My Favorite Bloggers Found My Blog

Last week, Nancy Flanagan, author of one of the Teacher Leaders Network blog, left me a comment here:

Dear Ms. Angala--

I am thrilled to hear that you have found the new report on National Board Certification, "Measuring What Matters," useful--and congratulations on getting an audience with the Chancellor, and your thoughtful remarks to her.

As a co-author of the report, this is exactly what we hoped would happen: the report would serve as a tool for opening up conversations about the National Board process and its impact on teaching and-- most important--its impact on student learning. Your plan to get your data ready for your meeting is a good one. Be sure to mention that student learning is at the heart of the National Board process. All National Board Certified Teachers are required to demonstrate and articulate precisely what their students have learned, and what convincing evidence they have that the students have mastered this content. There are examples in the report of how the process pushes teachers to analyze student-generated data and use the analysis to prescribe next steps.

The 10 NBCTs who wrote the report were excited to see your blog and wish you well. Thanks.

Tonight, while browsing through the thick binder that my old pal (the new DCPS Director of Assessments, cheers!) gave me on the DC CAS Alternate Assessments Guide, an email alert popped on the computer screen. I checked my email and saw that, Jessica Shyu, another author of one of the Teacher Magazine blogs that I visit, left me a note here and mentioned part of that recent entry in her blog about the new proposed two-tier salary plan. She indicated:

I just spent the past half hour reading comments on The Washington Post's article from last Thursday on the chancellor's proposal ...

...My favorite response to this issue so far is by Special Education Teacher in Washington DC.

Thank you both. I am humbled by your visits.