Content Teams

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August 28, 2008
Content Teams Learning Targets
Meadowdale Middle School
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Learning Target

• Review our Understanding of Learning Targets
• -Understand the research that supports Learning
  Targets.
• -Understand how to implement Learning Targets.

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Why focus on learning?

• A recent meta-analysis of 53 research studies
  (Marzano, 1998) found that
• when students were clear in advance about what
  they were learning,
• their achievement was, on average, 34 percentile
  points higher on tests used in these studies than
  students in control groups. (McREL, 2000)

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Mike Schmoker

• In most cases neither teachers or students can
  articulate what they are supposed to be learning
  that day they can only describe the activity or
  assignment
• there is a glaring absence of the most basic
  elements of an effective lesson as essential as,
  clearly-defined learning objectives.

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• Classrooms in which there was evidence of a clear
  Learning Target
• Only 4
• in a study of 1,500 classrooms
• (Learning 24/7, 2005)

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So what?

• Defining the Learning Target is how our brain
  learns.
• The reticular activation system is the sorting
  system of the brain.
• Students need to know the Learning Target to be
  able to focus on what they need to know and be
  able to do to meet standard.

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What is the difference between a Learning Target
an Objective?

• An objective is based upon a state standard and
  usually spans the time of a week or more within a
  unit of study.
• A Learning Target is the specific skill, process,
  or content to be learned in a single class
  period. The compilation of Learning Targets
  supports an objective within a unit of study.

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• Learning Target (content-DNA) Learning Target
  (skill-focus microscopes) Learning Target
  (process- reflection) Objective
• Objective Objective Objective
• Enduring Understanding

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How do the students know the daily Learning
Target?

• Write it on the whiteboard.
• Create a warm-up activity that introduces the
  Learning Target.
• Teach the steps to meet the Learning Target.
• Check for understanding of the Learning Target.
• Develop class resources to support the Learning
  Target.
• Throughout the class period, ask students about
  their progress toward meeting the Learning
  Target.
• Reflect on the Learning Target as a debrief
  before the class period ends.

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I dont have time to do Learning Targets,
because my class period is only 50 minutes long.

• Less is more.
• We need to recognize the value between knowing
  what is planned vs. taught vs. learned.
• If we cant answer why we plan to teach it, then
  we shouldnt teach it (take things off your
  plate!).

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How do Learning Targets Content Teams support
one another?

• PLCs ask 3 questions of adults
• 1. What should students know be able to do?
• 2. How do we know students learned it?
• 3. What do we do if students did NOT learn it?

• Learning Targets ask 3 questions of students
• 1. What should I know and be able to do, today?
• 2. What are the steps to learn it?
• 3. Where are the resources to help me if I am
  struggling with the Learning Target?

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It sounds like a lot of extra work.

• When asked, students will always respond about
  their learning through the eyes of their own
  experiences. So, a teacher does not need to worry
  about being an expert in all languages, cultures,
  and socio-economic backgrounds to close the
  achievement gap.
• If you listen to the students tell you about what
  they learned, then you will save yourself time by
  demystifying the learning process for everyone.

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Reflect

• Do you feel prepared to begin talking about
  Learning Targets in your Content Teams?

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Learning Target

• Apply the learning from Chapter 2 Todays
  Preadolescent Learner to our work as middle
  school teachers.
• -Share Discuss highlights from Chapter 2.
• -Prepare 2 or 3 modifications to your work with
  Leanring Targets, in Content Teams, OR your
  classroom management plan based upon the reading.

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The Essential Middle School

• There is nothing so unequal as the equal
  treatment of unequals. (p. 31)
• By recognizing that behaviors of middle school
  students reflect intellectual immaturity, middle
  school educators can themselves become more
  rational in their reactions to students. (p. 30)
• there should be a balance in the curriculum
  among personal development activities, basic
  skills programs, and content studies. (.39)

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• Interviews with high school students indicate
  that the personal needs met by middle school
  teachers are much more important to students than
  cognitive knowledge attained. (p. 51)
• If the school presents a curriculum that is too
  hard or too easy, irrelevant to the lives of the
  pupils, or not flexible enough to accommodate all
  of the bumps and curves of being a preadolescent,
  students will resist school. (p. 51)

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Reflect

• Do you have new ideas of how to better serve the
  pre-adolescents in your classroom?

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Why are you a teacher?
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Learning Target

• Be able to explain the meaning behind MMS 2008
  WASL scores.

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2008 WASL

• Comments made by State Superintendent, Terry
  Bergeson..
• In general, WASL passage rates stalled or
  declined in more areas than they advanced.
• The drops were big enough in the fourth and
  seventh grades to make some question whether the
  problem was with the test.
• She cited a school in Bellevue, where a little
  less than half of fourth-graders passed math this
  year, compared with 89 last year when many of
  the same students were third-graders.

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• In Renton, for example, middle-school passage
  rates declined in reading and math after a big
  gain last year.
• RSD Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel said, I
  just told them they just need to keep going
  because we are doing the right things.

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School vs. District vs. State

• School should always be above District District
  should always be above State.
• Must also consider if the gap between School vs.
  District vs. State increases or decreases.

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District State

• In 7th grade
• Reading.3 less than state
• Math 1.3 less than state
• Writing 1.4 less than state
• Summary Slight dip in 7th grade, over all
• In 8th grade
• Reading 4 above state
• Math 3.1 above state
• Science 2.9 above state.
• Summary Slight increase in 8th grade, over all

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What if

• our Schools WASL results increase the gap
  between the Districts WASL results?
• For instance-
• 07 School 65 (10)
• 07 District 55
• 08 School 66 (18)
• 08 District 48

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What if

• our School WASL scores decrease the gap between
  the Districts WASL Scores?
• For instance
• 07- School 68 (8)
• 07- District 60
• 08 School 69 (2)
• 08 District 67

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1st Order Change vs.2nd Order Change

• 1st Order Change in a school will cause initial
  increase in test scores typically peaking
  around 80.
• 2nd Order Change is required in a school to
  increase test scores past 80.
• WHY?

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7th Grade Test MMS 08 Score Gain Or Loss From 07 ESD 08 Score Gain Or Loss From 07 Gap
Reading 69 -12 62 -12 Maintain 7
Writing 65 -14 68 -3 8 became -3
Math 53 -7 49 -7 Maintain 4
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• How can every teacher, in every subject, support
  the teaching learning of Writing at MMS?

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8th Grade Test MMS 08 Gain Or Loss ESD 08 Gain Or Loss Gap
Reading 74 -8 79 -2 11 became -5
Math 61 -2 54 -2 Maintain 7
Science 53 -4 50 2 9 Became 3
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• How can every teacher, in every class, support
  the teaching and learning of Reading
  (non-fiction) Inquiry at MMS?

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We are fine!

• We are working on exactly what research states
  are best practices and OSPI would implement
  during the School Improvement Process.
• TEAMWORK is the answer!

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Learning Target

• Be able to explain
• Adequate Yearly Progress.

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What is Adequate Yearly Progress?

• Commonly referred to as AYP.
• Cornerstone of the federal Elementary and
  Secondary Education Act (ESEA) signed into law
  January 2002, as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
  Act.
• WASL Reading Math
• 2014 100 of students will achieve proficiency
  in each subject area.

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• School must pass State Uniform Bar. State
  Uniform Bar is bumped up every 3 years. 2008 is
  a bump year.
• Must pass in all 9 categories. 30 students and
  no less than 10 students activates the category.

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After 2 consecutive years of not meeting AYP
target

• Step 1 Must notify parents of status, Will
  receive technical assistance to improve
  performance, Offer parents the opportunity to
  transfer their students to another public school
  within the district, Must pay for transportation
  if transfer is requested.

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Step 2 of not making AYP

• Must notify parents
• Offer public school choice
• Offer parents the opportunity to request
  Supplemental Educational Services, such as
  tutoring, to low achieving students.

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Step 3

• Identified for corrective action and must notify
  parents of their status.
• Continue to offer Public School Choice.
• Must select options from the following list
• -Replace certain school staff implement new
  curriculum decrease management authority
  appoint outside expert to advise on SIP Extend
  school year or school day or Restructure the
  internal organization of the school.

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Step 4

• Identified for restructuring and must notify
  parents.
• Continue to offer Public School Choice.
• Plan for Restructuring.

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Step 5

• Implement Restructuring
• Select from below options
• -Replace all or most of relevant school staff
• -Contract with outside entity to operate school
• -If the state agrees, undergo a state takeover

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Dont Worry. Be Happy.

• Important School-Wide Initiatives
• -Content Teams (Professional Learning
  Communities) 100
• -Learning Targets 100
• -Curriculum Maps Common Assessments 100
• -Focus on Instruction Evidence of Student
  learning 100
• -Safe Civil Schools 100
• -Shared Mission 100
• -Positive School Culture Climate 100
• -Pyramid of Academic Interventions (TLC) 100
• -Rewards and Incentives (Renaissance) 100
• -Focus on Literacy (Reading Advisory) 100
• -Focus on Relationships (Wednesday Advisory)
  100
• -Community Partnerships (NEW this year!) 100
• -Understand Pre-Adolescent Learners (our
  customers!)
• -6th Period Math Support (NEW this year!) 100
• -Student Voice Ownership (ASB, Leadership,
  Student Focus Groups) 100

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