Book Study: Whatever it Takes - Chapter 6

[Chandler Smith]

Chapter 6: Directions: Consider the steps below and discuss the extent to which your school has completed each step.
1. Step One: Identify the 16 to 20 most essential outcomes (knowledge and skills) that all students MUST learn in each content area at each grade level this school year.
2. Step Two: Develop at least four formative, common assessments designed to answering the question, “How will we know when each child has learned the essential outcomes?”
3. Step Three: Set a target score that all students must achieve to demonstrate proficiency in each skill on each common assessment.
4. Step Four: Administer the common assessments and analyze results.
5. Step Five: Celebrate strengths and identify and implement improvement strategies

[eweathers3]

Chapter 6: Directions: Consider the steps below and discuss the extent to which your school has completed each step.
I don't think we have done this at the school building level as a facutly.
I do think that individual teachers have identified areas for their particular grade
1. Step One: Identify the 16 to 20 most essential outcomes (knowledge and skills) that all students MUST learn in each content area at each grade level this school year.


We have not done this step.
2. Step Two: Develop at least four formative, common assessments designed to answering the question, “How will we know when each child has learned the essential outcomes?”

I guess if we counted the Achievement Series test, this is done. We don't have a number or set target. There are incentives for those who reach a certain target.
3. Step Three: Set a target score that all students must achieve to demonstrate proficiency in each skill on each common assessment.

Achievement Series
4. Step Four: Administer the common assessments and analyze results.

We do this -- exam exemption
5. Step Five: Celebrate strengths and identify and implement improvement strategies

[cbreaux]

I agree with Weathers. Most of those things are not really done on a school level. I also agree that teachers do this individually, especially with key topics and learning objectives in their content area. The math department does not have a formal listing of the key topics that should be covered in each grade, however, teachers do converse about what is most important and what should be focused on at the end of the year with any extra time. I think this is extremely important, at least in math, and more time should be spent on it.

As for the assessment, I guess we could count Achievement Series tests but with many errors on the test, it would be hard to count that as reliable or valid. Since our school mainly has one teacher teaching all of a particular content area for a given grade level, all students are essentially tested equally. There is no set standard for that testing, though.

[kryush]

Chapter 6: Directions: Consider the steps below and discuss the extent to which your school has completed each step.
1. Step One: Identify the 16 to 20 most essential outcomes (knowledge and skills) that all students MUST learn in each content area at each grade level this school year.

What?? Really. Ok. In PE studnents must be able to perform with proper technique sit ups, push ups, running and flexibility tests as well as identify the benefits of each test and a varitety of ways students can improve these measures. It is essential that students understand the value that HEALTH and FITNESS plays into their lives beyond PE.

2. Step Two: Develop at least four formative, common assessments designed to answering the question, “How will we know when each child has learned the essential outcomes?”

We test quarterly for push ups, sit ups, running etc.
in addition to the unit skill/knowledge tests.

3. Step Three: Set a target score that all students must achieve to demonstrate proficiency in each skill on each common assessment.

Standards have been established for each grade level based on National proficiency.

4. Step Four: Administer the common assessments and analyze results.

Students analyze their own progress quarterly and set goals. Also fitness sheets are kept in studnet folders year by year to track fitness progress.

5. Step Five: Celebrate strengths and identify and implement improvement strategies
Standards can be explored more, stuent improvemement and acheivement is awarded by different awards at the end of the year.