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The Learning-Focused Connections Newsletter is a weekly link to exemplary practice and ideas that will help you as an educator to increase achievement in your classroom and school. Some weeks there will be a mix of articles in the mailer; other weeks we will follow a theme. We are all working with the same goal in mind, continuous improvement in student achievement.
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National LEARNING-FOCUSED Conference
Cobb Galleria Center
Atlanta, GA
Registration Fee: $125.00 per person/day
Includes all conference materials (notebooks, flipcharts, handouts)
Registrations after November 1, 2008: $150.00 per person/day
Sessions and registration available August 1, 2008 at www.LearningFocused.com
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Acceleration/Previewing: Worth the Effort!
by Debbie Cargill
In
a recent evaluation, the Center on Education Policy reported that
mandated tutoring may not have produced the achievement gains hoped
for. If the tutoring model was a remediation model in which students
were re-taught concepts and skills, then the effectiveness may be
attributed to the model itself. Research on remediation shows that
students in typical remedial programs may fall further behind over time
and have a harder time making sense of the learning.
Consider
instead an acceleration model in which 60-70% of the time is spent on
previewing concepts, skills, and vocabulary; building prior knowledge;
and providing experiences to connect the learning. Acceleration and
remediation together will help to "catch kids up." Four instructional
practices have been proven to be important to increasing student
achievement and reducing the achievement gap. The second of these
practices focuses on acceleration/previewing for students in need of
extra help. "Catching Kids Up" materials and workshops address this
area.
Schools may choose to implement an acceleration model at the
school level, i.e. embedded in REP, Title I pull-out, or Special
Education programs. Or, individual teachers may choose to insert
previewing strategies into their classroom structure. Strategies include
previewing key vocabulary 2-4 days in advance of their introduction in
the lesson, previewing/scaffolding content, and previewing advance
organizers such as student learning maps and graphic organizers.
The "proof is in the pudding." When acceleration strategies are
implemented consistently and pervasively in a school, teachers report
gains in achievement for those students who have needed the extra help.
Additionally, teachers report that students' self-esteem and motivation
increase because they are more confident in their ability to contribute
and become engaged learners.
Barb Simpkins, 7th/8th grade
science teacher in Lincoln County, WV, shared this experience recently.
"It really works," she said one day last spring. Barb had made a
concerted effort to preview new vocabulary prior to beginning the
lesson. She found that as students worked in their
collaborative pairs, she heard them using the vocabulary that they had
learned in the previewing activity. Their conversations reflected the
connections they were making.
So, is it worth the effort?
Absolutely! Whether as a school-wide effort or classroom
implementation, acceleration/previewing does make a difference for
students.
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Easy List
by Jennifer Partrick
Writing instruction is a critical component of a comprehensive literacy program. However, many students struggle with writing and are reluctant to write. There are some simple activities that teachers can use to help struggling writers. One is the "Easy List" (Partrick, 2007). This strategy acts as a scaffold and gives students the support they need in order to write. Strickland, Ganske, and Monroe (2002) noted that "another key strategy is to scaffold instruction. It may be the single most important approach to teaching that makes a difference in how well learners succeed." (p. 48). This strategy can be used with any content.
Imagine that your students are learning about plants. Ask them to make a list of all the words they can think of that are related to plants. Students then write their list.
Stem
Water
Roots
Leaves
Sun
The next step is to have the students write a describing word for each word on their list.
Strong stem
Cold water
Ugly roots
Green leaves
Hot sun
Next, students choose one set of words and writes a sentence using those words.
Ugly roots are under the ground.
Next, ask your students to think and write about everything they know about roots.
Water gets into the plant by going through the roots.
Roots are under the ground.
Some roots are ugly.
There are different kinds of roots.
Plants cannot live without roots.
Using this strategy, students begin the writing process using one word and gradually adding more words, so they move from a list to a small paragraph. This strategy gives students confidence as they move at their own pace and are able to add information in small chunks.
References:
Hill, B. & Partrick, J. (2007). Learning to write. (2008). Boone, NC: Learning-Focused.
Strickland, D. S., Ganske, K., & Monroe, J. K. (2002). Supporting struggling readers and writers: Strategies for classroom intervention 3-6. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
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Assessment for Learning
by Bill Blynt
Since NCLB, the amount of testing students are subjected to in our schools has increased dramatically. Although driven by federal and state testing requirements, this surge in testing goes well beyond these mandates. Schools use test results for many purposes; three examples are: identifying students who may qualify for additional services, predicting how students will do on high stakes state assessments, monitoring student performance and adjusting instruction accordingly are three such examples.
Educators across the country are debating and discussing assessment. Most of these discussions focus on the distinction between summative and formative assessment. Educators spend considerable time trying to determine if an assessment is summative or formative. The discussion should not focus on the actual testing materials but should rather focus on what is done with the results of administering these assessments.
An assessment is summative if the results are used to make a judgment about a student, classroom or school performance. The results are final. The student, teacher or school is unable to impact these results. They are 'out of time'. An assessment is considered formative if the data obtained from the assessment are used to adjust instruction to improve future results. The student, instructor or school has time to make changes, address student learning needs and improve results on future assessments. This assessment is administered 'in time'. It serves as a practice that provides feedback to the teacher and student on their progress toward mastering a learning goal. The results are analyzed and used 'in time' to impact the students performance on a future summative assessment.
The strength of formative assessments is best realized when classroom teachers are able to align their classroom performance assessments (questions, quizzes, performance tasks, unit tests) to district benchmark assessments and/or state assessments. Teachers use these 'formative assessments' to check for understanding, adjust instruction as needed and provide students opportunities to practice tasks they will face on corresponding high stakes state assessments.
The power of formative assessment rests in the impact the data collected from such assessments has on instruction. The more the data are used to adjust instruction at the classroom or individual level, the greater the impact these assessments will have. For a school or teacher to maximize the use of these data, the allocation of instructional time and the type of learning activities utilized must be adjusted to address issues identified from the formative assessment results.
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Starting Early in Math Makes a Difference
by Barbara McSwain
A new federal report suggests that those students who are enrolled in math subjects, such as calculus, trigonometry or advanced statistics, have an advantage over their peers who do not engage in these subjects until college or at all.
This study is not surprising to math educators who have long recognized that students who participate in 8th grade algebra are more likely to take higher level mathematics courses in high school.
Education Week, in the March 2007 edition, quoted James M Rubillo, "The natural thing for everyone to say is 'Everyone should take Algebra I in the 8th grade.' " Rubillo is the Executive Director of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Reston, Va. He continues, "Well not everyone is ready. We advocate strong preparation for algebra."
The study, "America's High School Graduates: Results from the 2005 NAEP High School Transcript Study," collected data from approximately 640 public schools and 80 private schools that took part in the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
The study found that the number of students taking core high school math courses has risen steadily from 1990 to 2005. The study indicated that students who took more demanding math courses also did better on the NAEP than those who took more basic classes. The study further stated that whether a student took more advanced courses depended a lot on the math course that the student was enrolled in during the freshman year of high school. Thirty-seven percent of the students who took Algebra I in high school ended up taking a more advanced math course before graduating. That number rose to 87 percent among those who took geometry during their freshman year of high school.
Currently only Alabama and South Carolina mandate four years of high school math.
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Past Connections Articles
Past Connections articles are available through the archive tool of this newsletter. Please click here to view these resources.
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