ASSESSING
UNSTOPPABLE
LEARNING
TOM HIERCK ANGELA FREESE
Edited by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
Copyright © 2018 by Solution Tree Press
Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked “Reproducible.” Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher.
555 North Morton Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
800.733.6786 (toll free) / 812.336.7700
FAX: 812.336.7790
email: [email protected]
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/assessment to download the free reproducibles in this book.
Printed in the United States of America
21 20 19 18 17 1 2 3 4 5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hierck, Tom, 1960- author. | Freese, Angela, author.
Title: Assessing unstoppable learning / Tom Hierck, Angela Freese ; edited by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey.
Description: Bloomington, IN : Solution Tree Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017015291 | ISBN 9781943874231 (perfect bound)
Subjects: LCSH: Educational evaluation. | Educational tests and measurements. | Curriculum planning.
Classification: LCC LB2822.75 .H54 2017 | DDC 371.26--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017015291
Solution Tree
Jeffrey C. Jones, CEO
Edmund M. Ackerman, President
Solution Tree Press
President and Publisher: Douglas M. Rife
Editorial Director: Sarah Payne-Mills
Managing Production Editor: Caroline Cascio
Senior Production Editor: Tara Perkins
Senior Editor: Amy Rubenstein
Copy Editor: Jessi Finn
Text and Cover Designer: Laura Cox
Editorial Assistants: Jessi Finn and Kendra Slayton
As I reflect on my name appearing on a sixteenth book, I am humbled by the good fortune that has come my way and honored by the encouragement I have received to make this all possible. Beginning with a family support system of my wife Ingrid, our three kids and their spouses, plus our six grandbabies (including the newest addition, Bodhi), through friends and local colleagues, to the many acquaintances I have made in my travels, I am a fortunate man. This book is not possible without your backing. Additionally, I’d like to dedicate this book to the memory of my sister-in-law, Heide Jozwik, who lost her battle with cancer. Like many of our colleagues, she was a student-centered educator who strived to make a difference each day and whose loss will be felt most by the kids she inspired.
— Tom
To my daughter Kennedy—your tenacious pursuit of why and your insatiable love for learning inspire me to keep learning, reflecting, and growing as a mother and an educator every day. You are my everything, and you make my heart so happy!
And to my late grandmother, Darlene—although her dynamic career as a first-grade teacher and principal spanned almost five decades, she still knew all the names of each of her students, and ultimately their kids’ names, and even their grandkids’ names. May her legacy of building relationships, inspiring hope and perseverance, and fostering a love of learning in each of her students serve as inspiration to all of us. I can only hope to be half the educator she was.
— Angie
Acknowledgments
Although our names appear on the cover, this book would not be possible without the support and input of many colleagues and friends.
Beginning with the Solution Tree family, we would like to thank the following key supporters. Douglas Rife has been a visionary in his role as publisher, and his support has been invaluable. Claudia Wheatley brought the two of us together, knowing our styles and abilities would mesh to create a high-quality book. We hope you’ll validate her faith in us. Jeff Jones has built a company that encourages educators to find their voice and share that with colleagues. His commitment to educators through books and events is unparalleled in our field. Amy Rubenstein was our first editor and key support person, and we thank her for the initial shaping of this text. Tara Perkins became our go-to person for all of the subsequent edits, and her suggestions ensured that our ideas blended and led to a cohesive text. We are fortunate to get the opportunity to share our thoughts in the words of this book and to follow that with the opportunity to share this work through professional learning opportunities coordinated by Shannon Ritz and her PD team. Our Assessment Center colleagues will see their fingerprints in various places in this book. In particular, we are grateful to Cassandra Erkens, Tom Schimmer, and Nicole Vagle for their contributions.
At the outset of the writing and throughout the process, we were supported by insightful feedback, shared narratives, and exemplars provided by colleagues. Trailblazers like Charlie Coleman, Garth Larson, Michael McDowell, Sue Stephenson, Pam Bloom, Erika Fisher, Scott Greseth, Michelle Hicks, and Denise Pontrelli are paving the way with their innovation and collaboration to serve as exemplars to catapult this work forward. Like all educators, they have full plates and yet made the time to provide timely feedback and share some content.
We are very appreciative of the opportunity to write a book driven by the high-quality work of Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey. They have charted new territory with Unstoppable Learning and were generous in their time and support as we crafted this book.
Finally, thanks to the thousands of educators and students we’ve been fortunate to interact with over the years. Your sharing of successes and failures reminds us of the great work that has been done and the remaining work that lies before us.
Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers:
Jennifer Adams
Assessment Coordinator
Arlington Heights School District 25
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Elizabeth Gaffney
Academic Coach
Secondary English Language Arts Curriculum Specialist
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler, Arizona
Peter Glahn
Principal
Timberline Middle