OnHand News

Apps for the Classroom

2011-01-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Ten of the very best educational apps for the classroom have recently been listed by eSchool News. If you are a teacher and you are looking for ways to integrate your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into your everyday classroom, then these apps are for you. Subjects range from science, to English, to mathematics- while prices range from $0.99 to $9.99.

via eSchool News

Online AP Courses

2011-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

More and more students have begun taking online Advanced Placement courses now that more have become available. Teachers and administrators are now wondering if the resources and instruction provided by online AP courses measure up to face-to-face instruction. The administers of AP Courses, The College Board, is considering changing AP Course requirements due to these new online AP Courses.

via Education Week

Online Resources to Replace Books

2011-01-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Rather than using "old-fashioned" textbooks, more and more students are visiting websites sponsored by the textbook companies to access free online resources to help them learn everything from algebra to home economics. Some textbook websites are even including an online interactive chalkboard feature with a teacher's voice for guidance through the lesson topics and various learning materials.

via KeepMeCurrent

Students Grouped by Ability

2011-01-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

A program headed by Success For All is beginning to expand around the country that emphasizes the study of phonics at the start of every student's education. This program won a major grant from President Obama's education intitiatives. Success for All encourages classroom teachers to follow a detailed plan that stressed collaboration, oral expression, and frequent assessment. Students will be grouped based on ability level rather than age.

via The Washington Post

The Next Generation of Testing

2010-09-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

$330 Million has been awarded to two groups (which include representatives from 44 states) to begin revitalizing the national standardized assessments. These groups will work with testing experts across the country to design computer based tests that are expected to be in place by the 2014-2015 school year.

The Full Story Here

Text Messaging to Learn Poetry?

2010-04-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

In one district, teachers are hoping that their students have their cell phones out during class. Why? Chester School District is using text messaging as an incentive to learn poetry. The students are using new media technology- their cell phones- to boil down poetry to the main point, and learn to communicate these ideas through a short message. Here's the really shocking part about this story: kids using the new method answered twice as many poetry questions correctly on the state test.

Michigan Improves Curriculum

2010-04-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Students in Kalamazoo, Michigan have seen a great improvement in achievement over the past five years. More are passing state assessments, less are dropping out before graduating, and enrollment in advanced courses is increasing. What have teachers and administrators done to bring about this increase? Districts in the area brought in an outside company to re-evaluate their curriculum and make sure that it was alligned to state standards.

How excactly did Kalamazoo accomplish this?

Technology Is Essential

2010-04-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

A Harvard University professor discusses finding each student's "price point" in order to have truly effective instruction methods. Price point in the context of a classroom refers to the particular type of information that a student is ready to learn at their age/performance level. Professor Paul E. Peterson sees technology as an essential tool for being able to differentiate instruction.

Teaching to a Student's Price Point

Using Yoga to Stretch Minds

2010-04-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Physical Education classes in Pittsburgh Public Schools are taking a new approach to the traditional Phys Ed. curriculum. Teachers see many benefits of incorporating Yoga into the classes, the most significant of which being that the students perform the stretches at their own pace. The district hopes that yoga will help improve any body image issues, and give students the confidence to become involved in other physical activities.

Read more about Yoga in phys ed classes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Technology Aids Motivation

2010-04-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

"This is their medium, this is their future," a California teacher says in response to the recent $592,000 federal grant for technology that her district received.

SMART Boards, document cameras, and new laptops are just a few of the things that the grant was used to purchase. Teachers agree that the new technology keeps students engaged in the learning process. Textbooks come with supplementary online programs and students who may not have computer or Internet access at home are encouraged to use school computers to complete assignments. [source]

This story featured in: thedailybreeze.com

RTI is the "Last, Best Hope" to reach 100% Literacy Rates

2010-04-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

A University of Tennesee English professor and literacy expert believes that Response to Intervention is America's 'last, best hope' for achieving full literacy. Richard Allington has written many books on the subject, and has performed studies that prove that using the RTI methodology brings literacy rates up to an astounding 98% by the end of first or second grade. Allington also emphasizes the importance of effective professional development and high quality training for teachers.

EdWeek's article about RTI: Get It Here

OnHand Schools Gives PSSA Tips to Districts

2010-04-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Source: onhandschools.com

In an effort to increase student achievement on standardized testing in PA School Districts, OnHand Schools recently sent out a series of 5 emails containing helpful tips for teachers and administrators. These tips included information on appropriate testing environments, the importance of using benchmark assessments, and motivating students. Click the links below to view each tip, or visit the 'Forms' page of our website to view all five.

Read the tips here: Tip 1 | Tip 2 | Tip 3 | Tip 4 | Tip 5

District of the Month: April 2010

2010-04-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Keystone Oaks School District

Congratulations to Keystone Oaks School District for being named the OnHand Schools district of the month. Please visit http://www.onhandschools.com/Profiles.html to find out more about Keystone Oaks. A big thank you to Scott Hagy, High School Principal, for supplying us with a testimonial pertaining to how EdInsight is enhancing classrooms in his school.

Way to go, Keystone Oaks!

Moon Area SD Weighs New Curriculum

2010-04-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Moon Area School District in Pittsburgh is considering a new English curriculum in which students at the Senior level would get to choose between 8 different semester-long courses. This new K-12 curriculum would replace the one that Moon has been using for the past nine years. Some of the new courses would include: poetry, contemporary fiction, play writing and performance, as well as creative non-fiction writing.

Read more about Moon in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tennessee Teachers Create a Co-Op

2010-03-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

March 30, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Three teachers from a Tennessee school district have decided to work together to keep their students fresh and give them a new experience every day. They have combined their resources and divided everything into three categories: Traditional, Group, and Technology. All other resources were discarded, and they are moving forward together to create a new kind of learning environment for their students that constantly changes. Does it really work?

Get the full story: Classroom Co-Op

Florida School Allows Teachers to Create their Own Curriculum

2010-03-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

March 21, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

St. Mary's Episcopal Day School in Tampa, FL does not let their teachers tenure, but teachers say it is one of the best places to work. Why? St. Mary's does not participate in the state's standardized testing, so teachers are encouraged to create their own curriculum.

Read more about St. Mary's: TampaBay.com

Intel Gives AZ Teachers Tech Instruction

2010-03-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

March 15, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

A program called 'Intel Teach' is helping teachers in 66 Arizona Districts become more familiar with technology tools. Teachers are using this training to improve their skills in computer applications. Traning began in programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint but now has expanded to blogs, wikis, and web 2.0 tools. The intent of the program is to help teachers enhance learning through technology.

Read the full story: The Arizona Republic

Draft Released of National Academic Standards

2010-03-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

March 10, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

A draft of common national standards for English and math was released today by the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers. The proposal includes specific benchmarks that students should achieve at each grade level.

Read the full story: Education Week Online

How Large Should Classes Be?

2010-03-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

March 10, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Although thousands of teacher in Illinois schools will be receiving pink slips this month due to budget cuts, administrators are not worried about increased class sizes. Studies only show significant benefits in small class sizes in Kindergarten and First Grade. Administrators maintain that only slight benefits in small class size were observed through 8th grade.

Read the full story in: The Chicago Tribune

Pittsburgh Improves Teacher Effectiveness

2010-03-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

March 9, 2010 | Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The "Empowering Effective Teachers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools" plan has recently been announced. The plan includes seven initiatives to boost teacher effectiveness, such as expanded career opportunities, new methods for evaluating teachers and a new information-technology system for tracking and placing students and teachers.

Read the full story: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Everyday Mathematics Credited with Improving Scores

2010-03-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

March 8, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Washington D.C. administrators adopted the Everyday Mathematics curriculum that was developed by the University of Chicago and aims to make math more relevant for students, who practice their skills frequently with games.

Read the full story: The Washington Post

Georiga Test Scores Under Suspicion

2010-03-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

March 1, 2010 | Source: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

191 schools across the state of Georgia have shown evidence of tampering with standardized test scores, with teachers and administrators worried about keeping up with standards under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Read the full story: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Hampton Teacher Honored

2010-03-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

February 15, 2010 | Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Hampton Area School District teacher, Deborah Van Maele was honored on February 26 as the very first person to receive Prime State Theatre's "Inspiring Teachers Inspiring Readers" award. Deborah is currently a middle school teacher at Hampton and has been with the district for more than 25 years. Great job, Deborah!

Full story from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

District of the Month: March 2010

2010-03-01T04:56:00.000-08:00

Fox Chapel Area School District

Congratulations to Fox Chapel Area School District for being named the OnHand Schools district of the month. Please visit http://www.onhandschools.com/Profiles.html to find out more about Fox Chapel. A big thank you to Norton Grusky, Alicia Gismondi and Jill Tabis for supplying testimonials pertaining to how EdInsight is enhancing their classrooms.

Way to go, Fox Chapel!

Revision of National Science Standards

2010-02-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

A panel of experts assembled by the National Research Council has begun work on a new set of national science standards for schools. The "next generation" standards will focus science instruction on a smaller number of important concepts and will aim to deepen students' understanding of science in preference to learning disconnected facts and figures.

Full Story on EdWeek.org

Videos Reinforce Math Concepts

2010-02-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

A first-year math teacher at a Pennsylvania middle school is reinforcing math concepts with his students by creating and posting math videos on YouTube. Access to the site is blocked on school computers, so students watch Tyler Binkley's problem-solving videos at home as they complete assignments.

Patriot News, Harrisburg

AP Program Continues to Grow

2010-02-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

The nation's Advanced Placement program is continuing to expand, with 26.5% of this past May's senior class taking at least one test during high school, a College Board report released Wednesday showed. In 2009, high schools offered an average of 10 AP courses compared with seven in 2004.

Courtesy: The New York Times

Foreign Language Concepts to Teach Reading in South Carolina School

2010-02-22T05:19:00.000-08:00

February 22, 2010 | Source: ASCD SmartBrief

Teachers in the Charleston, South Carolina area are taking a new approach the reading courses within their districts. Using a program that began with special education students, teachers are approaching English as if it were a foreign language. The goal is to give students the foundation that they need to become better readers.

Courtesy: The Post and Courier