Have I mentioned how much I love NCSM? The organization, their mission, their values, the people, and most of all the conference. I typically say “NCSM” and mean the conference, but they are so much more. And all who work tirelessly to put this conference together deserve due credit.

1. I’m always inspired hearing Marc Garneau speak. Today he shared a few different ways to think about assessing using a Learning Progression. If you don’t already know, I believe STRONGLY that the greatest barrier in public education to equitable outcomes is our grading system. And I also believe that a Growth Based Assessment system is the key to liberation & inclusion. This image was thought provoking. What do you notice? What do you wonder?

2. Achieve the Core has extended their absolutely amazing Coherence Maps to include High School standards! If you haven’t already played with them, go play!

“The greatest gift you can give yourself is to stop and listen to your students.”

~Marilyn Burns

3. I never walk away from the great Marilyn Burns without some amazing ah-ha. I will never forget her words, “The greatest gift you can give yourself is to stop and listen to your students.” That will be with me forever. Today I walked away thinking about advocacy for our students. My own 6yo is struggling in Kinder. It’s amazing that situations that were so easy and clear for me as a teacher now feel so muddy as a parent. It gives me empathy. She challenged me to think about removing even more scaffolding, showing only Figure 1 of a growing pattern and allowing students to come up with Figure 2. Then let other students continue the pattern! So awesome!

NCSM is so inspiring, and disheartening at the same time. Our students deserve change. But change is soooooooo slow. How do we make change happen faster?