Educators are now receiving training in student mental health
For those of you who work in education, it comes as no surprise that the discussion around student mental health is now prevalent, largely due to the increase in school violence and student suicide rates. Though these incidents are tragic as well as controversial, no...
ISTE18: We Came, We Saw, We Learned
We sent two ProgressBook employees to ISTE18 in Chicago for a 4-day immersion into edtech awesomeness. Here is just some of what they experienced and learned.
Top 15 Teacher Resources for the Classroom
As a former teacher turned writer for an educational software company, I have learned several things over my years in these two industries. Teachers need easy-to-use, easy-to-incorporate classroom resources. Technology resources are usually the easiest to access....
Making the Most of Your Holiday Break
With the winter holiday season rapidly approaching, students everywhere are counting down the days until they can stuff their textbooks into their lockers and not think about them until “next year.” It probably goes without saying that a lot of teachers are doing the...
Teacher Burnout: Rekindling the Fire
In the first installment of this piece, Teacher Burnout: Feeling the Burn, I shared with you several reasons why teacher burnout is so prevalent in the United States. But all hope is not lost! In this piece, you will discover ways in which you can prevent and reverse...
Teacher Burnout: Feeling the Burn
I began teaching in 2004. Before the start of the school year, the administration held a staff meeting. I remember sitting in awe as the principal recognized teachers beginning their 25th, 30th, and 35th years. That’s going to be me some day! I thought to myself,...
Guide Your Instruction through Common Assessments
District common assessments are a critical dimension of effective instruction. Common assessments provide specific information on each student's performance on standards and reveal what we should spend time on instructionally. The term "common assessment" may have an...
8 Features Tech Directors Want in Student Data Storage & Analytics
No one is more invested in student data management than district technology administrators. Am I right, tech directors, tech coordinators? After all, you are the folks who maintain this data and often spend countless hours gathering and disseminating valuable data...
Graduation Requirements for Class of 2018 Finalized With Ohio’s State Budget
The Class of 2018 finally has clarity for what they need to do to graduate. After a great deal of debate in educational and legislative circles over the past year, new pathways to graduation are now official for seniors beginning this fall. Governor John Kasich signed...
What it Takes to Lead a High-Performing School District
Wyoming City Schools, serving just under 2000 students, proves that small districts can achieve big results. Not only was their superintendent, Dr. Susan Lang, named the 2017 Ohio Superintendent of the Year for being an exemplary educational leader and innovator, but...
Teachers: Your Top 15 Summer Activities for a Great School Year
Teaching is one of the noblest professions known to man that brings many challenges and benefits. One of the attractive benefits of being a teacher, beyond the love of working with young people, is the opportunity to have time in the summer to pursue other interests,...
Blended Learning and LMS Use in Ohio Classrooms: ProgressBook Teacher Survey Results
We recently surveyed 3,900 Ohio PreK – 12 teachers (and ProgressBook users) about their approach to digital learning and use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in their classrooms. Our goal was to gather insight about what teachers currently use, want, or need from...
Ohio Delays ESSA Submission to Federal Government
In an earlier blog, I highlighted a number of important proposals in Ohio's plan submitted to the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) for compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) spent over a year gathering input...
Preparing Kids for State Tests: Less Time Than We Think!
All fifty states in the country are required to administer state assessments at the end of the school year to comply with the accountability measures laid out by the federal government. For example, all states MUST test students in English Language Arts (ELA) and math...
Ohio’s State Plan for ESSA
Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December of 2016, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has been busy preparing Ohio's draft plan which must be submitted to and approved by the U.S. Department of Education. The draft plan must adhere to...