Silver Strong & Associates’ "Tools for Thoughtful Assessment" Wins the 2015 Learning® Magazine Teachers’ Choice Award for Professional Development
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ (PRWEB) April 22, 2015 -- Schools across the country have recognized that improving classroom assessment leads to improvement in student achievement. Tools for Thoughtful Assessment offers answers to twelve key assessment questions teachers face, including:
- How will I identify and communicate learning goals to students?
- How will I prepare my students to produce high-quality work?
- How will I check for understanding throughout the instructional process?
- How will I help students improve their work through feedback and self-assessment?
"Tools for Thoughtful Assessment is being used as a professional development resource in hundreds of schools and districts nationwide," says co-author Matthew Perini. "We’re especially excited to win this Learning Magazine Teachers’ Choice Award for Professional Development because it recognizes the true intent of our book. Since the 'tools' are easy to implement in any classroom, this book represents a shift in professional development—it empowers teachers to try out new 'tools' from a common resource bank and encourages teachers to speak a common language and learn from each other."
Lindsay Vieira, principal in the Morris Plains School District (NJ), explains that "Tools for Thoughtful Assessment has transformed the work we do in our district. Teachers have a set of ‘go to’ tools they know will work to deepen student understanding, and administrators have a collection of ideas they can recommend to staff. We have seen a turn-around in our staff and student performance since integrating Tools for Thoughtful Assessment into our professional development program.”
A common challenge facing administrators is helping individual teachers grow, as no two teachers require the exact same professional development. With dozens of specific tools organized around key phases of instruction, Tools for Thoughtful Assessment meets this challenge directly, and provides administrators with tools to help all teachers meet their needs, their students’ needs, and their professional development goals.
The tools in Tools for Thoughtful Assessment have been used by schools and districts to support the professional development component of popular teacher evaluation models, including Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, Robert Marzano’s Teacher Evaluation Model, and The Thoughtful Classroom Teacher Effectiveness Framework.
This Learning® Magazine Teachers’ Choice Award for Professional Development is the second significant award for Tools for Thoughtful Assessment. The book also won a 2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Award for Education (Workbook/Resource).
Educators may obtain six free sample tools from Tools for Thoughtful Assessment by visiting: http://toolsforthoughtfulassessment.com/get-6-free-sample-tools/
TOOLS FOR THOUGHTFUL ASSESSMENT
published by Silver Strong & Associates - Thoughtful Education Press
Abigail L. Boutz, Harvey F. Silver, Joyce W. Jackson, Matthew J. Perini
AWARDS:
2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards, Bronze, Education I (Workbook/Resource)
2015 Learning® Magazine Teachers' Choice Award for Professional Development
CATEGORIES:
Education
Assessment & Evaluation
Professional Development
Paperback
ISBN 978-1-58284-200-4
$34.95
Available at http://www.ThoughtfulClassroom.com/Tools
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What education professionals are saying about Tools for Thoughtful Assessment:
"We've put Tools for Thoughtful Assessment into the hands of hundreds of K-12 teachers in our district. It is a wonderful professional development resource, and teachers are raving about its usefulness!"
--Linda D. Ruest, Instructional Specialist for Professional Development, Williamsville Central School District, NY
"This extensive and well-researched collection of instructional tools should be in every teacher's professional library."
--Arthur L. Costa, EdD, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Sacramento, CA
"This latest book follows the pattern that educators have come to expect from The Thoughtful Classroom folks—a thorough, well-researched, clearly written, and eminently practical toolkit. The use of these proven, teacher-friendly tools will unquestionably engage learners while enhancing the quality of classroom assessment practices."
--Jay McTighe, co-author of the Understanding by Design series
Praise from Learning® Magazine's Teacher Review Panel:
"I absolutely love the practicality of this product. This book is full of examples of ways to
assess the learning of students."
"This is a book that I would highly recommend to other teachers. In this age of
accountability, teachers need to have proof that their students are meeting the
expectations."
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About the Authors:
Abigail L. Boutz, PhD, has been an educator of elementary school through college students, and was a lecturer for UCLA's Life Sciences Department and Field Supervisor for its Teacher Education Program. With Silver Strong & Associates, she has developed numerous training modules and workshops on effective teaching.
Harvey F. Silver, EdD, president of Silver Strong & Associates, is the lead developer of The Thoughtful Classroom™, a professional development initiative dedicated to the goal of "making students as important as standards," and The Thoughtful Classroom Teacher Effectiveness Framework, a comprehensive system for observing, evaluating, and refining classroom practice. He has authored several bestsellers in education and conducts workshops in schools throughout the country.
Joyce W. Jackson has more than thirty years of classroom experience. She served as an educational recovery specialist in a turnaround school for the Kentucky Department of Education. With Silver Strong & Associates, she coaches and mentors educators across the country.
Matthew J. Perini has served as the director of publishing for Silver Strong & Associates and Thoughtful Education Press for over a decade, authoring numerous books, curriculum guides, and articles on a wide range of educational topics.
About the Publisher:
Silver Strong & Associates' Thoughtful Classroom program has helped hundreds of schools and districts improve teaching and learning in every classroom by offering the most personalized, hands-on approach to professional development. Thoughtful Education Press, the publishing division of Silver Strong & Associates, publishes practical resources for educators.
Matthew Perini, Silver Strong & Associates, http://www.ThoughtfulClassroom.com, +1 800-962-4432, [email protected]
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