We are thrilled to host Clare and Tammy next month and again in the spring. Last school year, we had the opportunity for Rick Wormeli to guide our thinking on standards based grading.

Clare and Tammy are going to continue the assessment conversation through the lens of elementary readers. Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan are staff developers who are still teachers at heart. They began their work together twenty-four years ago co-teaching in an integrated first and second-grade classroom at the Eliot Pearson Children’s School in Medford, MA. They now lead a private staff development business, Teachers for Teachers, and spend their days partnering with school systems to implement best practices in the field of literacy. They believe that effective professional development includes side by side teaching; analysis of student work; mutual trust; respect; and a good dose of laughter.

In July we spoke on the phone because Clare and Tammy wanted to know specific needs in order to tailor their days just for us. After our conversation, I was reminded not only are Clare and Tammy deeply knowledgable in reading instruction and assessment practices, but they are also genuinely interested in uplifting educators.

Plan to attend a day with Clare and Tammy and be ready to be spoiled as a professional. The day will be filled with practical practices, genuine encouragement and a good time. They will lead us to think deeply about planning small group reading instruction, using assessment data in our instructional decisions, and deepening our conversations with readers.

Primary and intermediate teachers will be in separate groups in order to tailor the conversation to specific needs. The main topics will be the same, but there are always nuances for different grade levels. We are hoping to arrange a classroom observation experience for attendees.

If you want to get a head start, check out their original book: Assessment in Perspective: Focusing on the Reader Behind the Numbers. Much of the day will be anchored in these ideas.

Their new book is a heart work and one I keep talking about over and over. I love the way it continues to put kids in the forefront of all decisions we make as teachers. Clare and Tammy are donating all profits of their new book to establishing an elementary branch of BOOK LOVE. Book Love was created by Penny Kittle in order to get books in the hands of kids by donating classroom libraries.

It’s All About the Books: How to Create Bookworms and Classroom Libraries that Inspire Readers is the best how-to guide out there to get books in the hands of kids.

To sign up for a day with Clare and Tammy, just click here for more information. The workshop is free to consortium members and only $150 for friends outside of the consortium. 

You can find Clare and Tammy online at Teachers for Teachers where they blog about books and the art of teaching, and onTwitter.