Students will design and build a device that will capture a water balloon dropped from a predetermined height in a manner that allows the balloon to “survive” the fall with out breaking. Students will conduct Internet research on the physical forces involved in this process and document them in a lab journal. Students will also justify their design and choice of materials used to build their device. Finally, students will explain a real world application of a technology that applies an im...Read more

Many teachers provide “target papers” for students to see what an outstanding learning product looks like and then they are compelled to “aim” for that “target.” Similarly, when teachers are learning new approaches to preparing and delivering instruction, they benefit from seeing a strong classroom environment that elicits thought and quality work from students. While videos and workshops are valuable, there is no better way to experience quality in student learning than to expe...Read more

Folder: Effective and Efficient

This research report written by Bill Daggett, SPN's Doug Silver, Dr. Jimmy Byrd, and Dr. Cindy WIlliams provides a model of how effective and efficient are not mutually exclusive. This paper describes the rationale and context for work in support of the El Paso ISD's effort to become more effective and efficient through a real time data analysis. The focus of this work is on efficient prevention rather than expensive intervention in assisting schools’ existing efforts and identifying poten...Read more

Students will complete in depth research of the Hershey organization, including the amusement park, hotel, museum, and factory. Students will find the cost for the class to visit Hershey. Students will take a virtual tour of the factory, take a virtual ride on the rollercoasters, and gather information about the rollercoasters. Finally, students will reflect on their learning in writing.

Folder: Adult Education

Nearly a decade ago, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) presented states with a daunting mix of challenges that supported the creation of statewide standards and assessments and rigorous accountability requirements. Yet, as a nation, the United States still lags behind other countries in student academic achievement and in preparing its young people to succeed beyond the classroom. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education expects the gap between American students and students from top performing co...Read more

The questions below are designed to help you familiarize yourself with Next Navigator and the available features. If you have any questions about Next Navigator please contact your SPN coach, or the SPN offices by emailing info@spnet.us.

The scavenger hunt questions below are designed to help orient you to the SPN website and find helpful information and resources. Visit www.successfulpractices.org and log in with your username and password to complete the answers below.

Next Navigator is built with a database of more than 300 Next Generation Assessments (NGAs) aligned to the Common Core State Standards. New sample NGAs are in production and will continue to be added to the database as they are completed, but one of the best ways to fully understand what an NGA is and to use it is to create an NGA yourself. The task of developing a new assessment can be daunting for new and veteran teachers alike. Next Navigator is designed with a series of tools to support a...Read more

Folder: Adult Education

As schools and districts work to improve student learning outcomes, demand has grown for information on efforts to promote formative assessment and strategies that support its implementation. Formative assessment has been defined by a national group of education leaders and researchers as an ongoing instructional process rather than a discrete event. Using formative assessment, teachers collect feedback daily and systematically with students to inform adjustments to instruction to help studen...Read more

Folder: White Papers

For decades, General Motors was the heart of the American economy. Then in early 2009, the one-time market leader in the automobile industry found itself on the brink of insolvency. More recently, GM has been in the news once again, this time touting its back-on-its feet strategy. Our K-12 education system could learn a few lessons from the business dynasty’s failures, and more importantly, from the savvier overseas car companies that nearly put it out of business.