Developing a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum

We believe all kids can and will learn! Why? We believe all kids can and will learn!

The #1 factor affecting student achievement is a guaranteed and viable curriculum ~Robert Marzano

A Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum Consists of Enduring Understandings and Learning Targets. Outlines the concepts and skills that are essential to ensure all students have the opportunity to achieve proficiency. Provides clarity and guidance for what all teachers must teach and ensure all students learn Ensures that instructional strategies promote equitable opportunities to learn and succeed. Allows for concepts and skills to be taught/learned in the timeframe available

With a guaranteed viable curriculum Goals and Measures Aim of the Organization Goals and Measures Aim of the Organization Aligned Acts of Improvement Random Acts of Improvement Without a guaranteed viable curriculum

A Guaranteed & Viable Curriculum Happens when teachers work collaboratively to: Study the intended curriculum and agree on priorities within the curriculum. Clarify how the curriculum translates into specific student knowledge and skills. Establish pacing guidelines for delivering the curriculum. Commit to one another that they will teach the intended curriculum (DuFour & Marzano, 2011). Wendy

Owatonna Public School’s vision for a guaranteed & viable curriculum: 2008 Management Conference Owatonna Public School’s vision for a guaranteed & viable curriculum: Regardless of the school a student attends or the class a student is assigned, we must ensure that the knowledge and skills that are most essential to achieving the desired results – all students learning – will be the focus of both teaching and learning Education Division

Enduring Understandings Instruction The Art Variable Formative Assessment Feedback Formalizing Learning Targets Student Ownership I Can’s Enduring Understandings District Priority Standards Non-negotiable What do we want all students to know and be able to do? Big Picture Framework How will we know if all students know it? A district truly committed to the concept of learning for each student must develop consistent, systematic procedures that ensure each student can and will achieve. a systematic approach to determine what is most important for students to learn aligned to state standards What will we do if students know it? What will we do if students do not know it?

This translates to… Clear and consistent teaching of the prioritized standards/Enduring Understandings Frequent assessment of students’ attainment of those standards A specific response for those students who aren’t “getting it” during the learning A specific response for those students who already “get it” ensuring student growth

2008 Management Conference We identify Enduring Understandings so that… …we have collective understanding and agreement on the things in which all students should know and be able to do big ideas that are hiding behind the specific standard are brought to the forefront, and essential questions and levels of thinking are identified. All of these elements come together to guide the development of formative assessments and instruction that is purposefully targeting the learning of the prioritized knowledge and competencies. Education Division

Developing Enduring Understandings

What Are Enduring Understandings? Prioritized standards identified systematically in order to distinguish which standards are absolutely essential. A common FOCUS for our school system. Joanne

Why Enduring Understandings? Educators who are given no strategies for managing the volume of standards must, on their own, “pick and choose” the ones they believe will most benefit their students. This leads to inconsistencies as to which standards are emphasized and which are not. Enduring Understandings do not relieve teachers of the responsibility for teaching all standards and indicators, but do identify which standards are critical for student success and which ones can be given less emphasis

The Rationale for Enduring Understandings The consensus among educators is that in-depth instruction of “essential” concepts and skills is more effective than superficially “covering” every concept in the textbook. Robert Marzano calculated 3,500 benchmarks spread across 14 different content areas, “you would have to change schooling from K – 12 to K – 22!” Joanne

How to Identify Enduring Understandings Criteria Endurance Leverage Readiness Essential Question - What knowledge and skills must my students learn this year so that they will enter next year’s class with confidence and a readiness for success?

Enduring Understandings Identification Criteria Endurance – Will this standard or indicator provide students with knowledge and skills that will be of value beyond a single test date? Example: proficiency in reading will endure throughout a student’s academic career and professional life. Wendy

Enduring Understandings Identification Criteria Leverage – Will this standard or indicator provide knowledge and skills that will be of value in multiple disciplines? Example: proficiency in creating and analyzing graphs, tables and charts will help students in math, science, social studies and language arts. Wendy

Enduring Understandings Identification Criteria Readiness for the next level of learning – Will this standard or indicator provide knowledge and skills that is required for the next level of learning? Example: fluent use of fractions, decimals and percents is an essential skill for students in the sixth grade as they go into pre-algebra in the seventh grade. Wendy

Beginning the Process: Teachers are grouped into teams spanning more than one grade level or course. Teams select one grade level or course within their span to examine the standards/benchmarks Individuals take 5 minutes to identify which benchmarks they think are essential for all kids to learn. Joanne Explain the process using a variety of examples… Grade span of 3-5 LA took 4th grade looked at benchmark

Continuing the Process: Teams work collaboratively to reach consensus comparing choices and noting similarities and differences giving rationale as needed Table Teams: Teams share and discuss selected standards Whole Group: Teams refer to state testing specs and local test data to revise selections Discuss changes Wendy/Joanne Process is repeated for each grade level or course

Vertical Alignment: Grade level charts are posted in sequence Vertical flow is analyzed within and between grade spans Gaps, overlaps, and omissions are identified Selections are revised as needed Jo/Wendy

Vertical alignment document Joanne In social studies this would be broken down by: Citizenship and government Economics Geography History

2008 Management Conference We identify Enduring Understandings so that… …we have collective understanding and agreement on the things in which all students should know and be able to do …the skills and concepts contained within the standards are clear and consisently interpreted. The unwrapping process also clarifies: learning targets big ideas essential questions All of these elements come together to guide the development of formative assessments and instruction We unwrap the Enduring Understandings so that… big ideas that are hiding behind the specific standard are brought to the forefront, and essential questions and levels of thinking are identified. All of these elements come together to guide the development of formative assessments and instruction that is purposefully targeting the learning of the prioritized knowledge and competencies. Education Division

Unwrapping Enduring Understanding

Overview Unwrapping academic standards a proven technique assists teachers in identifying from the standards exactly what they need to teach Unwrapped standards provide clarity on what students must know what students must be able to do Ainsworth, Unwrapping the Standards, 2003 Joanne

Unwrapping Process Choose an Enduring Understanding Identify key nouns and verbs Read through the benchmark Choose an Enduring Understanding Jo/Wendy

Unwrapping Process Concepts– nouns Skills – verbs What students need to know Skills – verbs What students need to be able to do Jo/Wendy

Concept: Skills: Example of Unwrapped Standard: CONDUCT short as well as more sustained research projects to ANSWER a question (including a self-generated question) or SOLVE a problem. NARROW or BROADEN the inquiry when appropriate; SYNTHESIZE multiple sources on the subject, DEMONSTRATING understanding of the subject under investigation. Concept: What students need to know ▪ Short research projects ▪ Sustained research projects ▪ Questions ▪ Self-generated questions ▪ Problem ▪ Inquiry ▪ Multiple sources on the subject ▪ Subject under investigation Skills: What students need to do ▪ CONDUCT (short research projects) ▪ CONDUCT (sustained research projects) ▪ ANSWER (a question) ▪ ANSWER (a self-generated question) ▪ SOLVE (a problem) ▪ NARROW (inquiry) ▪ BROADEN (inquiry) ▪SYNTHESIZE (multiple sources on the subject) ▪DEMONSTRATE (understanding of subject investigation)

Unwrapped Enduring Understandings 6th grade example

Developing Learning Targets Converting Standards to Student-friendly versions

Learning Targets Statements of what we want students to know and be able to do Measurable/assessable Contains a power verb Focus on a specific skill – not an activity Focus on a small “chunk” of a standard The central focus of each lesson So learning targets in our classrooms are what we want students to learn or know and what we want them to be able to do with that knowledge.

Instructional Benefits WHAT to assess – instructional guide – keep focused CLARITY in planning – look for instructional activities & strategies to help all students reach that specific target Better BALANCE of “in depth” study vs. “just covering the material” Know what your assessments REFLECT Help to MAXIMIZE student achievement OPPORTUNITY to work collaboratively with other teaching professionals

“Students can hit any target they can see that holds still for them.” ~Rick Stiggins Convert learning targets into student-friendly language by defining key words in terms students understand. When we have a clear vision of where we’re headed with students, we can communicate that vision to them.

Learning Target Process Identify key words and/or verbs in Enduring Understandings and skills Define identified words and/or verbs Rewrite skills as “I can” statements

Learning Target Process Identify key word/verb(s) in skills Example: Summarize text Make predictions Define the word/verb(s). Use a dictionary/thesaurus if needed Summarize: to give a brief statement of the main ideas and significant details Prediction: a statement saying that something will happen in the future Rewrite the skill as an “I can” statement, in terms that your students will understand Example: Student Friendly Language I can summarize text. This means I can make a short statement of the main ideas and most important details from a passage I have read. I can make predictions. This means I can use information from what I read to guess at what will happen next (or to guess what the author will tell me next).

Classroom Application of Learning Targets Use language that the students understand Use “I can” statements Introduce students to new terms and concepts Relate all instruction to the learning targets.

Students who can identify what they are learning significantly outscore those who cannot. ~ Robert Marzano

Down the Road… Complete Enduring Understandings for core courses Identify where Enduring Understandings are taught and align to resources Develop Learning Targets Develop and align formative assessments to Enduring Understandings and Learning Targets Jo/Wendy

“What you do…is the PROOF of what you believe!” ~ Sinek