Challenging Curriculum and Organizational Structures

1. Challenging Curriculum and Organizational Structures Oct. 23, 2013 Jesse White

2. PA Core Standards • Districts are realigning curriculum • Many new teachers will be teaching a course while they are writing the curriculum • Teachers won’t teach the same curriculum for 20 years, constantly changing • Core Standards – Changes to the curriculum

3. Literacy in the Core Standards • New requirements for types of reading • 50% of materials read at the middle school level should be non-fiction or informational text • 70% at the high school level

4. Science and Social Studies in the Core Standards • Both subject areas have reading and writing core standards that must be taught • Many teachers feel they lack the content knowledge to be able to instruct reading and writing

5. Math in the Core Standards • Increased Rigor • Real life problems • Application of skills • Many materials shifted down to a grade lower than they were previously taught

6. Real World Application of Standards • A goal in the all subject areas is to focus instruction on college and career readiness • Apply the material being learned • HW • Not 40 skill review problems • 5 higher level application problems

7. Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTII) • RTII is a multi-step school improvement approach to provide early academic and behavioral supports to struggling students rather than waiting for a child to fail before offering help. (PDE.com)

8. RTII • Data analysis • All students will be expected to make curricular decisions based on data from assessment results • Standardized tests, benchmark assessments, common assessments

9. RTII • Benchmark assessments for all students • Gathers data to compare all students • Flexible Groupings • Students are placed in different intervention groups depending on scores on benchmark assessments • Special intervention time in the schedule • Each teacher will have a group of students during the intervention period to teach a skill at their level of instruction • Teachers may have students that are not in any of their classes • RTII instruction • Data driven instruction

10. Curriculum Cycle • Constant Refinement • Curriculum is no longer developed and used for many years • Aspects of the curriculum are constantly refined • Common Assessment, Pacing, Unit Plans • Curriculum adjusted for strengths of students in the class • Curriculum adjusted for results of common assessments

11. Textbooks are tools • The curriculum is written based on standards • Textbook is used to instruct on standards included • Supplemental materials need to be used for standards not included in the textbook

12. Teamwork • Teaming • Grade level teams • Cross curricular projects • Problem solving student concerns • Subject area teams • Curriculum revisions • Comparing assessment data • Meetings • Active participant

13. Whole Child • Character Education • Clubs

14. Building a Positive Environment • Getting to know each student • Interests • Attending events (music, band, etc.) • Contact with parents • Make positive phone calls • Send parents information about assignments • Positive relationships with parents are essential

15. New Teacher Evaluation System • 4 categories • Observation • School Data • Teacher Data • Elective Data

16. New Teacher Evaluation System • Teacher and school data • Based on PSSA and PVAAS results • PSSA • The level the student scores is factored into the rating • PVAAS • Projected level of achievement for a student • Students scoring at the projected level count as a positive • Students scoring below the projected level count as a negative • Teachers must differentiate

17. Differentiation • Meeting the learning needs of every student • Teachers need to use assessment data to decide what students need • To improve the teacher and school rating all students must score at least what the state projects