Academics

A comprehensive look at high school academics. We cover grades, AP and IB courses, and the post graduate year. Learn the secrets of A+ students. Explore summer abroad programs, read interviews with experts and get valuable tips on excelling academically.

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Assessment: The Use of Rubrics in Grades 7-12

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Assessment: The Use of Rubrics in Grades 7-12
Discover how rubrics can empower parents to support their middle and high school students' education effectively. Explore practical strategies for understanding and using rubrics in grades 7-12.

As parents, we play a crucial role in our children's educational journey, especially during their middle and high school years. To support their academic success, we must understand the tools educators use to assess and guide their students' progress. This article delves into the world of rubrics and how they can empower parents in grades 7-12 to be active partners in their children's education.

The Importance of Rubrics in Grades 7-12

Rubrics are not just grading tools but windows into your child's learning experience. We'll explore why rubrics are essential for assessing academic and soft skills development, helping you gain insights into your child's progress in various subjects.

What is a rubric?

A rubric is a structured scoring guide or set of criteria used to evaluate or assess performance, work, or a particular task. It provides a clear and systematic way to measure the quality or level of achievement in a given context, such as in education, grading assignments projects, or assessing various skills.

The use of rubrics dates back to ancient times, with the term "rubric" originating from the Latin word "ruber," which means red. In ancient Rome and medieval Europe, teachers and religious leaders often used red ink or red lines to highlight important text or instructions within documents or manuscripts. Over time, this practice evolved into using red ink or markings to indicate specific grading criteria and guidelines for assessments.

However, as we understand them today, the modern concept of rubrics developed more significantly in

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The Value of Robotics Programs

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The Value of Robotics Programs
The STEM subjects are now taught across curricula and integrated into the teaching of every subject at every grade level. More about STEM here.

I've often wondered how my education would have turned out if computers and STEM had been part of the course offerings in the 50s and 60s. Of course, engineering is part of my DNA, with my father, uncles, grandfather, and great-uncles all having been chemical, mechanical, or civil engineers. Music and Latin were the subjects that interested me as a high school student. Fast forward to 1980. When IBM introduced the PC in 1980, I was awestruck. Then came the DARPA project called the Internet. I never looked back. I devoured technology and all its manifestations with an enthusiasm I had never experienced before. Against that personal backdrop, in this essay, I aim to see how I would integrate STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) into my grandchildren's educations.

Why is a STEM education important?

My new friend, ChatGPT, offered the following reasons:

An education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is important for several reasons:

  1. Career Opportunities: STEM fields are rapidly growing and offer many job opportunities in healthcare, information technology, engineering, and finance. Education in STEM can provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue careers in these high-demand fields.
  2. Innovation and Problem-Solving: STEM education emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation. Students learn to apply scientific and mathematical principles to real-world problems and develop solutions using technology and engineering practices.
  3. Economic Growth: STEM industries are significant contributors to economic growth and competitiveness. An education in STEM can prepare students to be leaders
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Designing Assignments In The ChatGPT Era

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Designing Assignments In The ChatGPT Era
AI (Artificial Intelligence), specifically ChatGPT, poses some serious challenges for teachers. We explore the importance of teaching students how to attribute the work and ideas of others.

Susan D'Agostino's article in Inside Higher Ed, Designing Assignments in the ChatGPT Era, got me wondering how teachers will handle their students' use of ChatGPT. ChatGPT is so easy to use and its answers so precise that it's inevitable that ChatGPT's answers will show up in essays and term papers. That's fine as long as students attribute their answers to ChatGPT as they must do with any source. However, our digitally adept young people will find workarounds to make ChatGPT's work appear to be theirs. I hate to be cynical, but that's the way things work.

Here are some suggestions on how to design assignments in the ChatGPT age.

Use pop quizzes frequently.

Pop quizzes are a valuable tool on many levels. With a group of students you know well, a pop quiz allows you to spot-check retention and identify material that needs to be retaught or explained. As you do with all your teaching materials, design your pop quizzes, so they are systematic and comprehensive. While informal oral quizzes can be effective, a written pop quiz provides the documentation you will need if a dispute over ownership of the answers arises.

I asked ChatGPT the best way for a teacher to use pop quizzes. Here's the answer:

Pop quizzes can be a useful tool for teachers to assess students' understanding of material and ensure that they are paying attention in class. Here are some best practices for using pop quizzes effectively:

  1. Use pop
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ChatGPT: A Tool Or A Problem?

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ChatGPT: A Tool Or A Problem?
ChatGPT is fascinating and alarming educational professionals. So, I asked ChatGPT to explain itself.

Artificial Intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, is knocking on school doors everywhere. So, rather than let some reporter tell us about AI and ChatGPT, I asked ChatGPT to explain itself to you and me. Here are the questions I posed, followed by ChatGPT's answers, all of which I have put in blockquotes. The questions are mine. The answers are ChatGPT's.

What is AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. AI systems are able to perform tasks such as perception, problem-solving, decision-making, and language understanding. There are various subfields of AI, such as machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, which are used to create specialized AI systems that can perform specific tasks. AI has many practical applications, such as in self-driving cars, speech recognition, and image recognition.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It is based on the GPT (Generative Pre-training Transformer) architecture, which is a type of neural network designed for natural language processing tasks. ChatGPT is trained on a massive dataset of text from the internet and is able to generate human-like text in response to prompts. It can be fine-tuned for specific language tasks such as question answering, conversation, and text completion. ChatGPT has a wide range of potential uses, such as in chatbots, language translation, and content generation.

In this video, Adam Twarog explains ChatGPT.

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Get Your Act Together!

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Get Your Act Together!
We take a look at the other college admissions test and offer some resources for test preparation.

What is ACT?

The California Department of Education answers that question as follows:

The ACT test is designed to assess a high school student's general educational development and ability to complete college-level work.

How do colleges use ACT?

Many colleges use the ACT results as one factor in the admissions process. ACT, a non-profit organization, has developed the test administered in locations around the world.

This video explains ACT.

What does the test cover?

From the ACT website:

"The ACT test covers four subject areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. Each subject area test receives a score ranging from 1 to 36. The composite score is the average of all four subject area test scores. Many colleges and universities use ACT scores as one factor in making admissions decisions."

When can you take the test?

The ACT is administered here in the United States seven times a year. International testing takes place five times a year. Be sure to consult ACT's website to confirm upcoming test dates and register. Don't wait until the last minute to register.

How much does the test cost?

In 2021 ACT costs $85 for the test and the writing component. If you cannot afford the test, you can apply for a fee waiver.

What if I am homeschooled or require special accommodations?

Homeschooled students will

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