Check Engine Lights

As vehicles gain more and more technology, there is a corresponding increase in the number of “check engine lights”.  These indicators are a way for our vehicles to communicate with us. These are also called “idiot lights”. Surprisingly, they are only called that by men who know their way around the engine. Thus, I have never used that term.  You see, I am the guy on the side of the road with the hood up simply for the dramatic effect. But I digress.  There are ABS brake warning lights,  low tire pressure lights, service engine soon lights, battery charge warning lights, check coolant lights, oil pressure lights, air bag lights, and other indicators.  Don’t you just hate it when they glow?  Especially the one that is simply an exclamation point…guess that is the punctuation light.  I read about one man who was tired of seeing the warning lights so he simply put black electrical tape over them (see idiot lights). Ignoring the warning signals does not make the problem go away.  Sooner or later, you have to respond.

There are many “Warning Lights” used in education.  We use progress monitoring assessments such as Acuity and Star to measure student growth.  We use daily informal assessments by using exit slips and confidence scales.  We use formative assessment data gained from homework assignments and quizzes. These are ways that our students communicate with us on how they are doing academically. Ignoring the data is exactly like putting electrical tape over the warning lights in your vehicle.  You cannot ignore them…well, you can, but that wouldn’t be prudent. We are assessing all the time when we teach.  Notice the operative term in each case that I listed = USE.  You have to use the data gained to make informed decisions about your instruction.You have to plan your instruction based on where the kids are compared to where you want them to be in the end.  Simply giving these assessments and then doing nothing with the results is akin to the guy putting black electrical tape over his dashboard lights.  You cannot ignore the data you have – you have to use it to be an even more effective teacher. Sooner or later, you have to respond as in “Response to Instruction”.  With due diligence, you cansee that light that reads “Great Teaching”.

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The Browns play against the Baltimore Ratbirds, I mean, Ravens this Sunday on the shores of Lake Erie.  Rice is unavailable at the concession stands…