that shows their mastery of indicators or objectives.

Helps Improve AYP

Magnolia Consulting reports that the best way to improve AYP status is for teachers to use the results of assessment data to tweak teaching practices. Study Island allows teachers to monitor student growth and student deficiencies. The program is easy for students to see their progress as well so that they can move towards mastery of a subject indicator or standard.
The research also suggests that students who receive frequent assessment have higher achievement scores, especially when the assessment is cumulative and students can learn from the assessments.


As teachers and administrators continue to work towards improving scores on state standardized achievement tests, the new buzzwords to make improvments are research and data. Study Island is another way to attain test data and it is reserached based. Teachers need to not be afraid of the information and use it to drive their curriculum and remediation.
View More K-12 Learning Articles >>

More From This Author
· Civil War Creative Writing Lesson -- Writing a Short Story
· Halloween Scary Story Writing Lesson for Middle School Students
· Teaching Basic News Writing in Middle School -- Writing a News Story
· Teaching Basic News Writing in Middle School -- A Scavenger Hunt

Below is a sample letter on introducing parents to Study Island:

Dear Parent,

Our school now has access to a great resource for preparing our kids to master the Kentucky Core Content Standards. We have a subscription for a web-based program called Study Island, which is accessible to students from school or home. If you have Internet access, your child can access Study Island from home as well.. The information below provides an overview of the program. We are excited about the potential benefits this program can bring to our students, and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity by using Study Island. Please feel free to contact Study Island at 800-419-3191 x3 or support@studyisland.com if you have any questions.

Using Study Island from Home

Since the Study Island program is completely web-based, students can access it from any computer with an Internet connection and a standard web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape). Results from students study sessions are recorded and made available to the teachers. This includes results from sessions completed at home. The program is divided into sections based on subject (math, reading, etc.). Each section is made up of 10 to 25 topics. Each topic contains about 20 to 25 questions with explanations. All topics are accompanied by a lesson, which includes some brief information about the material covered by the questions in the topics. It is helpful to view the lesson before answering the questions in the topic.

Follow the instructions below, in order to use the program:
1. Go to www.studyisland.com
2. Enter your username and password at the upper-left of the screen, and click “Login”.
Note: Students will receive a username and password from their teacher at school.
3. Click on the section tab (math, reading, etc.) that you wish to work on.
4. Click the "Pretest" in order to begin the pretest for the section. You must complete 10 pretest questions before moving on to the topic in the section.
5. Once you complete the "Pretest,” you may work through the remainder of the topics in any order you like. You must "pass" all topics before taking the "Post Test".
6. To pass a topic, you must satisfy the topic’s passing requirements which are based a minimum number of questions answered (usually 10) and a minimum percentage correct (around 70%). A blue ribbon icon is displayed next to all passed topics.
7. Once you have passed all the topics in the section, you have to pass the "Post Test" for the section before the section is complete. Ignore this step if the section has no "Post Test".
8. When you pass all topics in all sections, you have completed the program for that grade level!To access the Reports:
1. After your child has logged in, select a subject from the left-hand side of the screen to access the reports.
2. Here, you will find a variety of reports with information such as how much time your child has spent on various subjects, how they used their time, and what questions they missed. You will also be able to compare your child with other children in their class and in their state that are using Study Island. You can select reports by Subject or select the Summary option to get all subjects.

Back to School with Study Island-Making the Home/School Connection

As we start another school year, it is a great idea to make sure that all parents know about Study Island. Maybe a family is new to the school, or maybe a family did not use Study Island from home in the past, but the beginning of a school year marks a great time to involve parents.

Study Island has created a letter which you will see on the bottom of the page. You can use this as a template to create your own parent packet regarding how to access the program from home. Because the program is web-based, any Study Island user can access the program 24/7 from any Internet connection...which is such a great benefit for your families!

While Study Island was not designed to replace all teacher generated homework, it is a great way to supplement what is being done during regular school day. Teachers can either assign specific topics that compliment their current lesson plans, or students can choose which topics they would like to tackle.Beyond sending home an informational packet to parents, another successful way that I have seen Study Island being introduced to parents, is by having a Study Island Session on Back to School Night, or during the first Parent-Teacher Conferences. Set up a computer lab, and allow parents to drop-in and learn how to log into and navigate the program for themselves.

Make sure your families know how to get on Study Island this fall!

I'm happy to provide more ideas on how to get your parents involved, so feel free to call or email with questions!

Pat Ryan
Kentucky Sales Rep
pat@studyisland.com
1.800.419.3191 x 7617

Learning Made Fun!

Kinesthetic & Visual Learning Using Smartboards-

Students can interactively become proficient and master standards using Study Island on Smartboards. The teacher projects Study Island on the smartboard for all to view and allows students to take turns coming up to the board and physically touching the answer choices. They can discuss the mini lessons, go over questions, discuss the process of problem solving (metacognition), and enjoy the various writing prompts on the interactive board. How does this look in the lab? I’ve witnessed teachers reviewing standards, whole group direct instruction as multiple choice questions or with games on the smartboard and then having students logon later and assess what they just learned on individual computers.

Here’s a little addition to the Smart Board idea – the smart boards have “pens” in different colors that you can use to “write” with on the smart boards – I have seen teachers let their kids work the math problems out to the side of the answer choices and then click on the choice once they have “worked out the problem” - As most teachers do, I often used the following quote with my 4th graders: “Show me your work!” – plus the kids love getting to write on the board!

Great for kinesthetic and visual learners!

Ideas for using Study Island for Special Ed students

One key for Special Education & NCLB / IDEA is that students must be assessed against grade level standards-- this particularly applies to Learning Disabled or Behavior Disabled students. Study Island is a grade way for special educators to make sure that IEP students are linked to the general education curriculum and standards.

The “Individual Student Summary” report is terrific for individualizing (differentiating) instruction for Spec Ed students; also great to include in IEPs.

Teachers can pull up the results of an assignment and drill down to “view missed” so she can work individually with a student to analyze the student’s thinking in answering the missed questions. This allows the opportunity for the teacher to re-teach the topic/standard by using a different example or explanation.

The building block questions allow students to work at lower levels, and still be compared to grade level standards. Great data source for IEP meetings too.

The default passing percentage can be lowered, to allow special needs students the ability to compete for a blue ribbon with the rest of the students. This can be accomplished so that no one can notice this accommodation.

The grade level at which the student is working can be lowered if deemed necessary. This can be accomplished so that no one can notice this accommodation.

Teachers can create “Printable Worksheets” of standards-based questions, save them as Microsoft Word documents and, edit the questions as they see fit including by limiting the number of distractors from the multiple choice answers.

Special Ed teachers have a lot of documenting! They also have to track the minutes they service each child. That is easily done with SI. They can print out and/or view the reports to log their minutes.

The IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is very detailed and child specific. Our reports can track progress of each child for each state standard.

The “Compare With Others” report is terrific to show during Parent-Teacher conferences and/or IEP conferences and for including in IEPs. This report provides a graphic that show how this student compares standard-by-standard with all other students at that school in that grade AND with all other students in that state in that grade level.

Many third party software downloads (listed on the Admin Page) work smoothly with Study Island to allow students to highlight text passages and to hear the text read aloud to them.

Response to Intervention Strategies with Study Island

The Study Island Kentucky Core Content Standards Mastery program offers a variety of real-time reports. Each comprehensive report offered can be customized to your specific needs. Study Island can generate reports by student, subject, class, grade and school. Study Island’s detailed diagnostic reports can provide valuable longitudinal data to track students from year to year and school to school.


Tier I: Screening & Group Interventions

Study Island collects progress monitoring data reflected in real-time reports to quickly display achievement areas where students are succeeding or falling behind. Study Island’s “Comparison Report” shows the targeted student’s progressive performance against their school grade level, and the other Study Island students in Kentucky at the same grade level.

Tier II: Targeted Interventions

Study Island teachers can easily match instructional content to any student’s most adaptive learning mode. Students can accomplish work in electronic multiple choice or one of 11 game formats. Kentucky teachers use Study Island in small group instruction online or utilize the printable worksheet, both designed to offer differentiated instruction for struggling students, while teachers provide regular, corrective feedback. Kinesthetic students can interactively become proficient and master standards using Study Island on Smartboards. The teacher projects Study Island on the smartboard for all to view and allows students to take turns coming up to the board and physically touching the answer choices.

Tier III – Monitor Progress More Frequently

Study Island reporting tools allow teachers to narrow the focus on specific skill deficiencies. The Study Island “Individual Student Report” displays real-time data reflecting a student’s strengths and weaknesses. Teachers can easily pre-set report updates for recurring e-mail delivery to themselves, their administrators, or even a student’s parents in order to continually track student progress towards AYP goals.

Study Island’s “Suggested Topics” option categorizes a student’s work into priority tiers according to their weaknesses and strengths and allows teachers to differentiate instruction by efficiently developing a more targeted and individualized interventional instructional path.

Tier III – Progress Monitor More Frequently (Continued)

Study Island helps with remediation 3 ways. The automatic, self-leveling building block question process allows students to gain proficiency at lower levels and work their way back up to grade level. Teachers can also adjust passing parameters or force students into alternative grade-level work without anyone being able to detect the changes.

New Study Island Application

A Belated Earth Week Idea:

**Go Green- We all know there is a big push on “going green” and cleaning up the environment. Study Island fits this initiative by providing web-based learning. If you are in a state that is pushing for “less paper” then by all means talk about us being clean and on the Web. No books, no paper, no disks, no fuss!

"Students Use Study Island to Help with Studies"

By Alene HillCorrespondentWednesday, March 5, 2008 9:52 AM CST
When Heather Muench, a sixth-grade student at Dorris Intermediate School, needed extra help with math, she turned to a new tool in district teachers’ arsenals for assistance.“I was having trouble with exponents, so I went over it on Study Island, and I got it,” she said, pointing out that the software also helps with reading.Another sixth-grader, Brandon Belobraydic, pointed out that games on the software — especially a skateboard game — made the lessons more enjoyable. “You can get bored just taking tests,” he said. “But with the skateboard game, when you choose an answer, you can use the arrows to do tricks.”Sixth-grader Christina Holland said the test helped her by making the “ISAT tests easier – especially with vocabulary words.”Students aren’t the only ones testifying to the help they receive from new innovative software programs being used to target areas where they need assistance, review previous classroom material and even work ahead to more challenging material.

Brad Snow, a fourth-grade teacher at Jefferson School, said the programs are an excellent tool that help tailor assistance to “each student’s individual needs.”

With Study Island, math and reading skills are broken down into different areas and when a student answers a certain number of questions correctly they get to move on and they incorporate games to keep it fun.”

“(Study Island) can also be used at home,” he said. “Students can use their passwords and user names and the program keeps track of their work. It can help parents see they are having trouble with a particular area — everyone is on the same page.”

Ms. Holland goes on to say, “I know by looking who is having trouble and where exactly they need help,” she said. “The reports for teachers are tremendous.”Lessons for each grade, she said, are also linked to state standards for reading and math skills.

“Teachers can review immediate results from the tests and then determine areas of concentration for instruction,” she said.The program also provides practice material for problem areas and teachers can print out and send home individual reports for parents.

Study Island is used in the district’s second- through sixth-grade classrooms and is also aligned to Illinois State Standards, she said, and “is an invaluable program for parents looking for reinforcement and practice material to help their sons or daughters increase their academic achievement at home.”

Some schools, such as DIS, have incorporated Study Island events to encourage participation.DIS principal John Griffith said the school had scheduled a luau, an event with a Hawaiian theme, during lunch period on March 31.“The students receive blue ribbons when they meet certain criteria with Study Island,” he said. “Some students have earned their grade level and above and we have the ‘Top Ten Island Surfers’ – the top in each grade and the top in the school.”But for Griffith, who began teaching 17 years ago, the program is a breakthrough.“I couldn’t have fathomed then using tools like this for teaching and kids having fun learning,” he said.The board has supported extending the subscription for the program for next year, she said.Parents wanting more information on Study Island can contact their children’s teacher or school.

Study Island Success Story from a 5th grader!

Study Island is paradise for Swansea fifth-grader
The Herald News, 207 Pocasset Street, Fall River, Massachusetts 02722
http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x688584259

Swansea -
Joseph G. Luther Elementary School fifth-grader Jenna Demoranville had a story to tell, and the School Committee was all ears Monday night.After all, it’s not every day the committee is treated to a success story about a new curriculum. And it's even rarer to hear a student deliver the testimonial herself.Two years ago, as a struggling third-grader, Demoranville was placed into the "at risk" category for math.“Math was never an easy subject for me. I was constantly frustrated,” Demoranville told the School Committee.As Demoranville struggled, the district began implementing Study Island, a Web-based program aimed at helping third- through fifth-graders. The program helped students practice for MCAS-related curriculum, using fun exercises and games to make the learning experience more interactive and enjoyable.Demoranville began visiting Study Island weekly. Eventually, she was using the program in class, at home and even on vacations.“It allows me to see practice questions that I would see on the MCAS exam,” Demoranville said. “Study Island makes me feel more comfortable, and it's something I use at home, where I can read lessons before I take a test. My mother also helps me, which allows me to spend time with her and learn at the same time.”On a recent family trip to Mexico, Demoranville took off with her father’s laptop and linked up to the hotel’s computer in order to keep practicing on Study Island. She did the same thing throughout the summer, and the results were obvious.“I am a fifth-grader now and for the first time, I am no longer in 'at risk' math,” Demoranville said. “Study Island has made me more comfortable at answering questions in the classroom. I finally achieved a goal I never thought was possible and I thank Study Island for that.”School Committee Vice Chairman Debra Martelly thanked Demoranville for her presentation and congratulated her on her progress.“We don’t see a lot of this,” Martelly said. “We set policy but we never see how those decisions are affected.”Assistant Superintendent Christine Stanton said Demoranville and Susan Short, computer specialist for Luther and Brown schools, have entered her testimony into a contest asking for Study Island success stories. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship and earn a free Study Island subscription for the district.“Jenna, you are just outstanding, and the junior high can’t wait to get you next year,” Stanton said.E-mail Jay Pateakos at jpateakos@heraldnews.com.

Did you know that one of the BIGGEST PAYOFF instructional strategies in terms of improving student achievement is the use of DESCRIPTIVE FEEDBACK?

Studies show that when used consistently, feedback can make a difference of approx. 30%iles (compared to classrooms NOT using this strategy) [Marzano, 2007].


Definition: providing descriptive feedback means communicating to students where they are doing well and where they need improvement.

Why Descriptive Feedback?
• The purpose of descriptive feedback is to provide opportunities for the learner to make adjustments and improvements toward mastery of a specified standard.

Key Implication for Instruction and Assessment:
Students must be given the opportunity to apply the feedback by trying again

Want to learn more about this strategy?
Read Feedback: How Learning Occurs by Grant Wiggins for an excellent introduction! [http://www.authenticeducation.org/bigideas/article.lasso?artId=61 ]
(The quotes below come from Wiggins' article.)

Study Island helps students receive descriptive feedback by:
1) Providing detailed explanations for all questions that show not only the answer but also, how to reason and think in order to find the answer; this “provides for opportunities for the learner to make adjustments and improvements toward mastery of a specified standard” and “comes from the activity itself.” Study Island allows students to “receive feedback from the performance itself” then provides “other timely chances to act on the feedback.”

2) Allowing students to go through missed questions at the end of a session and after they have checked out the explanations; this gives students “the opportunity to apply the feedback by trying again.” This unique Study Island feature provides “the attempts and adjustments by the learner to perform that cause accomplishment.”

3) Providing teachers the opportunity to drill down in student assignments to view the questions they missed with the further opportunity to then bring students up individually or in small groups to provide feedback and another chance at answering the questions; this provides the opportunity for teachers “to provide specific and useful information that students need in order to master worthy performances.” Study Island provides reports that yield a prioritized ranking of where each individual student stands in their mastery of the standards for which they will be assessed this year; this precise reporting allows teachers to “provide for individual, targeted, specific feedback to each student” and to provide for differentiated instruction.

4) Keeping students (and teachers) focused on their required standards by posting and linking all question topics directly to Kentucky Core Content standards; this provides students and teachers exact wording to “describe what the learner did and did not do in relation to her goals”; this “is actionable information, and it empowers the student to make intelligent adjustments”.

5) Immediately displaying the student score, both current session and previous sessions on the same topic; and displaying an overall scorecard after each session to provide immediate feedback to let a student determine “what did I do that worked and what did I do that didn’t work and why? Then: how can I improve?” Study Island then provides students the opportunity to do another session on the same topic in order to show improvement.


Here’s some more research data about Descriptive Feedback:
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/summerworkshop/searl/edlite-slide005.html
Why Descriptive Feedback?
The purpose of descriptive feedback is to provide opportunities for the learner to make adjustments and improvements toward mastery of a specified standard.
What is Descriptive Feedback?
Specific
Relates directly to the learning
Comparison to models, samples, exemplars
Related to performance, not personal
(adapted from Davies, 2000)
What does the research say?
• Clear, concise feedback matched to standards will promote student achievement. (O’Connor 2002)
• Feedback generally produces positive results if teachers manage the form the feedback takes. (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollack 2001)
• Specific, descriptive feedback that focuses on success and points the way to improvement has a positive effect. (Davies 2002)
• Students must be given the opportunity to apply the feedback by trying again. (Black & Wiliam 1998)

Question
If descriptive feedback helps students make adjustments to learning in order to improve, what are the implications for instruction and assessment?

What does the research say?
Students must be given the opportunity to apply the feedback by trying again.
(Black & Wiliam 1998)
• Assessments are formative when teachers compare students’ actual and reference levels and then use the information to help students move closer to the standard
• Provide students with opportunities to practice getting closer to the target
• Provide teachers with opportunities to give descriptive feedback

Classroom Implications—Where to begin?
Begin at the end!
What product are you looking for?
What are the grade level standards?
Where are your students in relation to the standard?

References• Black, P., Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (2), 139-149.
• Davies, A. (2000). Making Classroom Assessment Work. Courtenay: Connections Publishing
• Marzano, R., Pickering, J., Pollock, D., (2001). Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria: ASCD
• O’Connor, K. (2002). How to Grade for Learning. Glenview: Pearson
• Saphier, J., Gower, R. (1997). The Skillful Teacher. Acton: Research for Better Teaching, Inc.

How can I use Study Island with my Special Education students?

1. Restrict Students to a Certain Grade Level: Students can work on grade level material appropriate to their Individual Education Plan (IEP), AND you can hide the grade level they are working on, so the student will not know.

Restricting students to one grade level:

a. From the admin page, or teacher page (if your admin grants you access), click on Adjust Student Difficulty.
b. Under Option 2, select a class or grade level.
c. Check off the student names you wish to adjust on the left side of the screen.
d. Select the restricted grade level.
e. Check the box “Hide Grade Level From User”.
f. Select “Restrict User(s) To This Level”.

Any time you wish to make changes, simply follow the instructions listed above.

2. Adjust Passing Parameters: You can adjust the percentage required to achieve the blue ribbon. This can increase the student’s self-esteem, and motivate them while using Study Island. Please note that this does not change the difficulty of the material, just the percentage required to pass the topic.

Adjusting Passing Parameters:
a. From the admin or teacher page (if your admin grants you access), select “Adjust Student Difficulty”.
b. Under Option 1 use the arrow down box to select a program.
c. Next, use the drop down box to select a class.
d. Select “Next”.
e. Check off the students’ names you wish to adjust on the left side of the screen.
f. Select the subject you wish to change from the drop down box.
g. Select your parameters next to Passing Level.
h. Select “Set Passing Level”.

3. Individual Subject Reports: Use these reports to assist your decision making process when writing Individual Education Plans (IEPs). While viewing this report, you will be able to see the topics in which the student is exceeding, as opposed to which topics need improvement. Spotting which goals/objectives should be placed on the IEP has never been easier!!

Finding the Individual Subject Report:

a. From the admin or teacher page, select School Stats Page.
b. Select Individual Student Report for Report Type.
c. Select a Class.
d. Select a Student.
e. Select a Program (This will default to the grade that the student is enrolled in, however, if they are working on a different grade level than they are enrolled in, you will have to select the program you wish to view.)
f. Select a Subject.
g. Select View Report.
h. Once the report appears, you can select Suggested Topics.

***Remember you can select “Standard” from the report screen to view the KCC standard being addressed.

The Individual Subject Report is also printable, which makes it a handy document to carry along with you to Admission/Review/Dismissal (ARD)/Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings. This allows you to share with the committee how you came about determining your goals/objectives for your special education student(s).

4. Utilizing the Printable Worksheet:
• Print 1 or more topics for review in this mode.
• The teacher or students cut the questions apart as well as the answers. Students will work the problems and match them to the answer slips.
• Pair students together or work one-on-one with them to work individual problems.
• Make a transparency of the worksheet and use it as a whole class lesson.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to utilizing this program to meet the needs of special education students! Please do not hesitate to check with our Customer Implementation Team for more ideas!

The Clicker People

We are thrilled that schools will now be able to use Study Island with CPS (Classroom Performance Systems) through eInstruction. Many of us know them as the clicker people!

Students will be able to use their clickers as a study mode within Study Island. Students' results will be saved into the Study Island system for reporting in the same way that data is saved when students are logged into the program. Students are each assigned a clicker and teachers can either pull up the question through a projector in front of the room, or students can use the clickers to answer questions on a printable worksheet. Even when using the printable worksheet, if students are using the clickers to answer the Study Island questions, the program scores them and their data is saved.

If your school has a set of CPS clickers, but limited lab availability, this is a great way to gauge student proficiency on a topic without even leaving your classroom!

How to Use Federal Funding to Purchase Study Island

No Child Left Behind (NCLB), re-authorized in 2005, is the common name for the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) originally enacted in 1965. Assessment of students and schools plus accountability to parents and the community are key factors of NCLB. Among other things, the act mandates assessments, in the form of tests, of various subject matters for students in certain grades; assuring that the school staff is “highly qualified”; and it calls for providing parents with access to information and choices.

Study Island was conceived and developed in response to the need of schools to meet the goals of NCLB’s requirements. Since 2000, Study Island has examined individual state’s learning standards and developed programs designed to help teachers and administrators ensure that students were able to meet the goals of NCLB and their specific state standards.

The good news is that research documentation consistently shows that the use of Study Island significantly increases student test scores! In addition, Study Island helps reduce the amount of time teachers spend on administrative duties and increases the amount of time for individualized instruction and “target teaching”; all the while promoting increased interaction between the school and the home.

Currently, over a 6 million students in more than 15,000 schools coast to coast are better mastering their state standards and boosting their test scores by using Study Island. Many of those schools are utilizing federal (Title) funds to make Study Island available for their students. This document is designed to assist you in selecting federal funds available to support Study Island.

TITLE I—IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF THE DISADVANTAGED

Study Island provides programs that help schools meet the goals of Title I by:
· Promoting mastery of challenging academic standards for all students with lessons, reviews, assessments and reinforcements directly aligned with state standards
· Increasing accountability of students and schools by providing detailed reports that show just where a student, or a class, stands in their mastery of the required standards
· For reported areas of weakness, providing guidance and opportunities for individualized instruction and target teaching designed to help students master standards and boost test scores
· Offering professional development for teachers and administrators to ensure standards-based instruction and seamless technology integration
· Providing parents with real-time reports of how their child stands in the mastery of required standards and meaningful opportunities to participate in their child’s education

TITLE II—PREPARING, TRAINING, AND RECRUITING HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS
Study Island provides programs that help schools meet the goals of Title II by:
· Improving teacher quality through professional development designed to improve student achievement using research-based programs directly aligned with challenging state standards
· Offering professional development for teachers and administrators to ensure standards-based instruction and seamless technology integration
· Promoting communication among parents, teachers, administrators and students through the use of technology
· Providing parents with real-time reports of how their child stands in the mastery of required standards and meaningful opportunities to participate in their child’s education through the use of technology

TITLE III—LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION FOR LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT CHILDREN AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
Study Island provides programs that help schools meet the goals of Title III by:
· Promoting a focus on the mastery of challenging state standards by all children
· Providing standards-based, academic content instruction and assessment programs for all children
· Promoting communication among parents, teachers, administrators and students through the use of technology
· Providing parents with real-time reports of how their child stands in the mastery of required standards and meaningful opportunities to participate in their child’s education through the use of technology
· Helping schools measure their march towards adequate yearly progress (AYP)

TITLE IV—21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS
Study Island provides programs that help schools meet the goals of Title IV by:
· Providing programs that are designed to assist students in the mastery of challenging state standards through review, remediation and enrichment activities provided during out-of-school time
· Extending the learning day by allowing access to Study Island programs 24/7/365 through the use of technology
· Promoting communication among parents, teachers, administrators and students through the use of technology
· Providing parents with real-time reports of how their child stands in the mastery of required standards and meaningful opportunities to participate in their child’s education through the use of technology
· Contributing to the reduction of drug use and violence in the community by offering exciting, engaging, efficient and effective standards-based learning opportunities activities that extend for students and by making

TITLE V—PROMOTING INFORMED PARENTAL CHOICE AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS
Study Island provides programs that help schools meet the goals of Title V by:
· Providing schools with technology and tools to provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging state standards and student academic achievement standards
· Offering professional development to improve teacher quality by using technology effectively in the classrooms
· Providing schools with standards-based instructional and assessment tools that promote high academic standards and improve student academic achievement, including educationally disadvantaged students
· Providing schools with technology and tools that give teachers and administrators the knowledge and skills to provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging State standards and student academic achievement standards
· Providing schools with technology and tools to improve knowledge and skills in literacy, mathematics, science, and other subjects tested by the state assessment program
· Providing schools with technology and tools to serve underserved populations, including disadvantaged, illiterate, limited English proficient populations, and individuals with disabilities in mastering challenging state standards and improving assessment scores

Cool Links on many Study Island "Lessons"

At a recent training session, one teacher got really excited about the links at the bottom of the lesson page. These links, which are found on many, but not all lessons, takes you to additional resources (websites) for that topic area. This feature, that says “View Related Sites”, has links to Google sites and Education World sites.

It is a cool feature which can also be utilized when a teacher uses the "Class Page and Assignment" feature on the "Class Manager" page. Teachers should view the links provided from the lesson, select the top 2 or 3 then, add these as links on an assignment. I also suggest the teacher add a note that tells the students they can visit those sites for help and more information about the topic(s) that are a part of the assignment.

How can I implement Study Island with a limited number of computers?

1. Study Island Station- Use Study Island as a literacy or math station. You can do this by having students choose the topic you tell them in class or by setting up a class assignment on your class page. That way, you not only have students engaged in technology, but you will also have a built in record of what the student was doing at that station for the day.
2. Study Island Tutoring- Utilize Study Island during tutoring by teaching a mini-lesson to your whole tutoring group and then breaking students into smaller subgroups. Have one group of students practice the skill on Study Island while you work intensively with the other part of the group. After 15-20 minutes, have the groups switch places.
3. Guided Study Island- Use Study Island as a guided practice in your teacher station for guided reading or math. Organize your students into small groups by using the Class Manager feature on Study Island. Plan what skill you will focus on and create class assignments for each of your small group classes that have between 2-5 questions. You can even set the passing parameters based on the level of the group to match the ability level you will be working with. Then, introduce the skill during guided reading or math. For guided practice, have students login to Study Island to complete the assignment you created. By having them work on Study Island during the teacher rotation, you will have the ability to direct them to the class assignment you want them to take. You will also be able to have “teachable” moments to re-teach as you go.
4. Computer Station for Fast Finishers- Utilize Study Island on your class computers as students are finishing daily assignments. Put the topic of the week on a checklist by the computer station and have students check off their names as they finish.
5. Printable Worksheet Fun- Use the printable worksheet function to create class worksheets or cut the problems apart to create games.
6. Study Island as an Instructional Tool- Project Study Island onto a television or projector screen for all students to see using your teacher computer. By doing this you could:

a. Use a Study Island question as a warm up to introduce a lesson.

b. Make Study Island part of your daily morning practice.

c. Study as a class by talking through a test mode topic. Students could solve questions as you go by using dry erase boards or paper.

d. Utilize the last 5 minutes before the bell by playing Study Island game mode as a class.

e. Project Study Island at the end of a lesson or science experiment for a mini quiz to reinforce the concepts just practiced.

Have any good ideas of your own? Let me know and I'll post them here for others to see.

Using the Study Island "Printable Worksheet" feature

Study Island originally added this feature because of the feedback from teachers that said “all my students don’t have internet at home”. This feature allows everyone to work on standards-based questions with or without internet. However, it is just what it says it is – a worksheet that a teacher would print out—and someone needs to grade it. It has been truly inspiring to experience the ingenuity and creativity of teachers in how they utilize this feature. Nowadays, with all the technology available in some schools, we hear how teachers are using this feature as whole class, small group and, even individualized instruction as they project the page onto a screen or SMART Board or simply display it on a television screen for all to see.

Teachers can then bring up any Study Island topic and start using the questions as a basis for direct instruction. They can provide as much, or as little, help/instruction as they wish as they scroll down to each question. Prime emphasis #1: after the set-up and question and possible answers have been reviewed, teachers should ask the key question, “What is this question really asking?” This is a great test-taking skill to build with students to help assure they answer the question that is actually being asked. The students then bubble in their answers on their worksheets. Prime emphasis #2: teachers should have students write out why they think that is the correct answer; how did they determined that to be the correct answer; what evidence led them to conclude the best answer.

After the last question of the worksheet is answered, teachers can then collect the papers to grade with the supplied answer key or, better yet, have students grade their own. A key feature comes next as teachers continue to scroll down to display the explanations! Now teachers can instigate a class discussion, which becomes a wonderful “teachable moment” in how to write good explanations as the students compare their explanations and reasoning with what they see on the screen and with each other. This strategy really helps students focus on how to think and reason in order to answer similar questions and not so much on just getting the answer.

Next, teachers can simply scroll to the top of the screen, and click on the button to “Hide Answers” and “BAM!”, there you are with a set of prompts for open-ended/written response questions for the students to show what they have just learned during the direct instruction. Teachers, again, are given the all answers – in long-form – and all the explanations to review with the students just like before with the multiple choice option. This strategy is terrific for developing Depth of Knowledge (DOK) skills in students!

Additionally, the “Printable Worksheet” feature is invaluable when the regular classroom teacher has to be out of the classroom and a substitute is needed. Teachers no longer have to leave generic, “keep-the-kids-busy” activities for the sub. Now, the sub can be equipped with great standards-based questions, with and/or without multiple-choice answers shown; all the answers to both forms of questions; and all the explanations to both forms of questions.

The “Printable Worksheet” can also be saved as a MS Word document which is then fully editable. Teachers can add follow-up questions, add graphics, cut-and-paste to group certain types of questions, etc. This feature presents a perfect opportunity for students to explore DOK 2, 3, and 4 level questions further by having them “describe”, “explain”, “analyze”, etc. in their own words. Remember, every time the “Printable Worksheet” is selected, the Study Island program dips into the database of questions and pulls up a random set of questions. Teachers can print several different sets of worksheets to give to the class if they wish –even a different worksheet for each student!

The “Printable Worksheet” is a fantastic tool for teachers to use to help their students master their required KCC standards and, thus, increase their KCCT scores!



Here are some terms and examples of activities to use with Study Island when using the “Printable Worksheet” as direct instruction for developing DOK skills with your students. (These came from the KDE website with an acknowledgement at the end of the list.)

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels
Level One (Recall)
Arrange Calculate
Define
Draw
Identify
Level One Activities
· Recall elements and details of story structure, such as sequence of events, character, plot and setting.
· Conduct basic mathematical calculations.
· Label locations on a map.
· Represent in words or diagrams a scientific concept or relationship.
· Perform routine procedures like measuring length or using punctuation marks correctly.
· Describe the features of a place or people.List
Memorize
Label
Illustrate
Measure
Report
Match
Recall
Recite
Tell
State
Tabulate
Recognize
Use
Name
Who, Where What, When, Why

Level Two (Skill/Concept)
Graph
Describe
Explain
Analyze
Classify
Level Two Activities
· Identify and summarize the major events in a narrative.
· Use context cues to identify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
· Solve routine multiple-step problems.
· Describe the cause/effect of a particular event.
· Identify patterns in events or behavior.
· Formulate a routine problem given data and conditions.
· Organize, represent and interpret data.
Separate
Cause/Effect
Estimate
Compare
Contrast
Estimate
Relate
Infer
Categorize
Collect and Display
Identify Patterns
Organize
Construct
Modify
Predict
Interpret
Distinguish
Use Content Clues
Make Observations
Summarize
Show

Level Three (Strategic Thinking)
Level Three Activities
· Support ideas with details and examples.
· Use voice appropriate to the purpose and audience.
· Identify research questions and design investigations for a scientific problem.
· Develop a scientific model for a complex situation.
· Determine the author’s purpose and describe how it affects the interpretation of a reading selection.
· Apply a concept in other contexts.
Revise
Apprise
Develop a Logical Argument
Assess
Construct
Compare
Use Concepts to Solve
Non-Routine Problems
Critique
Formulate
Draw Conclusions
Investigate
Differentiate
Cite Evidence
Hypothesize

Level Four Activities
· Conduct a project that requires specifying a problem, designing and conducting an experiment, analyzing its data, and reporting results/ solutions.
· Apply mathematical model to illuminate a problem or situation.
· Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources.
· Describe and illustrate how common themes are found across texts from different cultures.
· Design a mathematical model to inform and solve a practical or abstract situation.
Level Four (Extended Thinking)
Design
Connect
Synthesize
Apply Concepts
Critique
Analyze
Create
Prove





Webb, Norman L. and others. “Web Alignment Tool” 24 July 2005. Wisconsin Center of Educational Research. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2 Feb. 2006. .