Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23867 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 218 pages

Customer Reviews

A Guide to Truely Meeting Students' Needs
Changes in assessment and grading practices is a paradigm shift for most educators. Rick Wormeli does an excellent job in hosting that conversation in way that allows readers to reflect on what's best for students, what is essential that assessment data ought to provide, and how to collect and report in ways that is helpful to the teacher, parents, and student. Non-confrontational, incorporates diverse views, he ultimately guides readers to important decisions we must make regarding practice. If teaching is about what's best for students, how must I finetune, change, or adapt my practices to best support learners.

What to expect:
Address quality elements of good assessment and grading practices based on getting an accurate understanding of student learning. Provides strategies and different views for thinking and methods for effective assessment and grading. Great for teachers and administrators.

Makes for an excellent book study for schools and districts looking to build clarity in assessing student learning. Wormeli includes quotes from many educators that are great for discussion as the views expressed are not always in agreement. This enhances the conversation as the author addresses the quotes within his own conversation with the reader.

I found it highly effective in helping schools and districts reflect and make the paradigm shift that they want and need to do. Read and be changed. :)

Summer Reading for Teachers (or Weekend Reading, If Summer's Over!)
Just out in 2006, Rick Wormeli's FAIR ISN'T ALWAYS EQUAL has the latest research on teaching (especially middle and high school) pulled together nicely in one 200-page package. For me, a lot of it was necessary review and reaffirmation of differentiated instruction, standards-based instruction, and various strategies I've read about but haven't gotten around to using. For beginning teachers or veteran teachers whose schools are converting to the standards-based and/or differentiated instruction mode of instructing, it is a terrific primer and source of discussion.

That's all well and good (and a terrific learning tool for teachers), but what really appeals is how Wormeli wades into some hot-button topics like grading (he calls it the "elephant in the room" we don't want to discuss). In addition to issues of assessment, fairness, and mastery teaching, Wormeli brings up whether or not we should grade participation, effort, behavior, and attendance. My school has been debating this very topic of late, and Wormeli not only provides both points of view, he dives into the debate fearlessly by taking a stand and giving a well-reasoned defense of his view.

In addition, there's loads of practical stuff on how to teach students of various abilities, how to keep a grade book, how to structure report cards, and how to create fair tests.

This would be a great professional reading "book group" choice for teachers to read, annotate, then discuss. As it uses the "See Inside" feature here at amazon, I recommend you check out the Table of Contents for a look at what's inside. It won't disappoint.

Teachers: Read This!
This is a good read for all teachers. It will make you think as well as give strategies for differentiating.