Development of the Rhode Island Civics

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Development of the Rhode Island Civics
HistoryGrade Span Expectations(GSEs)Rhode
Island Department of Education National Center
for the Improvement of Educational Assessment
June - November 2006
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RIDE Staff Facilitators

• Office of Instruction, RIDE
• Diane Schaefer - Director
• Office of Middle and High School Reform, RIDE
• Tracey Whitehead
• National Center for Assessment - Karin Hess, Lead
  Facilitator
• Grade Span Facilitators
• ES Jeri Thompson
• MS Norman LaLiberte
• HS Beverly Prestage

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What RI Legislation requires

• Board of Regents will develop adopt set of
  standards (to be implemented K-12) no later than
  August 2007
• Based on acquisition of a body of knowledge and
  of intellectual and participatory skills
• Standards shall include (but not be limited to)
• History of RI
• Understanding of representative government
• Right duties of actively engaged citizens
• Principles of democracy
• Development of Dispositions/traits that enhance
  capacity to participate and contribute

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Charge to Committee Expected Outcomes

• Use of Consistent GLE/GSE Development Protocols
• Draft a framework of common expectations to guide
  local curriculum development and assessment (July
  November 2006)
• Draft GSEs reviewed (2006-2007) for
• Clarity, content accuracy, rigor
• Developmental appropriateness consistency with
  other content areas GSEs
• Continuity within across grade spans

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Charge to Committee Expected Outcomes (P. 2)

• Analyze field review feedback (2007) for needed
  revisions and future professional development
  activities
• Assist schools/teachers to identify/develop/improv
  e curricular models and assessments that align to
  GSEs (e.g., units of study, local resources, PBGR
  system assessments)

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What students wanted

• Wanted to be more engaged with civics at earlier
  grades
• Liked investigating a problem connected to their
  own communities (e.g., local issues of low income
  housing)
• Wanted a voice said that their own learning
  should be more democratic
• Wanted to use technology to organize and
  communicate ideas to others in the state

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RI Actions Needed

• RIs Current Status and State Requirements

• Develop state GSEs Government Civics and RI
  History that will guide all districts in
  alignment curriculum and assessments
• Provide a framework consistent with RI GSEs
  already developed (ELA, mathematics, and science)
  to guide additional local development (other
  strands)
• Provide guidance for PBGR assessment systems and
  determining SS proficiency
• Identify/Adapt/Develop Model Curricular Units
  aligned to GSEs

• No statewide social studies assessment (NCLB or
  RI)
• A Standards-Based Guide for Social Studies
  Programs in RIs Schools (2001), incorporates
• All Natl Standards
• RI Skills Commission Social Studies Standards/CIM
  (1999) for grades 4, 8, 10
• Sample units
• Currently a variety and range of curricular units
  in social studies
• Adopted unevenly providing a wide latitude -
  across RI districts for social studies education

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The Approach

• Focus on 2 strands of social studies
• Government Civics
• Historical Perspectives
• Use formats (e.g., Big Ideas, stems) and grade
  spans consistent with GSEs in other content areas
• Organize expectations around the Big Ideas of
  Social Studies using Statements of Enduring
  Knowledge

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Statements of Enduring Knowledge The Big Ideas
of the Discipline

• Statements of Enduring Knowledge identify (or
  state) the fundamental knowledge/concepts/understa
  nding for each strand of social studies
• Cut across grade levels (supporting learning that
  is developmental/built upon over time)
• Encompass, as a set, the essential learning for
  each strand of social studies
• Imply topics of study and essential questions
  (leading to more focused instruction, as
  identified in national standards/ benchmarks)

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Rhode Island GSEs (1)

• are defined in two- or three-grade spans,
• K-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and high school
• provide flexibility in creating local curriculum
  by grade level
• allow for a broader time span in which
  developmental changes can be addressed
• honor local opportunities to learn
• follow a consistent format and structure with the
  Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) Grade Span
  Expectations (GSES) in Reading, Oral and Written
  Communication, Mathematics, and Science

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Rhode Island GSEs (2)

• are based on Big Ideas/ essential learning
  identified across multiple (national and state)
  resources
• provide evidence for determining student learning
  at appropriate developmental levels
• emphasize best practices in learning and teaching
  for the content discipline (e.g., problem solving
  in mathematics, inquiry in science, use of
  artifacts in interpreting history)
• include content and skills assessed at the local
  level and for determining proficiency

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Rhode Island GSEs (3)

• in total represent a range of cognitive demand
  (Depth of Knowledge Levels) and continuity of
  learning across grades
• work in conjunction with local decisions to help
  develop assessments and curricula
• Content Assessment (GSEs)
• Learning Teaching Opportunities
• Curriculum

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The Development Process

• Assembled in teams by grade span elementary,
  middle, high school
• Reviewed a range of resource materials,
  identifying essential concepts and skills
• Used resources to construct developmentally
  appropriate grade span expectations starting with
  the draft stems provided
• Reviewed GSEs across grades for continuity
• Produced a complete draft of Government Civics
  and Historical Perspectives GSEs for K-2, 3-4,
  5-6, 7-8 and high school ready for broader review

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The Format Supports Curriculum Development
Learning

• Identifies Desired Results (What will students
  understand?)
• Determines Acceptable Evidence (How will students
  show they know it?)
• Guides Planning of Local Learning Activities (How
  will our students learn it in this school?)
• (Source Understanding by Design, Wiggins
  McTighe, 1998)

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Identifying Desired Results Statements of
Enduring Knowledge

• Generalizations linked to the Big Ideas of the
  Discipline
• Have enduring value beyond the classroom
• At the heart of the discipline (doing the
  subject)
• Uncover abstract, complex, or misunderstood ideas
• To master facts skills means grasp of
  concepts
• Can be restated as Essential Questions that
  frame a lesson, curricular unit of study, or
  course

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Examples of Statements of Enduring Knowledge

• Government Civics
• GC 1 People create and change structures of
  power, authority, and governance in order to
  accomplish common goals.
• GC 3 In a democratic society, all people have
  certain rights and responsibilities.
• Can you create an essential question for these
  understandings?

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Examples of Statements of Enduring Knowledge

• Historical Perspectives
• HP 3 The study of history helps us understand
  the present and shape the future.
• Can you create an essential question for this
  understanding?

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Turn to the GSE Document

• Pages 1 - 2 How to read a GSE (Format Coding)
• Page 3 Overview of Statements of Enduring
  Knowledge Related Stems
• Pages 4 - 20 GSEs across Grade Spans K-2, 3-4,
  5-6, 7-8, HS (HS Proficiency HS Extended
  Learning)

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Review of GSEs

• Complete cover page so we know who was involved
  in each review
• Review introduction together (how to read format,
  stems, etc.)
• Read and make notes individually BEFORE consensus
  notes are recorded
• Use a different review form for EACH Grade Span!

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On-going RI Work Standards-Driven Curriculum
Building
Performance Standards
Student Work Samples with Annotation
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District Charge

• Identify members of your District GSE Team
• Representatives from Elementary, Middle, and High
  Schools
• Review the Civics Education, Government, and RI
  History GSEs
• Submit one review form from the District
• Share the GSEs with All
• Keep All Partners informed
• Develop a System to implement GSEs
• Participate in Professional Development

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Professional Development Opportunities

• Summer 2007
• District teams-administrators,elementary,middle,
  and high school teachers
• RIDE staff and development team members
• Revised draft of the GSEs

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What will participants get out of the
professional development?

• Experience with Government/Civics and RI History
  GSEs
• Strategies for alignment of curriculum
  assessment
• Sample lessons resource materials
• Opportunity to network with other districts-share
  resources

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Other benefits of professional development

• Opportunity to work with Webbs Depth of
  Knowledge to examine rigor in instruction and
  assessment
• Understanding of the connections to Applied
  Learning as well as Reading Writing GLEs and
  GSEs
• Opportunity to use statewide curriculum templates
  to plan lessons/units
• Understanding of the connections to middle and
  high school reform expectations for all RI
  districts