being me – Page 18 – Pernille Ripp

being a teacher, being me, building community, end of year

Take the Time

May 31, 2016 Pernille Ripp

For in the end it is not what we got done that matters, it is how we felt doing it. pernille ripp

There seems to be no greater rush in school then these last few precious days before we say goodbye, before our time is up. I look at my own to-do list and wonder just how much will actually get to done. The pressure of it all nips at my heels as I wonder whether my students could possibly speak a little bit faster as they deliver their end of year speeches. Will we get through them all? We have so much to do still.

Yet, as I listened today to a boy share his message of hope and forgiveness. To another who shared the value of friendship. To one who decided to challenge our racial beliefs, and one that made me cry (actually two did) because they stood up there and spoke their truth, I knew what I had forgotten. To take the time.

To take the time to say goodbye the proper way.

To take the time to laugh.

To share memories and stories. To take the time and not feel guilty all of the time for all of the things we didn’t get to do.

Take the time to remember all of the great and all of the not so great.

Take the time to remember the very best books, projects, or whatever else you may have shared.

To take the time to ask just a few more questions so that you can grow over the summer.

To take the time to thank you students for the journey you have been on.

May we never forget to be grateful for the things we take for granted, for the community we create, for the memories we make.

May we never take for granted that our year, while tough at times, was still a success and that all of those students did actually grow, even if it was not as much as we had hoped.

May we never forget that for a brief moment in time we were a part of the future by being a part of a child’s life.

So take the time to say goodbye and don’t worry so much about the to do. Because in the end it is not what we got done that matters, it is how we felt doing it. SO take the time to take the time and don’t let your guilt consume you.

If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. Also, if you are wondering where I will be in the coming year or would like to have me speak, please see this page.

being a teacher, being me, Literacy, Reading, summer

Parents – How to Help Your Child Love Reading Over the Summer

May 23, 2016May 26, 2018 Pernille Ripp

I know many of us educators (and those at home) have been working hard all year to try to cultivate or protect a love of reading in our learners. Now with warmer temperatures and summer beckoning for the Northern Hemisphere comes the real test; will kids keep reading over the summer? Is what we did enough? Did we lay enough of a foundation, get them excited, get them hooked so that the next few weeks or months will not put them in a reading drought? While time will truly be the judge of how the work might pay off, here are a few ideas that may help depending on the age of the learner.

Have a to-be-read list. All year we have cultivated ours, trying to add as many titles as possible so that when the students leave our classrooms they have something to help guide them when they are either at the library or at the bookstore. This is especially important for our “fragile” readers, those who have just discovered that books and reading may be for them after all and need a constant diet of amazing books. But really all kids should have one, not just some. Even if school has not created a to-be-read list it is not too late to make one! Browse the displays at the library or at the book store and write it down somehow. Keep the list on you because you never know when you come across an opportunity to find more books.

Visit places where books are present. We go to the library a lot; when it is too hot and the pool is not open, when it is stormy, when we are tired. We also go to our local book store and browse. Accessing book, touching books, getting excited about books and anything that we can read is vital to keep the desire alive. If you are not able to go places where there are books, ask your child’s teacher if you may borrow a big stack of books from them if you promise to bring them back. I have often lent books to families over the summer as a way to help them keep reading.

Make it social. I love reading a great book and then talking to others about the book or even better passing the book on to them (as long as they give it back). Make reading a social aspect of your summer; have reading “parties” where kids can discuss books, create a book swap with other families, scour garage sales for long-lost favorites. Offer up yourself to read with your learner or get more than one copy of a book (if you have access to them) so that others may join in the reading. Too often as parents we think we should read all of the books our child is reading and while that can be a fun bonding experience, it may be more powerful if you can get a friend of your child to be a reading partner.

Use audio books. I love that I can borrow audio books from our library – the entire Harry Potter series has been the backdrop to our commute for the past 4 months. When your children are in the car, put on an audio book. Have a copy of the book ready if anyone wants to keep reading and you have reached your destination. With all of the research coming out correlating audio books with further reading success this is a winning situation.

Find great books. Get connected online to communities like #Titletalk, #BookADay, or Nerdy Book Club to get ideas of what to read next. I am constantly adding to my wish list due to these two places. Use the professionals like librarians,booksellers and teachers. Also, ask other parents what their kids are reading, create a Facebook page to share recommendations or simply use you own page, anything to find out what great books are available.

Create a routine. We read every night and sometimes even in the morning (as well as throughout the day but then again we may be slightly book obsessed). Helping your child create a routine where reading is a natural part of the day mean that they will create ownership over the habit, thus (hopefully) inspiring further reading.

Allow real choice. I have seen some parents (and schools) require learners to read certain books over summer, but summer is meant to be guilt-free reading. Where we reach for those books we cannot wait to read because they will suck us right in, where we fill up our reserves so we can perhaps finally tackle that really challenging book that we have been wanting to read. Where we explore new books because we want to. Too often rules and expectations infringe on the beauty of summer reading; falling into a book’s pages and not having to come up for air until it is done. That also goes for reading things that may be “too easy” or “too hard” – I devour picture books, graphic novels and all thing “too easy” in the summer, as well as trashy beach reads and Danish crime mysteries. I refuse to feel guilty about my choices in reading, because that is never what reading is about.

Have books everywhere. Again, this depends on how many books you have access to, but leave books wherever your kids go. I have books in the car, in their rooms, in the kitchen, living room, etc. That way the books seem to fall into their hands at random times; stopped in traffic, quiet time before lunch, a sneak read before falling asleep. It is a luxury to have books in our house and so we try to make them as visible as possible.

Celebrate abandonment, but ask questions. When a child abandons a book, this is a great thing. They are learning that this book is not for them and they can use their energy for a book that will be for them. But ask questions so that they may think about what type of book they might like. So they can think about what type of reader they are and want to be. Make sure that there are other books they want to read as well so that they can keep trying to find great books.

Be invested and interested. This does not mean that you ask your child to write reports about what they read, in fact, I would be very careful as to what type of work goes along with reading over the summer beside reading, but do ask questions. Ask whether they enjoy the book or not. What they plan on reading next. Read along with them or beside them. Make reading a part of your life so it can become a part of theirs.

Keep it fun. Too often, especially if our child is not a well-developed reader, we can get rather nervous as parents and think that we must keep them on a regimented reading program at all costs. That we must have them write about reading or track it somehow. Have them read, yes, but keep it light and fun. The last thing we want to do is to make reading a worse experience for them or adding more stress to your family.

What other ideas do you have?

If you are wondering why there seems to be a common thread to so many of my posts as of late, it is because I am working on two separate literacy books. While the task is daunting and intimidating, it is incredible to once again get to share the phenomenal words of my students as they push me to be a better teacher. Those books will be published in 2017 hopefully, so until then if you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. Also, if you are wondering where I will be in the coming year or would like to have me speak, please see this page.

assessment, being a teacher, being me, testing

Dear STAR Test, We Need to Talk

May 19, 2016October 28, 2017 Pernille Ripp

Dear STAR,

We first met two years ago, I was fresh out of a relationship with MAP, that stalwart older brother of yours that had taken up hours of my 5th graders time. They took their time and the results were ok; sometimes, at least we thought so but we were not sure. But oh the time MAP and I spent together that could have been used for so many better things.

So when I heard about you, STAR, and how you would give me 46 reading skills in 11 different domains in just 30 or so questions, I was intrigued. After all, 34 timed questions meant that most of my students would spend about 15 or so minutes with you. You promised me flexibility and adaptation to my students with your fancy language where you said you “…combine computer-adaptive technology with a specialized psychometric test design.” While I am not totally sure what psychometric means, I was always a sucker for fancy words. Game on.

With your fast-paced questions, I thought of all the time we would save. After all, tests should be quick and painless so we can get on with things, right? Except giving my students only 120 seconds to read a question and answer it correctly meant they got awfully good at skimming, skipping lines, and in general being more worried about timing out than being able to read the whole text. (Fun fact, a fellow teacher timed out of most of her questions when she took the test in training and still received above 11th-grade level). For vocabulary, all they get is 60 seconds because either they know it or they don’t, never mind that some of my kids try to sound words out and double-check their answer all within those precious seconds, just like I have taught them to do. I watched in horror as students’ anxiety grew. In fact, your 120 second time limit on reading passages meant that students started to believe that being a great reader was all about speed. Nevermind that Thomas Newkirk’s research into reading pace tells us that we should strive for a comfortable pace and not a fast one. So yes, being a slow reader= bad reader. Thanks, STAR.

And yet, maybe it was just my first year with you. After all, we all have growing pains. But this year, it didn’t get better, it just got worse. Students whose scores dropped 4 grade levels and students whose scores jumped 4 grade levels. Or how about those that made no growth at all. I didn’t know what to take credit for. Was it possible that I was the worst teacher ever to have taught 7th grade ELA or perhaps the best? You confused me, STAR, on so many occasions. So when students significantly dropped, they sometimes got to re-test, after all, perhaps they were just having a bad day? And sure, sometimes they went up more than 250 points, all in the span of 24 hours, but other times they dropped that amount as well. That is a lot of unmotivated or “bad day” students apparently. And yet, you tell me that your scores are reliable. Yet, I guess they aren’t always, after all, at the 7th-grade reading level you only got a score of .82 retest reliability which you say is really good but to me doesn’t sound that way. 0.82 – shouldn’t it be closer to 1.0? In fact, when your company compared you to other recognized standardized tests it dropped to 0.70 for 7th grade, but perhaps it was because of the small sampling size, just 3, 924 students? Who knows? I suppose I could email you to ask for more updated results like it says in the very small footnote.

Yet through all of this, you have dazzled me with your data. With all of the reports that I could print out and pour over. Perhaps you were not accurate for all of my students, but certainly, you had to be for some. It wasn’t until a long night spent pondering why some of my students’ scores were so low that I realized that in your 0.81 reliability lies my 0.19 insecurity. After all, who are those kids whose scores are not reliable? I could certainly guess but the whole point of having an accurate assessment means that I shouldn’t have to. So it doesn’t feel like you are keeping up your end of the deal anymore, STAR test. In fact, I am pretty sure that my own child will never make your acquaintance, at least not if we, her parents, have anything to say about it.

So dear STAR test, I love data as much as the next person. I love reliable, accurate data that doesn’t stress my students out. That doesn’t make them really quiet when they realize that perhaps they didn’t make the growth. I love data that I can rely on and it turns out STAR, I just don’t think you fit that description. Perhaps I should have realized that sooner when I saw your familial relationship with Accelerated Reader. Don’t even get me started on that killer of reading joy. You even mention it yourself in your technical manual that there may be measurements errors. You said, Measurement error causes students’ scores to fluctuate around their “true scores”. About half of all observed scores are smaller than the students’ true scores; the result is that some students’ capabilities are underestimated to some extent.” Granted it wasn’t until page 81. So you can wow me with all of your data reports. With all of your breakdowns and your fancy graphs. You can even try to woo me with your trend scores, your anticipated rate of growth and your national percentile rankings. But it is not enough, because none of that matters if I can’t count on you to provide me with accurate results. It doesn’t matter if I can’t trust what you tell me about my students.

So I wish I could break up with you, but it seems we have been matched for the long run for now. All I can be thankful for is that I work for a district that sees my students for more than just one test, for more than just their points because does anyone actually know what those points mean? I can be so thankful that I work in a district that encourages us to use STAR as only one piece of the data puzzle, that chooses to see beyond it so we can actually figure out a child’s needs. But I know I am lucky, not everyone that is with you has that same environment. So dear STAR, I wish you actually lived up to all of your fancy promises, but from this tired educator to you; it turns out I don’t need you to see if my students are reading better because I can just ask them, watch them, and see them grow as they pick up more and more books. So that’s what I plan on doing rather than staring at your reports, because in the end, it’s not really you, it’s me. I am only sorry it took me so long to realize it.

Best,

Pernille

PS: I am grateful that Renaissance Learning did reach out to me to discuss my post, here is their response:

Renaissance Learning is deeply committed to teacher success in the classroom. I am the STAR Product Marketer and read your blog regarding our product. I welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your concerns and help you get the best experiences with Renaissance!

I captured two primary issues from your blog:

STAR Reading Time Limits
Reliability

STAR Reading Time Limits

I wanted to make sure you know that you can set an extended time preference in the software to help reduce students’ test anxiety and frustration. The instructions for doing so are on page 217 in our STAR Reading software manual.

On page 12 of our STAR Reading technical manual there’s an overview of testing time by grade that illustrates guidance for timing. This information can be used to assess what is the best time limits for your students (based on analysis of testing conducted in the fall of 2011).

Reliability

Reliability is a far more complex topic. There are three things to look at when discussing this topic: Reliability, Validity and Standard Error of Measurement (SEM).

Reliability is the extent to which a test yields consistent results from one test administration to another. Validity is the degree to which it measures what it is intended to measure and is often used to judge a test’s effectiveness. Standard error of measurement (SEM) measures the precision of a test score. It provides a means to gauge the extent to which scores would be expected to fluctuate because of imperfect reliability, which is a characteristic of all educational tests. These elements are described in detail in the Understanding Why STAR Test Scores Fluctuate.

STAR assessments have been independently reviewed and certified by the National Center on Response to Intervention www.rti4success.org and the National Center on Intensive Intervention http://www.intensiveintervention.org and received high ratings as a screening and progress monitoring tool based on the criteria set forth to meet exceptional standards.

And my response:

Thank you for your response; the time limit is not something decided by me but by my district, but the fact that the product even comes with one should be debated further; what does time have to do with reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge besides the selling point of being able to administer it quickly?

The next point is the reliability; you seem to have missed the major point of the post, which is that when we do not know which child’s scores are reliable or not, then it becomes very hard to use the test for anything. While I have read the document you linked again (I had read it before the post) it doesn’t yield any new information. In fact, it appears that teachers are expected to either assume it is because of something going on with the child or a measurement error. The reliability for 7th grade as reported by STAR itself is 0.70 as referenced on page 25 in this manual. According to the technical manual the SEM reported on page 41 in table 12 it is 71.74 for 7th grade. That is incredibly high error measurement when it comes to kids’ scores, and yet that wouldn’t cover the fluctuation that we see in many students.

While I appreciate your response, I stand by the post; it is a travesty that teachers are being evaluated based upon tests like this, particularly when they are meant to be a diagnostic tool. And while scores are probably accurate for some students it is hard to figure out who they are accurate for and who they are not. My only wish for the future is that the test is either more accurate or somehow allows us to better decide which children’s scores are accurate.

being a student, being a teacher, being me, end of year, Student dreams

We Carry the Words

May 18, 2016 Pernille Ripp

Tonight, as I sit quietly processing a moment where a student shared their fragile truth with me. The moment when a child sat silently watching as I read their words, breath held to see how I would react, and all I could think was how very grateful I was for their trust, their truth, their faith in me as their teacher, as an adult in their life to carry the words they had chosen to share. I thought of this post, now written 5 years ago and yet ever so true in my heart. We may feel like we carry our students’ dreams into the world, we may feel we carry their words with us, but it is not just their words we take with us when they leave us. It is their truth. We protect it, we support it, and we carry it with us long after their final goodbyes and the summer vreeze settles in. I am so grateful for the very job that I get to do every single day.

The shuffled movement, the slight look possibly from the left, a small gesture to be noticed. “Ummm, Mrs. Ripp can I have lunch with you?” Oh shoot, there goes that extra prep, but yes, absolutely yes, let’s have lunch. Over food the words come tumbling like a bottle with it’s cork pulled. Didn’t even have to ask a question, they just spill out and out, away from this student, this trusting student that needs someone to carry the weight of the world with them. It is not new, not shocking, but every day life, every day fears, every day needs of wanting bigger, better, more. And yet here, it means the world.

We carry those words.

Another morning, a moment, a need for a hug and then a drawing shown. “Do you think I can make it, Mrs. Ripp?” “Of course, you can, just dream and work toward it,” is what I say but what I think tells more… Work hard, little child, don’t believe those people who will try to steal your dream. Don’t believe those people that tell you you are not smart, that you will not amount to anything. Don’t listen when they make you angry, or when they make you cry. Dream, dream on, dream strong.

We carry those dreams.

At the end of the day, a mad rush, backpacks on, cubbies emptied, and one last, “Thank you for coming.” I mean it too, thank you for being here, for sharing your day with me. For sticking with me when my voice got tired, or my explanation made no sense. For listening when I should have been quiet, for raising your hand patiently and waiting your turn even though you were really, really excited. Thank you for laughing, for thinking, for creating, and trying. Thank you for believing and caring, for trusting and loving, because that’s what it is; trust and love and hope and hard work, every single day.

And within the words they share. Within the dreams they hold. Within the hushed conversations and quiet moments, I realize that it is not just me that carries something, or even just the other adults. But all fo us as we protect the fragile relationship that exists within our 4 walls. And when they leave us on the last day of the year all we can do is hope that we have given them enough strength to keep on, to still dream, to still trust. And in the end, we were not the only ones that carried, fore they carried us too.

being a teacher, being me, end of year

This is the Time

May 12, 2016 Pernille Ripp

This is the time where I don’t feel I am enough. I am not fun enough. I am not smart enough. What we do is not making a difference, nor is it engaging. Where the test scores come in (thanks STAR) and I disagree with the stupid computer that clearly has no idea just how much our students have grown.

This is the time where I look forward, hoping next year will be better, while still trying to squeeze out every last drop of this year. Where I look around and realize that the students are counting down, the books are still missing, and the time for settling down stretches out before us.

I am not alone. How many right now feel like they didn’t do enough? They weren’t enough? That they still have so much to do?

But this is the time where I see a kid buried in a book who asks for just one more page and please don’t make me stop.

Where a child shows me their to-be-read list and tells me that they cannot believe how big it is.

This is the time where a child gazes at the book shelves, pulling out bin after bin until another child hands them a book and tells them they must read it because it quite possibly is the best book ever.

Where a child who has fought all year actually does something the first time it is requested.

This is the time where a child tells me they are ready to share their truths with the classroom, that they want to make sure that others see them for they are and not just who they think they are.

This is the time where I forget just how much they have grown. That they have learned. That they have changed. That they didn’t hate English, nor me. That I cannot be everything for everyone, but that I don’t have to because I am not alone. A team stands behind me. A team that cares about all of the kids. A team that sees all of the kids.

This is the time where I hold my breath as the end barrels toward us and I cannot believe that we made it another year. That I hope that the fragile seeds of reading that have been planted will blossom over the summer and stay strong until September.

This is the time where I know that every day I tried and so did the students. That what we had did matter. That they have changed and so have I.

This is the time to be thankful.

Be the change, being a student, being a teacher, being me, Personalized Learning, student choice, Student dreams, student driven, Student Engagement, student voice

You Cannot Buy Your Way to Personalized Learning

May 1, 2016 Pernille Ripp

When I decided to change the way I taught, I didn’t have a system. I had a lot of ideas, a lot of thoughts, a lot of failures to push me forward in my quest to be a better teacher. I had kids who hoped that school would be about them again. I had parents that hoped that their kids would like school when their year with me was done. I had dreams of something different, but I didn’t have a clear path, I didn’t have a curriculum to follow. If I would have, I don’t know where I would have ended up.

You see, when you choose to make learning more personal to the students, it is not about buying a curriculum. It is not about buying a solution. Or even reading a book and following the step-by-step directions to make it more personal. It is not about finding the new tool so that you can adapt and make it fit all of your learners. In fact, it may be just the opposite. It is about getting to know your students, getting to know yourself, and then finding as much inspiration you can to become a better teacher for all of your kids. So when I wrote my book, Passionate Learners, it wasn’t so that others could teach like me, but instead so others could start to question their own teaching as well. I didn’t want to give directions, but just ideas, questions, and things to reflect on. Because making learning about the kids again means that we have to be the ones to figure it out. Because they are our kids, in our schools, and no one can tell us better than what they need than them.

Personalized learning is not about a system. It is not about a box. It is not about a computer where students can self-pace as they work through a set curriculum. It is not about a checklist, nor learning in isolation. Personalizing learning is about what is right for the kid that is in front of you at that very moment. About helping them get to a place where they can figure out what they need and what they would like to accomplish. And yes, sometimes that kid doesn’t know what they need and then it becomes our job to help them figure it out. It is not about what you can do for the students to take control of their learning, it is about what they can do. Personalizing learning is indeed what great teaching is all about; knowing the students and helping them find ways to make all learning worth doing again.

So if someone tries to sell you or your school a personalized learning system, a personalized learning curriculum, or even a technology solution so that all students can work at their own pace, I would stop and think about that for a moment. How can they possibly promise you personalized when it is far from personal? How can someone who does not know your students, your school, your needs, deliver something that will fit all of those things?

Education is a business and we should never forget that. As much as we may think that every person who creates something for the education market is in it for the right reasons, we would be fools if we truly believed that. Much like every other educational buzzword, personalized learning will become the new cash cow until a new buzzword overtakes it. Don’t let companies ruin what kids need. Don’t fall for the sales pitches. Personalizing learning for students means the emphasis is on the personal and for the personal to happen, we have to know our kids and we have to listen to our kids. Not a company. Not a sales pitch. But the voices of the very students we teach. And that is free.