I spent the last three days at the annual conference for all of the NAESSP and NASSP Executive Directors…the two weeks prior to leaving all I could think about was how much I did not want to go. I kept thinking about all of the things on my plate and how much I just wanted to finish the projects I’m currently working on. I actually even considered canceling at the last minute, but I am so glad I went.

Last summer at EdCon many of you had the opportunity to hear Tim Elmore speak about working with our students through the lens of Generation IY. His words of advice for communicating and motivating the current generation of students was inspiring. Tim continues to spread the message with very simple and practical tips for parents and those who work with youth on a daily basis.

This past week I visited Principal Jody McKean at Dewitt High School as his 9th grade students were participating in the MASSP/Turning Technologies Explore Clicker Pilot. David Chizar and Tina Rooks from Turning Technologies and Bruce Umpstead from the MDE were also on site to get feedback from Jody, his students and his staff on the process. While visiting Dewitt, we were able to get a glimpse of a couple of classrooms, who were at different points of the planning and preparation process.

Let’s be honest, nobody enjoys testing. It is a hassle for Administration to organize and facilitate, it is nerve wracking for teachers who don’t like to proctor and it seems like a waste of time to the kids and possibly to their parents as well. How do you combat the negatives and build a positive case for EXPLORE and PLAN testing?

Explain why you are testing:

Once people understand the why and they see how it will benefit student success, many of the negatives can be overcome. Create a short PowerPoint or Prezi that includes the essentials:

The top 10 reasons why your school should participate:

1. In the near future all of our high stakes assessments will be in a digital format, why not start preparing students and staff now?
   
   
2. The pilot group of students in Naperville Illinois showed no statistical difference between their pencil and clicker test takers – no worries about skewed results.
   
   
3. There is no cost for participating. The clickers will be delivered for use during testing – just ship them back upon completion.