I work in Washington, DC and my entire teaching career has been in one public charter school. My school uses the Danielson Teaching Framework, which contains four domains: planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities. Each domain is made up of several components. These components describe features of the domain and are outlined in a rubric. At a minimum, we get assessed once a year by an administrator who comes into the classroom unannounced. The observer stays for the duration of the lesson and takes notes on two domains- classroom environment and instruction. After the observation, the teacher and observer meet to debrief the lesson and review each component’s score. At this time, the observer reviews what they saw, their score for each component, and an explanation for the score. The teacher is given the opportunity to give context, clarify, present evidence, and ask questions about the lesson and score. In addition to this formal observation, we meet with our principal for a mid year evaluation and end of year evaluation. In these meetings, we discuss the remaining domains of the Danielson Framework. The teacher comes into the meeting prepared with evidence that showcases their work with planning and preparation and professional responsibilities. Each component for these domains are scored after a conversation and presentation of evidence. If a teacher receives a high score, they do not receive a second formal observation. If they receive a low score, an improvement plan is put into place.
The DC Public School (DCPS) system uses a high stakes teacher evaluation system called IMPACT. In this system, there are two groups of teachers: Group 1 and Group 2. Group 1 teachers teach in a subject area that is assessed by the state using PARCC. These assessments (IVA) make up 35% of the teachers’ evaluation. Additional students assessments are also used to calculate teacher performance, but the second set of assessments are teacher assessed student achievement data (TAS). Although, group 2 teachers do not receive IVA scores, both group 1 and group 2 teachers incorporate TAS into their evaluation. Furthermore, for group 1 teachers, 30% is based on Essential Practices, 10% Student Surveys, and 10% Commitment to Community (professional responsibilities). Those who do not have IVA scores calculate Essential Practices as 65% of their score. The overall score determines a teacher’s rating, which is tied to retention and salary bonuses. I believe a teacher evaluation system that includes an observation, professional responsibilities, and some form of student data is important. The idea of a teacher assessed student achievement data that DCPS uses seems interesting. It seems less fraught with errors that a statewide assessment might have. The major error that comes to mind is the ability of students to transfer their thinking to a computer. I’ve seen my best writers produce very little writing when prompted on a computer test. Using technology is a very specific skill that we need to teach kids if we are to truly see their capabilities. Lastly, an evaluation system should not be tied to firing decisions unless coupled with intense coaching. Many great teachers began as unsure first year teachers. We must give novice teachers as many opportunities to grow without the fear of getting fired.
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Before beginning our opinion writing unit, I want to know what students know about opinion writing. This information will allow me to adequately pace my lessons and differentiate, so that all my students’ needs are met. The writing pre assessment would be an on-demand where they are asked to write an opinion piece on a topic they care about. Here is the pre-assessment:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PxvpYXYNRXkF3qo7DrgGeQpHVbmKMZlTlR1_qnV5y90/edit?usp=sharing Based on the writing pre-assessment, my students may fall within three groups: need more knowledge about meaning of opinion (versus narrative or biography); need help organizing and elaborating; and those who write clearly and with organization, thus need help refining/varying their use of linking words and information (4th grade standards). Group 1 Students will spend more time identifying an opinion and reasons, so that they can later on develop their own. A strong understanding of these concepts is important for their ability to conceive their own. They will also need more modeling and guided practice for each writing skill. For example, they will take a Quizlet of each skill to show that they can identify the skill in others’ writings, before they can develop their own and apply it to their writing. Group 2 This group understands what opinion writing entails, but need support with organizing their writing and elaborating with appropriate facts and details. This group will be given graphic organizers through google classroom to help organize their reasons. Personal word walls would also be given to help them elaborate. In addition to word walls, student will receive bubble maps to help them make connections between their reasons, descriptors, and their opinion. Group 3 This group can write an opinion piece with the major components, so they will need help incorporating more complex sentences and reasons to their writing. To help them, I would provide them with links to recorded read alouds of various anchor texts. These texts serve as mentor texts- each text serving a different purpose. Some texts they hear will have examples of complex sentences and elaboration. While other texts may introduce them to ways of organizing like cause and effect or compare and contrast. After listening to a mentor text, students will apply their learning to their own writing. Formative Assessments Exit Tickets: Students will write one thing they learned that lesson and a skill they want to learn/try or need help with. Tracker: A blow up sized rubric for opinion writing will be in the room and students will place a sticker corresponding to where they currently are in their writing. Conferencing: Teacher will check-in with students one on one during the writing workshop to gauge progress. Teacher will observe, give feedback, teach a teaching point, model teaching point, do a guided practice, and let student apply independently. My mind map: https://www.lucidchart.com/invitations/accept/08f80ab9-9cff-4973-b29a-65fd309f6699 High stakes testing refers to state and district level standardized tests students must take to show grade-level proficiency. These tests are tied to school, teacher, and student consequences (The Glossary of Education Reform, 2014). Standardized tests in schools have existed for many years, but the No Child Left Behind law reignited the conversation about high stakes testing (Kamenetz, 2015). In this blog, I interviewed my sister- a special education biology teacher in Los Angeles- about her experience with high stakes testing. I compare her high stakes testing experience with mine as a third grade teacher in Washington, D.C.. My sister works at a title 1 high school in the Los Angeles area, where she teaches 9th grade biology in an inclusive setting. The state of California requires certain grades to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) assessment yearly. These assessments are common core aligned and administered online (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, n.d.). Ninth grade is not required to take the SBAC. The state uses the assessment to see how schools are performing in relation to other districts, but hold no consequences for teachers or students. The school uses it to figure out professional development. One assessment my sister finds helpful is their benchmark assessments. Every grade level and content area uses district benchmarks to evaluate students’ progress toward the content and standards.The benchmarks are created by a team of teachers in the subject areas. This is done every quarter and there are four quarters in a school year. Again, these benchmarks are not high stakes. The results are used to re-teach or make modifications to their curriculum and supports offered to students. Sometimes, patterns in groups of students appear when analyzing the benchmark data. Analyzing data has led to improved supports for students receiving special education and English Language Learners. The low stakes dissuades teachers in her school from teaching to a test or teach a certain style with the solely focus of answering certain types of questions correctly. The low stakes also allows teachers to gauge student interest and attend to those interests, because they are not rigid in their pacing. This leads students to more likely to recall and use information in meaningful ways. I’ve taught third grade for the past 4 school years, which is the first year students begin taking state standardized tests. It was not until my second year in third grade that we began testing. We take the PARCC assessment for state purposes as well as the ANET assessments as benchmarks for the school. These tests are not tied to any teacher pay or retention system, which makes them less high stakes. As a teacher, I do not feel pressure to teach to the test nor do I feel it to be excessive; this is partly due to how my school uses assessment data. My school uses the assessment scores as tools for curriculum and teacher improvement. The PARCC assessment is used to inform teachers of their students’ ability, therefore allowing them to anticipate differentiation strategies and curriculum changes to fill gaps in knowledge.The ANET scores are used ensure students are mastering the content, if not, teachers re-teach certain content or make shifts in our practice. Additionally, my school is focused on racial equity among student experiences. We use the assessments to track our progress in ensuring our students from historically marginalized groups are succeeding. The one way the PARCC is a high stakes assessment is that the state charter school board uses the results to rate schools from tier 1 (the highest) to tier 3 (lowest). A few years of low ratings can be cause to revoke a schools charter. Luckily, my school does not place any pressure on teachers because of this. My sister and I have similar experiences with high-stakes assessment in that our schools do not place any consequences or pressure. The assessments are used for learning purposes. I’m unsure if there are district or school consequences for chronic low performance in California, but this does not seem to impact how teachers do their work. This fact is the same for me in the District. References Kamenetez, A. (2015, January 22). The Past, Present And Future Of High-Stakes Testing. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/22/377438689/the-past-present-and-future-of-high-stakes-testing Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. (n.d.) What is Smarter Balanced? Retrieved from http://www.smarterbalanced.org The Glossary of Education Reform. (2014). High-Stakes Test. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/ I experience cognitive flow when I am running or biking long distances, whether it be in the gym or outdoors. I generally do these workouts to stay fit, but also as a way to destress. I found my joy for long distance exercises as I did conditioning for my rowing, which I was involved in as an undergraduate student. I would join my sister’s cross country team on their runs. Overtime, I got hooked on the challenge of running hills and gaining speed, as well as the health and physical benefits. The benefits of this activity are all intrinsic, in that I don’t receive an award from anyone for completing a run or bike. I’m motivated to complete a run or bike because I enjoy it. This intrinsic motivation or enjoyment is a critical component of cognitive flow (Edutopia, 2012). I enjoy the activity, so I continue partaking in it and am focused. The focus that I have during the activity is part of cognitive flow as well (Phillips, 2013). I forget about time, myself, and am not distracted. As I’m running, I only think of time in relation to how fast I am going. I don’t think about the time in terms of what I am doing after the run or bike. I also am only thinking about the run or bike. I’m thinking of every step or rotation, my breathing, the road or hill in front of me. The other runners, bikers, or pedestrians don’t distract me. I can pass them by without losing focus. All these components (not tracking time, not thinking of myself, not easily distracted) are indicators of flow (Phillips, 2013). While partaking in the run or bike, I’m constantly getting feedback and creating new goals from them. The feedback can be the rate of my breathing or the soreness of legs and I change my strategy based on these. The goals and constant feedback are other important parts of cognitive flow (Edutopia, 2012). In all, my running and biking is challenging and enjoyable which makes it a prime activity for cognitive flow.
References: Edutopia. (2012). Mihaly csikszentmihalyi: Motivating People to Learn. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-motivating-people-learn Phillips, E. (2013). Go With the Flow: Engagement and Concentration are Key. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/go-with-the-flow-engagement-and-concentration-are-key-201307266516 In writing, a student may have a specific learning disability related to writing production. This is often referred to as a language-based learning disability. One resource offered is to have them speak about their ideas. After speaking about their topic, the student would write their ideas.
If through formative assessments I find a student needs extra support, a resource is graphic organizers to help organize their thoughts, a word wall to help them write words, and or break up the task into concrete steps. If these scaffolds don’t help, it might mean they need to move to tier 2 interventions. This would require weeks of data collection and a meeting with parents and other staff members. Tier 2 would provide an intervention teacher to push-in and provide targeted supports. If after weeks of interventions at tier 2 there is still no progress, a meeting would be called to refer the student for special education testing. The map here shows this in more detail: https://coggle.it/diagram/WbnvIwem7QAB-kna/t/identifying-and-helping-struggling-learners-in-my-classroom/f1933a01e22bcb539c718ed9bd49830abf2e2c46d0b3c10c925abdf172633d8b All students benefit from differentiation. Those who are performing above grade level need a challenge to hone their skills and knowledge. Students who are struggling with a certain skills may need a scaffold. While other students may need many more scaffolds or modification due to a learning disability. The following is a diagram (created by me and my cohort) with categories of disabilities and related forms of differentiation: https://coggle.it/diagram/WbLsM0jEEwABtj-7/t/unit-3-activity-3/f074d4f1b8b2fa5229d20ca99668023a958ae398755cdc1f0d7426559c3f490f If a student is performing above grade level, I would provide them with instruction to help them apply standards more skillfully and pushing them to meet fourth grade standards in writing. This may include a mini lesson on using varying linking words in more intentional ways. The Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Education Programming Standards would guide my instruction. References: American Speech Language Hearing Association. (n.d.). Language-Based Learning Disabilities (Reading, Spelling, and Writing). Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LBLD.htm. National Association for Gifted Children. (n.d.). Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Education Programming. Retrieved from https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/national-standards-gifted-and-talented-education/pre-k-grade-12 Our day to day experiences today are shaped by our history. All of the knowledge we hold as truths today, have been assessed and negotiated by scholars with their own perspectives and histories. Teachers must center this complexity, so that students begin to develop 21st century skills like critical thinking and complex problem solving. Incorporating multicultural content and perspectives is one way teachers can ensure students learn to ask questions and seek answers about the world around them. Exposing them to multicultural content will lead them to question everyday things they might take for granted. This can be done in all subject areas, like reading, math, writing, science, and social studies.
At my school, we intentionally focus on communities that have been historically marginalized. We tell their stories, so that students learn how real world problems can affect communities differently. For example, in the third grade “Right to Read” expedition third graders read about the many people who fought or are currently fighting for the rights of others to gain access to reading and education. These communities include African Americans, Latinos, people who are blind, women and girls, and people living in rural areas. In writing, they write informational pieces-biographies- of one of these “literacy heroes”. In this scenario, social studies and reading are intertwined. In science, students could examine who discovered the scientific theories or phenomenon being studied, while questioning who was granted access in the scientific community at the time. One can also study how scientific phenomenon affect different communities. When teachers implement multicultural curriculum, students will begin to talk about issues of race, class, gender, etc. on their own. You will hear them make connections to their own lives or the lives of their friends. They will question and confront peers when they hear bias. Additionally, students will display their development of cultural competence when they seek to do something about social inequities in their communities. I have been unpacking the following third grade Common Core writing standard: W.3.1Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
W.3.1.A Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. W.3.1.B Provide reasons that support the opinion. W.3.1.C Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. W.3.1.D Provide a concluding statement or section. Summative Assessment One summative performance based assessment for this standard would be to have students write an opinion piece on any topic they choose. The prompt would be "Choose a topic you are passionate about. Develop a writing piece (choose your format/structure) that supports your opinion with reasons. Your piece must include a)an introduction b)reasons c)linking words and phrases d)conclusion. They would have the class period to decide what type of opinion piece (i.e. public service announcement, op-ed, petition, etc), do research if needed, and develop the writing. This would be assessed using the Teacher's College opinion writing rubric for third grade. The rubric describes the characteristics of each of these writing components at varying levels (grade 1-4). The assessment looks at specific writing characteristics, measurable (has continuum 1-4th grade), is achievable because they have been taught and practiced these skills prior, relevant to their interests. Formative Assessment I would heavily rely on frequent student conferences. To keep track of my conferences, I would use a writing checklist that describes the writing behaviors/skills. The steps to the conference includes: 1) ask the student to name the objective for the day, 2) ask them how they were practicing the objective, 3) offer a compliment 4) I would then find a teaching point (an improvement needed... "good writers...") 5) then model what it would look like 6) have the student practice it with my feedback 7) have student continue practice independently. I would circulate and complete a conference with as many students as possible. To ensure I have a sense of everyone's progress, I would lead a debrief at the end of the lesson where I would ask students to share the writing skill they practiced and how they applied it. This would be done in a think-pair-share and I would circulate to listen to those I did not confer with during the lesson. Prior to this class, I had engaged in unpacking standards to align assessments and lessons. It was refreshing to know that other teachers are engaging with standards in the same manner, as I have felt this is the best way to ensure meaningful and intentional instruction. At my school, we have used a similar protocol to the one presented by the Imperial County Office of Education’s (n.d.) video. The protocol adapted from Public Schools of North Carolina (2012) calls for one to identify nouns, verbs, and big ideas.
In the beginning of my career, I found standards to be overwhelming and cumbersome. As I learned how to unpack standards, they became manageable and eventually enjoyable. Unpacking standards takes time and a lot of foresight. It is something that needs to be done long before you begin teaching a unit. Although cumbersome, the payoff is great because you see students’ work truly transform into work I never think I produced when I was their age. The reason why I believe I never produced as high quality work as my students, is the difference in intentionality that has taken place over the years in teacher planning. In Grant Wiggin’s (2005) overview of Understanding by Design, we see teachers used to plan lessons and assessments based on the activities. This did not lead to broader understandings of how the content or skill taught was significant to learning. Now, we start planning from the standard. The standard describes the skills we need our students to develop and apply. Then, we plan how to assess these skills. From there, we plan the activities and lessons that will guide students towards mastery of the standard. One aspect of Understanding by Design that I appreciate is the identification of “big ideas”. The “big ideas” helps teachers guide the work being produced and helps students make sense of the world around them outside of the day to day activities. Providing students tools and skills to make sense of our world is precisely why we are teaching. The reason why I will continue to unpack standards and backwards plan is to ensure that I provide my students opportunities to develop tools and skills that will help them question what they see and seek answers to problems that observe. References: Imperial County Office of Education. (n.d.). How to Unpack a Standard. Retrieved from https://www.mydigitalchalkboard.org/portal/default/Content/Viewer/Content?action=2&scId=100028&sciId=829 Public Schools of North Carolina. (2012). Unpacking the Common Core. Retrived from http://www.tangischools.net/ciweb/unpackingpowerpoint.pdf Wiggins, G. (2005). Understanding by Design: Overview of UBD and the Design Template. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzYfzjQoASL_M3A1Ykd1M2t6cUk/view I’m currently teaching third grade general education in a bilingual school that focuses on sustainability and project based learning. Are curriculum is rooted in the Common Core State Standards. One of the standards we teach is
W.3.1Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. W.3.1.A Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. W.3.1.B Provide reasons that support the opinion. W.3.1.C Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. W.3.1.D Provide a concluding statement or section. I chose to develop this standard into a unit because it is one that I have to teach next semester. Also, the standard has many components that must be unpacked across several lessons. To demonstrate mastery of the standard, students must demonstrate the following proficiencies:
When I envision my perfect classroom, I picture every child dutifully working in a group, asking questions to one another, writing down questions, reading, etc. This scene is not always the norm, so what does a teacher do when students are off task and when norms or rules are broken? A mix of positive praise (reinforcement) and a consequence (punishment) for desired and undesired behaviors are said to be the most effective in increasing wanted behavior. My classroom would include both.
When students are hard at work I will make sure to reinforce what I see by naming the specific behaviors I see. This could be simply putting pencils away during a transition or quiety sitting in a lesson line. I would further emphasize and praise how these behaviors help us uphold our classroom norm of “being productive”, which means the more you do get yourselves ready for a lesson then more material we learn. I would make sure my praise is for specific behavior that is tied to students’ academic or social achievement, not purely for teacher recognition. This caveat is important because research shows that providing incentives or reinforcers for behaviors students are already espousing can lead to a decrease of these behaviors. Ensuring students know why these behaviors are helpful to their personal and community learning, might counteract the negative effects. Consequences for undesired behavior or breaking classroom norms would be consistent and immediate. If in a lesson, any distraction would be an immediate trip to “take a break”- a chair near the lesson area where a student can reflect and self-regulate and rejoin the group when ready. If the undesired behavior persists (i.e. continued talking during taking a break), the student would be sent to a “buddy room”- another teacher’s classroom- for deeper reflection and a second opportunity for self-regulation. The student then returns to the class when they feel they are ready to engage in the lesson. All this is couched positively, so that student recognize that disengagement is normal, but we must be proactive in reengaging in our learning. If a student breaks a norm involving another student or incomplete work, a series of “logical consequences” would begin. These may be seen as negative consequences by the student because it would force them to fix the problem created. An example could be finishing work before moving on to the next activity, which may lead to completing work at home or using a student’s free time to complete the work. If arguing with a peer, it would mean using a strategy to solve the issue or making the situation right- not just an apology. If the argument led to physical aggression it would also involve a communication home. The following a flow chart of my consequences. |
AuthorDon't judge me for these blog entries. I find these topics important, but teaching and going to school is hard. Archives
February 2018
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