Extraordinary Educators: Class of 2023

Amanda Price, Teacher

Taylor Elementary School, TN

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Collaborative, Challenging, Safe

Data is the road map to successful instruction in my classroom. I use data to ensure that while I am meeting the needs of all students, I am also challenging the students who have already demonstrated mastery. I also encourage students to familiarize themselves with their data. Teacher/student data conferences are utilized as a way for students to set goals for themselves (e.g., benchmarks, growth monitoring).

Amanda Staton, Reading Interventionalist

Dixon Elementary, MO

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Engaging, Accepting, Exciting

Data-driven instruction will drastically improve a student's success and achievement throughout their educational career. By guiding instruction and intervention around data collected, students will continue to grow and be successful.

Anna Katherine Adams, Teacher—Grade 5 English Language Arts

Singing River Academy, MS

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Innovative, Inclusive, Magical

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Data must always drive instruction. i-Ready does an outstanding job of letting the data speak for itself. I make most of my data a competition between the classes. If one class is below another on one specific standard in our percentages, you bet they will make it their mission to master that skill just to show that other class who is boss!

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Anthony Hamorsky, Teacher—Grade 5 Mathematics

Hawkins Elementary School, MS

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Accountable, Supportive, Driven

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
The data the students and I gain from i-Ready sets the pace at which we grow. It drives our instruction, small groups, and remediation.

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Cassie Kelcher, Teacher—Grade 4

Riverbend Prep, AZ

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Inviting, Collaborative, Student Centered

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
I believe data-driven instruction is a valuable tool for learning, but not the end-all-be-all. Data is useful when used along with standards, curriculum, and student interests. Data-driven instruction is used in my classroom daily along with those previously mentioned. i-Ready has been a huge resource in my classroom, especially when pulling small groups.

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Charles Giannone, Teacher—Grade 2

Riley Avenue School, NY

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Safe, Respectful, Responsible

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Captain America once said, "I can do this all day!" Data collected from i-Ready Diagnostic can be used to responsively teach across the curriculum throughout the day.

Courtney Linker, Teacher

Melba Jr./Sr. High School, ID

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Respectful, Growth Minded, Safe

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
The data should drive the instruction!  Although various factors may impact student performance, the data collected from comprehension checks, i-Ready Diagnostics, and other assessments will allow for more effective and efficient planning, as it provides specific feedback.

Cynthia Stevens, Teacher and Instructional Coach—Grade 4 Mathematics

Mifflin Park, PA

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Inviting, Engaging, Loving

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
My motto on data-driven instruction comes from one of my favorite quotes . . . "Children are not things to be molded, but rather people to be unfolded." Data-driven instruction is important because children need different things, and data will show us what their needs are.

TWITTER

Emily Kahler, Teacher—Grade 4

Red Clay, DE

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Engaging, Inclusive, Supportive

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
"Testing is coming" is a phrase I use with my students on a daily basis. I use this to motivate my students to focus on our end goal as I examine student exit tickets from i-Ready to check for standard alignment and mastery on a daily basis for my weekly data meetings.

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Felecia Young, Teacher

Knox Middle School, NC

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Intentional, Authentic Learning

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Data is the GPS for each child’s educational journey. It provides pit stops, U-turns, and detours to help them reach their final destination.

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Hallie Ouellette, Teacher—Grade 6 Mathematics

Ellis School, NH

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Structured, Safe to Take Risks, Connected

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Data-driven instruction is key—it provides students with more accurate and specific learning targets/standards to improve on based on formal assessments. Students are able to be placed in small groups where they can improve on the learning targets/standards that are challenges for them and thrive in the small group setting with the activities, both online and paper-based, put in place.

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Heather Levine, Teacher

Green Sea Floyds High School, SC

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Encouraging, Inclusive, Collaborative

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Data-driven instruction is key to helping the students become the best learners that they can be. Through analyzing the data, I can make informed decisions about what steps need to be taken to help improve my teaching, which in turn will best help the students.

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Dr. Janie Brown, Teacher—Mathematics

Laurel Middle School, MS

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Motivating, Challenging, Engaging

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
I perform data analysis to find gaps and necessary prerequisites so I can plan whole group instruction and then break it up into instructional groups. My Diagnostics, Standards Mastery, Comprehension Checks, and Lesson Quizzes are the foundation for my instructional groups. My instruction and discussions with my students are both driven by data. As a math teacher, numbers are everything to me.

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Jasmine Lane, Teacher

James E. Plew Elementary School, FL

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Supportive, Loving, Disciplined

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
I use my data to meet my students where they are and to plan around their needs. I review i-Ready's FL Benchmark tool to see how my students performed on each benchmark prior to teaching so that I know how to pace my instruction and classroom assignments.

Jeannette Milburn, Teacher—Grade 6 Mathematics

Braddock Middle School, MD

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Respect, Responsibility, Growth

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Making effective, informed decisions about my students and their learning is reliant upon formal and informal data throughout every moment in my classroom. i-Ready provides many snapshots of my students that allows me to make the best decisions for my students to ensure that they are reaching their greatest potential.

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Jessica Peixoto, Teacher—Grade 4

Ellen R. Hathaway School, MA

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
High Expectations, Perseverance, Creativity

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
What I ensure in my classroom, is that students "understand" their learning. I want my students to have pride in what they do and what they learn. I set BOY, MOY, and EOY goals for all my Grade 4 students, and students learn and push to where they have to be. Students take pride in recording their test data and being in control of what they can do!

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Jonathan Kryk, Teacher—Grade 5 English Language Arts

Challenger K–8, FL

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Collaborative, Reflective, Student Driven

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Our classroom motto is: “Progress! Not perfection!” I conference with my students prior to and after every i-Ready Diagnostic and growth check to analyze their GLOWS and GROWS, so they can create their own personal goals to catapult them into success! I want to instill in my students that growing toward that goal is just as important as surpassing that goal!

Kevin Fineske, Teacher—Mathematics

Horizon Middle School, WA

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Caring, Consistent, Connections

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Using data to inform teaching and learning helps improve instruction by looking at information available for each student. The
i-Ready Diagnostic is a great resource, especially when partnered with i-Ready Classroom Mathematics, as the Diagnostic automatically groups students by proficiency leading into each lesson taught with the curriculum.

Laura Bryant, Dual-Language Teacher—Grade 3

Central Elementary, NM

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Fun, Loud, Inclusive

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
"Boom, bam, ready to learn!" Students track My Progress and log their usage time and track their Personalized Instruction lessons on a daily basis. This allows us to make informed decisions as a class on concepts, skills, abilities, strengths, and weakness when it comes to learning math.

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Lendy Milo, Dual-Language Teacher—Grade 2

Oakwood Primary Center, NY

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Trust, Belonging, Self-Confidence

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Collecting and analyzing data is not just for data’s sake. Analyzing data and using it to modify instruction is just as important, or perhaps more important, than collecting data. Successfully using i-Ready and other data requires diving deep into the details of the skills of my students and examining and studying where they are struggling. The i-Ready domain provides a user-friendly way to look at student data by academic area and specific skills. Data must be used to enhance instruction and improve student learning outcomes.

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Monica Maxey, Special Educator—Grades K–2

Summersville Grade School, IL

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Acceptance, Positivity, Calm

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
My motto on data-driven instruction is to never look at the areas of concern with a negative focus. That data is an opportunity to teach skills in a differentiated way to increase academic success.

Monique Ross, Teacher

San Lucas Elementary School, CA

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Hands-On, Rigorous, Student Driven

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
I believe data is what gives teachers the necessary information to deliver appropriate instruction to each student. Student data should be used regularly to inform the instructor what should be taught and in what order. I often show my students the results of their data so we can discuss what needs to be done to see continuous progress.

Nicholas Alfred, Teacher

Lawn Avenue School, RI

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Humorous, Engaging, Supportive

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Data-driven instruction ensures that everyone is learning what they need at a level that is appropriate to them. Having open communication with students about their data and setting goals helps keep them invested in their own learning.

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Presley Seal, Teacher—Grade 1

Poplarville Lower Elementary, MS

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Engaging, Supportive, Exciting

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Data is the core of effective instruction! I am able to use i-Ready Diagnostics, growth checks, individual student lessons, and other data to monitor student progress. With consistent data, I am able to successfully differentiate student instruction and better meet the needs of each of my students.

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Raheem Robinson, Teacher—Mathematics

Whittemore Park Middle School, SC

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Relationship, Synergy, Purpose

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
I believe that a person's teaching method/style should be based on data. Fortunately, i-Ready has given me plethora forms of data to receive insight concerning my students in the end results in students receiving personalized education.

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Rita Chavira, Teacher

Desert View Elementary, NM

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Respect, Inclusion, Encouragement

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Collect, analyze, act! i-Ready is wonderful as it groups students based on need. I collect this information, analyze it, and act according to students' needs.

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Samantha Monroe, Teacher—Grade 3

Brighton Avenue School, NJ

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Rigorous, but fun.

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Within my classroom, I believe that students are much more successful and show a significant amount of growth when I am able to recognize and instruct students based on their individual levels and needs. Students are also given the responsibility to monitor their progress, struggles, and achievements in all areas of their learning through self-monitoring charts (e.g., i-Ready lessons, i-Ready growth, math lessons, etc.)

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Sarah Barthel, Teacher—Grade 5

Beiger Elementary School, IN

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Engaging, High Expectations, Safe and Inclusive

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
It is very important that students have ownership of personal learning and growth by monitoring Teacher-Assigned Lessons, end-of-lesson quizzes, and Standards Mastery pre- and post-tests. Standards Mastery tests are used by our Grade 5 team to remediate and challenge our students once a concept has been covered. We love viewing our growth reports! With my support, students are able to see their scores and chart personal growth. This is very exciting and motivating for them to see!

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Steven Spoljaric, Teacher—Mathematics

Bayless Junior High, MO

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Mistakes are cool!

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
This is where you are now, this is what you have done, this is where you need to get to later. What are you going to do between now and later?

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Taylor Wheatley, General Educator—Mathematics

Kirksville Elementary, KY

Describe your classroom culture in three words.
Trust, Enthusiastic, Engaging

Describe your motto on data-driven instruction. Consider how you use i‑Ready or other data.
Data-driven instruction can be broken down into two parts: the initial data collection that shows where the students are initially or even where some students think they are/belong and the data that you, as the teacher, know that the students can reach or achieve. When students take the first i-Ready Diagnostic, it provides insightful data to pull from when forming Tier 2 or 3 groups, but it can also be a substantial motivator for students to buy into your instruction and help push themselves to reach our classroom and/or individual goals.

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