Honors Level Course Curriculum Development & Implementation

~Social Studies~

The Purpose Of Today’s Session Is To…• Increase awareness of the importance of building honors

courses which represent true academic work and experiences for advanced learners

• Become familiar with the process, guidelines and requirements for the Honors Portfolio Implementation and Review

• Understand the classroom, district, and state roles and expectations in the Honors Portfolio Implementation and Review process

Today Participants Will…• Engage in dialogue and experiences that will help facilitate

developing honors portfolios for social studies

• Begin developing an LEA process for implementing, submitting and approving honors portfolios within the district (Collaborative)

• Begin working on developing portfolios for honors courses (Collaborative & individual)

Types of Honors Level Courses in NC

Honors By Proficiency

(Arts & World Languages – higher levels are Inherently

Honors)

Inherently Honors (Standards written at a more rigorous and higher level)

A B C

LEA Locally Developed Courses

that the local district chooses to offer at an honors

level

State Developed Courses with a NCSCOS at a

standard level that an LEA chooses to

also offer at an honors level

D D

(Inherently Honors & Not A Part of The Portfolio Process)

District & State Level Review

District Level Review

Honors Level Courses Implementation Process Is An

LEA Process

Honors: What Is It ?

Academic Course Levels As Defined In North Carolina State Board Policy

Basic/Introduction to..../Standard(S)

– Course content, pace and academic rigor follow standards specified by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (N.C.S.C. O. S.) with occasional content enrichment where appropriate. This course provides credit toward a high school diploma and requires the end -of-course test where available.

Advanced/Honors/Academically Gifted (H)

– Course content, pace and academic rigor put high expectations on the student and surpass standards specified by the (N.C.S.C. O. S.) Such courses demand a greater independence and responsibility. The courses provide credit toward a high school diploma and require an end-of-course test where available. The state weighting system adds the equivalent of one quality point to the grade earned in such courses.

Implementation Guide

The Honors Level Course Rubric And The Honors Implementation Guide Will Serve As A Framework To Guide Teachers, Principals, And Local Education Agencies In Developing And Locally Reviewing Honors Level Courses.

The Rubric Template IS The Implementation Guide & The Exemplar.

Honors Implementation & Review Process Resources

Tools Recommended • North Carolina Honors Wiki

• Quick Reference Guide

• The Implementation PPT For Developing A Social Studies Honors Portfolio

Tools You Must Use• Implementation Guide

• The State Rubric/Template For The State-Level Submission Of Portfolios

http://honorsimplementation.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/

Structure and Content of The Honors Portfolio

The Honors Portfolio contains three primary sections:

1. Curriculum Content

2. Instructional Materials and Methods

3. Assessment

Examining The Components Of Honors Portfolio For Social Studies Courses

Let’s Take A Look At Exactly What Is Required As Rationales, Evidences, And Justifications

According To The Honors Portfolio Rubric.

Section I

Section II

Section III

Curriculum & Content

Section I. Curriculum Content

Section I of the rubric has three components.

1. Teacher Rationale for Curriculum Content (intentional reflection & philosophy)

2. Standards and Objectives

3. Curriculum Plan (Pacing guides, course syllabus & sequence, curriculum maps, etc.)

A Key Question You Want To Focus On As You Develop The Curriculum Program is…

How have you developed the honors level course to differentiate for advanced learners?

The Rationale For the Curriculum & Content Choices For An Honors

Course

Teacher Rationale for Curriculum Content Must Include:• An explanation of how the essential standards for the Social Studies course at the

Honors level are being taught in greater depth, complexity and rigor than how they are taught at the Standard level. Essential to supporting the teacher’s rational for the curriculum content are:

– The teacher’s explanation of content extensions and/or any additional objectives selected for the course (The choice to add specific objectives to the basic SCOS, that would be objectives only to be taught in the honors level of a course, may happen more at the central office level as a district develops curriculum. It can, however; happen at the school or classroom level also.)

– Justification based on the emphasis placed upon the quality of the work expected rather than the quantity of work in alignment with the course specific standard

– Evidence that the concepts and conceptual lenses increase in sophistication beyond those used at the Standard level

– Evidence that the Honors level course has an accelerated pace and content

• Resources (Section I.2)

• Examples

Standards & Objective Components of Section I

MUST BE PRESENT IN YOUR PORTFOLIO

•A list of specific objectives or clusters from the Common Core Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies that will be strategic areas of focus

•A detailed explanation of how the Common Core Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies that are used in the Honors level course exceed the expectations of a standard level course.

•A list of topics that have been selected to study specifically for the honors level course.

•This topic list most be accompanied with an explanation of how you will have students engage with the topics and how they will be used in a manner more appropriate for the advanced learner.

•Examples to help provide support for your choices.

(OPTIONAL) MAY BE INCLUDED IN YOUR PORTFOLIO

A list of any Clarifying Objectives that the teacher, curriculum office or the school’s Social Studies department has added to the course. (If there have been any additions.)

A list of any extensions that have been chosen for the honors level course.

This must be accompanied with an explanation of how the choice(s) are extensions for the advanced learner.

Examples to help support for your choices.

It’s All About The “End In Mind”

Let’s step outside of social studies

content to consider the

thinking behind the choices of

additional topics and extensions to be taught in the

honors level course.

An Possible Extension Example

An Example of an Extension that might be added to a Honors American History Course

Extension example:

• An Honors American History course might include the case study of “The Passing of the Frontier: Did it have to happen in order to advance America politically and economically?”

A case study in history should bring together the two complementary attributes essential to historical comprehension: chronology and historical inquiry. The teacher’s explanation of the design of a case study should detail how the case study is constructed around one or more value tensions i.e., common wealth versus private wealth, law versus ethics, diversity versus unity, common good versus individual rights, freedom versus equality and isolation versus international involvement.

 

A Possible Example of Adding A Clarifying Objective

An Example of a Clarifying Objective that might be added to a Honors American History Course

• Essential Standard - AH1.H.6 Understand how and why the role of the United States in the world has changed over time.

Clarifying Objective - AH1.H.6.1 Explain how national economic and political interests helped set the direction of United States foreign policy from independence through Reconstruction.

Clarifying Objective - AH1.H.6.2 Explain the reasons for involvement in wars prior to Reconstruction and the influence each involvement had on international affairs.

LEA/School or Teacher Added Clarifying Objective Example: AH1.H.6.3 Evaluate the United States’ involvement in the solutions to political or economic problems around the globe in terms of advantages and effectiveness.

Reasoning and Decision-Making

Activity

Engage, Process, Reflect & Dialogue!

I. Curriculum Content Portfolio Section

Curriculum Plan Must Include:• An outline or overview of course content identifying targeted objectives for specified time

intervals (e.g., days, weeks, grading periods, etc.) as well as conceptual lenses.

• All items identified in Section I.2 – Standards and Objectives, clearly identified.

• Evidence that clearly and strongly supports the additional quality point credit that is awarded to students taking and passing the Honors level course.

What type of evidences and artifacts can be used in articulating and developing the Curriculum Plan for a course?

•Yearly/Semester Plans

•Pacing Guides

•Course Syllabus

•Scope & Sequence

•Curriculum Maps

•Etc.

Why So Much Time & Emphasis On Section I ?

Section I…• Sets the framework of the course.• Sets the expectations of the course.• Establishes the curriculum plan.• Establishes the scope and sequence.• Etc.

It is critical that the portfolio writer be very deliberate in the explanations/rationales, examples, evidences, etc. that are written into Section I because it the foundation of the portfolio.

• The instructional choices and strategies, assessment choices and strategies, and student work samples are all based on how the decisions about the curriculum and content of the course.

• Section II: Instructional Materials and Methods and Section III: Assessment should align back to Section I: Curriculum Content.

Collaborative Working Session

Getting Started Making Decisions About Your Honors Portfolio

Section I

Section II

Section III

Instructional Materials and Methods

Section II: Instructional Materials and Methods

Honors Level Course Portfolio Evidence must include:

1. Teacher Rationale for Instructional Materials and Methods

2. Instructional Materials and Methods (instructional resources, methods, strategies, equipment, and technology)

3. Sample Units, Lesson(s), and Assignments

4. Student Work Samples

A Key Question You Want to Focus On As You Develop Section II is…

How is this honors level course taught?

Teacher Rationale for Instructional Materials and Methods for Advanced Learners Must Include:

• A reflective narrative explaining the choice of instructional practices, materials and methods utilized in the honors course

• Focus on the differentiated content objectives

• Explanation of how the content objectives to identified Instructional Materials and Methods listed in section II.2 differentiate the instruction in this Honors Level Social Studies course from that of the standard level course.

This section should tie back to the differentiated curriculum and content discussed in Section I.

• What instructional materials (for example, texts, virtual labs, instrumentation, and/or technologies) are utilized in the course for the differentiated content?

• The rationale should explain how the use of the strategies noted supports differentiation for advanced learners resulting in greater depth and complexity.

The Rationale For Instructional Choices &

Practice

Instructional Materials and Methods You Plan To Use

Instructional Materials and Methods MUST Include:

•A list of instructional materials used to differentiate the honors course.

•A list of instructional methods used to differentiate the honors course.

•References to units, lessons, and assignments submitted in the following section (II.3 Sample Units, Lesson(s), and Assignments).

(OPTIONAL) MAY BE INCLUDED IN YOUR PORTFOLIO

A list of…•Instructional resources•Equipment•Types of technologies

Samples of Instructional Materials & Student Work

Sample Units, Lesson(s), and Assignments MUST Include:• One completed concept-based unit that has been listed in the semester/yearly Unit Plan

• At least one assignment/learning experience that provides a detailed description of the evidence from one or more of the instructional strategies you documented in the Materials and Methods section

Student Work Samples MUST Include:• One or more student work samples for the assignment/learning experience submitted in the

Sample Units, Lesson(s), and Assignments section.

• One or more student work samples for each lesson plan submitted in the Sample Units, Lesson(s), and Assignments section.

• One or more student work samples documenting student work in real world settings (this will be applicable if the teacher has indicated that students will participate in independent study, project-based learning, service learning or shadowing opportunities).

Section I

Section II

Section III

Assessment

Section III: Assessment

Honors Level Course Portfolio Evidence must include:1.Teacher Rationale for Assessment Practices

2.Assessment Practices (grading practices, use of rubrics and/or scoring guides, use of formative and summative assessment)

3.Assessment Samples (pre-assessment, description of formative assessment, and summative assessment)

4.Student Work Assessment Samples

A Key Question You Want to Focus On As You Develop Section III is …

How will the topics, extensions, objectives, lessons, assignments, etc. be assessed?

Teacher Rationale for Assessment Practices for Advanced Learners Should Include:

• An explanation of how pre-assessment is used to determine prior knowledge of advanced learners.

• An explanation of how the assessment practices address the standards and measure student

mastery.

• An explanation of how the performance tasks documented in the Instructional Materials and

Methods section of this portfolio are used in this Honors Level Social Studies course.

• An explanation of how criteria are communicated to the students prior to the assessment.

• An explanation of how the assessment data is used to guide student learning and inform

instructional practices.

• An explanation of how ongoing feedback through the use of formative and summative assessment

is incorporated and used throughout the course.

The Rationale For Assessment Practices Used

In This Course

Assessment Practices

Assessment Practices MUST Include:This component of Section III should be prepared as a reflective narrative which explains the teacher’s choice of assessment practices and addresses the following:

•Course grading criteria and how it is communicated to students.

•The use of pre-assessment for mastery learning.

•The use of formative assessment and how formative data is used.

•How are authentic and performance assessments/performance tasks used in

this Honors Level Social Studies course?

•How are student self-assessment and peer-assessment used in this Honors

Level Social Studies course?

•How are rubrics and scoring guides used in this Honors Level Social Studies

course?

Assessment Samples

Assessment Samples MUST Include:• Sample assessments for the practices listed in the Assessment

Practices section.

• Evidence of at least one sample Formative Assessment Plan

• At least two different types of summative assessments aligned to the content standards.

• Sample pre-assessments that address different learning styles or provide choices for advanced learners.

Assessment Samples Of Actual Student Work

Assessment Samples of Student Work MUST Include:• Sample assessments for the practices listed in the Assessment

Practices section.

• Samples of actual student assessment work. Two to three actual student assessments for the practices that were

listed in the assessment practices component. One to two actual performance tasks completed by a student.

(Remember to include the rubric you used to score.)

Note: Remember any work turned in should not reflect student names or any identifying information.

Next Steps

We recommend the following next steps:

For the LEA…

•Attend the next scheduled Honors Information and Support Webinar in December and subsequent webinars.

•Begin using the Assurance Form guidance document to help begin putting a plan in place to facilitate the process in the local LEA.

•Collaborate with teachers to establish a draft timeline for the process in the local LEA for your cohort year.

For Teachers …

•Attend the Honors Information and Support Webinars beginning in January.

•Collaborate with LEA to organizing PLCs and official district planning days.

•Continue working on Section I of the Rubric.•Make plans to become comfortable with developing concept-based units.

For Information On The Honors Implementation Process Contact:

• Fay Gore, K-12 Social Studies Section Chief fay.gore@dpi.nc.gov

• Michelle McLaughlin, Honors Committee Membermichelle.mclaughlin@dpi.nc.gov