We are proud to introduce Edulastic Innovator Spotlight member Karen Hernandez! Karen is a math teacher and department chair in Coachella, CA. She recently transitioned to standards-based grading, and she’s loving it!
Get to know Karen Hernandez
What do you love about Edulastic? How do you use it in your classroom?
I love the teacher dashboard and the data… THE DATA!!!! It truly gives me an idea of what standards/questions students are struggling on and I can target/modify instruction better. This past school year I used it for formative purposes and review of unit material.
Please sum up your teaching philosophy:
I am here to help my students become a better version of themselves in all aspects…including math!
What initially inspired you to work in education?
I had an early on career crisis where I questioned if I had chosen the right path. I quit my job at 23 and took time to analysis my career choices from when I graduated high school leading to quitting my job. I noticed a trend of educational careers from a math camp “teacher” to working with the county in a math assistant role. I noticed education was a part of my life which I had denied for some time with my parents being teachers, with one of them teaching math.
I stopped fighting what was destined to be my path and starting working as a guest teacher in districts. From here it was all history, I fell in love with teaching math, enrolled in a credential program and didn’t stop. Three years later I had a math teaching credential, a masters in educational administration, and an administrative credential. Now, I love what I do!
How did you learn about Edulastic? What is your Edulastic story?
I came across a post on Instagram showcasing Edulastic which caught my eye and it all took off from there. I spent almost an entire day playing with its features and falling in love with what it had to offer. I started making a list of all the endless possibilities of how to use it and what to use it for. I decided to use it as a formative and review of material for students. Students would have unit reviews and work either in groups or individually to help them better prepare for summative assessments.
What tips do you have for teachers who are new to Edulastic?
PLAY with it! Explore the ins and outs of it! It will definitely help you in the long run.
Fun Facts
Favorite Edulastic question type:
Multiple selection
What subjects do you use Edulastic for?
Math
Favorite movie:
Gladiator
Are you involved with any extracurriculars at school?
Travel club and girls tennis
Standards Based Grading with Edulastic and Google Classroom
Karen recently presented in an Edulastic webinar! Check out her awesome presentation on using Edulastic and Google Classroom for standards-based grading:
Join Karen and Other Educators
- Sign up for your free digital assessment account on Edulastic
- Want to learn more? Check out all of our Edulastic Innovator Spotlight posts