Define the instructional changes needed for the new school year and cultivate a thriving data culture to ensure every student has access to the instructional strategies, resources and supports necessary to successfully engage with and master grade-level content.
High-Quality Academics Series Instruction Companion
Why:
- To identify unfinished learning in order to plan for the next year, to address learning gaps
- To ensure that instructional focus is on essential skills
- To close learning gaps and provide acceleration
- To ensure equity across grade levels and classrooms
How:
- Standards review: identify standards taught/not taught, introduced vs. mastered; at every level, determine the critical prerequisite content for each grade level standard
- Examine previous year’s unfinished learning and remediate within grade level content
- Data review: identify gaps as well as mastery
- Review building master schedule: are all courses being given appropriate time?
- Review K-12 scope and sequence to identify redundancy in curriculum; reorder and compact as necessary
- Identify essential skills in each grade level based on each grade level’s concepts and competencies
- At secondary level: examine prerequisites for course selection
- Identify cross-curricular connections to support and enhance essential skills
- Review resources available to all students and classrooms
What:
- Curriculum audit/curriculum cycle
- Identifying learning gaps
- Remediation / Acceleration
- Effective scheduling
- SAS Curriculum Framework (Concepts and Competencies)
- COVID Comeback Models
- Cross-curricular connections (STEM, humanities, etc.)
- Resource allocations
Why:
- To ensure equity for students experiencing academic struggle as well as students achieving at high levels
- To ensure rigor and college and career readiness for all students
- To ensure student engagement and ownership of learning
- To ensure that instructional best practices are evident in classroom
How:
- Identify existing systems of support (e.g., MTSS, EL program and supports for other underserved populations, co-teaching, coaching, etc.)
- Examine evidence-based Tier 1 practices
- Use appropriate assessment techniques to guide instruction (benchmark, diagnostic, formative, summative)
- Plan for whole group instruction and small differentiated groups based on need
- Examine lesson plans for evidence-based instructional practices, student engagement, differentiation techniques, standards alignment, assessment, scaffolding, etc.
- Implement accountability measures to ensure teachers are scaffolding
- Administrators ensure fidelity of instructional strategies and differentiation methods
- Examine existing resources and teaching methods
- Consider instructional practices for in-person, hybrid, and remote instructional models
- Maximize allocation of instructional resources, including staff, technology, materials, etc.
What:
- Systems of support (MTSS, co-teaching, coaching)
- Assessment literacy
- Danielson framework
- Differentiated instruction
- Lesson plan criteria
- Maximizing student engagement
- Defining College and Career Readiness
- Evidence-based instructional practices for in-person, hybrid, and remote learning
- Technology tools for learning
- Protocols and inventories for examining teaching practices
Why:
- To ensure that all students have access to an equitable educational experience
- To provide consistency in expectations and instruction
- To provide cohesion between grade levels
- To ensure that what is written, what is taught, and what is assessed is consistent
How:
- LEAs perform curriculum audits and verifications
- Verify that assessments are aligned to instruction and adjust as necessary
- Create common assessments
- Examine alignment among course/grade level teachers
- Analyze grading procedures and report cards
- Ensure common planning time for teachers to plan consistent instruction and assessment
- Administrators conduct fidelity reviews
What:
- Curriculum auditing processes and tools
- Assessment literacy
- Standards-based grading practices
- Effective learning community practices
Academics: Overview of Comprehensive Academic Processes for Assessment and Data Utilization
As we plan for the 2021- 2022 school year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), PA Intermediate Units (IUs) and Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) provides this series for school leaders with the goal of helping teachers, support staff, families, and students emerge from these unprecedented times and start a new school year stronger than ever. The Focus on High-Quality Academics defines the assessment and instructional changes needed for the new school year. The series will address how to create and cultivate a thriving data culture which ensures every student has access to the instructional strategies, resources, and supports necessary to successfully engage with and master grade-level content.
- Recorded Webinar - Academics: Overview of Comprehensive Academic Processes for Assessment and Data Utilization (YouTube)
- Accelerated Learning through an Integrated System of Support Presentation (PDF)
Academics: Analyze and Interpret
The purpose of this session is to engage educators in a discussion related to analyzing and interpreting data, implementing data analysis protocols to inform instruction, and ensuring collaboration among educators to make data-informed curricular decisions.
- Recorded Webinar - Academics: Analyze & Interpret (YouTube)
- High-Quality Academics: Analyze & Interpret Presentation (PDF)
Academics: Instruction
The purpose of this session is to engage educators in a discussion related to their future curriculum and instructional changes, and to provide resources to support their professional development needs. Focusing on a highly developed assessment system that includes a balanced approach to using formal and informal assessments, classroom-based evidence showing growth over time, and involving students in the evaluation of their own work.
- Recorded Webinar - Academics: Instruction (YouTube)
- High-Quality Academics: Instruction Presentation (PDF)
Academics: Reflect, Monitor and Share
The purpose of this session is to engage educators in a discussion related to the importance of student data and the necessity for teacher reflection, monitoring of student progress, and sharing with parents and caregivers. Focusing on data as the focal point for improving educational practice and engaging parents in the learning.
Accelerated Learning – Assessment Series
Assessment Literacy and Designing Local Assessments
Formatives, Diagnostics, Summatives and Benchmarks – OH MY! All assessments have a purpose; giving the educator a glimpse into the mind of their participant and making decisions with the information. Join staff from IU5 and IU22 to dissect the science behind creating an assessment that is valid and reliable via proper alignment to standards, free of bias and fair, proper depth of knowledge, and developmentally appropriate.
- Recorded Webinar - Assessment Literacy and Designing Local Assessments (YouTube)
- Accelerated Learning - Local Assessments - Assessment Literacy and Designing Local Assessments (PDF)
Creating a Local Assessment Plan
An assessment plan is a document that outlines the student learning goals to be assessed during a specific period of time. A complete plan provides brief descriptions of assessment methods, the data the assessments will provide and how those data will be used to improve teaching and learning. This session will provide participants with a background on the development of local assessment plans followed by a review of practical examples.
- Recorded Webinar - Creating a Local Assessment Plan (YouTube)
- Accelerated Learning - Assessment Plans (PDF)
Data Analysis Protocols and Communicating Student Progress
Data are everywhere and to make the best use of these data schools need to decide what data to look at and the need to adopt agreed upon system of how to look at these data. Data protocols provide systematic approaches that school can follow to explore data in a consistent and deliberate manner. They offer structure to data conversations, provide for an efficient use of time, and ensure that all voices are heard. This session will provide participants with a background in data protocols and their practical application in understanding and communicating school data.