Transcript Slide 1

Examining the Alignment of
Instructional Content to the
Iowa Core
<insert district name>
Community School District
<insert date>, 2010
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Session Objectives
1. Enhance a common
understanding of curriculum
and alignment concepts and
terms
1. Explain the implementation
outcome for alignment
1. Explain the purpose of the
alignment process
1. Implement the alignment
process
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Giving Credit
• Tools and process are
strongly influenced by the
following resources:
– Surveys of Enacted Curriculum
http://www.seconline.org
– Webb Tools
http://facstaff.wcer.wisc.edu/nor
mw/
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Before We Get Started
• Not evaluative or
judgmental
• Collective effort
required
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Activity #1: Divide & Define
1. In groups, max = 6 people (10
minutes)
a. Develop definitions/explanations of
the terms curriculum and alignment
b. Include examples from your
classrooms if you like
2. As a team, compare your
definitions to the Foundational
Curriculum and Alignment
Terms handouts (5 minutes)
3. Note similarities, differences,
ah ha’s (5 minutes)
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Summing Up: Curriculum
Alignment
• Our work today will focus on
– ENACTED (INSTRUCTIONAL
CONTENT) TO INTENDED
CURRICULUM
– HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT
– TOPICAL/CONCEPUTAL
KNOWLEDGE
– FINED-GRAINED, WITH COARSEGRAINED RESULTS AS WELL
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So What?
Why does it matter if
instructional content
aligns with the Iowa Core
(IC)?
– Policy
– Research
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Iowa Core Requirements
• The IC has been signed into
law as mandatory
– Senate File 2216 was passed
in April 2008
– Implementation plan
requirements outlined by the
Department of Education,
organized into 6 outcomes
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IC Implementation Outcomes
Leadership - Community - Schools
1. Leadership: System Capacity
2. Community: Support Implementation
3. Schools: Continuous Improvement
Content - Instruction Assessment
4. ALIGNMENT OF CONTENT,
INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT
5. Professional Development to improve
Content, Instruction, and Assessment
6. Instruction: Effective Practices in
Instruction/Assessment and Student
Engagement
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Outcome 4: Alignment
• District leaders and other
educators monitor and use
data to increase the degree
of alignment of each and
every student’s enacted
curriculum and other
relevant educational
opportunities to the Iowa
Core (intended curriculum).
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Implementation Implications
The focus on initial
implementation work will be
on examining alignment of
the enacted curriculum to
the intended curriculum
(i.e., the Essential Concepts
and Skill Sets).
a. SUMMATIVE SELF REPORTS
a. Observation and dialogue
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Why Alignment is Important
• What research tells us
about the impact of
alignment on student
outcomes:
– As alignment between what is
taught and what is assessed
increases, so, too, do student
outcomes (e.g., Gamoran et al.,
1997; Cohen, 1987).
– This is true even for students
with low achievement, low SES,
and ethnically and culturally
diverse groups.
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Activity #2: Outcome 4
• Groups of six, discuss
potential implications of
this outcome for
– Practices of teachers
– Professional development
– District and school priorities
• 5 minutes
• Note questions you have
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How?
How do we determine
alignment between
instructional content
and the IC? What will
we need to do?
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The Alignment Process
A. Identify Teachers
B. Identify Support
Documents
C. Learn Background
Information
D. Learn Coding Process
E. Engage in Coding Process
F. Next Steps
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Let’s Get Started
✓A. Identify Teachers
✓B. Identify Support
Documents
– Required: Essential
Concepts/Skill Sets
http://www.corecurriculum.iowa.g
ov/
– District decision: Anything that will
help you remember what you
taught this year
✓C. Learn Background
Information
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Step D: Learn Coding Process
• Thinking Process: The lens
through which we will examine
alignment
• Guidelines: How we will make
alignment decisions
• Order: When we will do different
tasks
• Nuts and Bolts: How alignment is
documented with the tools
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Step D: Learn Coding Process
• Thinking Process
– Looking through your
“alignment” lens
– Determine extent of
alignment, not to align
– Ask yourself “did I teach
this?”
– Relies on your expertise
and professional judgments
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Step D: Learn Coding Process
• Thinking Process
– Purpose of alignment work is to
document what actually
happened, not what was
“supposed” to happen.
Key Alignment
Question: What
did students get
– Help develop a system of offerings
the opportunity to
that will give all students an
opportunity to learn the full IC.
learn during the
school year?
– There are no “extra points” for
high alignment.
– Your time and expertise are
precious…it needs to be put to
good use.
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Step D: Learn Coding Process
• Guidelines
– Sameness: (when thinking about
what’s taught)
a. One-to-one correspondence
b. Dig into each line of the IC outline;
c. Explicitly covered vs. students
already have it mastered (and
need to use it for new learning)
– No Squinting: thinking really hard
– Time Limit: thinking for a long
time (e.g., over a minute)
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Step D: Learn the Coding Process
• Order
a. Independent reflections first
b. Then “compare notes” as
appropriate
c. Discussions about pedagogy,
assessment, and other
related issues last
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Step D: Learn the Coding Process
• Nuts and bolts
– Facilitator demo first
– Follow along on Cheat
Sheet
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Step E: Code the Content
• Now you can start doing the
coding
• If needed, have a facilitator
close on hand to ask questions
about the thinking, coding, and
technology, especially for the
first couple of Essential
Concepts/Skill Sets
• Remember
– Take your time, take breaks as
needed
– Refer to the Cheat Sheet for help
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Step F: Next Steps
• Complete all coding
• Once the work is complete, the
district should work to determine
how the data will be used
• Ideas for next steps might include…
– Creating a database of grade and course
sequences that ensure an opportunity to
learn the full IC
– Creating, modifying, or eliminating content
from instruction to ensure sufficient
opportunity to learn the IC
– Professional development on
course/instructional design
• Any question or concerns, contact
<insert name(s)> <insert contact
information>
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