Week+1+P1


 * Planning Session 1 | Introduction **


 * [[image:http://i.imgur.com/JPlUk.png width="306" height="242"]] || //Pathways to the Common Core// indicates that a crucial piece to extending and refining a school’s best practice is to **focus on //instruction// and** //**assessment** (p.20).// As colleagues, we can support each other by planning the ways we gather evidence of how well Western Valley Middle School is doing.

We need to consider not just the numbers—as in test scores or reading levels—but also student and/or teacher artifacts such as student writing samples or teacher unit plans.

Last year we collected evidence of our instruction and assessment in data binders. For the most part, this was done individually. ||

When considering your answers to the following two prompts, remember our common goal: To discover more... "of what is actually taking place, to move conversations out of the abstract and into the tangible and measurable."


 * Click EDIT (top, right) to add your name and comments here. When finished, click on SAVE top, right.

1) Based on evidence from your data binder, what is one thing that you feel you did well this past year? If you did not create a data binder, what did you do well that could be supported with evidence? Be sure to add your name at the end of your post.

Students targeted the writing process, responding to literary and historic resources. Sharing, editing, and revising was an area of growth for many. (Woods)

Students were exposed to more complex text with support. Students read books and literature at a lexile of the higher end of the grade-level lexile band. (Contreras)

Having large computer classes, collaboration, peer-instruction, and pair-share enriched the learning environment resulting in quality products per rubric and higher test scores. (Rothanburg)

This year, I expected a lot out of the kids, especially when it came to text complexity. I was able to document their growth with student samples. (Palmer)

I collected, analyzed, and made data-based decisions consistently. I feel this helped accommodate learners effectively as well as place them appropriately in Intervention classes. ||
 * Based off my data binder, one thing I did really well this year was using and tracking data of my students and using this to create my lesson plans. I started with the AIMS data for the past 3 years and used that to level my students. I contined to use the data from bench marks and the AZAC scores to aid in my planning. I found this to be very insightful when I was reflecting on it at the end of the year. Jeanette Kelley

One thing I did well was to periodically use a running record to keep assess my students' reading levels and progress. I shared the data with the students, and they were motivated to improve. This is of course more manageable with 8-12 students in a reading class! Mark Routhier ||
 * = 2) Do you feel it would be beneficial for teachers by content area (LA, Science, Social Studies) to gather the same types of data, providing a thin slice of information across many classrooms? Or alternatively, should groups gather different types of data so we could have a broader view of the workings of WVMS? What are your thoughts on how we should collect data this year? =

Click EDIT (top, right) to add your name and comments here. When finished, click SAVE (top, right).

Teachers should have similar data and yet have some data that reflects their unique classroom setting. This kind of data collection will give the teachers that with that student a holistic view of the student and maybe help to target areas of struggle or improvement as well as areas of strength. (Contreras)

I found that gathering the general data on the students did help me understand their learning difficulties better. The problem was lack of time to analyze the data to create those individualized learning plans. To be effective, we should be doing it with all students, not just one class. In Specials with all three grades and semester classes, this is an enormous task. An updated master table for all classes each quarter of scores in a database would be helpful. I find data easier to pull from a database. (Rothanburg)

For formative data, I would like to see all (content-area) teachers include a few, specific, graded student samples in their data binders. We could all grade using the same rubrics. If we had common due dates, we could set aside PD time to grade each others' student work.

student evidence of reading short text student evidence of reading an extended text argumentative writing sample informative writing sample narrative sample research project

(Palmer)

. Common goals throughout our school support learning. Graphic organizers would provide a framework for constructing thoughtful paragraphs and essays. Students address various text structures - comparison/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, etc. Students successfully cite from text and explain the connection (why, how). Students use transitional words/phrases to guide the reader's understanding. Students identify audience and purpose before they begin to write. (Woods)

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I think all teachers should have access to data and be expected to work with it, even if it is among teams. Many teachers only look at their homerooms while Math and Reading teachers analyze a larger pool. True, Math and Reading teachers should be sharing this information, but some may not or some might not be even looking at all the available data. McLeod

. . ||
 * I do think it would be beneficial for all teachers to have the same or similar information about their students. At the moment all teachers do have access to readning and math benchmark scores and can use that information if they so choose. If we are going to use the information across subject areas, we will need time to plan and discuss our information and data. ||

I believe that social studies and science teachers should collect data on the reading progress of students, since they are now (and have been) teachers of reading as well as teachers of content. I would favor collecting data to provide a broader view of our students' reading abilities. Periodic running records can be time consuming, so we need to come up with ways of sharing the load. Perhaps that means dividing up the students so that the responsibility doesn't fall only to the LA teachers. (Routhier)