The Lurgi has me but I've written nonetheless!

Here I am on day 3 as sick as a dog!  Not fair and it’s definitely going to cramp my style.  I ache in every part of my body and as I type, my fingers hurt.  My brain is definitely not up to writing anything of great value but I did say that I would write regardless of the circumstances!  However, I didn’t factor in illness.  

So I shall attempt to continue on with the question of using assessment data to improve student learning.  Bored yet?  I think I’m beginning to be! I was going to talk about training teachers to analyse data but really that makes me want to go to sleep even more than my lurgi. ( A book prize for anyone who guesses - not googles - the origin of that word and knows the original cure!)

I got onto the assessment committee because I was and am still concerned about the lexile levels of our students.  From my reading of the data it appears that around 50% of our students in each grade level are not where they need to be so that when they get to grade 12 they will be able to read college level books.  We do have a percentage of EAL students but I don’t think that alone accounts for this.  

I have my theories!  We introduced I-pads across the board last year and the library circulation numbers began to drop.  This coincided with a new English department head who, though he pays lip service to having English classes come to the library for book talks or just book borrowing, he in no way encourages his teachers to do so.  This added to very content heavy English courses and et voila, a fall in circulation.  Yes, you are right, students are likely reading on their mobile devices but it is unlikely that their parents are buying the number of books that students used to take out in print format.  

Have you guessed that’s I’m a teacher-librarian, a rare breed, (originally I wrote 'bread' - see I told you I was sick) it seems, in most secondary schools.  My school is fortunate that the administration believes in the value of libraries.  Now all I need to do is learn how to analyse the lexile scores, and also look for other factors and then find away to turn things around.  I am trying not to make assumptions but of course, what I have just written is full of them.  

Enough!  My bed calls.  Well, actually I’m in it already!  But sleep calls!  Bonne nuit!