Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Omitted Website for Curriculum Mapping
Here is the website spearheaded by Heidi Hayes Jacobs, (the guru if curriculum mapping), I forgot to add to my blog: http://www.curriculumdesigners.com/
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Weblink: What Is Being Assessed on the ASK Tests
1. Click the link below.
2. Select a grade level and subject area.
3. Look at the Areas of Focus.
4. Areas of Focus in boldface print are most likely to be assessed.
5. Sample test questions can sometimes be found under Comments and Examples, to the right of the Areas of Focus.
http://http//www.nj.gov/education/aps/njscp/
2. Select a grade level and subject area.
3. Look at the Areas of Focus.
4. Areas of Focus in boldface print are most likely to be assessed.
5. Sample test questions can sometimes be found under Comments and Examples, to the right of the Areas of Focus.
http://http//www.nj.gov/education/aps/njscp/
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Nicolae Borota
Evaluation of Curriculum
Dr. Dugan
July 14, 2009
People often argue whether class size has any direct bearing on performance. In my research, I have found a few different sites that have tried to analyze the effects of smaller class sizes.
According to the American Federation of Teachers, they advocate reducing class size to help raise student achievement, especially in high-poverty, at-risk schools. They cite that more teacher- student interaction allows teachers to better help individual students because they are better able to get to know the students. The smaller class sizes also create fewer discipline problems. The students are more likely to be on task. They say that researchers have found that two or more years in the elementary school with small class size result in the student scoring higher on tests in the middle and high school level. They also found that those students are more likely to graduate and take the SAT or ACT and apply to college.
The AFT says that they support class size reduction plans that:
1. Aim for classes between 15 and 19 students each.
2. Target schools with low-achieving and low-income students.
3. Have a thoughtful implementation plan so districts have the time and money to provide adequate classroom space and hire highly qualified teachers.
According to another site, the EPE Research Center, a statewide study conducted in Tennessee found that learning gains of students make in classes of 13 to 17 students persist long after the students move back into average-size classes. What the researchers found was the poor and African-American students appeared to have the greatest gains from being in the smaller classes. “After kindergarten, the gains black students made in smaller classes were typically twice as large as those for whites.” The study found that students in grades K–3 did significantly better on achievement tests when they were in classrooms with 13 to 17 students per teacher than when they were in standard-size classes (22 to 25 students) or in standard classes with a teacher and an aide. Children from the smaller classes continued to perform better than children from the larger classes, even in subsequent years when all children were in standard-size classes.
The greatest obstacle to smaller class size has to be the cost. Not only would more classes have to be used, but more teachers would have to be employed. In California, for
example, school districts claimed nearly $1 billion in state funds for class size
reduction in 1996–97 alone.
According to the site, futureofchildren.org, a national poll in 1997 found that 83% of teachers and 60% of principals agreed that class size in elementary school should not exceed 17 students, but the national average is 25.
Conclusions from Class-Size Research
(http://www.reduceclasssizenow.org/structuredAbstracts.htm)
Boyd-Zaharias, Jayne & Pate-Bain, Helen. (2000). Early and new findings from Tennessee’s Project STAR. In Wang, M.C. & Finn, J.D. (Eds.), How small classes help teachers do their best. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Center for Research in Human Development in Education, pp. 65-97.
• Small class size facilitates the creation of a teaching and learning environment where teachers can consistently engage in effective teaching practices and help students achieve at high levels.
Krueger, A. & Whitmore, D. (2002). Would smaller classes help close the black-white Achievement gap? In J.Chubb and T. Loveless (Eds.), Bridging the achievement gap. Washington, DC: Brookings Institute Press.
• The estimated impact of assigning students to small classes (15) in the early grades instead of regular size classes (22) would reduce the black-white gap in achievement test scores by 38 percent in kindergarten through 3rd grade; by 15 percent in achievement test scores in grades 4-8; and by 60 percent in test-taking rates for a college entrance exam like the SAT or ACT in high school.
Krueger, A. (2003). Economic considerations and class size. Economic Journal, 113, pp. 34-63.
• Every $1 invested in reducing class size from 22 students to 15 students in kindergarten through third grade yields about $2 in benefits in total increased earnings for those students over their work careers.
Finn, J. D., Gerber, S.B., & Boyd-Zaharias, J. (2005). Small classes in the early grades, academic achievement, and graduating from high school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97 (2), pp. 214-223.
• Students who attended a small class for four years in the early elementary grades were significantly more likely to graduate from high school.
• This benefit was particularly salient for students from low-income households, where the positive effect on high school graduation rates was 9 percentage points for students who attended small classes for 3 years and 18 percentage points for students who attended small classes for 4 years.
Muennig, Peter & Woolf, Steven H. (2007). Health and economic benefits of reducing the number of students per classroom in US primary schools. American Journal of Public Health, 97 (11) pp. 2020-2027.
• Reducing class size in the early grades resulted in a net cost savings to society of an estimated $168,000 per additional student who graduated from high school by age 20.
• For low-income students, the cost savings per added graduate rose to an estimated $196,000.
• In terms of health, the life expectancy for added graduates increased by an estimated 1.7 quality-adjusted life years.
• Reducing class size compares favorably with childhood vaccinations in terms of quality of life years gained per dollar invested.
• Class-size intervention appears to be more cost-effective than most medical and public health interventions.
Levin, H., Belfield, C. Muennig, P., & Rouse, C. (2007). The public returns to public educational investments in African American males. Economics of Education Review, 26 (6), pp. 699-708.
• Public investment in research-validated education interventions (including the Tennessee Project Star randomized-controlled experiment on reducing class size in the early grades) increase the high school graduation rates of African-American males and yields large public benefits.
• Over half of these cost benefits would accrue to the federal government, which at present contributes less than 10% of the budget for K-12 schooling.
With all of these studies that have stated that smaller class sizes are beneficial, why do we still have to many K - 3 classrooms with an abundance of students? Here is a table that shows the average public school class size by state in K – 6 in the years 1993-1994.
Evaluation of Curriculum
Dr. Dugan
July 14, 2009
People often argue whether class size has any direct bearing on performance. In my research, I have found a few different sites that have tried to analyze the effects of smaller class sizes.
According to the American Federation of Teachers, they advocate reducing class size to help raise student achievement, especially in high-poverty, at-risk schools. They cite that more teacher- student interaction allows teachers to better help individual students because they are better able to get to know the students. The smaller class sizes also create fewer discipline problems. The students are more likely to be on task. They say that researchers have found that two or more years in the elementary school with small class size result in the student scoring higher on tests in the middle and high school level. They also found that those students are more likely to graduate and take the SAT or ACT and apply to college.
The AFT says that they support class size reduction plans that:
1. Aim for classes between 15 and 19 students each.
2. Target schools with low-achieving and low-income students.
3. Have a thoughtful implementation plan so districts have the time and money to provide adequate classroom space and hire highly qualified teachers.
According to another site, the EPE Research Center, a statewide study conducted in Tennessee found that learning gains of students make in classes of 13 to 17 students persist long after the students move back into average-size classes. What the researchers found was the poor and African-American students appeared to have the greatest gains from being in the smaller classes. “After kindergarten, the gains black students made in smaller classes were typically twice as large as those for whites.” The study found that students in grades K–3 did significantly better on achievement tests when they were in classrooms with 13 to 17 students per teacher than when they were in standard-size classes (22 to 25 students) or in standard classes with a teacher and an aide. Children from the smaller classes continued to perform better than children from the larger classes, even in subsequent years when all children were in standard-size classes.
The greatest obstacle to smaller class size has to be the cost. Not only would more classes have to be used, but more teachers would have to be employed. In California, for
example, school districts claimed nearly $1 billion in state funds for class size
reduction in 1996–97 alone.
According to the site, futureofchildren.org, a national poll in 1997 found that 83% of teachers and 60% of principals agreed that class size in elementary school should not exceed 17 students, but the national average is 25.
Conclusions from Class-Size Research
(http://www.reduceclasssizenow.org/structuredAbstracts.htm)
Boyd-Zaharias, Jayne & Pate-Bain, Helen. (2000). Early and new findings from Tennessee’s Project STAR. In Wang, M.C. & Finn, J.D. (Eds.), How small classes help teachers do their best. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Center for Research in Human Development in Education, pp. 65-97.
• Small class size facilitates the creation of a teaching and learning environment where teachers can consistently engage in effective teaching practices and help students achieve at high levels.
Krueger, A. & Whitmore, D. (2002). Would smaller classes help close the black-white Achievement gap? In J.Chubb and T. Loveless (Eds.), Bridging the achievement gap. Washington, DC: Brookings Institute Press.
• The estimated impact of assigning students to small classes (15) in the early grades instead of regular size classes (22) would reduce the black-white gap in achievement test scores by 38 percent in kindergarten through 3rd grade; by 15 percent in achievement test scores in grades 4-8; and by 60 percent in test-taking rates for a college entrance exam like the SAT or ACT in high school.
Krueger, A. (2003). Economic considerations and class size. Economic Journal, 113, pp. 34-63.
• Every $1 invested in reducing class size from 22 students to 15 students in kindergarten through third grade yields about $2 in benefits in total increased earnings for those students over their work careers.
Finn, J. D., Gerber, S.B., & Boyd-Zaharias, J. (2005). Small classes in the early grades, academic achievement, and graduating from high school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97 (2), pp. 214-223.
• Students who attended a small class for four years in the early elementary grades were significantly more likely to graduate from high school.
• This benefit was particularly salient for students from low-income households, where the positive effect on high school graduation rates was 9 percentage points for students who attended small classes for 3 years and 18 percentage points for students who attended small classes for 4 years.
Muennig, Peter & Woolf, Steven H. (2007). Health and economic benefits of reducing the number of students per classroom in US primary schools. American Journal of Public Health, 97 (11) pp. 2020-2027.
• Reducing class size in the early grades resulted in a net cost savings to society of an estimated $168,000 per additional student who graduated from high school by age 20.
• For low-income students, the cost savings per added graduate rose to an estimated $196,000.
• In terms of health, the life expectancy for added graduates increased by an estimated 1.7 quality-adjusted life years.
• Reducing class size compares favorably with childhood vaccinations in terms of quality of life years gained per dollar invested.
• Class-size intervention appears to be more cost-effective than most medical and public health interventions.
Levin, H., Belfield, C. Muennig, P., & Rouse, C. (2007). The public returns to public educational investments in African American males. Economics of Education Review, 26 (6), pp. 699-708.
• Public investment in research-validated education interventions (including the Tennessee Project Star randomized-controlled experiment on reducing class size in the early grades) increase the high school graduation rates of African-American males and yields large public benefits.
• Over half of these cost benefits would accrue to the federal government, which at present contributes less than 10% of the budget for K-12 schooling.
With all of these studies that have stated that smaller class sizes are beneficial, why do we still have to many K - 3 classrooms with an abundance of students? Here is a table that shows the average public school class size by state in K – 6 in the years 1993-1994.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Internet Resources for Mathematics
Curriculum Evaluation
Dr. Dugan
Summer 2009
Internet Resources for Mathematics
The Twenty-first century requires new ways of dealing with increasing amounts of information and it also requires new ways of transferring that new information into knowledge. Our role as teachers is to no longer be the transmitters of knowledge but to be the messengers or providers of knowledge. Teachers who view education as the transmission of knowledge usually use ‘old school" teaching methods like lecture, writing problems on the board, practice worksheets and memorizing. This new age requires that teachers will no longer be the main sources of information. Teachers will now need to take a more constructivist role and partner with students in the learning process. With the invention of the Internet, a whole new world has become available to learners, both teachers and students.
The Internet compliments the teaching process in many ways. When thinking about how the Internet can assist in the teaching process, most teachers immediately think of how it impacts students. As teachers we must also think of how it will enhance our teaching. There are many ways in which the Internet helps teachers teach such as:
Dr. Dugan
Summer 2009
Internet Resources for Mathematics
The Twenty-first century requires new ways of dealing with increasing amounts of information and it also requires new ways of transferring that new information into knowledge. Our role as teachers is to no longer be the transmitters of knowledge but to be the messengers or providers of knowledge. Teachers who view education as the transmission of knowledge usually use ‘old school" teaching methods like lecture, writing problems on the board, practice worksheets and memorizing. This new age requires that teachers will no longer be the main sources of information. Teachers will now need to take a more constructivist role and partner with students in the learning process. With the invention of the Internet, a whole new world has become available to learners, both teachers and students.
The Internet compliments the teaching process in many ways. When thinking about how the Internet can assist in the teaching process, most teachers immediately think of how it impacts students. As teachers we must also think of how it will enhance our teaching. There are many ways in which the Internet helps teachers teach such as:
- It provides students with motivation. Everyone works better when they are motivated either to clean up their room to go play or by taking classes to get a promotion at work. The Internet also helps to motivate those students who are bored by the traditional ways of teaching.
- The use of the Internet allows students to use information in different ways which increases the assimilation of knowledge. The Internet is a great source for re-enforcement.
- The Internet can be used to help teachers make better lesson plans and have more efficient planning times. The vast amount of knowledge that can be found on the Internet enables teachers to create more creative, interesting and balanced lesson plans. Writing, critical thinking, problem-solving and discovery can be part of every lesson. Lessons that incorporate these skills allow students to participate in the learning process but also enable students to create their own knowledge. There are hundred of websites that have lessons like these and they are able to be downloaded for free.
- The Internet is also a great way for parents to get connected to their child’s school. Parents can see homework assignments and know the status of their child’s grades at any time. The Internet also enables teachers and parents to interact more quickly and to not play "phone tag" trying to contact each other.
The Internet is a tool to help teachers teach but it is also a great tool to assist in the learning process. When students are using the Internet, they are in a more active role as opposed to the passive role they are in when using textbooks or in lectures. The Internet gives students the tools they need for self-discovery and here are some very important reasons why student should be encouraged to use the Internet in their learning process.
- Using the Internet is very exciting and motivating to students, young and old. Teachers need to use this interest and excitement to our advantage. The Internet allows students to have access to learning games/activities/ resources not found in the classroom or at home.
- As we are increasingly becoming aware, our world is becoming a global community. The Internet allows for communication and collegiality between students, schools, states and countries. This was not possible before the Internet. Instead of reading about a famous mathematician, students can actually talk to them and ask questions of them via the Internet.
- The Internet allows for almost instant access to information. Students in the poorest of countries have the same access to information as students from the richest of countries; the only thing necessary is an internet connection.
- The Internet is a perfect vehicle for cooperative learning. Students can work together without the worry of distance limitations.
- The Internet has the unique ability to teach children through play. There are hundreds of websites that have learning games for students of all ages. The Internet can be the perfect marriage of learning and play.
While the Internet is important for teaching and learning in the twenty-first century, it doesn’t come without drawbacks such as:
- It is very easy for students to access inappropriate websites. Teachers must prepare and be vigilant.
- Using the internet effectively takes time and preparation. Teachers need to do a lot of research before using the Internet in their lessons.
- The socio-economic status of students should also be considered before using the Internet for out of school assignments. Students from low-income homes may or may not have computers and access to the Internet. Teachers must be mindful of this and make alternate arrangements.
- The Internet is free and accessible to anyone with internet access. Thieves, criminals and other questionable people can contact students online. Students must educated as to the dangers and teachers must always monitor student online activity in school.
The official position of the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics concerning technology in education is:
"Technology is an essential tool for learning mathematics in the 21st century, and all schools must ensure that all their students have access to technology. Effective teachers maximize the potential of technology to develop students’ understanding, stimulate their interest, and increase their proficiency in mathematics. When technology is used strategically, it can provide access to mathematics for all students."
The use of the Internet cannot replace conceptual understanding, computational fluency or problem solving skills. The Internet should be part of a balanced mathematics program. Teachers will not be replaced by the Internet because teachers determine how technology is best applied in the classroom. Teachers, and mathematics teachers in particular, must continually update their professional development in order to keep abreast of new technologies and available programs and websites. Teachers need to be open to learning these new technologies because not only will it help students to learn more in the classroom now but to be more marketable and competitive in our future global community.
Internet Resources for Teachers
Brain Pop
http://www.brainpop.com/math/seeall.weml
Short animation movies on math topics
Flashcards for Kids
http://edu4kids.com/math/
Basic online practice
Fun Mathematics lessons by Cynthia Lanius
http://www.math.rice.edu
K-12 math lessons on topics like ratio, fraction, and graphs
National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
http://nctm.org
Math principles and standards, FAQ’s and links to other resources
The Math Forum
http://www.forum.swarthmore.edu
Math problems of the week, Dr. Math to receive and answer?’s, math lessons K-12+
PBS Mathline
http://www.pbs.org
Online math lessons and activities organized by grade level and category
Go Math
http://www.gomath.com
Everything math-Ask an expert, homework help, calculators, converters, test prep. Put in topic and get a list of resources.
Internet4Classrooms
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/math
Everything math-power point presentations, videos, interactive lessons, and quizzes
Mathematical Resources
http://www.members.stratos.net/jetta/math1.html
An online catalog of Internet site organized into categories: lesson plans K-12, software, newsgroups, and listservs
A+ Math
http://www.aplusmath.com
Math flashcard creator, math game, homework helper
Math Forum from Drexel University
http://www.mathforum.org
Resources, materials, person-to-person interactions, educational services and products
Math goodies
http://www.mathgoodies.com
Math lesson, homework help, worksheets, puzzles that meet NCTM standards
Math Stories
http://www.mathstories.com
2,000+ math word problems for grades 1-5, with answers provided
Word Problems for Kids
http://www.stfx.ca/special/mathproblems/welcome/html
Single step and multiple step word problems based on real world dilemmas, grades 5-12
Math Teacher Link
http://MTL.math.uiuc.edu/
Online classroom resources for algebra, geometry, calculus and probability
Fun Brain
http://www.funbrain.com
An interactive site with problem solving to play math baseball and car racing, K-8
Algebra Story and Word Problems
http://www.2hawaii.edu/suremath/intro_algebra.html
Problem solving in all subjects that use mathematics for problem solving: algebra, physics, chemistry, K-Grad school
Learning Open
http://gs260.sp.cs.cmu/LearningOpen2003
Instructional strategies that achieve high levels of student learning on average. Uses pre and post measures to assess student achievement.
Free Algebra Tutor
http://www.algebratutor.org
Various word problems
Lessons to motivate underachievers
http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/mccall/mainlesson.html
What math teachers can do to interest and motivate learners?
Ask Mr. Calculus
http://www.geocities.com
Help with calculus, trigonometry, geometry and algebra. Sample AP Calculus problems and solutions
Educational REALMS
http://stemworks.org
Lesson plans and links about Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education
Figure This!
http://figurethis.org
Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education, this site is a series of fun problem solving challenges
Bamdad’s Comics
http://www.csun.edu/~hcmth014/comics/html
This site offers comics that help break the ice when introducing a new topic
High School Math
http://www.mathforum.org/teachers
High school hub-Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus
Math League
http://www.mathleague.com
Educational math contests, problem books and math software
Web cast Matrix
http://www.webquest.sdsu.edu/matrix.html
Explore webcasts in math for grades k-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 or adult
Tessellations
http://www.forum.swarthmore.edu/sum95/suzanne/tess.gsp.tutorial.html
Tessellation tutor
Technology for teaching
http://www.linus.gmu.edu
Everything for education
Polyhedra and manipulatives
http://www.math.utah.edu
A site for regular, three-dimensional polyhedra
Mathematics-teaching related sites
http://www.ams.org/new-in-math/museums.html
American Mathematical Society list of mathematics related virtual exhibits
http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/html.f/resource.xml
A list of websites for teaching various topics in mathematics
American Math Society
http://www.ams.org/notices/199502/devlin.pdf
An index from the NCTM of software reviews and related columns
The New Math
http://www.nas.edu/sputnik/index.htm
From a symposium at the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering, 1997. Includes educational reform movements including New Math
Ed.gov
http://www.ed.gov/databases/EIRC_Digests/ed433192html
Technology in mathematics education: Internet Resources
NCTM Math Standards
http://www.standards.nctm.org-
Principles and standards for school mathematics
Math League
http://www.mathleague.com
Online math contests with solutions, grades 5-12
Interactive Math
http://www.matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/vlibrary.html
Tools and activities for number and operations, Algebra, Geometry and Measurement, and Data Analysis and Probability
Brain Teasers
http://www.eduplace.com/math/brain
Weekly brain teaser math puzzles
Illuminations
http://www.illuminations.nctm.org
A NCTM site devoted to providing Internet resources to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in grades PK-12
Monday, July 13, 2009
Curriculum Integration
Dana Veneziani
July 14, 2009
Curriculum Evaluation
Dr. Jay Dugan
Curriculum integration is a way to increase student understanding by teaching across the disciplines—teaching subject areas according to their natural connections rather than in isolation from one another. It doesn't mean that science teachers suddenly must teach English, or vice versa. It may be one teacher within a discipline making connections to other disciplines. It may be all the teachers at a grade level planning a unit that combines several disciplines. Curriculum integration focuses on making learning reflect life so that students see the value of what they are being taught. (www.ascd.org)
Integrated curriculum is an educational approach that prepares children for lifelong learning. There is a strong belief among those who support curriculum integration that schools must look at education as a process for developing abilities required by life in the twenty-first century, rather than discrete, departmentalized subject matter. Thus, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association to focus upon broad areas of study. It views learning and teaching in a holistic way and reflects the real world, which is interactive. In general, integrated curriculum or interdisciplinary curriculums include:
· A combination of subjects
· An emphasis on projects
· Sources that go beyond textbooks
· Relationships among concepts
· Thematic units as organizing principles
· Flexible schedules
· Flexible student groupings.
Interdisciplinary teaching is a method, or set of methods, used to teach a unit across different curricular disciplines. For example, the seventh grade Language Arts, Science and Social Studies teachers might work together to form an interdisciplinary unit on rivers. (Wikipedia)
The local river system would be the unifying idea, but the English teacher would link it to Language Arts by studying river vocabulary and teaching students how to do a research report. The science teacher might teach children about the life systems that exist in the river, while the Social Studies teacher might help students research the local history and peoples who used the river for food and transport. (Wikipedia)
The following are reasons why curriculum integration is important:
· Students see relationships among ideas and concepts as they plan and experience a theme-based inquiry.
· Relationships between in- and out-of-school topics become obvious to students.
· Communication processes become authentic as students engage in thematically based learning activities.
· Students are encouraged to share ideas. As they listen to one another, their personal bases of ideas are expanded.
· Respect and cooperation among peers are expanded through interaction.
· Students become more responsible for, and engaged in, their own learning.
· The teacher assumes the role of facilitator rather than information dispenser.
· A sense of community develops as cooperatively designed student activities are created.
· Many grouping patterns naturally emerge.
· Assessment is authentic, continuous, and related to learning endeavors. (www.todaysteacher.com)
Why should teachers work to integrate curriculum? Teachers have found that they want to develop ways to make their classroom more like the world outside. We don't live in isolation. When we go to the grocery store, we don't just do math. We have to read things that are on the packages. We have to decide about quantities. We have to look at nutrition. There are a lot of things that have to be done at one time. (www.ascd.org)
.
July 14, 2009
Curriculum Evaluation
Dr. Jay Dugan
Curriculum integration is a way to increase student understanding by teaching across the disciplines—teaching subject areas according to their natural connections rather than in isolation from one another. It doesn't mean that science teachers suddenly must teach English, or vice versa. It may be one teacher within a discipline making connections to other disciplines. It may be all the teachers at a grade level planning a unit that combines several disciplines. Curriculum integration focuses on making learning reflect life so that students see the value of what they are being taught. (www.ascd.org)
Integrated curriculum is an educational approach that prepares children for lifelong learning. There is a strong belief among those who support curriculum integration that schools must look at education as a process for developing abilities required by life in the twenty-first century, rather than discrete, departmentalized subject matter. Thus, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association to focus upon broad areas of study. It views learning and teaching in a holistic way and reflects the real world, which is interactive. In general, integrated curriculum or interdisciplinary curriculums include:
· A combination of subjects
· An emphasis on projects
· Sources that go beyond textbooks
· Relationships among concepts
· Thematic units as organizing principles
· Flexible schedules
· Flexible student groupings.
Interdisciplinary teaching is a method, or set of methods, used to teach a unit across different curricular disciplines. For example, the seventh grade Language Arts, Science and Social Studies teachers might work together to form an interdisciplinary unit on rivers. (Wikipedia)
The local river system would be the unifying idea, but the English teacher would link it to Language Arts by studying river vocabulary and teaching students how to do a research report. The science teacher might teach children about the life systems that exist in the river, while the Social Studies teacher might help students research the local history and peoples who used the river for food and transport. (Wikipedia)
The following are reasons why curriculum integration is important:
· Students see relationships among ideas and concepts as they plan and experience a theme-based inquiry.
· Relationships between in- and out-of-school topics become obvious to students.
· Communication processes become authentic as students engage in thematically based learning activities.
· Students are encouraged to share ideas. As they listen to one another, their personal bases of ideas are expanded.
· Respect and cooperation among peers are expanded through interaction.
· Students become more responsible for, and engaged in, their own learning.
· The teacher assumes the role of facilitator rather than information dispenser.
· A sense of community develops as cooperatively designed student activities are created.
· Many grouping patterns naturally emerge.
· Assessment is authentic, continuous, and related to learning endeavors. (www.todaysteacher.com)
Why should teachers work to integrate curriculum? Teachers have found that they want to develop ways to make their classroom more like the world outside. We don't live in isolation. When we go to the grocery store, we don't just do math. We have to read things that are on the packages. We have to decide about quantities. We have to look at nutrition. There are a lot of things that have to be done at one time. (www.ascd.org)
.
Curriculum Articulation
Articulation refers to the logical progression of learning objectives from grade level to grade level, from course to course, within the curricular content areas. Articulation explains the connectivity of learning that creates seamless learning throughout a student’s educational experience. Articulation within a team environment is crucial and means involving teachers from multiple grade levels to collaborate on implementing curriculum in ways that enhance the intended articulation.
We as educators know that time is perhaps the most important but least available resource in American education. Teachers need time to plan curriculum and develop assessments, refine instructional strategies, and engage in collaborative inquiry to improve student work. Current and former editors of the Middle School Journal, report that in the United States teachers do not have the needed hours to plan and articulate, yet they teach more hours than the teachers in all 15 European countries (1997). Holland, a writer and investigative reporter specializing in education coverage, reports that the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, found that teachers in Germany, Japan, and China spend 15 to 20 hours a week working with teachers in study groups to collaborate and observe. These teachers indicated that they could not perform their jobs successfully if they were working under the same conditions as American teachers, where little time is allowed to plan and work on instruction and curriculum with other teachers (Holland, 1997).
There are a few ways to promote curriculum articulation and create seamless learning and close achievement gaps throughout grade levels. Here are a few:
- · Grade level team meetings- Meeting as a grade should be done at least once a week to discuss content, skills, and benchmarks at each grade level. When teachers meet as a grade level they support each other and the implementation of curricular and instructional innovations.
- · Professional Learning Communities- In PLC’s teachers work together collaboratively to analyze and improve classroom practice. Teachers work in teams, engaging in an ongoing cycle of questions that promote deep team learning, identify goals to close achievement gaps, and this process in turn leads to higher levels of student achievement.
Whatever the method of collaboration and professional study is, recognizing the value of this activity is essential. Schools need to make it a priority to adapt their schedules in order to ensure that teachers and other professionals have time to collaborate.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
10 Tips for Using Data Effectively
- Choose the right data.
- Organize the data in a user-friendly manner.
- Analyze it in a timely manner
- Make it available to all stakeholders
- Provide the staff development necessary to use data to inform decision making.
- Use data analysis to make programmatic changes.
- Use data analysis to make instructional changes.
- Use data analysis to determine student-specific interventions.
- Design or select classroom and district assessments that are aligned with curriculum content.
- Plan for the continuation of the process, both data delivery and staff development.
Constructivism
What is Constructivism?
Constructivism is a theory about the way in which people learn. It holds the belief that people construct their own understanding of the world through their experiences and reflection upon those experiences. Two very important constructivist thinkers are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. The formal theory of constructivism is generally attributed to Piaget, who articulated the process by which knowledge is internalized by learners. This quote summarizes Piaget’s main arguments:
“[Piaget] suggested that through processes of accommodation and assimilation, individuals construct new knowledge from their experiences. When individuals assimilate, they incorporate the new experience into an already existing framework without changing that framework. This may occur when individuals' experiences are aligned with their internal representations of the world, but may also occur as a failure to change a faulty understanding; for example, they may not notice events, may misunderstand input from others, or may decide that an event is a fluke and is therefore unimportant as information about the world. In contrast, when individuals' experiences contradict their internal representations, they may change their perceptions of the experiences to fit their internal representations. According to the theory, accommodation is the process of reframing one's mental representation of the external world to fit new experiences. Accommodation can be understood as the mechanism by which failure leads to learning: when we act on the expectation that the world operates in one way and it violates our expectations, we often fail, but by accommodating this new experience and reframing our model of the way the world works, we learn from the experience of failure, or others' failure.”
Constructivism in the Classroom
In the most general sense, the constructivist view of the classroom usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on what they are doing and how their knowledge is changing.
Teachers are viewed as facilitators in this process of reflection. It is the teachers role to guide the student, prompting them to consistently assess what new information they are gaining. The following example can be quite useful to understand this process:
“Groups of students in a science class are discussing a problem in physics. Though the teacher knows the "answer" to the problem, she focuses on helping students restate their questions in useful ways. She prompts each student to reflect on and examine his or her current knowledge. When one of the students comes up with the relevant concept, the teacher seizes upon it, and indicates to the group that this might be a fruitful avenue for them to explore. They design and perform relevant experiments. Afterward, the students and teacher talk about what they have learned, and how their observations and experiments helped (or did not help) them to better understand the concept.”
Differences between the traditional classroom
Classes that are practicing constructivist theories tend to be more student-centered. The students are urged to be actively involved in their learning. Furthermore, in the constructivist classroom, “both teacher and students think of knowledge not as inert factoids to be memorized, but as a dynamic, ever-changing view of the world we live in and the ability to successfully stretch and explore that view.” The chart below discusses some of the main differences between traditional and constructivist classrooms.
In a constructivist classroom, the learning is:
• Constructed
• Active
• Reflective
• Collaborative
• Inquiry-based
• Evolving
Within the context of constructivism, assessment is seen as “inextricably linked”. Holt and Willard-Holt (2000) emphasize the concept of dynamic assessment, which is a way of assessing the true potential of learners that differs significantly from conventional tests. Here the essentially interactive nature of learning is extended to the process of assessment. Rather than viewing assessment as a process carried out by one person, such as an instructor, it is seen as a two-way process involving interaction between both instructor and learner. The role of the assessor becomes one of entering into dialogue with the persons being assessed to find out their current level of performance on any task and sharing with them possible ways in which that performance might be improved on a subsequent occasion. (Holt and Willard-Holt 2000).
The criticism of constructivism has been given from scientists and educators. The following summarizes what many critics consider the downfall to constructivism:
“Other educators are also beginning to question the effectiveness of this approach toward instructional design, especially as it applies to the development of instruction for novices (Mayer, 2004; Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark, 2006). While some constructivists argue that "learning by doing" enhances learning, critics of constructivism have argued that little empirical evidence exists to support this statement given novice learners (Mayer, 2004; Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark, 2006). Sweller and his colleagues argue that novices do not possess the underlying mental models or "schemas" necessary for "learning by doing" (e.g. Sweller, 1988). Indeed, Mayer (2004) even suggests that fifty years of empirical data do not support using the constructivist teaching technique of pure discovery; in those situations requiring discovery, he argues for the use of guided discovery instead.”
Constructivism is a theory about the way in which people learn. It holds the belief that people construct their own understanding of the world through their experiences and reflection upon those experiences. Two very important constructivist thinkers are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. The formal theory of constructivism is generally attributed to Piaget, who articulated the process by which knowledge is internalized by learners. This quote summarizes Piaget’s main arguments:
“[Piaget] suggested that through processes of accommodation and assimilation, individuals construct new knowledge from their experiences. When individuals assimilate, they incorporate the new experience into an already existing framework without changing that framework. This may occur when individuals' experiences are aligned with their internal representations of the world, but may also occur as a failure to change a faulty understanding; for example, they may not notice events, may misunderstand input from others, or may decide that an event is a fluke and is therefore unimportant as information about the world. In contrast, when individuals' experiences contradict their internal representations, they may change their perceptions of the experiences to fit their internal representations. According to the theory, accommodation is the process of reframing one's mental representation of the external world to fit new experiences. Accommodation can be understood as the mechanism by which failure leads to learning: when we act on the expectation that the world operates in one way and it violates our expectations, we often fail, but by accommodating this new experience and reframing our model of the way the world works, we learn from the experience of failure, or others' failure.”
Constructivism in the Classroom
In the most general sense, the constructivist view of the classroom usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on what they are doing and how their knowledge is changing.
Teachers are viewed as facilitators in this process of reflection. It is the teachers role to guide the student, prompting them to consistently assess what new information they are gaining. The following example can be quite useful to understand this process:
“Groups of students in a science class are discussing a problem in physics. Though the teacher knows the "answer" to the problem, she focuses on helping students restate their questions in useful ways. She prompts each student to reflect on and examine his or her current knowledge. When one of the students comes up with the relevant concept, the teacher seizes upon it, and indicates to the group that this might be a fruitful avenue for them to explore. They design and perform relevant experiments. Afterward, the students and teacher talk about what they have learned, and how their observations and experiments helped (or did not help) them to better understand the concept.”
Differences between the traditional classroom
Classes that are practicing constructivist theories tend to be more student-centered. The students are urged to be actively involved in their learning. Furthermore, in the constructivist classroom, “both teacher and students think of knowledge not as inert factoids to be memorized, but as a dynamic, ever-changing view of the world we live in and the ability to successfully stretch and explore that view.” The chart below discusses some of the main differences between traditional and constructivist classrooms.
In a constructivist classroom, the learning is:
• Constructed
• Active
• Reflective
• Collaborative
• Inquiry-based
• Evolving
Within the context of constructivism, assessment is seen as “inextricably linked”. Holt and Willard-Holt (2000) emphasize the concept of dynamic assessment, which is a way of assessing the true potential of learners that differs significantly from conventional tests. Here the essentially interactive nature of learning is extended to the process of assessment. Rather than viewing assessment as a process carried out by one person, such as an instructor, it is seen as a two-way process involving interaction between both instructor and learner. The role of the assessor becomes one of entering into dialogue with the persons being assessed to find out their current level of performance on any task and sharing with them possible ways in which that performance might be improved on a subsequent occasion. (Holt and Willard-Holt 2000).
The criticism of constructivism has been given from scientists and educators. The following summarizes what many critics consider the downfall to constructivism:
“Other educators are also beginning to question the effectiveness of this approach toward instructional design, especially as it applies to the development of instruction for novices (Mayer, 2004; Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark, 2006). While some constructivists argue that "learning by doing" enhances learning, critics of constructivism have argued that little empirical evidence exists to support this statement given novice learners (Mayer, 2004; Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark, 2006). Sweller and his colleagues argue that novices do not possess the underlying mental models or "schemas" necessary for "learning by doing" (e.g. Sweller, 1988). Indeed, Mayer (2004) even suggests that fifty years of empirical data do not support using the constructivist teaching technique of pure discovery; in those situations requiring discovery, he argues for the use of guided discovery instead.”
Data Driven Decision Making
Data Driven Decision Making
Belinda Murphy Curriculum Evaluation
July 9, 2009 Dr. Jay Dugan
What is it?
Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) is a system of teaching and management practices that enables classroom teachers to obtain more accurate information about their students. It utilizes background information and student assessment data when decisions are made for planning and implementing instructional strategies at the district, school, classroom, and individual student levels. Some educators dislike the idea of DDDM because of its connection with the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This is a shame, because numerous school districts across the country are seeing substantial improvements in student achievement and learning as they incorporate data-driven practices. Teachers in these schools are finding that pervasive and intelligent uses of data can significantly improve their instructional interventions for students, increase their feelings of professional fulfillment and job satisfaction, and also re-energize their enthusiasm for teaching.
Teachers must make an important paradigm shift if they are going to incorporate data-driven decision-making into their day-to-day instruction that is dedicated to the achievement of results, with an emphasis on the delivery and process to instructional pedagogy. Teachers and other instructional support staff will need extensive professional development and training in order to adopt data-driven approaches successfully. (McLeod, S., 2007)
Why do we need it?
“School reform is the ultimate goal of school reform laws and the rules, policies, and procedures for implementing them. Federal and many state laws require schools to have school improvement plans and to set goals to improve student achievement of standards. Goals for improvement are based on state and local assessment results and the indicator systems of which they are a part. These results reveal overall learning, conditions that affect information; the school determines what needs to be improved, who needs to improve, and how that improvement might be accomplished.” (ael.org/dbdm)
Essential Concepts
Educators need to understand the differences between NCLB and DDDM. NCLB is about accountability to the federal government for the educational funds sent to states. “Data-driven decision-making is about getting better information into the hands of classroom instructors; Educators should be careful not to reject DDDM practices and principles, which have been shown to have positive impacts on student learning and achievement gaps, because they are angry about federal and state NCLB implementation decisions. Data-driven activities existed in some schools long before NCLB was passed and will continue in many schools regardless of what happens with the federal legislation.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Data-driven educators should be able to articulate the essential elements of effective data-driven education outlined in the diagram below. The five major elements of data-driven instruction are:
· good baseline data,
· measurable instructional goals,
· frequent formative assessment,
· professional learning communities, and
· focused instructional interventions.
These elements interact to enhance student learning and to inform teacher practice.
When assessing student and school success, teachers must understand the importance of utilizing various indicators and multiple measures. (Bernhardt, 2004). For example, data from a single administration of a statewide mathematics test does not give teachers the specific information they need in order to improve student learning. Measures of student engagement, information from other assessments, previous interventions, and other data are needed for teachers to design appropriate instructional interventions. Likewise, using a single formative assessment to measure students’ mathematics progress is not as reliable as using several different assessments to determine students’ mathematical understanding. Teachers who are data-driven need to be very careful when reviewing the summative assessment data from yearly state tests. They need to understand how and when the data can or can't be helpful.
Principals can support this phase of the DDDM process by helping staff envision what good data-driven education looks like in practice and by helping teachers understand the five essential elements. Building staff and organizational DDDM capacity takes time, just like any other school reform initiative. Principals need to assist district personnel in the creation and implementation of a comprehensive, long-term professional development plan that is designed to ground teachers in the skills they need to be effective data-driven instructors. (McLeod, S., 2007)
Collecting and Analyzing Summative Data
Data-driven school organizations require teachers to utilize data from yearly summative assessments to improve student learning. In order for this to happen, teachers need to be able to get their hands on the data from yearly summative assessments that will help them improve instructional practice. They already proctor those tests; they also should be able to get relevant summative test data out of district data management and analysis systems for baseline analytical and reporting purposes. “Access to the raw data is crucial, because educators invariably want more detailed data, or want data presented in different ways, than paper reports typically provide.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Teachers should work with their administrators to select key indicators of success for their classrooms, once they have access to good baseline information. In order to do this, they need to be well-versed in assessment literacy concepts so that they can appropriately interpret summative baseline data. Teachers also need to give continuous feedback to administrators about the effectiveness of the data and/or reports that they are receiving.
Principals should check to be sure that the data teachers receive is in a format that can be useful for classroom instruction, is accurate, and is given to them in a timely manner. Principals should also help district personnel in the designing and implementation of data systems that allow for exploration and reporting of raw data. “Most importantly, building-level administrators must actively help teachers identify key indicators of classroom success, appropriately analyze their data, and then turn those data into strategic pedagogical interventions.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Setting Measurable Goals
Teachers can use specific baseline data to identify learning needs and mastery levels of various classes, individual students, and demographic subgroups, once armed with key summative indicators of classroom success. They can then use that information to set measurable year-end instructional goals. “These goals are often referred to as SMART goals. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, and Time-Bound. An example SMART goal might look something like the following:
The percentage of third grade students scoring at Level 3 or higher on the state mathematics test will increase from 64% in Spring 2004 to 82% in Spring 2005.
Focus areas for improvement
1. Number sense
2. Computation
3. Measurement
Data-driven educators recognize that formalized goal-setting can lead to improved student learning outcomes. All SMART goals created by teachers and administrators should have the following six components (with example language from the SMART goal above):
1. A measurable baseline (64%);
2. A measurable target (82%);
3. A specific time frame (Spring 2004 to Spring 2005);
4. Specificity about what is being assessed (percentage of third grade students scoring at Level 3 or higher);
5. Specificity about the method of assessment (the state mathematics test); and
6. Focus areas that guide future action needed to reach the learning target (number sense, computation, and measurement).
Inclusion of these six components ensures that SMART goals meet the criteria represented by the acronym. SMART goals can be used with common assessments, teacher-made rubrics, and other types of assessments as well as with standardized tests from publishing companies and state departments.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Teachers should then be able to identify a few key instructional goals each year. Teachers often are overwhelmed by the plethora of learning needs present in their classrooms and must fight the urge to create too many goals. Teacher goal-setting should address instructional areas that are both relevant and strategic. “Evidence from successful data-driven schools shows that strategic focus and success in a couple of key areas commonly carries over and alleviates other instructional and behavioral concerns as well.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Principals should model and support the goal-setting process. Administrators’ goal statements might focus on factors such as students’ level of engagement with the teaching-learning process, discipline, attendance, and student learning objectives. Organizational goals should be focused on essential school needs and should be mentioned often, especially with parents, students, and faculty. Administrators also should actively assist teachers as they try to create specific, appropriate goals for their students and classrooms.
Collecting and Analyzing Formative Data
Data-driven schools have a good idea of where their students are at the beginning of the year and have measurable, hopefully attainable goals for where they want their students to be at the end of the year. After that a system of formative assessments should be implemented periodically in order to establish benchmarks which will help track the progress of their students during the school year toward those year-end goals. “Simply using baseline data to set measurable year-end goals, without also implementing a system that allows for frequent analysis and adjustment of instructional and organizational practice, is not likely to result in significant improvements in student learning.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
“Effective formative assessment practices, implemented during the school year, have been shown to be a powerful mechanism for improving student learning. Research meta-analyses have shown that good formative assessment has a greater impact on student learning, and on achievement gaps, than any other instructional practice.” (Black & William, 1998)
Teachers need opportunities to meet frequently in order to have collaborative, data-based discussions about student progress in order to realize the instructional power of their formative assessment practices. It is during these meetings, that teachers need to identify specific patterns from the formative data and discuss what this data tells them about students’ progress toward their year-end learning goals. Teachers can then collaboratively identify appropriate instructional interventions that can be implemented during the next instructional period and collectively commit to implementing those interventions. Not only will this have a major impact on student achievement; but also, this type of professional learning community participation allows the teacher to claim ownership resulting in immense satisfaction.
Teachers, who are truly data-driven, utilize their instructional expertise to identify key formative indicators of success that can be used to measure student progress during the school year. They should also use appropriate technologies to collect, organize, analyze, and report that data to administrators, parents, students, and colleagues. “Other key skills of data-driven teachers include knowledge of relevant assessment literacy concepts (in order to appropriately interpret formative assessment data), the ability to engage in root cause analysis to identify appropriate instructional interventions, and the capacity and willingness to work effectively with other staff on shared instructional problems and solutions.”(McLeod, S., 2007)
“Administrators must recognize that the driving engine behind substantial improvements in student learning outcomes is a strong system of formative assessment, coupled with the opportunity for teachers to collaboratively make sense and act upon the formative data they receive. Too many school systems are focusing on summative baseline data because of NCLB and are realizing only later that a primary reason they are not obtaining desired results is because they lack a feedback loop that allows teachers to receive information, before the end of the school year, about the success or failure of their instructional interventions.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
In order to implement creative solutions that give teachers the necessary time to collaboratively analyze and act upon data, principals will need to work with local communities and district administrators. They will also need to train teachers in effective communication and teaming skills.
Making Changes
Data analysis is useless if it does not produce valuable instructional change. Teachers need to use formative and summative assessment data along with the implementation of strategic, focused instructional interventions to improve upon student learning. These interventions should be aligned with the district curriculum and state standards, in keeping with content-specific, developmentally-appropriate best practices. Teachers should be given the opportunity to work with curriculum specialists in their states and districts so that they can identify effective, grade-level instructional practices for their content areas.
Alignment for Results
It is difficult and challenging for administrators and teachers to shift from an existing practice which focuses on process and delivery, to a practice aimed at the achievement of results. Any instructional practice, organizational structure, or school program that hinders student success is reexamined and redesigned. Even successful practices are examined to see if they can be improved. Results-driven educators understand the importance and impact on student learning of continuous and progressive improvement, and recognize that even small improvements add up over time to become large ones. “Ambitious long-term goals like “achieving 100% proficiency” can be disabling rather than motivating. Turning desired outcomes into minute, concrete, short-term goals and then successfully achieving those goals is inherently motivating and can turn organizational inertia into desired progress.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Instead of teachers individually selecting the direction and content of their professional development plans (PIP), administrators and teachers should work together to ensure that professional development opportunities are aligned to school, district, and student learning needs. Curriculum design and implementation should be adjusted to meet these needs. In results-driven school systems, all programs and processes are designed to facilitate maximum student learning. “If it’s not working, why are we doing it?”
Teachers who have incorporated a results orientation into their instructional practice regularly investigate the data pertaining to failure and/or success of their pedagogy. Successful strategies are adjusted to achieve even greater results and ineffective strategies are discarded. “Data-driven teachers exhibit a constant dissatisfaction with the status quo and continually strive for further improvement, even when already exhibiting high levels of success. These teachers also are willing risk-takers who understand that trying something new and different may be the only path to improved outcomes. A results-oriented school system incessantly asks, at every level of the organization, two questions:
What evidence do we have that what we’re doing is working?, and
How will we respond when we find out that what we’re doing is not working? (DuFour, Eaker, & DuFour, 2005).
Principals in successful data-driven schools ensure that these questions continually guide classroom instruction and organizational decision-making. Data-driven principals also align, and help teachers connect with, necessary resources to facilitate effective educational interventions. Two other important roles of principals are helping teachers “chunk” ambitious long-term objectives into short-term SMART goals and facilitating teachers’ understanding that taking greater responsibility for student learning can result in improved student achievement.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Conclusion
If educators analyze their instruction and results on a regular basis and adjust it accordingly, student learning will improve. We need to focus on small, quick attainable goals and then build on those goals continually. Reflection about classroom instruction and student learning is paramount if we want our students to show significant improvement and hopefully this will produce maximum results for student achievement. Teachers must be able to participate in professional learning communities and collaboratively identify and implement effective, strategic instructional interventions. (Supovitz & Klein, 2003).
Resources
Bernhardt, V. L. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. [available at http://www.eyeoneducation.com]
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-148. [available at http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.htm]
DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (Eds.). (2005). On common ground: The power of professional learning communities. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service. [available at http://www.nesonline.com]
Schmoker, M. (1999). Results: The key to continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. [particularly pages 1-55; available at http://shop.ascd.org]
Supovitz, J. A., & Klein, V. (2003). Mapping a course for improved student learning: How innovative schools systematically use student performance data to guide improvement. Philadelphia, PA. [available at http://www.cpre.org/Publications/AC-08.pdf
http://www.k12schoolnetworking.org/2007
http://www.accessibletech4all.org
http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP170
http://www.ael.org/dbdm
http://www.clrn.org/elar/dddm.cfm
http://www.microsoft.com/.../ThoughtLeaders_DDDM_May05.doc
Belinda Murphy Curriculum Evaluation
July 9, 2009 Dr. Jay Dugan
What is it?
Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) is a system of teaching and management practices that enables classroom teachers to obtain more accurate information about their students. It utilizes background information and student assessment data when decisions are made for planning and implementing instructional strategies at the district, school, classroom, and individual student levels. Some educators dislike the idea of DDDM because of its connection with the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This is a shame, because numerous school districts across the country are seeing substantial improvements in student achievement and learning as they incorporate data-driven practices. Teachers in these schools are finding that pervasive and intelligent uses of data can significantly improve their instructional interventions for students, increase their feelings of professional fulfillment and job satisfaction, and also re-energize their enthusiasm for teaching.
Teachers must make an important paradigm shift if they are going to incorporate data-driven decision-making into their day-to-day instruction that is dedicated to the achievement of results, with an emphasis on the delivery and process to instructional pedagogy. Teachers and other instructional support staff will need extensive professional development and training in order to adopt data-driven approaches successfully. (McLeod, S., 2007)
Why do we need it?
“School reform is the ultimate goal of school reform laws and the rules, policies, and procedures for implementing them. Federal and many state laws require schools to have school improvement plans and to set goals to improve student achievement of standards. Goals for improvement are based on state and local assessment results and the indicator systems of which they are a part. These results reveal overall learning, conditions that affect information; the school determines what needs to be improved, who needs to improve, and how that improvement might be accomplished.” (ael.org/dbdm)
Essential Concepts
Educators need to understand the differences between NCLB and DDDM. NCLB is about accountability to the federal government for the educational funds sent to states. “Data-driven decision-making is about getting better information into the hands of classroom instructors; Educators should be careful not to reject DDDM practices and principles, which have been shown to have positive impacts on student learning and achievement gaps, because they are angry about federal and state NCLB implementation decisions. Data-driven activities existed in some schools long before NCLB was passed and will continue in many schools regardless of what happens with the federal legislation.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Data-driven educators should be able to articulate the essential elements of effective data-driven education outlined in the diagram below. The five major elements of data-driven instruction are:
· good baseline data,
· measurable instructional goals,
· frequent formative assessment,
· professional learning communities, and
· focused instructional interventions.
These elements interact to enhance student learning and to inform teacher practice.
When assessing student and school success, teachers must understand the importance of utilizing various indicators and multiple measures. (Bernhardt, 2004). For example, data from a single administration of a statewide mathematics test does not give teachers the specific information they need in order to improve student learning. Measures of student engagement, information from other assessments, previous interventions, and other data are needed for teachers to design appropriate instructional interventions. Likewise, using a single formative assessment to measure students’ mathematics progress is not as reliable as using several different assessments to determine students’ mathematical understanding. Teachers who are data-driven need to be very careful when reviewing the summative assessment data from yearly state tests. They need to understand how and when the data can or can't be helpful.
Principals can support this phase of the DDDM process by helping staff envision what good data-driven education looks like in practice and by helping teachers understand the five essential elements. Building staff and organizational DDDM capacity takes time, just like any other school reform initiative. Principals need to assist district personnel in the creation and implementation of a comprehensive, long-term professional development plan that is designed to ground teachers in the skills they need to be effective data-driven instructors. (McLeod, S., 2007)
Collecting and Analyzing Summative Data
Data-driven school organizations require teachers to utilize data from yearly summative assessments to improve student learning. In order for this to happen, teachers need to be able to get their hands on the data from yearly summative assessments that will help them improve instructional practice. They already proctor those tests; they also should be able to get relevant summative test data out of district data management and analysis systems for baseline analytical and reporting purposes. “Access to the raw data is crucial, because educators invariably want more detailed data, or want data presented in different ways, than paper reports typically provide.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Teachers should work with their administrators to select key indicators of success for their classrooms, once they have access to good baseline information. In order to do this, they need to be well-versed in assessment literacy concepts so that they can appropriately interpret summative baseline data. Teachers also need to give continuous feedback to administrators about the effectiveness of the data and/or reports that they are receiving.
Principals should check to be sure that the data teachers receive is in a format that can be useful for classroom instruction, is accurate, and is given to them in a timely manner. Principals should also help district personnel in the designing and implementation of data systems that allow for exploration and reporting of raw data. “Most importantly, building-level administrators must actively help teachers identify key indicators of classroom success, appropriately analyze their data, and then turn those data into strategic pedagogical interventions.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Setting Measurable Goals
Teachers can use specific baseline data to identify learning needs and mastery levels of various classes, individual students, and demographic subgroups, once armed with key summative indicators of classroom success. They can then use that information to set measurable year-end instructional goals. “These goals are often referred to as SMART goals. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, and Time-Bound. An example SMART goal might look something like the following:
The percentage of third grade students scoring at Level 3 or higher on the state mathematics test will increase from 64% in Spring 2004 to 82% in Spring 2005.
Focus areas for improvement
1. Number sense
2. Computation
3. Measurement
Data-driven educators recognize that formalized goal-setting can lead to improved student learning outcomes. All SMART goals created by teachers and administrators should have the following six components (with example language from the SMART goal above):
1. A measurable baseline (64%);
2. A measurable target (82%);
3. A specific time frame (Spring 2004 to Spring 2005);
4. Specificity about what is being assessed (percentage of third grade students scoring at Level 3 or higher);
5. Specificity about the method of assessment (the state mathematics test); and
6. Focus areas that guide future action needed to reach the learning target (number sense, computation, and measurement).
Inclusion of these six components ensures that SMART goals meet the criteria represented by the acronym. SMART goals can be used with common assessments, teacher-made rubrics, and other types of assessments as well as with standardized tests from publishing companies and state departments.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Teachers should then be able to identify a few key instructional goals each year. Teachers often are overwhelmed by the plethora of learning needs present in their classrooms and must fight the urge to create too many goals. Teacher goal-setting should address instructional areas that are both relevant and strategic. “Evidence from successful data-driven schools shows that strategic focus and success in a couple of key areas commonly carries over and alleviates other instructional and behavioral concerns as well.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Principals should model and support the goal-setting process. Administrators’ goal statements might focus on factors such as students’ level of engagement with the teaching-learning process, discipline, attendance, and student learning objectives. Organizational goals should be focused on essential school needs and should be mentioned often, especially with parents, students, and faculty. Administrators also should actively assist teachers as they try to create specific, appropriate goals for their students and classrooms.
Collecting and Analyzing Formative Data
Data-driven schools have a good idea of where their students are at the beginning of the year and have measurable, hopefully attainable goals for where they want their students to be at the end of the year. After that a system of formative assessments should be implemented periodically in order to establish benchmarks which will help track the progress of their students during the school year toward those year-end goals. “Simply using baseline data to set measurable year-end goals, without also implementing a system that allows for frequent analysis and adjustment of instructional and organizational practice, is not likely to result in significant improvements in student learning.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
“Effective formative assessment practices, implemented during the school year, have been shown to be a powerful mechanism for improving student learning. Research meta-analyses have shown that good formative assessment has a greater impact on student learning, and on achievement gaps, than any other instructional practice.” (Black & William, 1998)
Teachers need opportunities to meet frequently in order to have collaborative, data-based discussions about student progress in order to realize the instructional power of their formative assessment practices. It is during these meetings, that teachers need to identify specific patterns from the formative data and discuss what this data tells them about students’ progress toward their year-end learning goals. Teachers can then collaboratively identify appropriate instructional interventions that can be implemented during the next instructional period and collectively commit to implementing those interventions. Not only will this have a major impact on student achievement; but also, this type of professional learning community participation allows the teacher to claim ownership resulting in immense satisfaction.
Teachers, who are truly data-driven, utilize their instructional expertise to identify key formative indicators of success that can be used to measure student progress during the school year. They should also use appropriate technologies to collect, organize, analyze, and report that data to administrators, parents, students, and colleagues. “Other key skills of data-driven teachers include knowledge of relevant assessment literacy concepts (in order to appropriately interpret formative assessment data), the ability to engage in root cause analysis to identify appropriate instructional interventions, and the capacity and willingness to work effectively with other staff on shared instructional problems and solutions.”(McLeod, S., 2007)
“Administrators must recognize that the driving engine behind substantial improvements in student learning outcomes is a strong system of formative assessment, coupled with the opportunity for teachers to collaboratively make sense and act upon the formative data they receive. Too many school systems are focusing on summative baseline data because of NCLB and are realizing only later that a primary reason they are not obtaining desired results is because they lack a feedback loop that allows teachers to receive information, before the end of the school year, about the success or failure of their instructional interventions.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
In order to implement creative solutions that give teachers the necessary time to collaboratively analyze and act upon data, principals will need to work with local communities and district administrators. They will also need to train teachers in effective communication and teaming skills.
Making Changes
Data analysis is useless if it does not produce valuable instructional change. Teachers need to use formative and summative assessment data along with the implementation of strategic, focused instructional interventions to improve upon student learning. These interventions should be aligned with the district curriculum and state standards, in keeping with content-specific, developmentally-appropriate best practices. Teachers should be given the opportunity to work with curriculum specialists in their states and districts so that they can identify effective, grade-level instructional practices for their content areas.
Alignment for Results
It is difficult and challenging for administrators and teachers to shift from an existing practice which focuses on process and delivery, to a practice aimed at the achievement of results. Any instructional practice, organizational structure, or school program that hinders student success is reexamined and redesigned. Even successful practices are examined to see if they can be improved. Results-driven educators understand the importance and impact on student learning of continuous and progressive improvement, and recognize that even small improvements add up over time to become large ones. “Ambitious long-term goals like “achieving 100% proficiency” can be disabling rather than motivating. Turning desired outcomes into minute, concrete, short-term goals and then successfully achieving those goals is inherently motivating and can turn organizational inertia into desired progress.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Instead of teachers individually selecting the direction and content of their professional development plans (PIP), administrators and teachers should work together to ensure that professional development opportunities are aligned to school, district, and student learning needs. Curriculum design and implementation should be adjusted to meet these needs. In results-driven school systems, all programs and processes are designed to facilitate maximum student learning. “If it’s not working, why are we doing it?”
Teachers who have incorporated a results orientation into their instructional practice regularly investigate the data pertaining to failure and/or success of their pedagogy. Successful strategies are adjusted to achieve even greater results and ineffective strategies are discarded. “Data-driven teachers exhibit a constant dissatisfaction with the status quo and continually strive for further improvement, even when already exhibiting high levels of success. These teachers also are willing risk-takers who understand that trying something new and different may be the only path to improved outcomes. A results-oriented school system incessantly asks, at every level of the organization, two questions:
What evidence do we have that what we’re doing is working?, and
How will we respond when we find out that what we’re doing is not working? (DuFour, Eaker, & DuFour, 2005).
Principals in successful data-driven schools ensure that these questions continually guide classroom instruction and organizational decision-making. Data-driven principals also align, and help teachers connect with, necessary resources to facilitate effective educational interventions. Two other important roles of principals are helping teachers “chunk” ambitious long-term objectives into short-term SMART goals and facilitating teachers’ understanding that taking greater responsibility for student learning can result in improved student achievement.” (McLeod, S., 2007)
Conclusion
If educators analyze their instruction and results on a regular basis and adjust it accordingly, student learning will improve. We need to focus on small, quick attainable goals and then build on those goals continually. Reflection about classroom instruction and student learning is paramount if we want our students to show significant improvement and hopefully this will produce maximum results for student achievement. Teachers must be able to participate in professional learning communities and collaboratively identify and implement effective, strategic instructional interventions. (Supovitz & Klein, 2003).
Resources
Bernhardt, V. L. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. [available at http://www.eyeoneducation.com]
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-148. [available at http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.htm]
DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (Eds.). (2005). On common ground: The power of professional learning communities. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service. [available at http://www.nesonline.com]
Schmoker, M. (1999). Results: The key to continuous school improvement (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. [particularly pages 1-55; available at http://shop.ascd.org]
Supovitz, J. A., & Klein, V. (2003). Mapping a course for improved student learning: How innovative schools systematically use student performance data to guide improvement. Philadelphia, PA. [available at http://www.cpre.org/Publications/AC-08.pdf
http://www.k12schoolnetworking.org/2007
http://www.accessibletech4all.org
http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP170
http://www.ael.org/dbdm
http://www.clrn.org/elar/dddm.cfm
http://www.microsoft.com/.../ThoughtLeaders_DDDM_May05.doc
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Seven Solutions to NCLB's Problems
1. Change the evaluation Process:
- Evaluate the school and use positives
- Evaluate values
- Evaluate affect (e.g., use sychometrics)
- Evaluate sample work
- Evaluate all content areas
- Use teacher observations and anecdotal information
- Measure the child against himself/herself (e.g., use a Growth Model Pilot)
2.Reduce or prioritize standards
3.Add an item analysis to standardized tests
4.Use alternative assessments
5.Emphasize professional development
6.Reduce class sizes at the primary levels
7.Teach to the child’s strengths
Scope and Sequence
Sharon Pinkerton
Summer 2009
Sharon Pinkerton
Summer 2009
What A Child Needs to Know and When
Have you ever wondered what is considered a “distinctive” course of study at a particular grade level? Documents called “scope and sequence” charts endeavor to answer this question. Basically, a scope and sequence spells out the complete content of a particular curriculum (scope) and the order in which the curriculum presents that material (sequence). There is nothing particularly mysterious about a scope and sequence document, though it may be couched in more “educationese” than necessary.
What is scope and sequence?
- Scope and sequence is a curriculum plan, usually in chart form, in which a range of instructional objectives, skills, etc., is organized according to the successive ...
- Scope and sequence is a content overview of all the units taught throughout the year, including the length of time to be spent on each unit.
- Scope and sequence is a document that allows students, staff and parents to see what foundational pieces are being taught within a curriculum at specific grade levels.
- Scope and sequence is used to assure that students are taught the appropriate skills and concepts in a sequence that is logical and systematic
What is the difference between scope and sequence
- Scope
The breadth and depth of content to be covered in a curriculum at any one time (e.g. week, term, year, over a student’s school life).All that you do in a given period. - Sequence
The order in which content is presented to learners over time and the order in which it is presented.
Together a scope and sequence of learning bring order to the delivery of content, supporting the maximizing of student learning and offering sustained opportunities for learning. Without a considered scope and sequence there is the risk of ad hoc content delivery and the missing of significant learning.
Is the Framework a scope and sequence?
The new curriculum framework is a scope of learning. You might want to add to that scope in terms of the worthwhile learning your school wishes to include.
The framework also offers a sequence of learning developed across four bands of development.
The task of schools is to decide which part of the scope of learning happens at what point within a band of development, i.e. what content is for what year level or group of students. Teachers must decide the sequence of the learning within years, courses and units of work.
There is also nothing sacred about a scope and sequence chart (although some state legislatures, enamored with outcome-based educational “content standards,” would like to think otherwise). Like a formal curriculum, the scope and sequence document should be considered only a tool to help educators, not an end in itself. You should always do what is best fora child; some children need a different curriculum or a different sequence entirely from what a purchased curriculum presents.
Where can you find scope and sequence?
Scope and sequence materials encompass a variety of different kinds of documents. These are the most common:
1. Publishers’ scope and sequence charts: These scope and sequence documents present the content and sequence of a particular textbook. Almost all publishers will provide you with a free copy of the scope and sequence for a textbook you are interested in purchasing. Some are available online.
• Saxon Math (http://www1.saxonpub.com/school/SS_NCTM.html%20)
2. Public and private schools’ scope and sequence documents: Most public schools and many private schools maintain a curriculum committee that periodically reviews and updates the school’s scope and sequence for each subject area. Many schools publish these documents on their Web sites, while others are available in paper form by contacting the school. If you are interested in reviewing a public school’s scope and sequence document, this is considered public information to which you are entitled by law, even if the document is not posted online. You can locate most American public and private schools by using the link below:
• American School Directory (http://www.asd.com/). This is a searchable database of all U. S. public and private K-12 schools’ contact information and Web sites. Search the school’s Web site, or contact the individual school directly for its curriculum scope and sequence document.
3. State and national scope and sequence documents: State scope and sequence documents are sometimes called “state standards,” and exist for every state except Iowa. National teacher organizations have also created national standards for each subject area. In most, but not all, cases, these documents are heavily weighted toward outcome-based education. In addition, they represent the requirements of government schools only; in most states, private and home schools are free to determine their own content standards and curriculum scope and sequence.
• Complete links to both national and state education standards may be found here: http://www.education-world.com/standards/
4. International scope and sequence documents: Unlike the United States, many countries have an official national curriculum. These scope and sequence documents can be helpful to international home schoolers who are only in the United States for a short period of time and wish to keep their children up to date in their own country’s curriculum. International scope and sequence documents can also be helpful to American home-schooling families who want to compare what they are teaching with the content and skills presented to children in other areas of the world.
• Links to national curriculum documents from 20 different countries: http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/standards.html
• National Curriculum of England Online (http://www.nc.uk.net/home.html) (It’s amazing to see the British perspective on teaching about the American Revolution!)
5. Private organizations’ scope and sequence documents: A few private educational organizations have published their own versions of a typical curriculum or course of study. Two popular ones are listed below:
• Core Knowledge Foundation Curriculum Sequence: http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/about/overview.htm
• World Book Typical Course of Study (Pre-K to Grade 12): ttp://www2.worldbook.com/students/course_study_index.asp
6. Individuals’ scope and sequence: Some individuals have also published scope and sequence documents. These range from the multi-volume What Your (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) Grader Should Know, by E. D. Hirsch, to individual home-schooling families who have developed a scope and sequence for their state home-school application or notification, or posted their own home-school’s scope and sequence on the Internet.
What is a scope and sequence document?
- is a map
- focuses on the interrelated strands of learning
- shows development
- is related to stages of development and/or to a particular stage of a student’s schooling.
- shows the range of knowledge (texts, language and learning processes)
- shows progression in student development throughout the bands of schooling
How is a school’s scope and sequence document best developed?
A school’s scope and sequence is best through a process of negotiation, reflection and consensus. It is an invaluable and practical tool for ensuring continuity across the grades and bands of schooling when it:
- guides grade level and whole school planning so that the same texts, topics and activities are not repeated year after year with the same student ( e.g. the structures and features of fairy tales might be explicitly taught as a particular text type in Year 3, and then form a base for work on fairy tales and gender, or contextual understanding, or heroes/heroines in other years.)
- makes links between the learning, strategies and texts used in different grades or stages.
- assists the smooth transition of Records of Development and other information about students’ experiences and achievements between grades or between classes.
- sets a local context which frames teacher’s planning of their class’s
- guides efficient resourcing of rich and balanced programs.
- provides contexts for monitoring, auditing and evaluating programs and resources.
- is a part of new teachers’ induction to the teaching at the school.
- is revisited to plan collaboratively.
- acts as a catalyst for whole school and/or individual professional development.
- is available to parents and students to assist the setting of learning goals, negotiation of appropriate learning activities, and monitoring of breadth and balance in the program.
What will scope and sequence do?
- support the work of teachers and school administrators to continue to learn more effective ways to fuse curriculum and powerful tools of technology in new ways of doing things in the classroom.
- enable teachers to more easily link common curriculum outcomes with outcomes.
support the instructional leadership of school-based administrators to work with staff to implement the outcomes. - support the development of Teacher Professional Growth Plans and mentoring programs.
support work to create teaching plans, materials and assessments which infuse technology within social studies, science, mathematics and language arts. - support professional development programs that focus directly on teacher instructional development work with lesson and unit plans as well as student activities and assessment.
Should a scope and sequence document be revisited?
A school’s scope and sequence document should be revisited to ensure that it:
is meeting the practical requirements of the students, the teachers and the school
includes new resources accommodates developments in the teaching
How should you use a scope and sequence document?
Remember that the content, pace, and sequence of the materials recommended vary widely from document to document, curriculum to curriculum, and publisher to publisher. Not all fourth grade math curricula teach the same topics in the same order over the same time frame as others, and in areas such as science and social studies, there is usually even less agreement between publishers, states, organizations, and individuals about proposed content. Like any other curricular material, a scope and sequence chart should be used only as a tool.
References:
http://www1.saxonpub.com/school/SS_NCTM.html%20
http://www.asd.com/
http://www.education-world.com/standards/
http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/standards.html
http://www.nc.uk.net/home.html
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/about/overview.htm
ttp://www2.worldbook.com/students/course_study_index.asp
Grant Wiggins- Understanding by Design
Grant Wiggins – Understanding by Design
By: Peris Oribabor
Class: Curriculum Evaluation – Dr. Dugan
Summer 2009
Grant Wiggins is the President of an Educational consulting company called “Authentic Education” in Hopewell, New Jersey. He earned his PhD from Harvard University. Before that, he was a high school English and philosophy teacher and also coached sports. He is best known for co-authoring with Jay McTighe “Understanding by Design”, (1998) which was an award winning handbook because of its highly successful materials on curriculum. The “Understanding by Design handbook has laid out a conceptual framework for instructional designers and it has brought more focus and coherence to instruction. The framework is famously known for:
.
1. The “Backward Design” instructional design model
2. The “Six Facets of Understanding"
The Backward Design Model
It centers on the idea that the instructional process should begin with identifying the desired results and then “work backwards” to develop instruction rather than the traditional approach, which is to define what topics need to be covered. There are three stages in this backward design:
Stage 1 – Identifies desired outcome and results
This stage is known as defining goals and objectives. Wiggins and McTighe ask instructors to consider not only the course goals and objectives, but also the learning that should endure over the long term. This is referred to as enduring understanding. Enduring understandings is not just materials worth covering, but include the following elements:
1. Enduring value beyond the classroom
2. Resides at the core of the subject matter
3. Required uncoverage of abstract or often misunderstood ideas
4 Offer potential for engaging students
The “Backward Design” uses a question format rather than measurable objectives. By answering key questions, students deepen their learning about content and experience, which is enduring understanding. The teacher sets the evidence that will be used to determine that the students have understood the content. The “backward design” question format focuses on the following:
1. To what extent does the idea or topic is specifically related to the subject matter?
2. What questions point toward the big ideas and understanding?
3. What arguable questions deepen inquiry and discussion?
4. What questions provide a broader intellectual focus, in reference to the skill intended for the students to learn?
Once the key questions are identified, then focus or develop a few questions that apply the line of inquiry to a specific topic.
Stage 2 – Determines what constitutes acceptable evidence of competency in the outcome and results (assessment)
The second stage in the design process is to define:
1. How we will know if the students have achieved the desired results?
2. What is the evidence of students’ understanding and proficiency?
The backward design suggest that we think about a unit or a course in terms of the collected assessment evidence needed to document and validate that the desired learning has been achieved instead of simply covering a “content or a series learning activities”.
Assessment in "Understanding by Design"
1. Should be Performance task oriented; that means to be real world challenging in thoughtfulness with effective
use of knowledge and skill. Must be an authentic test of understanding in context
2. Criteria referenced Assessment (Quizzes, Tests and prompts). They provide the teachers and students with feedback on how well the facts and concepts are being understood.
3. Unprompted Assessment and Self-Assessment – this include Teacher’s observations as students work and interact with each other in a group project and in dialogues
Stage 3 - Plan instructional strategies and learning experiences that Bring students to these competency levels
With clearly identified results and appropriate evidence of understanding in mind, it is now the time to fully think through the most appropriate instructional activities. This can be accomplished by asking the following questions:
1. What enabling knowledge (facts, concepts, principles) and skills (processes, procedures, strategies) will students need in order to perform effectively and archive the desired results?
2. What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills?
3. What need to be taught and coached, and how should it best be taught to reach the performance goal
4. What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals?
Six Steps in Assessing Understanding
Just because the student knows, does not mean that they understood the concepts being taught. Understanding provides a greater challenge than the evidence that the student knows a correct or a valid answer. Understanding can be inferred if we see the evidence that the student knows, “why it works”, “why it matters” and “how to apply” it. And therefore, Wiggins and McTighe (1998) recommends the following assessment steps which teachers can use to assess the students’ understanding:
1. Explain, connect and provide a thorough and justifiable account of phenomena, facts and data
2. Show its meaning, importance by telling meaningful stories or associating the concept with application in our everyday life. Provide a revealing historical or personal dimension to ideas and events; make subject personal or accessible through images, analogies and models
3. Be able to apply and effectively use and adapt what they know in diverse context
4. Have a perspective or being able to see the big picture
5. Being able to see or perceive the value in what others might find as possible
6. Have self-knowledge to avoid misconceptions, biases, prejudices and other
projections and habits of mind that may impede our own understanding
Final Note
Instructional design requires that those involved in curriculum writing to think about specific learning which should be accomplished first. What do we want the students in a particular grade level to learn? What evidence should be used to determine that the students learned what was intended for them to learn? This should come first before thinking about what we as teachers will do or provide in teaching and learning activities.
Our lessons, units and courses materials should be inferred from the results sought, not derived from the methods, books and activities with which we are comfortable with. Curriculum should lay out the most effective ways of achieving specific results. Most teachers have a habit of focusing on textbooks, favorable lessons and time-honored activities rather than what is implied in the desired results – the output. Too many teachers focus on teaching and not in learning. They spend most of their time thinking about what they will do, what materials they will use, and what they will ask students to do rather than first considering what the learner will need in order to accomplish the learning goals beyond the textbook?
When a lesson has no meaning or frame of reference to a student, the day to day work at any given classroom become confusing and frustrating. In higher grades you find many students asking teachers such questions as: What’s the point? What does this help me become…? Why should we learn this? Some, but not all students try to engage and follow as best as they can, hoping that the meaning will emerge later.
Our Job as Teachers
1. Is not to Teach, but to cause Learning
2. Is not to cover content, but to ensure that the students can effectively perform with the content
3. Is not to Teach, Test, Hope for the Best, BUT to get the results that indicate that they got it.
*******************************************************************
By: Peris Oribabor
Class: Curriculum Evaluation – Dr. Dugan
Summer 2009
Grant Wiggins is the President of an Educational consulting company called “Authentic Education” in Hopewell, New Jersey. He earned his PhD from Harvard University. Before that, he was a high school English and philosophy teacher and also coached sports. He is best known for co-authoring with Jay McTighe “Understanding by Design”, (1998) which was an award winning handbook because of its highly successful materials on curriculum. The “Understanding by Design handbook has laid out a conceptual framework for instructional designers and it has brought more focus and coherence to instruction. The framework is famously known for:
.
1. The “Backward Design” instructional design model
2. The “Six Facets of Understanding"
The Backward Design Model
It centers on the idea that the instructional process should begin with identifying the desired results and then “work backwards” to develop instruction rather than the traditional approach, which is to define what topics need to be covered. There are three stages in this backward design:
Stage 1 – Identifies desired outcome and results
This stage is known as defining goals and objectives. Wiggins and McTighe ask instructors to consider not only the course goals and objectives, but also the learning that should endure over the long term. This is referred to as enduring understanding. Enduring understandings is not just materials worth covering, but include the following elements:
1. Enduring value beyond the classroom
2. Resides at the core of the subject matter
3. Required uncoverage of abstract or often misunderstood ideas
4 Offer potential for engaging students
The “Backward Design” uses a question format rather than measurable objectives. By answering key questions, students deepen their learning about content and experience, which is enduring understanding. The teacher sets the evidence that will be used to determine that the students have understood the content. The “backward design” question format focuses on the following:
1. To what extent does the idea or topic is specifically related to the subject matter?
2. What questions point toward the big ideas and understanding?
3. What arguable questions deepen inquiry and discussion?
4. What questions provide a broader intellectual focus, in reference to the skill intended for the students to learn?
Once the key questions are identified, then focus or develop a few questions that apply the line of inquiry to a specific topic.
Stage 2 – Determines what constitutes acceptable evidence of competency in the outcome and results (assessment)
The second stage in the design process is to define:
1. How we will know if the students have achieved the desired results?
2. What is the evidence of students’ understanding and proficiency?
The backward design suggest that we think about a unit or a course in terms of the collected assessment evidence needed to document and validate that the desired learning has been achieved instead of simply covering a “content or a series learning activities”.
Assessment in "Understanding by Design"
1. Should be Performance task oriented; that means to be real world challenging in thoughtfulness with effective
use of knowledge and skill. Must be an authentic test of understanding in context
2. Criteria referenced Assessment (Quizzes, Tests and prompts). They provide the teachers and students with feedback on how well the facts and concepts are being understood.
3. Unprompted Assessment and Self-Assessment – this include Teacher’s observations as students work and interact with each other in a group project and in dialogues
Stage 3 - Plan instructional strategies and learning experiences that Bring students to these competency levels
With clearly identified results and appropriate evidence of understanding in mind, it is now the time to fully think through the most appropriate instructional activities. This can be accomplished by asking the following questions:
1. What enabling knowledge (facts, concepts, principles) and skills (processes, procedures, strategies) will students need in order to perform effectively and archive the desired results?
2. What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills?
3. What need to be taught and coached, and how should it best be taught to reach the performance goal
4. What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals?
Six Steps in Assessing Understanding
Just because the student knows, does not mean that they understood the concepts being taught. Understanding provides a greater challenge than the evidence that the student knows a correct or a valid answer. Understanding can be inferred if we see the evidence that the student knows, “why it works”, “why it matters” and “how to apply” it. And therefore, Wiggins and McTighe (1998) recommends the following assessment steps which teachers can use to assess the students’ understanding:
1. Explain, connect and provide a thorough and justifiable account of phenomena, facts and data
2. Show its meaning, importance by telling meaningful stories or associating the concept with application in our everyday life. Provide a revealing historical or personal dimension to ideas and events; make subject personal or accessible through images, analogies and models
3. Be able to apply and effectively use and adapt what they know in diverse context
4. Have a perspective or being able to see the big picture
5. Being able to see or perceive the value in what others might find as possible
6. Have self-knowledge to avoid misconceptions, biases, prejudices and other
projections and habits of mind that may impede our own understanding
Final Note
Instructional design requires that those involved in curriculum writing to think about specific learning which should be accomplished first. What do we want the students in a particular grade level to learn? What evidence should be used to determine that the students learned what was intended for them to learn? This should come first before thinking about what we as teachers will do or provide in teaching and learning activities.
Our lessons, units and courses materials should be inferred from the results sought, not derived from the methods, books and activities with which we are comfortable with. Curriculum should lay out the most effective ways of achieving specific results. Most teachers have a habit of focusing on textbooks, favorable lessons and time-honored activities rather than what is implied in the desired results – the output. Too many teachers focus on teaching and not in learning. They spend most of their time thinking about what they will do, what materials they will use, and what they will ask students to do rather than first considering what the learner will need in order to accomplish the learning goals beyond the textbook?
When a lesson has no meaning or frame of reference to a student, the day to day work at any given classroom become confusing and frustrating. In higher grades you find many students asking teachers such questions as: What’s the point? What does this help me become…? Why should we learn this? Some, but not all students try to engage and follow as best as they can, hoping that the meaning will emerge later.
Our Job as Teachers
1. Is not to Teach, but to cause Learning
2. Is not to cover content, but to ensure that the students can effectively perform with the content
3. Is not to Teach, Test, Hope for the Best, BUT to get the results that indicate that they got it.
*******************************************************************
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Web Links to the South Jersey Academy of Teaching and Learning
The Academy
http://southjerseyacademy.com/
Rubric Star
http://http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Tests Like the ASK & HSPA
http://southjerseyacademy.com/tr/tre.htm
NJ Assessment Resources
http://southjerseyacademy.com/tr/tre.htm
http://southjerseyacademy.com/
Rubric Star
http://http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Tests Like the ASK & HSPA
http://southjerseyacademy.com/tr/tre.htm
NJ Assessment Resources
http://southjerseyacademy.com/tr/tre.htm
Margaret Spellings' Growth Model Pilot
Curriculum Evaluation
Dr. Dugan
Summer 2009
Dr. Dugan
Summer 2009
In April of 2005, Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings announced a new pilot project called, A New Path for the No Child Left Behind Act. It uses a set of principles and approaches that guide states as they measure their progress in meeting the bright line goals of NCLB. These goals include: assessing all students in grades three through eight and once in high school every year, disaggregating the data by student subgroups to help close the achievement gap, improving teacher quality and the prompt notification of parents as to their options concerning the education of their children and that all students will achieve grade level or better in reading and mathematics by the end of the 2013-2014 school year.
Many states, educators and parents have called for more flexibility in the way the No Child Left Behind Act assesses student achievement. NCLB law requires that when states calculate their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), they use a status model. A status model of assessment is a federally approved model that takes a "one-time only" approach to evaluating school performance. Districts test students only once a year under NCLB. Status models use proficiency scores to evaluate student performance (for example: "advanced proficiency", "proficient", etc.) Status models use across grade, or cohort, samples. An example of this would be looking at last years fifth grade reading scores and comparing those to this year’s fifth grade reading scores. Testing that corresponds to this model would be norm-referenced, standardized testing. Status models do not record individual student progress over time. The model that looks at student progress over time is called a growth model.
A growth model assessment tracks student progress over time. Although there seems to be a lot of confusion over terms, there are basically two types of growth models: average growth models and value-added growth models. Average growth models look at every student’s performance over time. Average growth models use scaled scoring to report results. This model can be used to determine the effectiveness of instruction in a certain classroom, grade level, school or district. Value-added growth models are statistical methods that take years of a students’ test data and estimates students’ growth. This model is very complicated and difficult for most to understand. Overall, growth models answer questions about the quality and quantity of a students’ instruction. They show promise in terms of fairness and reliability.
The New Path for the No Child Left Behind Act gives schools credit for student progress by tracking individual achievement year by year. It allows the government to "rigorously" evaluate growth models in accordance with NCLB and to share the results with other states. In the beginning of the pilot project, states had to apply for the New Path program. These states had to meet the bright line principles for NCLB which are:
1. States had to ensure that all students are proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014 and to set annual goals to close the achievement gap.
2. States had to set expectations for annual achievement based on meeting grade level proficiency, not on student background or school characteristics.
3. States had to hold schools accountable for student achievement in reading and mathematics.
4. States had to ensure that all students in the grades tested, were included in the assessment and accountability system.
5. States had to test in each of the grades three through eight and in high school for both reading and mathematics. The assessment system must also produce comparable results from grade to grade and year to year.
6. States must track student progress as part of the state data system.
7. States must include student participation rates and student achievement on a separate indicator in the accountability system.
Also as a condition, states must share their data on which schools made AYP under each model, the original status model and the new growth model. The USDOE is to gather and share the results of the data. Under the pilot, students who are on a growth trajectory within a four year time span can be added to the numbers of proficient students in the school.
The Department of Educations received many requests to participate in the New Path Project. The USDOE uses a strict peer review process to ensure that the selection of participants is fair and transparent. The peer review process was carried out by a panel of nationally recognized experts in the field of academic testing, members of the private sector, and members of state, local and community organizations. For every school, only ten schools are able to apply for the New Path project. In the school year, 2005-2006, the state of Tennessee was given approval for participation. The state of North Carolina was given conditional approval; eight states applied. In November of 2006, the state of Delaware was given approval and the states of Arkansas and Florida were given conditional approval for the pilot year, 2006-2007; five states applied. In July of 2007 the states of Alaska and Arizona were given full approval.
According to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings:
"A growth model is not a way around accountability standards. It’s a way for states that are already raising achievement and following the bright lines principles of the law to strengthen accountability."
"We’re open to new ideas but we’re not taking our eye off of the ball. There are many different routes for states to take, but they all must begin with a commitment to annual assessment and disaggregating of data, and they all must lead to closing the achievement gap and every student reaching grade level by 2014. This is good policy for all students and we will stick with it."
The Department of Education has reported great success with the New Path pilot project but there are no published reports of results that I found. Many states have posted their proposals and acceptance letters for New Path online but I could not find any data about their implementation. We just don’t know if the pilot worked or not. In my opinion, the DOE wants to say that NCLB is working and that every state is in full compliance with the law but it can’t. Maybe the DOE is dragging its feet and hoping that a new administration can get the states back on the "right track." NCLB may be re-authorized or not, but greater accountability, assessment and transparency are here to stay.
For more information visit:
www.nclb.gov
www.qualityednow.org
www.dpi.state.nc.us
www.ed.gov/print/news/pressreleases
Monday, July 6, 2009
Psychometrics
Dana Veneziani
Dr. Jay Dugan
Curriculum Evaluation
July 8, 2009
Psychometrics
What is psychometrics? Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. The field is primarily concerned with the study of measurement instruments such as questionnaires and tests. (Wikipedia) Psychometric tests have been used since the early part of the 20th century and were originally developed for use in educational psychology.
A psychometric test must be:
Objective: The score must not affected by the testers’ beliefs or values
Standardized: It must be administered under controlled conditions
Reliable: It must minimize and quantify any intrinsic errors
Predictive: It must make an accurate prediction of performance
Non Discriminatory: It must not disadvantage any group on the basis of gender, culture, ethnicity, etc.
In this day and age, outside of education, you are most likely to encounter psychometric testing as part of the recruitment or selection process. Tests of this kind are created by occupational psychologists and their aim is to provide employers with a reliable method of selecting the most suitable job applicants or candidates for promotion. Psychometric tests aim to measure attributes like intelligence, aptitude and personality. They provide a potential employer with an insight into how well you work with other people, how well you handle stress, and whether you will be able to cope with the intellectual demands of the job. (www.psychometric-success.com)
Learning and striving for personal improvement is a lifelong process that takes place in numerous settings, and has a variety of outcomes that can be both studied and enhanced. American Institutes for Research (AIR) provides research, evaluation, consulting, and technical assistance services that:
- Improves performance in classrooms, schools, communities, organizations, and the workplace
- Support the efforts of district and state administrators to improve schools
- Help education decision-makers identify effective programs and resources to enhance learning
- Assist organizations to increase the effectiveness of their workforce
AIR works at the national, state and local level. The psychometricians at AIR use psychometric procedures to provide their clients with information that can be counted on to inform policy and curriculum decisions. (www.air.org/ehd)
What do people think about psychometrics?
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: "Psychometric tests are hugely dubious, there is no scientific justification for them, and they are culturally biased. Why is the Training and Development Agency (TDA) wasting public money on expensive gimmicks when it should be providing proper support for trainee teachers going into hugely challenging jobs?" Someone responded to this by saying that they do not totally agree with the idea of psychometric test use in the area of education because the “…government seems particularly likely to be too quick about rolling it out, and it’s likely to focus exclusively on the individual teacher while ignoring everything else important to contributing to their success - the school, the other teachers, the local area, etc.” (www.thepsychologist.org)
Teacher training applicants in England are to face psychometric tests before being offered a place on a course, to ensure they are well suited to the job. The Training and Development Agency for Schools is developing tests for skills such as communication and empathy. The government asked for an assessment to be developed amid concern at a lack of "softer" skills among teachers. But the Association of Teachers and Lecturers criticized the idea as an "expensive gimmick". The Department for Children, Schools and Families requested a test which would "assess suitability to be a teacher", the TDA said. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8120550.stm)
Dr. Jay Dugan
Curriculum Evaluation
July 8, 2009
Psychometrics
What is psychometrics? Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. The field is primarily concerned with the study of measurement instruments such as questionnaires and tests. (Wikipedia) Psychometric tests have been used since the early part of the 20th century and were originally developed for use in educational psychology.
A psychometric test must be:
Objective: The score must not affected by the testers’ beliefs or values
Standardized: It must be administered under controlled conditions
Reliable: It must minimize and quantify any intrinsic errors
Predictive: It must make an accurate prediction of performance
Non Discriminatory: It must not disadvantage any group on the basis of gender, culture, ethnicity, etc.
In this day and age, outside of education, you are most likely to encounter psychometric testing as part of the recruitment or selection process. Tests of this kind are created by occupational psychologists and their aim is to provide employers with a reliable method of selecting the most suitable job applicants or candidates for promotion. Psychometric tests aim to measure attributes like intelligence, aptitude and personality. They provide a potential employer with an insight into how well you work with other people, how well you handle stress, and whether you will be able to cope with the intellectual demands of the job. (www.psychometric-success.com)
Learning and striving for personal improvement is a lifelong process that takes place in numerous settings, and has a variety of outcomes that can be both studied and enhanced. American Institutes for Research (AIR) provides research, evaluation, consulting, and technical assistance services that:
- Improves performance in classrooms, schools, communities, organizations, and the workplace
- Support the efforts of district and state administrators to improve schools
- Help education decision-makers identify effective programs and resources to enhance learning
- Assist organizations to increase the effectiveness of their workforce
AIR works at the national, state and local level. The psychometricians at AIR use psychometric procedures to provide their clients with information that can be counted on to inform policy and curriculum decisions. (www.air.org/ehd)
What do people think about psychometrics?
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: "Psychometric tests are hugely dubious, there is no scientific justification for them, and they are culturally biased. Why is the Training and Development Agency (TDA) wasting public money on expensive gimmicks when it should be providing proper support for trainee teachers going into hugely challenging jobs?" Someone responded to this by saying that they do not totally agree with the idea of psychometric test use in the area of education because the “…government seems particularly likely to be too quick about rolling it out, and it’s likely to focus exclusively on the individual teacher while ignoring everything else important to contributing to their success - the school, the other teachers, the local area, etc.” (www.thepsychologist.org)
Teacher training applicants in England are to face psychometric tests before being offered a place on a course, to ensure they are well suited to the job. The Training and Development Agency for Schools is developing tests for skills such as communication and empathy. The government asked for an assessment to be developed amid concern at a lack of "softer" skills among teachers. But the Association of Teachers and Lecturers criticized the idea as an "expensive gimmick". The Department for Children, Schools and Families requested a test which would "assess suitability to be a teacher", the TDA said. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8120550.stm)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A Nation at Risk
Nicolae Borota
Foundations of Curriculum
Dr. Jay Dugan
July 2, 2009
In August of 1981, the National Commission on Excellence in Education was chartered to “review and synthesize the data and scholarly literature on the quality of learning and teaching in the nation's schools, colleges, and universities, both public and private, with special concern for the educational experience of teen-age youth” (U.S. Department of Education, 1983a). Their report, was entitled “A Nation at Risk.”
The 1983 report included several specific indicators of risk such as:
• About 13 percent of all 17-year-olds in the United States can be considered functionally illiterate. Functional illiteracy among minority youth may have run as high as 40 percent.
• Scores consistently declined in verbal, mathematics, physics, and English subjects as measured by the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT).
• Nearly 40 percent of 17-year-olds cannot draw inferences from written material; only one-fifth can write a persuasive essay; and only one-third can solve a mathematics problem requiring several steps.
• Remedial mathematics courses in public 4-year colleges increased by 72 percent and now constitute one-quarter of all mathematics courses taught in those institutions.
ASSESSMENT REPORT
The report’s findings and recommendations (U.S. Dept. Ed., 1983d, 1983x) covered four important aspects of the educational process: (1) content; (2) expectations; (3) time; and (4) teaching.
They gave recommendations in each of the four areas, which they felt would help get the United States from out of a feeling of being ‘A Nation at Risk’.
In the area of content, they recommended that State and local high school graduation requirements be strengthened and that, at a minimum, all students seeking a diploma be required to lay the foundations in the Five New Basics by taking the following curriculum during their 4 years of high school: (a) 4 years of English; (b) 3 years of mathematics; (c) 3 years of science; (d) 3 years of social studies; and (e) one-half year of computer science. For the college-bound, 2 years of foreign language in high school are strongly recommended in addition to those taken earlier.
In the area of expectations, they recommended that schools, colleges, and universities adopt more rigorous and measurable standards, and higher expectations, for academic performance and student conduct, and that 4-year colleges and universities raise their requirements for admission. This will help students do their best educationally with challenging materials in an environment that supports learning and authentic accomplishment.
In the area of time, they recommend that significantly more time be devoted to learning the New Basics. This will require more effective use of the existing school day, a longer school day, or a lengthened school year.
In the area of teaching, their recommendation consisted of seven parts. Each is intended to improve the preparation of teachers or to make teaching a more rewarding and respected profession. Each of the seven stands on its own and should not be considered solely as an implementing recommendation.
The report also had a nice word to parents and student, which I found very inspiring.
“To Parents
You know that you cannot confidently launch your children into today's world unless they are of strong character and well-educated in the use of language, science, and mathematics. They must possess a deep respect for intelligence, achievement, and learning, and the skills needed to use them; for setting goals; and for disciplined work. That respect must be accompanied by an intolerance for the shoddy and second-rate masquerading as "good enough."
You have the right to demand for your children the best our schools and colleges can provide. Your vigilance and your refusal to be satisfied with less than the best are the imperative first step. But your right to a proper education for your children carries a double responsibility. As surely as you are your child's first and most influential teacher, your child's ideas about education and its significance begin with you. You must be a living example of what you expect your children to honor and to emulate. Moreover, you bear a responsibility to participate actively in your child's education. You should encourage more diligent study and discourage satisfaction with mediocrity and the attitude that says "let it slide"; monitor your child's study; encourage good study habits; encourage your child to take more demanding rather than less demanding courses; nurture your child's curiosity, creativity, and confidence; and be an active participant in the work of the schools. Above all, exhibit a commitment to continued learning in your own life. Finally, help your children understand that excellence in education cannot be achieved without intellectual and moral integrity coupled with hard work and commitment. Children will look to their parents and teachers as models of such virtues.
To Students
You forfeit your chance for life at its fullest when you withhold your best effort in learning. When you give only the minimum to learning, you receive only the minimum in return. Even with your parents' best example and your teachers' best efforts, in the end it is your work that determines how much and how well you learn. When you work to your full capacity, you can hope to attain the knowledge and skills that will enable you to create your future and control your destiny. If you do not, you will have your future thrust upon you by others. Take hold of your life, apply your gifts and talents, work with dedication and self-discipline. Have high expectations for yourself and convert every challenge into an opportunity.”
I wondered, while doing the research for this paper, if our nation is still ‘at risk’ because the U.S. is still not performing up to the level that it needs to be in order to stay competitive in a global economy.
References
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/nation-at-risk-25-years/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nation_at_Risk
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/appenda.html
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