Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners,
and shaping the future of education.* 

Latest Posts

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Formative vs. Summative Assessment in the Classroom

Learn the difference between formative assessment vs. summative assessment and find examples of the different types of assessment.

Jennifer Prescott
Shaped Contributor

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Formative Assessment Using Technology

Dynamic formative assessment using technology helps guide teacher instruction and keep students on the right track.

Shaped Staff

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What Is Oral Reading Fluency?

This article answers the question, what is oral reading fluency? It provides fluency teaching strategies after defining fluency and explaining why it's important.

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

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Oral Reading Fluency Assessment: Optimizing Instruction

Providing an oral reading fluency assessment is an important part of not just providing oral reading fluency instruction but measuring growth and ensuring effective instruction.

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

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Accelerated Learning Techniques for the Classroom

Need to catch kids up or move them forward? Try these research-backed accelerated learning techniques.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Assessing with Purpose: Formative Assessment in Science

Dynamic science formative assessment engages students and promotes their thinking; additionally, it informs instruction for educators.

Shaped Staff

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Planning for 504 and IEP Success in a Post-Pandemic World

Incorporate lessons from distance learning into your IEP and 504 planning. Suzanne Jimenez, a former director of special education in Virginia, shares strategies.

Dr. Suzanne Jimenez
Director of Academic Planning and Data Analytics at HMH

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Assessment in K–12 Schools This Fall: What Education Leaders Should Expect

When the 2021-2022 school year begins, the disruptions of the past year due to the pandemic will continue to impact instruction in different ways.

Dr. Vytas Laitusis
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Math

Dr. John Denbleyker
Principal Psychometrician/Manager of Psychometric Research and Data Analytics, HMH

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Q&A: How Administrators Are Preparing for Summer School Amid the Pandemic

Get expert insights into how school leaders can best address pandemic learning loss this summer and the bold choices they will have to make going forward.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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How Has COVID-19 Impacted K-12 Education? Four Experts Weigh In

Education experts discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the work they do every day at a panel discussion at this year's ASU GSV Summit.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Steps to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities

Find out how to move beyond "Can all students use this?" to "Can all students succeed using this?"

Janna Sakson
Shaped Contributor

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What Will Assessment Look Like This Fall in K-12 Education?

Learn how the dynamics of an assessment system will need to adapt when students are participating in a virtual classroom.

Dr. Vytas Laitusis
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Math

Kathleen Richards
Former HMH Senior Learning Scientist, ELA and Humanities

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Starting the School Year During COVID-19: Action Items for K-12 Administrators

In addition to figuring out the complexities behind general reopening details, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a number of new priorities for education leaders.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Serving Students With Special Needs in an Online Era: Q&A With Suzanne Jimenez

A former director of special education weighs in on the challenges of remote learning and strategies for overcoming them.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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3 Assessment Challenges in a Remote Learning Environment

The pandemic poses challenges when it comes to how we acquire data through assessment and shines a spotlight on the inequalities that exist in our educational system.

Dr. Vytas Laitusis
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Math

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Teaching World Languages: The Co-Constructed Feedback Process (Pt. 2)

A Spanish teacher explores the benefits of implementing co-constructed feedback to promote positive classroom relationships.

Jori Greenhill
Spanish Teacher

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Teaching World Languages: The Co-Constructed Feedback Process (Pt. 1)

A veteran Spanish teacher shares how to build on a typical interpersonal speaking performance assessment in order to make it easy for others to implement co-constructed feedback in their own classrooms.

Jori Greenhill
Spanish Teacher

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Developing a Student Exit Slips Strategy for Formative Assessment

By developing an exit slip strategy in the classroom, you can more easily complete a formative assessment of your students' understanding of a given lesson.

Amanda Bratten
Senior Assessment Specialist, Learning Sciences, HMH

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.