TOOLS THAT WORK

1. WORKING SMARTER RATHER THAN HARDER TOOLS THAT WORK

2. One of the challenges teachers face is designing a standards-based curriculum that can be used to guide instruction.

3. OUTCOME: • Participants will increase their knowledge of Course of Study Standards, AHSGE Objectives, Item Specifications, and Curriculum Correlation Documents to improve instruction and increase student learning.

4. True or False…Good instruction automatically leads to good test scores. Unfortunately…This deduction is not true!

5. Some standards/objectives are neglected. Some standards/objectives are not taught thoroughly. (spray and pray method) Some standards/objectives are not taught at all . The reality is that …

6. Alabama Course of Study TOOLS THAT WORK

7. Definition of a Course of Study A course of study is a curriculum document containing academic content standards.

8. Definition of a Content Standard A content standard specifies what students should know and be able to do in a particular subject area by the end of each grade level or course.

9. Directions for Interpreting the Minimum Required Content • Content Standards in the Course of Study contain minimum required content. The order in which standards are listed within a course or grade is not intended to convey a sequence for instruction. Each content standard completes the phrase “Students will.” Students will: Compare poetry, folktales, and fables in respect to their genre characteristics.

10. Directions for Interpreting the Minimum Required Content (continued) Bullets denote content that is related to the standards and required for instruction. Bulleted content is listed under a standard and identifies additional minimum required content. Students will: Use organizing and paraphrasing in the research process. • Taking notes to gather and summarize information • Determining details through questioning

11. Directions for Interpreting the Minimum Required Content (continued) Examples clarify certain components of content standards or bullets. They are illustrative but not exhaustive. Students will: • Revise drafts to increase sentence complexity. • Examples: expanding word choice by using phrases, including verbals; combining short sentences to form complex and compound sentences.

12. Why is a standards-based curriculum important? It… • Provides a common set of expectations for students and teachers. • Serves to raise and clarify expectations for students and teachers. • Serves to improve student and teacher effectiveness

13. NCLB Is it fair to assess your students on content that has not been taught?

14. Item Specifications TOOLS THAT WORK

15. AHSGE Item Specs Teachers must be familiar with the Item specification document if they teach content that relates to the objectives measured on the graduation exam in the middle grades or in the high school grades Teachers must use the item specs in focusing instruction for students who have demonstrated weaknesses measured on the pre-graduation examination and the AHSGE

16. Practical Purposes: • Use to determine rigor in curriculum • Use to formulate questions for assessments • Use to show testing format • Use to pace instruction

17. AHSGE Item Specs Vocabulary An item spec has a distinct purpose and provides essential information concerning the testing of an objective -STANDARD- Broad area of content -OBJECTIVE- Specific skill within a standard -ELIGIBLE CONTENT- Clarification and elaboration -SAMPLE ITEMS - Item format

18. AHSGE Item Specs Let’s look at the Introduction Page in the Item Specs

19. What Can We Learn from the Reading Item Specs? Textual materials- charts, graphs, encyclopedias news magazines, essays material found in textbooks Recreational materials- magazines, poetry, novels, short stories Functional materials- directions, maps schedules menus catalogs About 50% of reading passages are textual On each reading test, approximately half the reading passages are textual; the other half of the test is split between recreational and functional reading materials. How to format questions for assessments

20. What Can We Learn from the Reading Item Specs? 4 standards measuring comprehension Literal (18 items) Interpretation (30 items) Critical Analysis (18 items) Strategies (18 items) High school level reading selections Textual (Informational) Functional Recreational (Literacy)

21. What Can We Learn from the Mathematics Item Specs? 7 standards measuring Basic Algebraic Operations (16 items) Equations and Inequalities (16 items) Functions (8 items) Formulas (8 items) Graphing Techniques (14 items) Problem Situations (6 items) Problems – Algebraic and Geometric (32 items) 75% Algebra I 25% Pre-Geometry Reference Page…use it often in class How to format questions for assessments

22. What Can We Learn from the Language Item Specs? 5 standards measuring Grammar and Usage (45 items) Appropriate Word Choice (10 items) Sentence Structure (10 items) Capitalization and Punctuation (25 items) Organizational Skills (10 items) 100 Test Items How to format questions for assessments

23. What Can We Learn from the Social Studies Item Specs? 7 standards measuring Pre-colonial and Colonial Eras (10 items) Formation and Development of U.S.(20 items) Prior to Civil War (18 items) Civil War Era (8 items) 19th and Early 20th Centuries (14 times) World War I (18 items) Great Depression and World War II (12 items) 100 Test Items How to format questions for assessments

24. What Can We Learn from the Biology Item Specs?

25. Curriculum Correlation Documents TOOLS THAT WORK

26. Curriculum Correlation Documents are several critical documents rolled into one:COS, Stanford 10 terminology, Curriculum Guide pre-requisite skills, AHSGE Item Specifications, ARMT blueprint contain a new Vocabulary Addendum - added in spring ’06 high school documents were added in ‘07

27. Curriculum Correlation Document A multipurpose document: Can be used for instructional pacing (7 months) Can be used for aligning local classroom instructional resources, textbooks, software, leveled books, read alouds, manipulatives, media resources, etc. Can be used to assist in writing IEP reading and math goals Can be used as an informal correlation between terminology differences in the Course of Study and the Stanford 10 Can be used to support intervention/remediation/reteaching with students not mastering standards Can be used to assist teachers in understanding the types of questions asked on each standard Can be used to document dates of teaching Can be used to record standards based activities

28. Rd Adden Matches by Grade Item Specs Testing Details Your Space Weight

29. Helpful CCD Terminology • Standard: a standard indicates the level of requirement or attainment a student is expected to achieve (universal / very broad). • Curriculum: a curriculum framework is a document that sets out what students are expected to achieve in a given subject or grade level (more specific). • Learning Objective: learning objectives specify what a student is expected to learn (even more specific). • Correlation: a correlation is a specialized format that shows where a curriculum meets a given standard or objective. • AHSGE Alignment: this alignment indicates the degree to which instructional materials match or address standards or test objectives in upcoming years. • Blueprint - Number of Items: assess student performance on content standards via Multiple-choice items • Pacing Guide (Scope and Sequence): pacing guide is a map of an instructional curriculum, detailing what is taught and when. • Benchmark: a benchmark indicates the knowledge and skill level students are expected to attain by the end of a given timeframe or grade level.

30. Course of Study Alignment

31. Course of Study Alignment

33. Planning for Instruction TOOLS THAT WORK

34. #1 Rule of High School Instruction… Know your audience! • With four administrations of the AHSGE comes the need for pacing instruction according to grade level and/or remediation. • Ninth graders will be paced differently than tenth graders. Juniors who are being remediated may be paced differently than seniors in remediation.

35. Ninth Grade Instruction - Math • 9th graders who passed Algebra I during their 8th grade year will take the math exam in September. Geometry teachers should pace for review of those objectives. • All other 9th grade math teachers should pace the Algebra COS and AHSGE objectives for the 9-month or full block time period. • Students on the block – Students passing Algebra I during the first semester will take the math test in March.

36. Ninth Grade Instruction - Math • Algebra teachers should study AHSGE longitudinal data to prioritize needs. -For example, if 90% of students did not master “Apply Pythagorean Theorem,” this should become a priority as instruction is planned for the school year. -When is the objective taught? -How is it being taught? -What resources are used to teach this objective? • Benchmark tests should be given as determined by the school. They should follow the format of the item specifications. • Objectives not mastered should be re-taught to mastery.

37. Ninth Grade Instruction - Science • 9th grade Biology should be paced according to the school calendar. • Biology pacing should be planned based on the Biology COS and AHSGE objectives and Item Specifications. • Benchmark tests should be given in AHSGE format. • 9th grade Physical Science teachers should plan with other science teachers for AHSGE preparation. • Students on block – 9th graders who pass Biology first semester should take the science test in March.

38. Grade 9 Instruction – Social Studies • 9th grade World History teachers should develop a pacing guide with 10th and 11th grade US History teachers. • Previous social studies test results should be analyzed to determine which objectives can successfully be covered within the World History curriculum (Ex: WW I & II). • Benchmark tests should be given as determined by the school and should follow the format of the Item Specifications. • Objectives not mastered should be re-taught to mastery.

39. Tenth Grade Instruction - Math • 10th graders who have successfully completed Algebra I and who have NOT already attempted the math test can take the math test in September. (This will probably be 10th grade geometry students.) • Teachers for these students will need to develop a pacing guide to ensure covering instruction from the first day of school through the second week of September.

40. 10th grade students who are enrolled in Algebra IB will take the test in the spring of their 10th grade year. • A 6-month pacing guide should be used for these students. • Benchmark tests should be given as determined by the school and in the format of the item specifications. • Objectives that are not mastered should be re-taught. • Block schedule – Consider enrolling at-risk math students in math first semester with support provided second semester.

41. 10th grade students enrolled in Geometry or Algebra II who did not pass the math test during their 9th grade year must be remediated. • These students should be remediated according to the 6-month pacing guide as they will be retested in March. • Their own test results should guide their remediation.

42. Tenth Grade Instruction - Science • 10th graders who successfully completed Biology in the 9th grade will be tested in September. These students are most likely to be enrolled in Physical Science. • Teachers of these students should prioritize objectives covered from the first day of school to the second week of September. Consult non-mastery reports and longitudinal data analysis to determine priorities.

43. Students who do not pass in the fall will retake the science test in March. They should receive remediation before then. • 10th graders enrolled in Biology for the first time should be taught using the 6-month pacing guide. • Previous test results should be analyzed to determine the “when” and “for how long” each objective should be taught. • Teachers should determine which resources to use to teach the material.

44. Tenth Grade Instruction - Reading • All 10th grade students will take the reading test for the first time in March of their sophomore year. • All 10th grade teachers should emphasize reading skills during the first six months of school. • Informational/textual reading materials need as much (or more) focus as literary materials. • Remember March, April and May are available to teach COS standards that are not tested on the AHSGE.

45. Tenth Grade Instruction - Language • 10th graders will also take the language test for the first time in March. • This requires a 6-month pacing for the language objectives. • Once again…remember that March, April and May are still available to teach COS standards not tested on the graduation exam.

46. Grade 10 Instruction – Social Studies • All 10th graders will take the social studies test for the first time in March of their sophomore year. • Approximately 44% of the social studies exam is part of the 11th grade social studies curriculum. How are we going to prepare our sophomores for the entire social studies exam?

47. Pace 10th grade social studies according to the 6-month guide. Don’t forget to allow for instruction of: -Standard V-1 (Settlement of the West) -Standard V-2 (Industrialization & urbanization) -Standard VI-1 (Causes of WWI) -Standard VI-2 (Effects of WWI) -Standard VII-1 (Great Depression & New Deal) -Standard VII-2 (WWII)

48. Time to Switch Gears…. What needs to happen with Juniors and Seniors? • If 11th graders are still involved in testing, they have failed at least one subtest. (excludes transfers) • While we tend to shift our focus to remediation, we must not forget the student’s core class instruction.

49. Let’s face it… • Before/after school remediation classes have poor attendance. • We only have them from 7:40ish – 3:00ish…how can we maximize the time that they are here? • If students are being remediated as a seniors, they probably have seen most of the remediation workbooks that are frequently used. • Computer programs require teacher monitoring and teacher support.

50. Instruction & Remediation Ideas for Juniors and Seniors • Consider enrolling students who have not passed subtests into the same class or classes. Choose the teacher of this class carefully. They should be knowledgeable and encouraging. -For example, all 11th graders who have not passed reading would be enrolled in the same reading class. • Schedule students into remediation classes for elective credit. • Think outside the box. Where can you “steal” intervention minutes? (Table Talk)