High Dosage Tutoring Addresses Tier 2, but What about Tier 1 Yes, high dosage tutoring can be a very effective way to bring students up to grade level. But based on the data, grade level is not what it was before the pandemic, even in the top performing schools. And it’s not just academics. Most educators are as worried…
The mental toll of the pandemic, and corresponding ESSER-recommended funding, put SEL (social and emotional learning) top of mind in schools. The benefits of SEL aren’t new. What is new is the broader awareness and heightened sense of urgency to address SEL. And yet there’s little agreement on how. Maybe until now. Maslow’s Hierarchy and SEL After reflecting…
Last week, the College Board announced its new format for the adaptive SAT. It launches at international sites in Spring 2023 and in Spring of 2024 in the US. The changes seem to have been made with an eye towards convenience and accessibility. A shorter test with quick results will be tempting for many students.…
Defining High Dosage Tutoring Districts across the country are addressing learning loss by offering in-school “high dosage small group tutoring.” If you’re wondering what it is, or better yet, how it’s different from RtI or small group instruction the short answer is this: it’s the same. It’s the practice of teaching students based on mastery level, not grade level. It is…
Why now more than ever Anyone who’s been in a school building this year can tell you they’ve never seen anything like it. Not the masks and the social distancing. We all know that. I’m referring to the teacher exhaustion. The constant stress of trying to care for their students’ social and emotional needs and making…
We know it’s been a long year. Your faculty and staff are exhausted and it’s only November. Everyone feels like they can’t do another thing, yet students need more support now than ever before. Consider adding gratitude journals to every classroom. Gratitude journals can have universal benefits and won’t create additional work for already exhausted teachers.…
Addressing the pervasive “unexpected behavior challenges” can be a slippery slope. What we’re hearing… Whether it’s California, Massachusetts or Texas, urban, suburban or rural, public or private, we hear the same concern from our schools: “We’ve never seen behavior like this before. It’s not just the students. It’s adults too.” Of course, we all know the reasons: stress, anxiety, depression, too long…
For those of us who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s the reference to Choose Your Own Adventure books likely brings a nostalgic smile. What was it we universally loved so much? They certainly weren’t the best written stories. But, they empowered us. We chose the plot. We made the character’s decisions. One could say we had…
Despite what social media might have you believe, the academic Three R’s, Reading, (w)Riting and (a)Rithmetic, are still the foundation for all learning. Without these essential skills, students will not have the building blocks for the higher-order thinking that drives 21st century skills like computation, communication and collaboration. This back-to-school, students of all ages might struggle…
This back-to-school year don’t just prioritize SEL but focus on the social and emotional skills that will be most important after a year of non-traditional learning. Here are our top recommendations based on the CASEL Framework, the predominant SEL framework in US K12 schools. 1. Start with Relationship Skills Typically students naturally develop Relationship Skills through daily in-school interactions…