Getting students hooked on investing in their own learning

Latest Post

Getting students hooked on investing in their own learning

August 20, 2015

Categories: Math, Reading

Over the past few years, an increased focus on educator effectiveness has permeated the literature and dominated conversations. The idea has been to identify the observable and replicable characteristics of teachers who routinely lead students to success. I reviewed these [...]

No datum left behind: Making good use of every bit of educational data

Latest Post

No datum left behind: Making good use of every bit of educational data

August 6, 2015

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

“Just what do you do with all that data?” A superintendent asked me this question the other day, and I understand where she’s coming from. The educators in her district have put faith in Renaissance products. She is responsible for [...]

One key difference in math achievement: Jason Bourne and entity orientation

Latest Post

One key difference in math achievement: Jason Bourne and entity orientation

July 6, 2015

Categories: Math

Are you a math person? Is there such a thing, and, if so, does being a “math person” make all the difference when it comes to success in math? According to Kimball and Smith (2013), there is one key difference [...]

Your state, your standards, your learning progression

Latest Post

Your state, your standards, your learning progression

June 11, 2015

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

Demanding that you “have it your way” could come across as pampered and self-centered, but for educators striving to deliver education that meets their state standards, having it “your way” really means having what you need to successfully teach to [...]

Is formative assessment a tool or a process, and what makes it good?

Latest Post

Is formative assessment a tool or a process, and what makes it good?

May 28, 2015

Categories: Assessment,

Not too many years ago, we fought some “wars” in our profession, and we may be on the verge of yet another. It started with the “Reading Wars” of Whole Language vs. Phonics. Then, we fought the “Math Wars” of [...]

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”—a second coat

Latest Post

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”—a second coat

May 14, 2015

Categories: Reading

My original post on teaching informational text through biography borrowed from the elements of art to engage students in new ways as they write about the lives of others. The post focused on three elements of art—form, texture, and [...]

Unlock deeper learning with foundational skills practice

Latest Post

Unlock deeper learning with foundational skills practice

April 30, 2015

Categories: Math, Reading

Common Core Someday someone will write a retrospective book about the origins of the Common Core State Standards. It’ll be a story of policy and politics, testing, international benchmarking, and teaching. (Mostly politics.) This book will likely never be made [...]

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”

Latest Post

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”

April 16, 2015

Categories: Reading

Across the states, we see an emphasis on learning to write and read at a depth that prepares students for success in college, career, and life. These efforts require students to work with evidence—find it, distinguish the letter shapes in [...]

What educators need to know about validity

Latest Post

What educators need to know about validity

April 2, 2015

Categories: Assessment,

In this post, we take a closer look at validity. In the past we’ve noted that test scores can be reliable (consistent) without being valid, which is why validity ultimately takes center stage. We will still define validity as the extent [...]

Driven by teachers—How our products evolve with real user feedback

Latest Post

Driven by teachers—How our products evolve with real user feedback

March 12, 2015

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

What does it really mean to be customer-centric? Lots of companies claim to be customer-focused because it is an easy thing to say. Renaissance is grounded in our mission—to accelerate learning for all. We care about the teachers we serve.

Renaissance Blog

Latest Post

Getting students hooked on investing in their own learning

Getting students hooked on investing in their own learning

Recent Posts

No datum left behind: Making good use of every bit of educational data

No datum left behind: Making good use of every bit of educational data

One key difference in math achievement: Jason Bourne and entity orientation

One key difference in math achievement: Jason Bourne and entity orientation

Your state, your standards, your learning progression

Your state, your standards, your learning progression

Is formative assessment a tool or a process, and what makes it good?

Is formative assessment a tool or a process, and what makes it good?

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”—a second coat

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”—a second coat

Unlock deeper learning with foundational skills practice

Unlock deeper learning with foundational skills practice

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”

Teaching informational text through “life portraits”

What educators need to know about validity

What educators need to know about validity

Driven by teachers—How our products evolve with real user feedback

Driven by teachers—How our products evolve with real user feedback