how does vertical alignment work with gps? why should students write? how do school leaders...

HOW DOES VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WORK WITH GPS?

WHY SHOULD STUDENTS WRITE?

HOW DO SCHOOL LEADERS ARTICULATE A VERTICALLY ALIGNED WRITING PROGRAM?

HOW DO TEACHERS ENSURE THAT WRITING ASSIGNMENTS ARE RIGOROUS AND RELEVANT?

KATHY COX: “WE WILL LEAD THE NATION IN IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.”

RIGOROUS WRITING through VERTICAL ALIGNMENT

Day 1: Forsyth1

Bookkeeping issues2

8 am-3:30 pmBreak at 9:30 (10 minutes)Lunch from 11:30 until 12:45Break at 2:15 (10 minutes)Dismissal at 3:30Please feel free to stretch, go to the

restroom, etc. when you wish.Also, please turn off your cell phones. Kathy Cox: “We will Lead the Nation in Improving Student Achievement.”

Activity 1: What Do I Know?3

Receive a bingo card.Listen closely to the term.Volunteer a comment regarding the term

(i.e., What does the term mean to you as an educator?)

Shout out when you achieve “Bingo.” Receive your prize!!!

Kathy Cox: “We will Lead the Nation in Improving Student Achievement.”

Begin a year with the end in mind…

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Why Vertical Alignment?

•CURRICULUM FOCUS DURING PLANNING TIME•FOCUS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC GROWTH•VERTICAL “CONNECTEDNESS” CONVERSATIONS LEAD TO AWARENESS OF COMPLETE STANDARDS PROCESS•COLLABORATION LEADS TO DEVELOPMENTAL K-12 PROGRAM•IMPACT OF VERTICAL ALIGNMENT ON ASSESSMENT•DATA ANALYSIS ACROSS GRADE LEVELS

•KATHY COX: “WE WILL LEAD THE NATION IN IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.”

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Vertical Teaming and Alignment of Standards

RigorRelevanceRelationships


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Rigorous and Relevant Learning

A changing worldA need to motivate studentsAn emphasis on essential skills and

knowledgeA shift focus from teaching to learningA reduction in the overloaded

curriculumA unified perspective and focusA preparation for state tests Kathy Cox: “We will Lead the Nation in Improving Student Achievement.”

Reasons7

Statistical Facts Continued

One third of college freshmen are remedial students (NCES, 2004; AEE, 2006a)

Freshmen are unprepared for rigors of college (ACT, 2007)

Evaluation of ELA/GPS70% of high school students graduate on

time34% of graduates are ready for college

(Education Week, 2007; Greene & Winters, 2005)


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Original Terms New Terms

Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Application

Comprehension

Knowledge

•Creating

•Evaluating

•Analyzing

•Applying

•Understanding

•Remembering

(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 8)

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BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY

CreatingCreatingGenerating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.

EvaluatingEvaluating

Justifying a decision or course of actionChecking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging

AnalyzingAnalyzing

Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships

Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding

ApplyingApplyingUsing information in another familiar situationImplementing, carrying out, using, executing

UnderstandingUnderstanding

Explaining ideas or conceptsInterpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining

RememberingRemembering

Recalling informationRecognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding

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Activity 2: Putting the standards/elements in order

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Get in pairsReview the set of standards and elementsLabel the grade level associated with each

standard and the set of elementsHighlight key words that show level of thinkingHighlight key words that show progression of

skills/knowledgeDiscussion


Activity 3: Recognizing Rigor12

Please pair with another member of the group

Receive two different writing samplesReceive two “Rigor and Relevance” rubricsEvaluate your samplesDiscuss why you rated as you didGeneral discussion with the group


Activity 4: Examination of tasks13

Read and highlight key words (What must the student do? What skills must the student have? What standards are evident?)

Discussion


What Does ELA Vertical Alignment Look Like in

Georgia?

PLEASE REFER TO THE FOLLOWING HANDOUTS OF VERTICALLY-ALIGNED GPS

EXAMPLES DEVELOPED BY THE ELA TEAM

KATHY COX: “WE WILL LEAD THE NATION IN IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.”

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Handout #1

Writing

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Handout #2

Conventions

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What are the foundations of early writing?Kathy Cox: “We will Lead the Nation in Improving Student Achievement.”

For early writers—Be consistent

Emphasize the reading and writing connection

Provide daily opportunities to organize, transcribe, and edit

Offer a variety of writing assignments appropriate to abilities

Build skills of letter formation, spelling, and sentence generation

Compose in stages: generating and organizing ideas, producing a draft, sharing with others to get feedback, revising, editing, proofreading, and publishing

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What are the elements of effective adolescent writing instruction?Source: A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York, Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools. (2007).

1. Writing strategies

2. Summarization

3. Collaborative writing

4. Specific product goals

5. Word processing

6. Sentence combining

7. Prewriting

8. Inquiry activities

9. Process writing approach

10. Study of models

11. Writing for content learning

12. Reading/writing connection

Activity 5: Developing a strong writing program

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List 5 components you feel are absolute “non-negotiables” for a strong writing program.

Share ideas

From the list, choose the 5 that are necessary for Forsyth (Where do we begin?)


Some ideas for a “strong writing” program

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Triple Vision (Know what comes before you, what you are suppose to address, and what comes after you).

LOTS—(Language of the Standards)Anchor PapersMinimum expectations from each grade levelAvoiding an “abundance of redundancy”Understanding and demanding rigorWriting to Learn, Writing to Demonstrate,

Authentic (Real World) WritingReading and Writing Connection


Activity 6: What do you want for Forsyth?

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Model how to vertically align (Persuasive)—Use the handout from earlier.

Groups: 2 elementary teachers, 2 middle school teachers, 2 high school teachers

Chart what types of assignments you would want in each area—elementary, middle, and high—for each genre.

Each group will share.


Advantages to Vertical Teaming and Alignment

Sense of belonging for both teachers and students

Maximum use of teachers’ strengths

Development of rigor in tasks Decrease in repetition


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Next Steps for Forsyth23

Groups need to align all the writing standards (Choose a format that is easy to follow and that highlights the elements).

Decide what specific assignments might be required at each grade; you may create a list.

Find anchor papers for each genre so your teachers have a guide.

Monitor the writing as a school and as a department.


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“The research is crystal clear: schools that do well insist that their students write every day and [are] provided

regular and timely feedback” (National Commission on Writing)

Final Thought

Successful Vertical Alignment Has Graduation As Its Mission and Vision

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We are here to help!!!26

Mary Stout, ELA Program Manager, [email protected]

Kim Jeffcoat, ELA Program Specialist, [email protected]


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