The Best Schools: Smart Answers
Selection from an article in Boston Magazine
September, 2005
By Katherine Ozment
See the full article with illustrations here.
What if there were a simple way to give every student more personal attention? What if teachers had more creative ways to teach math and reading, measure what kids really know, address the unique learning needs of boys and girls, and get parents involved in their children's education? At the area's boldest schools, these aren't idle questions--they're challenges being tackled head-on with imaginative solutions. PLUS: Exclusive rankings of the state's top elementary schools.
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TESTING 1-2-3
Challenge: Unless teachers intervene immediately, students who are struggling will continue to fall behind. Solution: Quiz students regularly in every subject to monitor their progress and provide quick remedies. Case Study: The Media and Technology Charter High School, Brighton.
Some progressive educators might balk at inundating students with even more tests in an already test-crazed age. Not Michael Goldstein, CEO and founder of the Media and Technology Charter High School in Brighton. "We think tests are good," Goldstein says. "They help you measure what kids know." First thing every Friday morning, his students take quizzes in all their classes. Tutors grade the short exams while the kids are at assembly: Each failing mark earns tutoring later that day, while kids who pass all the tests get to read for an hour and go home early. More than a motivational tool for students, these regular assessments also help teachers fine-tune lessons for the coming week.
The simple system had its genesis in an unlikely place. "We looked at cops in CompStat," Goldstein explains, referring to the software used to identify and stamp out crime hot spots. "If you measure results in a much more rapid way, you have a quicker feedback loop. We measure student performance more frequently and use the data to inform how we do our jobs."
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