Starr Sackstein

Effective teaching involves checking and responding in the moment to learning, as you discover which students are getting it and which ones need more support. But how do you make decisions on the fly based on information gleaned during class? In this handy playbook, Starr Sackstein and Michael McDowell help you collect formative assessment data in real time, and then they provide step-by-step flowcharts and images to demonstrate how best to proceed once you have the data you need. They offer set plays for secondary students below, at, and above standards. They also provide specific instructional advice for when the challenges occur at the beginning, middle, and end of lessons, or in full group or small group settings. And finally, they cover ways to shift instruction based on student needs, engagement, and metacognitive opportunities. With this helpful resource, you'll have a plethora of instructional moves that work in different situations, so you can continually adjust to where students are and help them truly grow in their learning.

Effective teaching involves checking and responding in the moment to learning, as you discover which students are getting it and which ones need more support. But how do you make decisions on the fly based on information gleaned during class? In this handy playbook, Starr Sackstein and Michael McDowell help you collect formative assessment data in real time, and then they provide step-by-step flowcharts and images to demonstrate how best to proceed once you have the data you need. They offer set plays for secondary students below, at, and above standards. They also provide specific instructional advice for when the challenges occur at the beginning, middle, and end of lessons, or in full group or small group settings. And finally, they cover ways to shift instruction based on student needs, engagement, and metacognitive opportunities. With this helpful resource, you'll have a plethora of instructional moves that work in different situations, so you can continually adjust to where students are and help them truly grow in their learning.

Looking for a job change in education? This handy, comprehensive resource will help you explore different career paths in education that will still allow you to use the skillsets and unique qualifications you developed as a teacher or leader.Bestselling author Starr Sackstein begins by helping you decide whether you want to move into another position or leave altogether. She then shows you how to seek opportunities, take risks, network, and prepare for interviews. Next, she presents a wide variety of career pathways for educators, including...school and district-based optionsconsulting workEdTech opportunitiespublishing jobshigher educationand more!Starr also answers frequently asked questions such as how much you should charge and whether you need additional degrees. Throughout, there are case studies highlighting people who have left to do alternate jobs and their top takeaways.An accompanying video series offers even more advice from a wide variety of educators who have switched roles.With this helpful guide, you’ll feel empowered to courageously restart – and continue to leave a legacy in education.

The single greatest authority on student learning is the student doing the learning—but the right structures must be in place for students' voices to be clearly heard and truly valued.Conventional formative and summative assessment are most often conducted through one-size-fits-all quizzes and tests that yield narrow, predetermined categories of data about students' academic progress. But if we want a truly accurate look at what, how, and to what extent students are learning, who better to consult than the obvious experts on the matter: the students themselves.In this lively and comprehensive guide, veteran teacher and author Starr Sackstein provides the tools needed to help students compile and present evidence of learning through portfolios and student-led conferences—from templates and rubrics to personal testimonials, reflection questions, and activities.The book features* Forms—applicable across grade levels and content areas—for unpacking standards, co-constructing success criteria with students, evaluating current classroom practices, and more.* Real-life perspectives and scenarios from educators in the field who have embraced portfolios and student-led conferences over standardized tests and letter grades.* Practical, experience-based guidance for building classroom and schoolwide learning cultures that promote both learner agency and academic achievement.The resources, recommendations, and reflections in Student-Led Assessment allow educators at all levels to develop systems and protocols for ensuring student ownership of—and pride in—their own hard-won achievement.

Now is the time to reimagine assessment and throw out traditional gradesInternationally-recognized grading and assessment expert Starr Sackstein is back with the long-awaited update to her highly-regarded guide to throwing out grades, even in a traditional grades school.Over 100 new strategies and resourcesNearly seven years after helping launch a global no-grades classroom movement, Sackstein has honed her practice and now brings teachers and school leaders more than 100 new and updated strategies, solutions, and practical resources you can read today and use in any classroom tomorrow to transform how you assess learning.Understand modern assessment problems and how to fix themReaders will learn about the flaws of traditional assessment systems and how to make immediate changes so students can better advocate for themselves as learners.Change the mindsetBegin by addressing your mindset about grading, and learn how to help your community buy into the shift and to go gradeless. Bravely change the systems that aren't serving your students.In this power-packed second edition of Hacking Assessment, you will find: updated tools to ease the transition to ungrading for teachersstandards-aligned rubricsnew resources to support the workself-grading strategies and toolsstandards based grading tips and resourcesfresh Hacks in Action for various grade levelsstrategies for motivating students to embrace no-grades assessmenta blueprint for providing clear, objective feedback for learnersways to inspire students to embrace self-gradingclear strategies for deciding on report card grades, even when you work daily without gradesexamples of impactful assessment conferences with studentsRead this impactful, updated second edition of Hacking Assessment today, and immediately start building a culture of students who embrace learning for learning's sake, not for a grade.

Transform your classroom into a dynamic learning experience with small groups A learning centers model enhances excellent pedagogy. Learning is a dynamic experience, and students thrive when educators acknowledge individual learners' needs and interests and inspire them to engage with the content more deeply within personalized spaces. Learning centers create robust thinkers, problem-solvers, and brave leaders. As teachers and administrators, we can build learning structures that include everyone and allow students to collaborate, experiment, reflect, self-assess, and transfer the learning to their lives beyond school. Hacking Learning Centers in Grades 6-12 shares the "why" along with practical guidance to design and teach with learning centers. Authors and award-winning educators Starr Sackstein and Karen Terwilliger show how to: Design small-group instruction centers to foster active learningEmpower unexpected leadersRaise the bar on student accountabilityActivate the fun and bring learning to lifeInspire students to share ideas and make decisions

In this timely and thoughtful call to action, author and educator Starr Sackstein examines the critical intersection between assessment and social and emotional learning (SEL), particularly as it affects students of color and other marginalized groups. The book addresses the five SEL competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making—and explains how teaching students to develop their abilities in these areas can help them improve their learning and assessment experiences.Sackstein also raises important considerations for educators, urging them to * Examine their implicit biases to improve their relationships with students.* Deepen their understanding of the impact of grades and assessments on students' self-image and their ability to reach their full potential as learners.* Develop personalized assessment systems that ensure an accurate, fair, and equitable portrayal of what students know and can do.In addition to presenting the relevant research, Sackstein draws from personal experience and the reflections of students, teachers, and administrators to present a compelling case for approaching assessment through the SEL lens. Educators at all levels who have witnessed the devasting effects that testing can have on students' beliefs in themselves as learners will find Assessing with Respect to be an invaluable guide to ensuring better outcomes—and better emotional health—for all students.

Amazing. Exciting. Terrifying. Your first year as a school leader can be all those things at once. Emotions seem to swing from one end of the spectrum to the other and back again in a single hour, not to mention the school year. You miss the classroom even as you hope to make an impact on a larger scale. You wonder where you fit in now that you're one of them--a leader.Whether you have already made the move into leadership or are wondering whether a role in administration is right for you, Starr Sackstein's insight in From Teacher to Leader will help you make the best decisions for yourself and those you serve. In this honest and practical guide, Sackstein prompts you to reflect as you stretch for personal and professional growth.How do you know when you're ready to move into leadership? What do you do when you miss being in the classroom? How can you make sure you're leading well?What do you do when you feel overwhelmed?Leadership isn't easy, and being a first-time leader carries its own set of challenges. But with From Teacher to Leader, you'll be equipped to thrive in your new role. ------"Starr Sackstein uses her usual raw honesty (which I happen to find refreshing) to help new leaders negotiate their way through the transition. This book is about more than our profession; it's about life."--Peter DeWitt, EdD, author/consultant, Education Week, Finding Common Ground blog "An excellent resource for any educator moving from the classroom into an administrative role. I highly recommend this well-written, important book."--Jeffrey Zoul, EdD, author, speaker, leadership coach, and president of ConnectEDD "New to the world of leadership? Buy this book today "--Brad Currie, 2017 NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year

In Peer Feedback in the Classroom, National Board Certified Teacher Starr Sackstein explores the powerful role peer feedback can play in learning and teaching. Peer feedback gives students control over their learning, increases their engagement and self-awareness as learners, and frees up the teacher to provide targeted support where it's needed.Drawing from the author's successful classroom practices, this compelling book will help you:Gain a deeper understanding of what meaningful feedback looks like and how it can be used as a tool for learning.Establish a respectful, student-led learning environment that supports risk taking and honest sharing.Teach students to be adept peer strategists who can pinpoint areas of needed growth and move forward with specific strategies for improvement.Develop cooperative student expert groups to help sustain effective peer feedback throughout the year.Use technology to enhance collaboration, streamline the learning and revision process, and strengthen students' digital citizenship skills.The book also includes extended reflections that express, in students' and teachers' own words, the approach's powerful effect on their practice. Invite students to be your partners in learning, and enrich your collective classroom experience.

Teaching and learning cannot happen without questions. Inquiry is the offspring of curiosity and creativity. Questions are incredibly powerful tools that open the world up. In the age of Google, the way we teach needs to change and students need to be reconnected with their early childhood curiosity. Let’s put that control back into kids’ hands by teaching them to question better. The Power of Questioning will help you to make students partners in their own learning.

Teaching and learning cannot happen without questions. Inquiry is the offspring of curiosity and creativity. Questions are incredibly powerful tools that open the world up. In the age of Google, the way we teach needs to change and students need to be reconnected with their early childhood curiosity. Let’s put that control back into kids’ hands by teaching them to question better. The Power of Questioning will help you to make students partners in their own learning.

In this essential guide, Starr Sackstein—a National Board Certified Teacher—explains how teachers can use reflection to help students decipher their own learning needs and engage in deep, thought-provoking discourse about progress. She explains how to help students set actionable learning goals, teach students to reflect on and chart their learning progress, and use student reflections and self-assessment to develop targeted learning plans and determine student mastery. Filled with practical tips, innovative ideas, and sample reflections from real students, this book shows you how to incorporate self-assessment and reflection in ways that encourage students to grow into mindful, receptive learners, ready to explore a fast-changing world.

Mishaps that resulted in tears and a constant questioning of my choice to switch careers are the short story of my earliest teaching memories. Fortunately, looking back, I can laugh at the many foibles of that experience - It's with love that I invite you new or older teaching professionals to embrace this miraculous journey. This book will help ease the growing pains of being a teacher offering professional reflection and connection. You are not alone!