Test scores and measures of achievement tell you where a student is, but they don't tell you where a student could end up.

Just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn't mean that others can't do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training.

Wow, that's a really good score. You must have worked really hard.

What can I learn from this? What will I do next time I'm in this situation?

What did you learn today? What mistake did you make that taught you something? What did you try hard at today?

Choosing a partner is choosing a set of problems. There are no problem-free candidates.

So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!