Formative Assessment Tools and the Science of Teaching There are two critical keys to exceptional teaching. The first, effective transmission of content and skills as measured by formative assessment (short and medium cycle) and summative assessment. This scientific approach to student mastery relies on rigorous measurement. It is the key to identifying what doesn't work and improving on what does. [...]
Quick Key Mobile Made The Top Ten! Quick Key is honored to be ranked number 6 on Edsurge's Top Ten S'cool Tools in quarter two of 2014. This honor is shared by all the members of our Quick Key community, in schools and in Social Media that help us to share Quick Key with teachers and [...]
Michael Mabry In The Age of Technology, the Human Element is More Important than Ever. According to Maria Konnikova of the New York Times, hand writing is an important part of brain development and literacy. Konnikova states "Cursive or not, the benefits of writing by hand extend beyond childhood. For adults, typing may be a fast [...]
A classroom schedule in Tempe, Ariz. Many reports have highlighted a persistent gulf in test results between the rich and the poor. CreditJim Wilson/The New York Times According to the New York Times, "socioeconomic background explains 15 percent of the variation in the performance of American students, far more than in high-performing countries like Finland, Japan [...]
Vanessa Brewer Credit Bill McCullough for The New York Times According to a recent New York Times article, "More than 40 percent of American students who start at four-year colleges haven’t earned a degree after six years. If you include community-college students in the tabulation, the dropout rate is more than half, worse than any other country [...]
Both the Middle School for Arts and Philosophy and Kings Collegiate Charter School are housed at PS 588 in Brownsville, N.Y. Credit Christopher Gregory for The New York Times It is not an understatement to say that there is tension between Charter Schools and Public Schools. According to the New York Times, “'It’s like putting a Burger [...]
First lady Michelle Obama delivers the commencement address to graduates of Dillard University in New Orleans, Saturday, May 10, 2014. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman) | ASSOCIATED PRESS The First Lady of the United States gave a commencement speech at Dillard University in New Orleans. The speech gave context to the struggle that many Americans had to endure in [...]
This week Quick Key Mobile closed on a private placement with global education venture fund ARC Capital Development, LLC. And the hits just keep on coming! April was a big month for us here at Quick Key. We crossed over 250,000 total quizzes scanned since our launch in September, and over 5 million student responses recorded [...]
Louis C.K. painting by Cara & Louie When a popular comedian takes to social media to talk about the Common Core and testing the world takes notice. Louis C.K. took to Twitter to share his frustrations. According to C.K., “The teachers are great...But it’s changed in recent years. It’s all about these tests. It feels like a dark [...]
According to NPR, "The government released the latest national test scores on Wednesday, and the news isn't good: 12th-graders are headed toward graduation, but many don't have the skills they need to succeed in college or work." What is shocking is how anyone can be surprised. In the last few years the emphasis on high stakes [...]
