Continuous ImprovementYear 2

What’s the Big Idea?

Goals of 2013-2014 PD

• Value vertical alignment• Be able to design and deliver content units that incorporate elements of vertical alignment and deep understanding

• Complete Atlas Stage I for curriculum units within district courses

• Be prepared to target all Stage I learning goals using well constructed assessments

Target ContentCurriculum that best supports student learning

Target Skills (For Day1)• Recognize at least one big idea and associate at least one enduring understanding to it• Identify at least one question essential to the understanding of a particular content unit• Describe the content and skills required to answer the essential question• Use the Atlas Curriculum Database reference page to independently answer many curriculum questions

Differentiated by content / interest• Writing to Text • Expressions and Equations •Foreign Language / PE / Art / Computer Tech •Instructional Intervention

Continuous Improvement Student Learning - Unit1

11-12 • Keys to Literacy• Think Math• Assessment Development (24 baseline samples)

11-12 • Continuous Improvement (Teaching)

• Supervision and Evaluation (SMART Goals & Power Standards )• Keys to Literacy / K-5 Literacy Scope and Sequence• Think Math

13-14 • Continuous Improvement (Student Learning)

• The Big Idea• Writing to Text (Application of Keys to Literacy & K-5 Literacy Scope &

Sequence) • Expressions and Equations (Extension of Think Math Literacy &

common core alignment) • Supervision and Evaluation (Standard I – Curriculum, Planning &

Assessment)

3-Years of District Initiatives

They still look like a bunch of disconnected pieces, don’t they?• Big Ideas• Writing to Text• Expressions and Equations• Supervision and Evaluation

• Continuous Improvement• Big Ideas• Writing to Text• Expressions and Equations• Supervision and Evaluation

Enduring Understanding

Continuous improvement leads to better performance. • Continuous improvement is the big idea.

• This statement is an understanding of the big idea.

Essential Question

How do we best sustain continuous Improvement in the current environment?

Enduring UnderstandingContinuous improvement leads to better performance.

Student Learning Problems

1. Content retention2. Performance skills3. Lack of student motivation

& personal responsibility to do their best

4. Behaviors that interfere with learning

Essential Question

How do we best sustain continuous Improvement in the current environment?

Enduring UnderstandingContinuous improvement leads to better performance.

Staff Issues1. Under recognized for

efforts2. Mandate overload3. Limited time 4. Limited resources

Normal Distribution

Most all of us were schooled in a normal distribution world

Current BPS Education Mandate: Standards based education

Proficient Advanced

Grade Level Learning Standard X

Learning standards describe educational objectives . Learning standards are concise, written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education. - http://edglossary.org

Schools Grade ELA Math ScienceELA

Ranking# of

SchoolsELA % Rank

Math Ranking

# of Schools

Math % Rank

Sci Ranking

# of Schools

Sci % Rank

CM 3 75 86 183 955 19.16% 103 955 10.79%

4 66 46 274 955 28.69% 568 955 59.48%

South 3 75 73 183 955 19.16% 400 955 41.88%

4 74 69 155 955 16.23% 186 955 19.48%

SB 3 31 53 817 955 85.55% 736 955 77.07%

4 52 33 505 955 52.88% 760 955 79.58%

BMMS 5 65 54 62 491 879 55.86% 548 879 62.34% 300 874 34.32%

6 70 52 272 554 49.10% 373 551 67.70%

7 81 43 156 467 33.40% 303 465 65.16%

8 86 65 48 171 465 36.77% 151 460 32.83% 141 457 30.85%

BHS 10 94 84 74 182 354 51.41% 177 354 50.00% 184 342 53.80%

Massachusetts’ School Rankings for Percentage of Advanced and Proficient Students

Massachusetts’ School Rankings for Percentage of Advanced and Proficient Students

Essential Question

How do we best sustain continuous Improvement in the current environment?

Enduring UnderstandingContinuous improvement leads to better performance.

Writing to TextExpressions and Equations

Today’s Big Ideas

Big IdeaWriting to TextEnduring Understanding

Writing to text requires writers to comprehend text and respond to that text in proficient writing appropriate for audience and purpose.

MA State Anchor Standards for Writing

Argument supported by evidence Information/explanation Narrative Organization and Coherence Revision and editing

Short and sustained research projects Integration of information from several sources Use of evidence from texts, linking reading and writing Frequent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences Using technology for collaboration and publishing

Relevant special features of the CCSSMassachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and

Literacy•Emphasis on college and career readiness•Intentional coherence between the standards for reading literature and for reading informational text•Emphasis on finding good evidence and using it precisely •Detailed standards on writing arguments, explanations, and narratives•Greater emphasis on reading and writing informational texts and writing arguments•Use of technology to conduct research as well as create, refine, and collaborate on writing•Standards for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects•Selections from texts to show appropriate levels of text complexity across the grades (Appendix B), and samples of annotated student writing to show the progression of expectations across the grades (Appendix C)•Emphasis on increasing text complexity through the grades, as exemplified in the text exemplars of Appendix B.

Disciplinary Literacy Heller and Greenleaf (2007) – To become competent in a number of academic content areas requires more than just applying the same old skills and comprehension strategies to new kinds of texts. It also requires skills and knowledge and reasoning processes that are specific to particular disciplines. (p.10)

Heller, R & Greenleaf, C.L. (2007). Literacy instruction in the content areas: Getting to the core of middle and high school improvement. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education

Writing to text requires writers to comprehend text and respond to that text in proficient writing appropriate for audience and purpose.

A Related Essential QuestionWhat do the most instructionally effective

and informative writing to text assignments look like?

Today’s “Writing to Text” Task• Explore the ELA and content area curriculum resources in the Reference section of our Atlas curriculum site.

• Use the “Writing to Text” template (page 18) to create a cohesive writing assignment requiring students to make a claim or judgment and defend it.

• Choose a course topic within one of the following areas: Life Science, Physical Science (incl. Chemistry), History, or Geography

• Select a Big Idea from that topic

• Decide on “THE” single question that requires students to make an informed claim or judgment about a central tenet of the big idea

• Articulate the content and skills necessary to proficiently support the claim or judgment in writing after reading selected texts

• Enter information into Atlas and report out to the larger group at day’s end

• Repeat the process if time allows

Allsmall

groupsexceptgroups

focusing on Math or

Intervention will

complete A,B,&C of

at least one unit

content area for a

course and unit of their

choice.

High functioning groups may have time to attempt more than

one.

For today, students need to make a claim or judgmentand be required to defend it.

What are some Big Ideas of Physical Science, Life Science,

History or Geography?

Let’s work together to find at least one enduring understanding for each Big Idea and then turn that

enduring understanding into a question

Big Idea

Enduring Understanding

Expressions and Equations represent real world phenomena and relationships.

Expressions and Equations

Aligned CCSS Math Progression

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Geometry

Measurement and Data Statistics and Probability

Number and Operations in Base Ten The Number System

Operations and Algebraic Thinking Expressions and Equations

Counting and Cardinality Number and Operations---Fractions

Ratios and Proportional Relationships

Functions

Enduring Understanding

Expressions and Equations represent real world phenomena and relationships.

2 / 4 4 divided by 8

A /B

Today’s “Expressions and Equations” Task

Use any viable procedure to select the group’s Timekeeper (T), Notetaker (N), Reporter (R), Gopher (G) Begin with Standard 1 of your grade level or course in Operations and Algebraic Thinking / Expressions and Equations / Model Algebra I / or Model Geometry (Expressing Geometric Properties with Equations) Research the standard using the math standards resources in the common core standards reference section of Atlas, especially the standards unpacked files.

Today’s “Expressions and Equations” Task

Use your research to answer the following questions: The most important concept(s) that students need to understand in order to master this standard are…(This response should go into the content section of a unit in a math course in Atlas) The above concepts build from the following concepts... This standard prepares them to understand the following concepts… (Optional) The most likely conceptual mistakes (as opposed to procedural mistake) a student might make are... Coming to this grade students should be able to……….(Skills needed before entering this grade or course) Leaving this grade students should be able to …… (This response should go into the skills section of a unit in a math course in Atlas)

Math groups will complete

parts A & B of at least one unit content

area for an appropriate

math course and unit of their

choice.

High functioning groups may have time to attempt more than one unit.

How can this math represent real world phenomena or a relationship?

Today’s Task

Using the Atlas Curriculum Database

Understandings that transfer to other grades / disciplines

Understandings required of this specific course / unit

Questions that thread through other grades / disciplines

Questions to drive inquiry in this specific course / unit

Select the appropriate standards

Articulate concepts / knowledge (nouns) here

Identify specific words / phrases here

Articulate skills (verbs) here

Understandings that transfer to other grades / disciplines

Understandings required of this specific course / unit

Questions that thread through other grades / disciplines

Questions to drive inquiry in this specific course / unit

Next Step• All groups except Foreign Language,

Computer Technology, PE, and Art go to their assigned rooms.

• Explore Atlas and perform the assigned task at least once

• Be prepared to share out results to the larger groups upon return to the auditorium twice today (See the Grid)

• Use the survey monkey link sent to your email later today to help inform the process going forward