Thursday, October 30 8:00–9:00 AM

Does the Use of Differentiated Instruction Increase Student Achievement?

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Research will be presented on the implementation of differentiated instruction—specifically tiered assignments and choice boards—and its effectiveness in regards to student achievement.

Presenter(s): Betty C. Anderson (Skyview Elementary School: Lizella, GA)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary-Middle Level
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Thursday, October 30 8:00–9:00 AM

Assessing Student Notebooks: Beyond Rubrics

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Learn how to manage and assess science notebooks in a way that allows for growth in how students communicate their understanding of science content.

Presenter(s): Carla Billups (Jonathan Valley Elementary School: Waynesville, NC)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary-Middle Level
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Thursday, October 30 8:30 AM–12:30 PM

SC-1: Strengthening Earth Science Assessments

Westin, Trade

Ticketed Event: $45 advance; $50 on-site

Purchase tickets when you register online or on the Charlotte Advance Registration Form.

Do your students understand the concepts you are teaching? Our hands-on classroom activities can help strengthen the skills your students need to be successful in retaining earth science fundamentals. By integrating science with math, language arts, and social studies, students gain a better understanding of earth science concepts and the importance and relevance of our natural resources to their everyday lives.

You will come away from this short course with new ideas and resources to assess what your students are retaining. You will learn new inquiry and research skills that will help students define themselves. Through these skills, they will be better able to make the critical decisions they will face throughout their lives.

A complete packet of materials along with Internet resources will be given to each participant. We invite you to visit our website for further resources. www.womeninmining.org

Presenter(s): Arloa Woolford (Women in Mining Education Foundation, Winnemucca, Nev.)

FORMAT: Short course
GRADE LEVEL: Grades 4–9
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Thursday, October 30 12:30–1:30 PM

Lesson Study: Making It Happen

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Refine your science instruction and improve your students' understanding of science concepts. Receive a tool kit to implement lesson study in classrooms. Lesson observation practice included.

Presenter(s): Bethany Fleener (Wake County Public School System: Raleigh, NC); Catherine W. Horne (Wake County Public School System: Raleigh, NC); Michael Klentschy (San Diego State University: Calexico, CA)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Thursday, October 30 2:00–3:00 PM

What Were They Thinking? Uncovering Students' Ideas with Formative Probes and FACTS

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Learn how formative assessment probes combined with a variety of formative assessment classroom techniques (FACTs) uncover a gold mine of data about student thinking in science.

Presenter(s): Joyce Tugel (Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance: Augusta, ME)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Supervision/Administration
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 8:00–9:00 AM

Are You Smarter Than an Elementary School Student? Clearing Up Common Misconceptions in Elementary School Science

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Assess understanding of elementary school science concepts with a quick JEOPARDY! game, following it by hands-on activities to clarify misconceptions. Handouts!

Presenter(s): Olga S. Jarrett (Georgia State University: Atlanta, GA); Stacey Bradley (Heritage Academy: Atlanta, GA); Meron Y. Shiferaw (Centennial Place Elementary School: Atlanta, GA); Bianca Jones (Burgess-Peterson Academy: Atlanta, GA); Sakon Kieh (Cleveland Avenue Elementary School: Atlanta, GA); Brian Williams (Georgia State University: Atlanta, GA); Bejanae Kareem (Parkside Elementary School: Atlanta, GA); Ruby Champion (Georgia State University: Atlanta, GA)

FORMAT: Workshop
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary/College
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 9:00 AM–12:00 PM

SC-4: Basics of Effective Assessments

Westin, Trade

Ticketed Event: $50 advance; $55 on-site

Purchase tickets when you register online or on the Charlotte Advance Registration Form.

Assessments should inform and guide instruction. Resources and techniques are available that make designing assessments easier and more effective. By understanding the basic principles of assessments and evaluating sample student data, teachers and administrators will be able to develop their own measures for students’ success. This short course will focus on how to effectively combine research and resources to develop assessments (diagnostic, formative, summative, and confirmatory) that will target conceptual understanding. By the end of this short course, you will have your own toolbox to use in creating assessments.

Presenter(s): Karen Jo Matsler (Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Tex.)

FORMAT: Short course
GRADE LEVEL: General
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 9:30–10:30 AM

What Do My Chemistry Students Know?

Westin Charlotte, Independence

I'll share assessments and strategies for helping determine the content and skills of each student, suggestions for remediation, and ways to have fun with your students.

Presenter(s): Myra J. Halpin (North Carolina School of Science & Math: Durham, NC)

FORMAT: Workshop
SUBJECT: Chemistry
GRADE LEVEL: Middle Level-College
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 11:00 AM–12:00 PM

Formative Assessment in the Earth/ Environmental Science Classroom

Westin Charlotte, Independence

The unique requirements of inquiry-based instruction require a different kind of assessment in the science classroom. Explore formative assessments applicable to earth/environmental science.

Presenter(s): Kathleen Koch (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools: Charlotte, NC); Chris Triolo (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools: Charlotte, NC); Diana Shell (South Mecklenburg High School: Charlotte, NC)

FORMAT: Workshop
SUBJECT: Environmental Science
GRADE LEVEL: Middle Level-High School
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 12:30–1:30 PM

Fun Formative Assessments in a Short Time with Big Results

Westin Charlotte, Independence

These short activities give quick feedback on understanding, applying of concepts, and addressing misconceptions of concepts.

Presenter(s): Stephanie R. Grady (Lakewood High School: Salemburg, NC); Carol Maidon (Campbell University: Buies Creek, NC)

FORMAT: Workshop
SUBJECT: Biology
GRADE LEVEL: High School
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 2:00–3:00 PM

Featured Presentation: Rethinking Assessment

Convention Center, Ballroom A

Are we helping students and teachers with our assessment practices or contributing to their problems? This presentation will focus on erroneous beliefs or “assessment myths” that have limited assessment’s impact on the improvement of schools. We will also explore practical strategies for using classroom assessments to enhance learning, not simply measure it.

Presenter(s): Jane Griffin (Senior Research Education Analyst, Educational Studies Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC)

Bio:

Jane Griffin, Senior Research Education Analyst at RTI International, is a former classroom teacher. Since leaving the classroom, she has had over 15 years' experience in designing and delivering professional development and technical assistance to local, regional, and state education agencies. She has worked primarily with the federal government, specifically with the Region IV Comprehensive Center and the Eisenhower Math and Science Consortium at SERVE.

Through collaborations with other regional technical assistance providers, Griffin has worked with national leaders across the United States to study and advance the relationships between professional development and improved teacher and student performance in the areas of reading, mathematics, and science. Much of her work has focused on providing professional development and training to teachers who work with at-risk students and other marginalized populations. She has designed tools and materials to support improvement in classroom assessment and standards-based instruction and has assisted in conducting needs assessments and evaluations (formative and summative) of school programs at the local and state levels.

Griffin has managed a wide variety of projects at RTI International, through which she has built experience in various aspects of school improvement, including research, planning, and policy analysis; program and resource development; evaluation; and professional development/technical assistance.

Griffin has a masters degree in educational research and evaluation from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

FORMAT: Featured Speaker
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: General
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 2:00–5:00 PM

SC-5: Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry Through Outdoor Studies

Westin, Trade

Ticketed Event: $70 advance; $75 on-site

Purchase tickets when you register online or on the Charlotte Advance Registration Form.

Many of today’s science students rarely, if ever, have their naturalist intelligence engaged. As teachers, we can guide students through the exciting study of common plants and animals to facilitate learning basic science concepts through hands-on inquiry. Students raise questions and pursue answers through observation and investigation.

This guided inquiry aids recognition of the fact that science concepts are part of the everyday life of lawns, gardens, and waters. Digital microscopes, cameras, and computers are effectively incorporated as tools for recording information, assessment, and PowerPoint presentations. Many handouts and a CD will be provided, including labs, teaching strategies, and tools for effective assessment.

Presenter(s): Bill Klein (Western Iowa Tech Community College, Sioux City)

FORMAT: Short course
GRADE LEVEL: Middle Level–College
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 3:30–4:30 PM

Connecting Research to Practice: Concept Maps as Learning and Assessment Tools

Westin Charlotte, Independence

We'll examine the use of concept maps as learning and assessment tools and explore a rubric that might be used to carefully measure changes in a student's cognitive framework. The rubric incorporates the thinking of Bloom and Ausubel.

Presenter(s): Angelique Seifert (North Learning Community: Huntersville, NC); Robert A. Corbin (Discovery Place: Charlotte, NC)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: General
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Friday, October 31 5:00–6:00 PM

The Conceptual Change Model

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Come explore the use of the Conceptual Change Model in the middle school science class.

Presenter(s): Rachel Tustin (Kelly Mill Middle School: Blythewood, SC); Martha Boswell (Kelly Mill Middle School: Blythewood, SC)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Middle Level
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Saturday, November 1 8:00–9:00 AM

South African and North Carolina Students Connect as Scientists

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Find out how these teachers made global connections for their North Carolina and South African students using science notebooks with 21st-century technology to communicate as scientists.

Presenter(s): Catherine R. Nesbit (University of North Carolina: Wilmington, NC); Julie Pollock (White Oak High School: Jacksonville, NC); Sharon J. Mooney-Hughes (Topsail Middle School: Hampstead, NC)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Middle Level-High School
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Saturday, November 1 10:00–10:30 AM

Empowering Students Through Choices

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Use layered assessment to allow students to determine their own grade and to self-determine level of rigor in any curriculum.

Presenter(s): Bill Pearson (Independence High School: Charlotte, NC); Nick LaFave (Clover High School: Clover, SC)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: General Science
GRADE LEVEL: Middle Level-High School
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding

Saturday, November 1 11:00 AM–12:00 PM

Navigating the Waters of Science Inquiry: North Carolina Teachers Join to Support Student Environmental Research

Westin Charlotte, Independence

Eastern and western North Carolina teachers are working together to support inquiry in student-developed environmental projects. Learn how collaboration benefits students, schools, and communities.

Presenter(s): Colleen M. Karl (North Carolina State University: Raleigh, NC); Mary Arnaudin (North Carolina State University: Brevard, NC)

FORMAT: Presentation
SUBJECT: Environmental Science
GRADE LEVEL: General
CONFERENCE STRAND: Assessment for Understanding