Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Summer Reading List


Mr.Taylor's Summer Reading List 4th Grade.
Escape into magical lands and amazing adventures this summer. 

The Firework-Maker's DaughterFirework-Maker's Daughter [Paperback]
Publisher: Corgi Childrens (November 4, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780440866404
ISBN-13: 978-0440866404
ASIN: 0440866405




My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)

My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)
Publisher: Puffin Books (April 12, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780142401118
ISBN-13: 978-0142401118

The Phantom Tollbooth


The Phantom Tollbooth [Paperback]
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780394820378
ISBN-13: 978-0394820378
ASIN: 0394820371

Howl's Moving Castle




Howl's Moving Castle [Paperback]
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (April 22, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061478784
ISBN-13: 978-0061478789

A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1)


A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1) [Paperback]
Publisher: Spectra (September 28, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780553383041
ISBN-13: 978-0553383041
ASIN: 0553383043

The Cay


The Cay [Mass Market Paperback]
Publisher: Laurel Leaf (April 8, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780440229124
ISBN-13: 978-0440229124

George's Marvelous Medicine



George's Marvelous Medicine, by Roald Dahl
Publisher: Puffin (August 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780142410356
ISBN-13: 978-0142410356

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)



The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)
Publisher: HarperCollins (August 25, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006075589X
ISBN-13: 978-0064407663
ASIN: 0064407667


More to come!
Looking for students summer reading picks. 

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Best iPad Reading Apps For Toddlers, Kinders, and Preschoolers

Best iPad Apps For Kids, Toddlers, Kinders, Preschoolers, and  Newborns. The iPad is a great learning tool for parents and teachers that will change the way kids learn. 


1. 123 Color: Talking Coloring Book (English, Spanish, French, and German Voice-Overs Included)
http://itunes.apple.com


2.  The Cat In The Hat Dr Seuss iPad App 
The Dr. Seuss classic "The Cat in the Hat," one of the top selling children's books of all time, is now available for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

3. Actionboox Mika´s Adventure for the iPad
Be spellbound as you enter a magical new world and experience Mika's story come vividly to life at your fingertips. Compelling animations, sound effects and interactive challenges combine to create a truly immersive reading experience in this outstanding new app.
"A dream is about to come true for Mika: For the first time in his life, he sets out to accompany his granny on one of her expeditions. On the day of their first joint exploration, the two have discovered a forest no one knew about to date. They anchor their airship-- the Albatross -- in the top branches of the highest trees and make their slow descent into the emerald green thick brush."
And just as Mika has much to discover and experience along the way, so too does the reader. With its feast of interactive animations and challenging puzzles, this new app immerses you in Mika's adventure throughout -- delivering a brand new kind of reading experience.




4. Magic Piano for iPad Not 
Really For Reading But Great Fun!
From concert pianists to curious cats, Magic Piano has captured the imagination of the world. Experience the #1 music app in over 80 countries and add your songs to the 5 million already played. Create your own music or enjoy the app’s 45 free classic and popular tunes. No practice or patience required!


5 Miss Spider's Bedtime Story for iPad is "a storybook that other storybooks should aspire to.” –Best Kids Apps
Read, watch, listen, and play with Miss Spider and her buggy bunch as they earn special sleepy-time rewards in this interactive story that is really five apps in one. With multi-touch animation, painting, puzzles, and games, Miss Spider’s Bedtime Story for iPad reinvents the reading experience for the entire family. Make bedtime fun time with Miss Spider and her friendly bug pack. If you’re not completely amazed by Miss Spider’s app, Callaway Digital Arts will refund your money, guaranteed.

SPECIAL FEATURES: -Watch story in lush 3-D CGI animation -Touch images for multimedia surprises -Read or follow along with spoken narration -Play games, solve puzzles, and paint pictures -Listen to original music and sound effects

ABOUT THE STORY: Everybuggy in the Spider family is just too busy to get to sleep on time. What’s a spider mom to do? Luckily, Miss Spider and Holley find a creative way to get the kids’ nighttime routine under control—and realize they may need a bit of help getting to bed, too!



http://itunes.apple.com



6. Grimm's Rapunzel - 3D Interactive Pop-up Book

Ideal Binary has taken the Grimm Brothers classic and updated it with modern language, a host of dazzling, fully interactive pop-up scenes, wonderful music, narration and humorous sound effects.

Building on the PopIris™ eBook engine, Grimm’s Rapunzel pushes the envelope further. Watch and interact as each pop-up scene brings the story to life by presenting simple tasks to perform, effectively weaving the reader into the fabric of the story. Carefully designed to keep young readers entertained, Grimm’s Rapunzel is sure to delight!

• Fully narrated in each language by professional actors.
• Full 3D experience - It’s just like a real book
• 30 beautifully presented pages of text
• 9 double-page interactive 3D pop-up scenes with simple tasks to perform
• Wonderfully illustrated, with beautiful, colorful imagery
• Read to Me, Read it Myself, and Autoplay modes
• Orient the book by dragging to see the 3D pop-up scenes in all their glory
• Touch or drag interactive elements and perform tasks in the 3D pop-up scenes
• Open and close the book on the reading desk
• Features a beautiful musical score and lots of amazing sound effects
• Highly optimized for smooth, seamless execution on all devices
• Language Support for English, French and German

Grimm’s Rapunzel is powered by PopIris™ from Ideal Binary. This brand new technology enables compelling and interactive 3D pop-up scenes to be created on the pages of our 3D eBooks. The first eBook to use PopIris™, Grimm's Rumpelstiltskin, was chosen by Apple as iPad App of the Week in twenty countries around the world. Grimm’s Rapunzel sees the PopIris™ technology advance even further.



7. Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin - 3D Interactive Pop-up Book

Introducing Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin, the world’s first fully 3D interactive pop-up book!
Ideal Binary has created a magical experience based on the wonderful children’s short story of Rumpelstiltskin by the Brother’s Grimm. Immerse yourself in an amazing new world with numerous pop-up scenes, characters and a beautiful musical score.
Watch as each pop-up scene brings the story to life. Carefully designed to keep young readers entertained, Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin is the perfect bedtime story!

• Fully narrated in each language by professional actors
• Full 3D experience - It’s just like a real book
• 30 beautifully presented pages of text
• 11 double-page interactive 3D pop-up scenes that complement the story
• Wonderfully illustrated, with beautiful, colorful imagery
• Orient the book by dragging to see the 3D pop-up scenes in all their glory
• Tap each pop-up character to see what they’re thinking
• Touch or drag interactive elements in the 3D pop-up scenes
• Open and close the book on the reading desk
• Features a beautiful musical score
• Presents the original, classic English translation from 1823 by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes

Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin is powered by PopIris™ from Ideal Binary. This brand new technology enables compelling and interactive 3D pop-up scenes to be created on the pages of our 3D eBooks.


Saturday, May 28, 2011

Common Core Standards Initiative


Common Core Standards Initiative: Crosswalks and Resources


Remember When We Had The Highest Education Standards? Neither Do I!


Remember when we had dreams of a free quality public education. We have the educationa­l system just the way many politician­s, publishers, and administra­tors want and like. TOP DOWN! After years of teaching factory canned literacy programs that most kids hate, that leaves them no desire to read. "Reading is boring" "Books have no value" many kids see reading as a big waste of time, never a path to a future "Happily Ever After" To help my students learn to read and dream we spend the first 20-25 days of schools reading great children's literature­. We explore powerful stories that inspire, motivate, and awaken the sleeping dreams. We live the stories and dream the dreams. What inspires today's kids to dream? Today's media driven consumerism kills dreams! Canned literacy programs inspire boredom! When the dream, dreams, the dreamer, inspiratio­n is assured. Happy ever afters, are made with a life of hard-work and dreams. Will the Common Core Standards Free Us?

Common Core Standards White Papers


Common Core's Standards Still Don't Make the Grade?

Common Core Standards concerns


Common Core State Standards - Additional Resources

Common Core State Standards Resources 

Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy
NY Common Core English Language Standards  

Links to Tier 2 Academic Vocabulary Resources
Identifying Tier 2 Academic Vocabulary 
Choosing Words To Teach
Effective Vocabulary Instruction
Oral Language Development Activities

Friday, May 27, 2011

Michelle Rhee Resume

Michelle Rhee Resume: SCHOOL reform 

IN THE FALL OF 2008, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR MICHELLE RHEE, HAVING JUST COMPLETED HER FIRST YEAR ON THE JOB, WAS CONFRONTED WITH A MAJOR CHEATING SCANDAL. AN ERASURE ANALYSIS REPORT FROM CTB MCGRAW-HILL, THE PUBLISHER OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (DC-CAS), DETECTED A HIGH NUMBER OF ERASURES. THEN, D.C. STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, DEBORAH A. GIST, ORDERED THE ANALYSIS AFTER NOTICING SIZEABLE GAINS IN STUDENT READING AND WRITING PROFICIENCY RATES AT SOME SCHOOLS. GIST SUBMITTED A LIST OF 26 SCHOOLS WITH PROFICIENCY GAINS OF 20 PERCENT OR MORE.

FORTY-FIVE OF 150 DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS (ALMOST A THIRD OF ALL DC SCHOOLS) HAD AT LEAST ONE CLASSROOM WITH AN ELEVATED ERASURE LEVEL IN 2008; THE DATA SHOWED THAT SUSPICIOUS ERASURES WERE MOST HEAVILY CONCENTRATED IN 3RD, 4TH, 5TH AND 6TH-GRADE CLASSROOMS AT A HALF-DOZEN SCHOOLS. (WASHINGTON POST)

SEVERAL SCHOOLS ON THE LIST DEMONSTRATED GAINS IN TEST SCORES BY 40, 50 AND NEARLY 60 PERCENTAGE POINTS. AITON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S TEST SCORES INCREASED IN READING BY NEARLY 30 PERCENT AND IN MATH BY MORE THAN 40 PERCENT.

HOWEVER, TWO SCHOOLS, SHARPE HEALTH SCHOOL AND MAMIE D. LEE SCHOOL, DEMONSTRATED THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPRESSIVE TEST SCORE GAINS DURING THE 2007/2008 SCHOOL YEAR; THE TWO SCHOOLS NETTED GAINS IN THE 50 TO 60 PERCENT RANGE. THIS FEAT WAS MOST REMARKABLE GIVEN THAT BOTH SCHOOLS ARE SELF-CONTAINED SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS SERVING STUDENTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DISABILITIES INCLUDING:

• MENTAL RETARDATION
• LEARNING DISABILITIES
• SPEECH OR LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT
• TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
• AUTISM
• EMOTIONAL DISABILITIES
• VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
• HEARING IMPAIRMENT
• ORTHOPEDIC DISABILITIES
• SEVERE MULTIPLE DISABILITIES
• OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENTS
• SEVERE ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT


MAMIE D. LEE, REMARKABLY, POSTED THE EXACT RATE OF STUDENT PROFICIENCY, 88.89%, IN BOTH READING AND MATH.

ON NOVEMBER 20, 2008, GIST ASKED RHEE TO "PLEASE TAKE THE APPROPRIATE STEPS TO INVESTIGATE THE RESULTS ENCLOSED AND PROVIDE A REPORT WITHIN 60 DAYS. NO IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION WAS EVER CONDUCTED. ALTHOUGH THE TEST ANOMALIES COULD HAVE INDICATED WIDE-SPREAD CHEATING OR BREACHES IN TESTING SECURITY PROTOCOLS, CHANCELLOR RHEE DID NOT THINK IT WAS NECESSARY. CHANCELLOR RHEE SAID: "GIVEN THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY DEVELOPED THE TEST SAID THAT IT WAS INCONCLUSIVE, WE JUST DIDN'T THINK IT WAS NECESSARY TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE CHEATING.” (WASHINGTON POST)

ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2009, WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITER BILL TURQUE WROTE:
“DESPITE TWO REQUESTS FROM THE DISTRICT'S OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, D.C. PUBLIC SCHOOL OFFICIALS NEVER PROVIDED EVIDENCE THAT THEY INVESTIGATED POSSIBLE CHEATING AT SOME SCHOOLS AFTER AN ANALYSIS SHOWED HIGH RATES OF ERASURES ON STANDARDIZED TESTS IN 2008, ACCORDING TO NEWLY RELEASED DOCUMENTS.”

WHY DID THE HIGH NUMBER OF ERASURES ON THE DC CAS NOT MERIT FURTHER INVESTIGATION? WHY DID CHANCELLOR MICHELLE RHEE, A “DATA-FOCUSED DECISION MAKER” AND CERTAINLY NO FAN OF DCPS TEACHERS, SQUASH AN INVESTIGATION THAT COULD SUPPORTED HER IN WEEDING OUT POOR PERFORMING, CORRUPT TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS? GIVEN THAT STANDARDIZED TEST DATA ARE THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND HER REFORM INITIATIVE THAT LINKS STUDENT PERFORMANCE TO TEACHER PERFORMANCE AND PAY, SHOULDN’T SHE HAVE ACTED TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE DATA?

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
WASHINGTON POST REPORTER BILL TURQUE WROTE: LAST FRIDAY, AFTER SPENDING THREE MONTHS CONSIDERING THE MATTER, DISTRICT OFFICIALS FINALLY RESPONDED TO A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST FOR AN ANALYSIS OF ANSWER SHEET ERASURES ON THE 2008 DC-CAS STANDARDIZED TESTS. WHEN THE DISTRICT FINALLY DELIVERED ITS FOIA RESPONSE, IT CAME WITH DATA TABLES, SOME E-MAILS AND...NO CTB STUDY. NOR WAS THERE A FOLLOW UP ANALYSIS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED BY THE AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH (AIR). THAT IS TO SAY, THERE WAS NOTHING THAT LOOKED LIKE A GOVERNMENT-COMMISSIONED STUDY, WITH A TRANSMITTAL LETTER, AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, A TABLE OF CONTENTS, ETC.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
ON WASHINGTON POST EDUCATION COLUMNIST, JAY MATHEWS, WROTE: “RHEE SAID SHE DID NOT OVERRULE GIST, WHO HAS SINCE LEFT D.C. TO BECOME RHODE ISLAND'S COMMISSIONER OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. INSTEAD, RHEE SAID, SHE ASKED GIST'S OFFICE FOR CLARIFICATION OF THE ERASURE REPORTS. SHE WANTED TO KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, WHICH CLASSES IN EACH SCHOOL SHOWED USUAL NUMBERS OF ANSWER CHANGES. SHE DID NOT GET ANSWERS TO SEVERAL OF HER QUESTIONS, SHE SAID. RHEE SAID THAT THE INVESTIGATOR NOT ONLY HAD SAID THE DATA WAS INCONCLUSIVE, BUT MADE IT CLEAR THAT "YOU CANNOT MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS THAT ANY CHEATING HAPPENED BASED ON THIS ANALYSIS."

WHAT WOULD A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE EXTRAORDINARY INCREASES IN DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ STUDENT TEST SCORES HAVE UNCOVERED INNOVATION AND GENUINE SUCCESS OR A CULTURE OF BRAZEN DECEPTION, CHEATING AND INTIMIDATION, WHICH SERVES TO DEEPEN THE CRISES OF DC’S POOR AND MINORITY CHILDREN WHO HAVE THE GREATEST NEED FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY?

CHANCELLOR RHEE SAID THAT THE STUDENT TEST SCORE GAINS DEMONSTRATED THAT THE APPROACH SHE USED IN HER FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE WAS WORKING. MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY PRAISED CHANCELLOR RHEE FOR BRINGING ABOUT A MIRACULOUS RISE IN TEST SCORES DURING HER FIRST YEAR ON THE JOB. CHANCELLOR RHEE IMPLEMENTED NO ACADEMIC INITIATIVES DURING THE 2007/2008 SCHOOL YEAR. FENTY CREDITS RHEE WITH AN 11% INCREASE IN STUDENT TEST SCORES, THE LARGEST GAIN IN THE NATION.

THE MAYORAL TAKE-OVER OF DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS ALL KEY PLAYERS AT BOTH STATE AND LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCIES APPOINTED BY OR REPORTING TO MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY INCLUDING: DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR MICHELLE RHEE, D.C. STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION KERI BRIGGS (DEBORAH GIST'S REPLACEMENT) AND DEPUTY MAYOR FOR EDUCATION, VICTOR REINOSO. THEY FUNCTION AS ENLIGHTENED DESPOTS WHO HOLD ABSOLUTE POWER OVER THE SCHOOL SYSTEM; THERE IS NO SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES THAT GIVES SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS A VOICE INTO ISSUES THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THEM AND THE DISTRICT’S CHILDREN.

DC CAS: SCHOOL YEAR 2008/2009
• MARCH 30, 2009: DURING THE WEEK OF MARCH 30, 2009, THE DC CAS ARRIVED AT DCPS LOCAL SCHOOL BUILDINGS; ACTUAL TESTING DID NOT BEGIN UNTIL APRIL 20, 2009. DC CAS TEST DOCUMENTS REMAINED IN LOCAL SCHOOL BUILDINGS A WEEK AFTER TEST ADMINISTRATION WAS COMPLETED.
• APRIL 20, 2009: ON MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009, STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-8 AND GRADE 10 BEGAN THE 2008-2009 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (DC CAS).
• NOVEMBER 24, 2009, “TWELVE SCHOOLS CITED FOR SUSPECT TEST RESULTS”
DISTRICT OFFICIALS HAVE ASKED 12 PUBLIC AND PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS WITH IRREGULARITIES IN THEIR 2009 DC-CAS STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS TO CONDUCT INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS. THAT LITTLE NEWS NUGGET WAS TUCKED INTO THE SEVENTH PARAGRAPH OF A JOINT STATEMENT BY MAYOR ADRIAN M. FENTY AND STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION KERRI BRIGGS--RELEASED SHORTLY AFTER 6 P.M. MONDAY--ANNOUNCING "IMPROVED AND STRENGTHENED TEST INTEGRITY MEASURES" THAT WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THE 2010 EXAMS IN MARCH. FENTY AND BRIGGS SAID THE NAMES OF THE SCHOOLS WOULD NOT BE RELEASED DURING THE ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS. (BILL TURQUE, WASHINGTON POST, NOVEMBER 24, 2009) IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A VERY LOW OPINION FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES AND AT THE SAME TIME DEMONSTRATE AN UNREASONABLE LEVEL OF TRUST?

A LITTLE BIT OF CHEATING GOES A LONG WAY IN MICHELLE RHEE’S VERSION OF SCHOOL REFORM; AND A WHOLE LOT OF CHEATING CAN THRUST YOU INTO THE SPOTLIGHT AS THE “IT GIRL” FOR EDUCATION REFORM IN AMERICA, BACKED BY CONSERVATIVE THINK TANKS AND PHILANTHROPISTS LIKE BILL GATES, ELI BROAD AND THE WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION. YOU MIGHT EVEN GET CAST AS A HEROIC PIONEER IN DAVIS GUGGENHEIM'S WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, A ROUSING PROPAGANDA PIECE DESIGNED TO PROSELYTIZE UNINFORMED AMERICAN PEOPLE.

RHEE CREATED A BOILER-ROOM ATMOSPHERE THAT GUARANTEED THAT DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS EMPLOYEES WOULD DO ANYTHING TO KEEP THEIR JOBS IN THE WORST ECONOMY SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION. RHEE PRESSURED PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS TURN UP THE HEAT ON TEACHERS AND STAFF. SHE TOOK A PAGE DIRECTLY FROM THE ROD PAIGE PLAYBOOK (FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, HISD). PAIGE GAVE PRINCIPALS ONE-YEAR CONTRACTS; HE GAVE CASH BONUSES TO THOSE WHO MADE HIM LOOK GOOD AND FIRED THOSE WHO DID NOT. DURING PAIGE’S TENURE AS HIS  SUPERINTENDENT, THE “TEXAS MIRACLE” HAPPENED; DROPOUT RATES PLUMMETED AND TEST SCORES SOARED.

RHEE CHANGED THE STATUS OF DC’S PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS TO “AT WILL” EMPLOYEES; AND LOCAL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS BECAME HER TEAM OF SERVILE HENCHMEN TO DO HER BIDDING. RHEE, LIKEWISE GAVE PRINCIPALS ONE-YEAR CONTRACTS; SHE GAVE CASH BONUSES TO THOSE WHO MADE HER LOOK GOOD AND FIRED THOSE WHO DID NOT. THE “DC MIRACLE” IS IN FULL SWING.

RHEE’S DEPARTURE FROM THE ROD PAIGE METHOD CAME WITH HER INNOVATIVE USE OF THE DC BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (DC BAS) THAT IS ADMINISTERED FOUR TIMES A YEAR TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-10. THE ASSESSMENT MEASURES STUDENTS’ PROGRESS ON EACH OF THE CATEGORIES IN READING AND MATH THAT ARE ASSESSED ON THE END-OF-YEAR STATE EXAM, THE DC COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (DC CAS). SCORING LEVELS ARE: GREEN-MASTERY, YELLOW-JUST IN TIME INTERVENTION AND RED-MAJOR SKILL PROBLEMS. IF A TEACHER’S STUDENTS SCORED AT LEVELS LESS THAN GREEN-MASTERY, INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS FROM RHEE’S OFFICE DESCENDED ON THE SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM WITH CLIPBOARDS AND CHECKLISTS, CONDUCTING FREQUENT OBSERVATIONS AND DELIVERING WARNINGS. THE PRINCIPAL WAS PUT ON HIGH ALERT; HIS/HER JOB WAS ON THE LINE TOO. THE MESSAGE WAS: GET TEST SCORES UP “BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.” THERE ARE COUNTLESS INSTANCES WHEN WHOLE CLASSROOMS MOVED FROM RED MASTERY LEVELS TO TOTALLY GREEN MASTERY LEVELS IN JUST SIX WEEKS WHEN THE NEXT ROUND OF TESTS WERE ADMINISTERED. ONLY WHEN STUDENT MASTERY LEVELS MOVED TO GREEN WAS THE “INTENSIVE SUPERVISION” TERMINATED. BY THE TIME THE DC CAS WAS ADMINISTERED IN THE SPRING, EVERYONE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE EXPECTED TO DO. MICHELLE RHEE HAD OBVIOUSLY SURMISED THAT GOOD EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES WOULD NOT INSTANTANEOUSLY YIELD BOOMING INCREASES IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS.

GUGGENHEIM'S WAITING FOR SUPERMAN PRESENTS THE VOICES OF POWERFUL BILLIONAIRE PHILANTHROPISTS TOUTING FAR RIGHT, RELIGIOUS RIGHT, AND NEOCONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGIES. TRAGICALLY, WHAT "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH" AND AL GORE DID FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, GUGGENHEIM'S "WAITING FOR SUPERMAN" AND MICHELLE RHEE COULD DO FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION.

GUGGENHEIM'S FILM SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION IS THAT TENURE PROTECTS BAD TEACHERS AND THAT UNIONS PROTECT TENURE. “IT IS PURE POLITICAL FABRICATION THAT TEACHER TENURE RULES MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET RID OF POOR TEACHERS. A RECENT STUDY BY THE NEW TEACHER PROJECT, THE ORGANIZATION THAT MICHELLE RHEE HERSELF CREATED AND SERVED AS ITS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT JUST PRIOR TO JOINING DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CLEARLY INDICATES THAT THE DIFFICULTY IN REMOVING INEFFECTIVE TEACHERS HAS MUCH MORE TO DO WITH POORLY TRAINED ADMINISTRATORS WHO HAVE FEW SKILLS AND INADEQUATE TOOLS TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EXCELLENT, AVERAGE, AND POOR TEACHING.

EDUCATION IS NOW AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS BECOME EXTRAORDINARILY CORRUPT. DURING THE LAST FOUR YEARS, NEWLY ARRIVING GENTRIFIERS AND BUSINESS INTERESTS HOPING TO EXPAND THE CHARTER SCHOOL INDUSTRY AND DEVELOP PRIME REAL ESTATE OWNED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAVE PLAYED MAJOR ROLES IN WASHINGTON, DC’S SHIFTING EDUCATION LANDSCAPE. DC’S FAILING SCHOOLS HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO SPECIAL INTEREST POLITICS; UNDER MICHELLE RHEE’S ADMINISTRATION, WHETHER OR NOT OUR CHILDREN LEARN MATTERS VERY LITTLE, AS LONG AS THERE IS “AN APPEARANCE OF LEARNING.”

ON SEPTEMBER 14TH, WASHINGTON DC’S LARGELY AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS ENDED THE SOVEREIGNTY OF MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY AND WERE MOST OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE IMPENDING DEPARTURE OF MICHELLE RHEE. EVERYWHERE, REPORTERS, PUNDITS, TALK-SHOW HOSTS AND BLOGGERS WHO OFTEN INUNDATE TV SEGMENTS, PRINT MEDIA AND THE INTERNET WITH INFORMATION SO FAR FROM THE TRUTH, STATED REPEATEDLY: BLACK D.C. RESIDENTS KICKED OUT A MAYOR WHO, ALONG WITH SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR, MICHELLE RHEE, WAS MAKING THE FIRST SERIOUS DIFFERENCE IN DECADES IN THE CITY'S NOTORIOUSLY DECREPIT SCHOOL SYSTEM.

NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. THE WASHINGTON DC VOTERS WHO VOTED OUT THE FENTY/RHEE “DECEPTIVE DUO” KNOW THAT BEYOND THE SOUND BITE, THERE IS NOTHING REMARKABLY VISIONARY GOING ON IN WASHINGTON, DC SCHOOLS.

WHEN BERNIE MADOFF AND HIS ACCOMPLICES EMBEZZLED BILLIONS FROM CLIENTS OUT OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST PONZI SCHEME, IT WASN’T THE TRADERS WHO RAN THE COMPANY WHO WERE SENT TO PRISON. INSTEAD, MADOFF HIMSELF EARNED A LIFE SENTENCE FOR THE COLLAPSE OF HIS SECURITIES FIRM. SO, TOO, SHOULD THOSE AT THE TOP OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED WIDESPREAD CHEATING DURING THE GEORGIA CRCT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED IN THEIR SCHOOLS. FOR TOP BRASS TO KEEP THEIR JOBS WOULD BE LIKE BP’S CEO TONY HAYWARD KEEPING CONTROL OF THE COMPANY DESPITE THE LARGEST OIL SPILL IN U.S. HISTORY. BEN SCAFIDI, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

“EDUCATION REFORM IS A POLITICAL PROCESS – IT IS TIED TO POLITICAL POWER AS REPRESENTED BY MONEY AND VOTES. THE INNER CITIES, WHERE THE SCHOOLS ARE WORST, DON’T HAVE MONEY AND DON’T VOTE.

“MONEY EQUALS POWER IN THE SCHOOL REFORM EQUATION. WHO CONTROLS THE FLOW OF MONEY WILL DETERMINE WHAT REFORMS TAKE PLACE.” JERRY HUME, JANUARY 30, 2003 EDUCATEEMPOWER

Fluency Drills: 6th Grade

Free Fluency Drills: 6th Grade
Use the Free PDF fluency drills below for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. This is a small sample from my Eclectic Speller that the students use to have fun reading and build reading fluency.

Sample Reading Fluency Drills all grades

John Carter: A Prisoner 
Reading Practice Passage

We had gone perhaps ten miles when the ground began to rise very rapidly.
We were, as I was later to learn, nearing the edge of one of Mars'
long-dead seas, in the bottom of which my encounter with the Martians
had taken place. WCPM 44

In a short time we gained the foot of the mountains, and after traversing
a narrow gorge came to an open valley, at the far extremity of which
was a low table land upon which I beheld an enormous city. Toward this
we galloped, entering it by what appeared to be a ruined roadway leading
out from the city, but only to the edge of the table land, where it
ended abruptly in a flight of broad steps. WCPM 125

Upon closer observation I saw as we passed them that the buildings
were deserted, and while not greatly decayed had the appearance of not
having been tenanted for years, possibly for ages. Toward the center of
the city was a large plaza, and upon this and in the buildings immediately
surrounding it were camped some nine or ten hundred creatures of
the same breed as my captors, for such I now considered them despite
the suave manner in which I had been trapped. WCPM 209

With the exception of their ornaments all were unclothed. The women varied
in appearance but little from the men, except that their tusks were
much larger in proportion to their height, in some instances curving
nearly to their high-set ears. Their bodies were smaller and lighter in color,
and their fingers and toes bore the rudiments of nails, which were entirely
lacking among the males. The adult females ranged in height from
ten to twelve feet. WCPM 289

What was the state of the dwellings in the city, particularly the state of habitation?
A. The dwellings seem to have recent tenants.
B. The dwellings are inhabited and in pristine condition.
C. The city is slightly damaged with no apparent habitation.

 John Carter: My Advent on Mars
 Reading Practice Passage

I opened my eyes upon a strange and weird landscape. I knew that I was
on Mars; not once did I question either my sanity or my wakefulness. I
was not asleep, no need for pinching here; my inner consciousness told
me as plainly that I was upon Mars as your conscious mind tells you that
you are upon Earth. You do not question the fact; neither did I.
I found myself lying prone upon a bed of yellowish, moss-like vegetation
which stretched around me in all directions for interminable miles. I
seemed to be lying in a deep, circular basin, along the outer verge of
which I could distinguish the irregularities of low hills. WCPM 115

It was midday, the sun was shining full upon me and the heat of it was
rather intense upon my unclothed body, yet no greater than would have
been true under similar conditions on an Arizona desert. Here and there
were slight outcroppings of quartz-bearing rock which glistened in the
sunlight; and a little to my left, perhaps a hundred yards, appeared a
low, walled enclosure about four feet in height. No water, and no other
vegetation than the moss was in evidence, and as I was somewhat thirsty
I determined to do a little exploring. WCPM 212

Springing to my feet I received my first Martian surprise, for the effort,
which on Earth would have brought me standing upright, carried me into
the Martian air to the height of about three yards. I alighted softly
upon the ground, however, without appreciable shock or jar. Now commenced
a series of evolutions which even then seemed ludicrous in the
extreme. I found that I must learn to walk all over again, as the muscular
exertion which carried me easily and safely upon Earth played strange
antics with me upon Mars. WCPM 303

The terrain is similar to the Arizona Desert in what way?
A. The rocks are shimmering and covered with moss.
B. The terrain is arid and hot with no deciduous flora.
C. The land looks like Arizona with cacti and large rock outcroppings.

Around the World in 80 Days: Fluency Drill / Reading Level 6.4
IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG SECURES A CURIOUS MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AT A FABULOUS PRICE Author: Jules Verne Chapter XI

The train had started punctually. Among the passengers were a number of officers, Government officials, and opium and indigo merchants, whose business called them to the eastern coast. Passepartout rode in the same carriage with his master, and a third passenger occupied a seat opposite to them.47WCPM This was Sir Francis Cromarty, one of Mr.Fogg's whist partners on the Mongolia, now on his way to join his corps at Benares. Sir Francis was a tall, fair man of fifty, who had greatly distinguished himself in the last Sepoy revolt. He made India his home, only paying brief visits to England at rare intervals; and was almost as familiar as a native with the customs, history, and character of India and its people. 123WCPM But Phileas Fogg, who was not travelling, but only describing a circumference, took no pains to inquire into these subjects; he was a solid body, traversing an orbit around the terrestrial globe, according to the laws of rational mechanics. He was at this moment calculating in his mind the number of hours spent since his departure from London, and, had it been in his nature to make a useless demonstration, would have rubbed his hands for satisfaction.201 Sir Francis Cromarty had observed the oddity of his travelling companion--although the only opportunity he had for studying him had been while he was dealing the cards, and between two rubbers—and questioned himself whether a human heart really beat beneath this coldexterior, and whether Phileas Fogg had any sense of the beauties of nature.258WCPM The brigadier-general was free to mentally confess that, of all the eccentric persons he had ever met, none was comparable to this product of the exact sciences.285 WCPM



Around the World in 80 Days: Fluency Drill / Reading Level 6.0

IN WHICH CERTAIN INCIDENTS ARE NARRATED WHICH ARE ONLY TO BE MET WITH ON AMERICAN RAILROADS Author: Jules Verne Chapter XXIX


Nothing could be more simple. Indeed, it was all so simple that Fix and Passepartout felt their hearts beating as if they would crack. They were listening for the whistle agreed upon, when suddenly savage cries resounded in the air, accompanied by reports which certainly did not issue from the car where the duelists were. The reports continued in front and the whole length of the train. Cries of terror proceeded
from the interior of the cars. 77 WCPM

Colonel Proctor and Mr. Fogg, revolvers in hand, hastily quitted their prison, and rushed forward where the noise was most clamorous. They then perceived that the train was attacked by a band of Sioux. 113 WCPM

This was not the first attempt of these daring Indians, for more than once they had waylaid trains on the road. A hundred of them had, according to their habit, jumped upon the steps without stopping the train, with the ease of a clown mounting a horse at full gallop. WCPM 165

The Sioux were armed with guns, from which came the reports, to which the passengers, who were almost all armed, responded by revolver-shots. WCPM 190

The Indians had first mounted the engine, and half stunned the engineer and stoker with blows from their muskets. A Sioux chief, wishing to stop the train, but not knowing how to work the regulator, had opened
wide instead of closing the steam-valve, and the locomotive was plunging forward with terrific velocity. WCPM 244

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: Fluency Drill / Reading Level 9.0
An Underwater Tour of the World By JULES VERNE
A Runaway Reef  CHAPTER 1

THE YEAR 1866 was marked by a bizarre development, an unexplained and downright inexplicable phenomenon that surely no one has forgotten. Without getting into those rumors that upset civilians
in the seaports and deranged the public mind even far inland, it must be said that professional seamen were especially alarmed. Traders, shipowners, captains of vessels, skippers, and master mariners from Europe and America, naval officers from every country, and at their heels the various national governments on these two continents, were all extremely disturbed by the business.92 WCPM

In essence, over a period of time several ships had encountered "an enormous thing" at sea, a long spindle-shaped object, sometimes giving off a phosphorescent glow, infinitely bigger and faster than any whale.121 WCPM

The relevant data on this apparition, as recorded in various logbooks, agreed pretty closely as to the structure of the object or creature in question, its unprecedented speed of movement, its startling
locomotive power, and the unique vitality with which it seemed to be gifted. If it was a cetacean, it exceeded in bulk any whale previously classified by science. No naturalist, neither Cuvier nor Lacépède, neither Professor Dumeril nor Professor de Quatrefages, would have accepted the existence of such a monster sight unseen-- specifically, unseen by their own scientific eyes. WCPM 213


Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas:
Fluency Drill / Reading Level 9.0
An Underwater Tour of the World By JULES VERNE

CHAPTER 11 The Nautilus

CAPTAIN NEMO stood up. I followed him. Contrived at the rear of the dining room, a double door opened, and I entered a room whose dimensions equaled the one I had just left.

It was a library. Tall, black-rosewood bookcases, inlaid with copperwork, held on their wide shelves a large number of uniformly bound books. These furnishings followed the contours of the room, their lower parts leading to huge couches upholstered in maroon leather and curved for maximum comfort. Light, movable reading stands, which could be pushed away or pulled near as desired, allowed books to be positioned on them for easy study. In the center stood a huge table covered with pamphlets, among which some  newspapers, long out of date, were visible. Electric light flooded this whole harmonious totality, falling from
four frosted half globes set in the scrollwork of the ceiling. I stared in genuine wonderment at this room so ingeniously laid out, and I couldn't believe my eyes. WCPM 161

"Captain Nemo," I told my host, who had just stretched out on a couch, "this is a library that would do credit to more than onecontinental palace, and I truly marvel to think it can go with you into the deepest seas." WCPM 206

"Where could one find greater silence or solitude, professor?" Captain Nemo replied. "Did your study at the museum afford you such a perfect retreat?"

"No, sir, and I might add that it's quite a humble one next to yours. You own 6,000 or 7,000 volumes here . . ." WCPM 257

"12,000, Professor Aronnax. They're my sole remaining ties with dry land. But I was done with the shore the day my Nautilus submerged for the first time under the waters. That day I purchased my last volumes, my last pamphlets, my last newspapers, and ever since I've chosen to believe that humanity no longer thinks or writes. In any event, professor, these books are at your disposal, and you may use them freely." WCPM 333


Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas:
Fluency Drill / Reading Level 12.0
An Underwater Tour of the World By JULES VERNE

CHAPTER 9 A Lost Continent/ATLANTIS


What lightning flashed through my mind! Atlantis, that ancient land of Meropis mentioned by the historian Theopompus; Plato's Atlantis; the continent whose very existence has been denied by such philosophers
and scientists as Origen, Porphyry, Iamblichus, d'Anville, Malte-Brun, and Humboldt, who entered its disappearance in the ledger of myths and folk tales; the country whose reality has nevertheless been accepted by such other thinkers as Posidonius, Pliny, Ammianus Marcellinus, Tertullian, Engel, Scherer, Tournefort, Buffon, and d'Avezac; I had this land right under my eyes, furnishing its own unimpeachable evidence of the catastrophe that had overtaken it! So this was the submerged region that had existed outside Europe, Asia, and Libya, beyond the Pillars of Hercules, home of those powerful Atlantean people against whom ancient Greece had waged its earliest wars! WCPM 120

The writer whose narratives record the lofty deeds of those heroic times is Plato himself. His dialogues Timaeus and Critias were drafted with the poet and legislator Solon as their inspiration, as it were. WCPM 166

One day Solon was conversing with some elderly wise men in the Egyptian capital of Sais, a town already 8,000 years of age, as documented by the annals engraved on the sacred walls of its temples. One of these elders related the history of another town 1,000 years older still. This original city of Athens, ninety centuries old, had been invaded and partly destroyed by the Atlanteans. These Atlanteans, he said, resided on an  immense continent greater than Africa and Asia combined, taking in an area that lay between latitude 12 degrees and 40 degrees north. Their dominion extended even to Egypt. They tried to enforce their rule as far as Greece, but they had to retreat before the indomitable resistance of the Hellenic people. Centuries passed. A cataclysm occurred--floods, earthquakes. A single night and day were enough to obliterate this Atlantis, whose highest peaks (Madeira, the Azores, the Canaries, the Cape Verde Islands) still emerge above the waves. WCPM 323


A Journey into the Interior of the Earth:
Fluency Drill / Reading Level 6.0
Chapter 27 Lost in the Bowels of the Earth by Jules Verne

To describe my despair would be impossible. No words could tell it. Idescribe my despair would be impossible. No words could tell it. Iwas buried alive, with the prospect before me of dying of hunger and
thirst. Mechanically I swept the ground with my hands. How dry and hard the rock seemed to me! But how had I left the course of the stream? For it was a terrible fact that it no longer ran at my side. Then I understood the reason of that fearful, silence, when for the last time I listened to hear if any sound from my companions could reach my ears. At the moment when I left the right road I had not noticed the absence of the stream. It is evident that at that moment a deviation had presented itself before me, whilst the Hansbach, following the caprice of another incline, had gone with my companions away into unknown depths. WCPM 146

How was I to return? There was not a trace of their footsteps or of my own, for the foot left no mark upon the granite floor. I racked my brain for a solution of this impracticable problem. One word described my position. Lost! Lost at an immeasurable depth! Thirty leagues of rock seemed to weigh upon my shoulders with a dreadful pressure. I felt crushed. I tried to carry back my ideas to things on the surface of the earth. I could scarcely succeed. Hamburg, the house in the Königstrasse, my poor Gräuben, all that busy world underneath which I was wandering about, was passing in rapid confusion before my terrified memory. I could revive with vivid reality all the incidents of our voyage, Iceland, M. Fridrikssen, Snæfell. I said to myself that if, in such a position as I was now in, I was fool enough to cling to one glimpse of hope, it would be madness, and that the best thing I could do was to despair. WCPM 318

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Passing Scores on Reading Test: Reading and Language Cut Scores

Passing Scores on Reading Test: 100%?

Students participating in Reading Boot Camp make 300% expected growth in reading and language arts! Students participating in the FREE 20 day program have a 95% passing rate on State Standardized Test 5 years Running. ELL, and Special Education students make the greatest gains in reading and language arts over the 20 day program.

State Standardized Test 2011
AHSGE
ARMT
HSGQE
SBA
AIMS
STaR
CAHSEE
CSAP
CAPT
CMT
DSTP
DC Comprehensive Assessment System
DC-CAS
FCAT
CRCT
EOCT
GHSGT
GAA
...
Hawaii State Assessment
Hawaii State Alternative Assessment
HSA/HSAA
I-SAT
ISAT
PSAE
I-STEP+
ITBS
ITED
CATS
LEAP
iLEAP
GEE
MEA
MHSA
MSA
HSA
MCAS
MEAP
MME
MAP
NPEP
NECAP
NJASK
GEPA
HSPA
NMSBA
NMAPA
Regents
EOGs
EOCs
OAA
OGT
OCCT
PSSA
PASA
NECAP
PASS
HSAP
DSTEP
TCAP
TAKS
ITBS
ITED
NECAP