Writing the Arts Access Points May 26, 2010 Welcome & Virtual Housekeeping Introductions Online tools and resources June 2, 2010 A Brief History of the Project A Brief History of the SSS Revision Overview of Browder/Flowers Model Terminology Resources Strategies for Getting It Done Writing Teams

Virtual Housekeeping Online protocol and etiquette Turn off radios, cell phones, etc. Post "Meeting in Session" notice Use real name to sign in Use headsets rather than speakers Turn off microphone except when speaking Webcam (optional) Use appropriate language and respect for all One person speaks at a time Wait for planned question times or use the chat box to post a question or comment Refrain from web-surfing during meeting

What’s My Line? CLASP Staff Bennett Buckles Gina Horton Debbie Bass

Long Story Short … Name School/District Interest & Experience in the Arts Experience with SwSCD Briefly, what is your experience with Access Points?

“Access to the Arts” Wiki Initial worksite Project will e-mail an invitation to join the “Access to the Arts” wiki space. Accept the invitation and follow the directions to join User Name: first_last Password E-mail address

“Florida Framers” Wiki Background information & resources Project will e-mail an invitation to join the “Florida Framers” wiki space. Accept the invitation and follow the directions to join User Name: first_last Password E-mail address

Calendar Next meeting – June 2, 2010 Future meetings? 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Future meetings? Preferences/Availablilty will be surveyed through MeetingWizard.com

A Brief History of the Project IDEA ‘97 emphasizes the importance of access to general curriculum for ALL students with disabilities. Access is provided through meaningful instruction and engagement. Other educational needs are important. Access must be insured.

A Brief History of the Project NCLB focuses on high expectations for ALL students. ALL students are assessed and progress is reported. Expectations are specified for each grade level. Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities may use alternate assessment.

A Brief History of the Project 2005 – Stakeholder’s Meeting SSS adoptions with Access Points: 2007 – Language Arts 2007/2008 - Mathematics 2008 – Science, Social Studies, Health, P.E.

A Brief History of the NGSSS Revisions 1003.41  Sunshine State Standards.-- (1)  Public K-12 educational instruction in Florida is based on the "Sunshine State Standards." The State Board of Education shall review the Sunshine State Standards and replace them with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards that establish the core content of the curricula to be taught in this state and that specify the core content knowledge and skills that K-12 public school students are expected to acquire. The Next Generation Sunshine State Standards must, at a minimum: (b)  Establish the core curricular content for visual and performing arts, physical education, health, and foreign languages. Standards for these subjects must establish specific curricular content and include distinct grade level expectations for the core content knowledge and skills that a student is expected to have acquired by each individual grade level from kindergarten through grade 5. The standards for grades 6 through 12 may be organized by grade clusters of more than one grade level.

A Brief History of the NGSSS Revisions 1003.41  Sunshine State Standards.– (con’t) (c)  Identify the core curricular content that a student is expected to learn for each subject at each individual grade level in order to acquire the broad background knowledge needed for reading comprehension. (d)  Be rigorous and relevant and provide for the logical, sequential progression of core curricular content that incrementally increases a student's core content knowledge and skills over time. (e)  Integrate critical-thinking and problem-solving skills; communication, reading, and writing skills; mathematics skills; collaboration skills; contextual and applied-learning skills; technology-literacy skills; information and media-literacy skills; and civic-engagement skills. (f)  Be organized according to a uniform structure and format that is consistent for each subject. The Next Generation Sunshine State Standards shall, for each subject and grade level, use the same alphanumeric coding system. (g)  Be aligned to expectations for success in postsecondary education and high-skill, high-wage employment.

A Brief History of the Arts NGSSS Revisions 8 “Big Ideas” Skills, Techniques, and Processes Structural Organization Active Engagement Cognition and Communication Historical, Global, and Future Connections Aesthetic and Critical Reflection Arts and the Economy Relationships Across Academic Content Areas 2-4 “Enduring Understandings” for each “Big Idea”

A Brief History of the Arts NGSSS Revisions Each Enduring Understanding has Benchmarks written for each grade K through 5 and grade clusters 6-8 and 9-12. Each Enduring Understanding will have an “Essence Statement” for 3 complexity levels In - Independent Su - Supported Pa - Participatory

A Brief History of the Arts NGSSS Revisions Each “Essence Statement” will have one or more “Access Points” per grade level/cluster for each complexity level In - Independent Su - Supported Pa – Participatory

Levels of Complexity (a depth of knowledge continuum) Based on Cognitive Ability/Disability ONLY! DO NOT consider physical or communication limitations! In ---------------Su-------------Pa Independent Supported Participatory More Complex Less Complex

(A side note) Always consider assistive technology/augmentative communication needs first – before considering a modified curriculum. This helps tease out the confusion between cognitive and physical/communication limitations.

UNC – Browder/Flowers Model Abridged for the purpose of orienting writers to the criteria for aligning Access Points to General Education “Enduring Understandings” and benchmarks.

Our (Browder/Flowers) Proposed Definition for Alternate Achievement Definition of the Concept: Linking to Grade Level Content with Alternate Achievement To be linked to grade level standards, the target for achievement must be academic content (e.g., reading, math, science, art) that is referenced to the student’s assigned grade based on chronological age.

Our Proposed Definition (cont) Functional activities and materials may be used to promote understanding, but the target skills for student achievement are academically-focused. Some prioritization of the content will occur in setting this expectation, but it should reflect the major domains of the curricular area (e.g., strands of math, “Big Ideas” of the arts) and have fidelity with this content and how it is typically taught in general education.

Our Proposed Definition (cont) The alternate expectation for achievement may focus on prerequisite skills or some partial attainment of the grade level, but students should still have the opportunity to meet high expectations, to demonstrate a range of depth of knowledge, to achieve within their symbolic level, and to show growth across grade levels or grade bands.

Brief Summary of 7 Criteria Content is academic Is it READING, MATH, SCIENCE, ART, etc.

Findings Mixed: Some states had strong alignment to academic content; some weak alignment Examples from strongly aligned states Math •Compare volumes of more and less •Use strategies such as counting, measuring, to determine possible outcomes in problem solving Reading •Answer questions related to story •Identify pattern in familiar story Examples from weakly aligned states Math •Replace rollers in beauty parlor •Measure growth of fingernails Reading •Show anticipation on roller coaster •Attend to visual stimuli

Brief Summary of 7 Criteria 2. Referenced to student’s grade level Not to an artificially referenced grade level equivalent. (e.g., a Pa level student will function at a Pre-K/K level by grade 12) So, you have to look at the grade level benchmark and ask yourself, “How will a Pa level student participate in this Enduring Understanding?” and not, ”What does this mean for a student functioning at a Pre-K/K level.”

Brief Summary of 7 Criteria 3. Achievement differs from grade level achievement Is the access point different in complexity from the benchmark? 4. Some differentiation in achievement across grades / grade bands Meaning, scaffolding exists

Brief Summary of 7 Criteria 5. Promotes access to activities, materials, settings of general education What will the student be doing (learning) and what materials will the student be using if sitting in GE classroom?

Brief Summary of 7 Criteria 6. Content and performance centrality Content = “Is it reading, math, art, etc.” Performance = “Is the action the same?” or Is the verb the same? (e.g., GE = “Student demonstrates”, AP = “Student Recognizes”)

Brief Summary of 7 Criteria 7. Multiple levels of access to general curriculum We have this one covered! Independent, Supported, Participatory

One More – Number 8 8. Relevance Will this Access Point be meaningful to the student? What’s the rationale for learning this skill?

Some Do’s and Don’t’s to correctly align Access Points Write to the “essence” of the standard or benchmark Write the skill or knowledge the student is expected to demonstrate Write using clear and understandable language and syntax Differentiate across grade levels

Some Do’s and Don’t’s to correctly align Access Points Do not reference the mode of response in the Access Point (e.g., will use gestures/signs/pictures/words to ...) Do not write Access Points as “activities.” (e.g., “write a description of a literature selection that identifies characters...” Do not reference skill or knowledge to “daily routine” or “classroom activity.” Do not obsess over every word in your Access Point.

Some Do’s and Don’t’s to correctly align Access Points Do not use “e.g.,” in the Access Points themselves. Write “Remark” or “Example” followed by your comments for clarification. Avoid Including multiple skills in a single Access Point (e.g., “identify the meaning of words that show spatial and temporal relationships – e.g., up/down, before/after.”) (This will not always be possible if Gen Ed includes multiple skills.)

Terminology Resources Webb’s Taxonomy and Related Verbs Webb’s Change in Content across Grades Verb Definitions Distinction between “Recognize” and “Identify”

Strategies for Getting It Done! We have tried numerous approaches. The one that definitely does not work is writing one complexity level separately from the others (e.g., writing the Pa level separately from the In and Su levels.) Teams need to write all 3 levels at the same time.

Strategies for Getting It Done! It is advisable that the full writing team work together to develop access points at least until you all feel comfortable with the process and each other. You may decide to break into smaller groups to develop drafts to be shared with the whole group at a later time.

Strategies for Getting It Done! You may want to assign a limited number of “Enduring Understandings” for individuals to work on if they have time between this meeting and the next one. Writers then bring them in as a draft to be reviewed and revised by the team.

Team Assignments