In this month's teacher's toolbox (click on each heading to view full article)
	Topic of the Month: Assessment Upcoming Events in Professional Development Your JSkyway Community A Better You

Topic of the Month: Assessment

Alternative Assessment Strategies Ever wonder what graffiti walls are? Graffiti walls are free form spaces for brainstorming or communicating words, phrases, or ideas on a topic. These are often used as evolving records. A teacher may use them to facilitate brainstorming on a particular theme at the beginning of a unit, as well as encourage students to add new words or phrases relating to the theme as the unit progresses. In addition to encouraging children to search for new and interesting words, the graffiti wall serves as a class dictionary/thesaurus as students need novel words to enrich their writing. http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/assessme/aindex. htm? Are your students learning what you are teaching? In recent years, researchers have formed a strong consensus on the importance of engaged learning in schools and classrooms. This consensus, together with a recognition of the changing needs of the 21st century, has stimulated the development of specific indicators of engaged learning. Jones, Valdez, Nowakowski, and Rasmussen (1994) developed the indicators described below. These indicators of engaged learning can act as a "compass" for reform instruction, helping educators chart an instructional course and maintain an orientation based on a vision of engaged learning and what it looks like in the classroom and community. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/engaged.htm Also check out this at a glance guide Indicators of Engaged Learning http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/assessme/engage d.htm? The "Skinny" on the "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001 The "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001 requires that states annually test students in reading and mathematics in grades 3-8 and once in high school, beginning no later than the 2005-06 school year. The law requires that states use tests aligned with their academic-content standards, either by building assessments specifically designed to reflect those standards or by modifying commercially produced, off- the-shelf tests. http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm? id=41

Upcoming Events in Professional Development

Announcing JSkyway Fall Courses! Looking to learn more about Assessment and joining a network of your peers working in Jewish Schools? Check out our Fall Course Assessment Strategies: Beyond Grades and Quizzes at www.jskyway.com JSkyway Fall Courses October 21 - December 23, 2004 Teaching with Technology: Enhancing and Embracing New Practices Effective Classroom Strategy: From Skills to Success Teaching Jewish Values Using BabagaNewz Assessment Strategies: Beyond Grades and Quizzes Register online at www.jskyway.com CAJE Conference Will you be "Making Connections" at the Early Childhood and Day School Conference at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, from June 27 - 30? Will you "Listen and Learn" -- Shema ul'mad -- at Hofstra from August 15 - 19 at CAJE 29? To register for either of these Conferences, just go to www.caje.org. Remember to check with your central agency of Jewish education to see if there are subsidies available. Many agencies have advised us that they have such funds available. Attending CAJE in June? Visit our booth at Expo and enter to win a $100 gift certificate to Barnes and Nobles! We look forward to seeing you there. PEJE Leadership Assembly October 11-12, 2004 Day school professional and volunteer leaders are invited to this national event in Boston featuring expert-led workshops and opportunities for networking throughout the day school movement. Topics include: fundraising, leadership & governance, educational excellence, advocacy & marketing, and admission. Contact Bunny Shuman at bunny@peje.org for more information.

Your JSkyway Community

Teacher Success Stories This section of our eNewsletter is dedicated to the many special communities our readers belong to. We encourage you to send us teacher success stories, community news, professional development highlights, it is up to you. Email content to lfieldman@jflmedia.com Also, a big congratulations to Julie Fisher from the Jewish Primary Day School in Washington D.C.! She won a $100 gift certificate for entering our e-list contest.

A Better You

Book Review Now that school is coming to a close, hopefully you'll find some time to sit back and relax. What better way to unwind at the end of a day then to read a great book! To aid you in your selection, below is an excerpt from a review about a book of short stories that you may want to add onto your summer reading list The Place Will Comfort You By Naama Goldstein "A mother who sees her son go insane in the Lebanon War and retreats to an American condo. An American expatriate trying to find love with an Israeli cranberry expert who might have rescued her as a child. A little girl helping out in a foreign kitchen, terrified she might be forced to eat a food she doesn't know and may not like. Young, wandering Jews adrift in Israel or lost in America, all struggling with changing mores and cultural conflicts. Welcome to the world of Naama Goldstein, and what a world it is: lyrical, darkly funny, and alive. Goldstein writes radiant stories about just what it means to embrace or struggle with your culture." To read more of this review, go to: http://www.jbooks.com/fiction/index/FI_Leavitt_Goldste in.htm Taking Care of Yourself This section is dedicated to a better. We welcome your feedback on tips and tools, resources you find helpful and anything else you might want to share with your peers. Email your ideas to lfieldman@jflmedia.com for future issues.