An Overview of the ACE Collaborative for Curriculum & Instruction Sequence: Team/Department Outcomes have been submitted for review May have Team/Department feedback from ND Course Outcomes not yet submitted for review

The ACE Collaborative A sustained professional development approach that seeks to strengthen curriculum, instruction & assessment by Promoting collaboration among teachers (professional learning communities) Providing a common language & structure Fostering a culture of continuous improvement Have experience of collaboration continued since the summer session? In what ways? How has the common language and structure shared during the summer session been helpful? What have you been able to share with your own school. What have the experiences been like in those sharings?

Team/Department Outcomes A Review

Team/Dept. Outcomes: A Summary Teams of teachers formed by grade level and subject K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 + Math, Science, Social Studies, etc. Example: 3-5 Social Studies Each team collaborates on curriculum, instruction & assessment Team/Department Outcomes articulate what all students will be able to do at the broadest level—at the end of a sequence of courses or grades These Outcomes: Incorporate standards that require more than one year to accomplish Focus primarily on skills Are the responsibility of the entire team “Department” often used at the high school level, but “team” typically used at all other levels K-2=lower elementary, 3-5=upper elementary, 6-8=middle school, 9-12=high school

Standards that take more than 1 year to accomplish The Big Picture Standards that can be accomplished in a lesson plan Standards that take 2-4 weeks to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 unit to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 year to accomplish Team/Dept. Outcomes Course Outcomes Unit Goal LP

Team/Department Outcomes: Components Begin with “SWBAT” Use one verb from Bloom’s Taxonomy Verb must be: Active Observable Challenging & Developmentally Appropriate Creates a “floor” not a “ceiling” of student achievement -Outcomes are framed in terms of what students will be able to do by the end of 2nd, 5th, 8th or 12th grade -They promise what ALL students will be able to do - When done with this slide, exit PPT and show T/D Outcomes and discussion on acecollaborative.org

Progression of Critical Thinking Levels Team/Dept. Critical Thinking Levels K - 2 Know and “Explain” 3 - 5 Explain and Apply 6 - 8 Apply and Analyze (with scaffolding) HS Analyze K-2: “Explain” asks students to recall information/material covered in class 3-5: “Explain” now asks students to “explain” previously unseen ideas or reading, while “Apply” asks students to apply developed skills to previously unseen material 6-8: “Analyze (with scaffolding)” uses graphic organizers/templates to facilitate critical thinking 9-12: Students may be able to achieve Synthesis

Course Outcomes A Review

Course Outcomes: A Summary Course Outcomes articulate what all students will know and be able to do by the end of one specific subject or course These Outcomes: Incorporate standards that require more than one unit to accomplish Focus on content knowledge and skills Span one subject and one year Build on and do not repeat Team/Dept. & Course Outcomes from previous grades May contribute directly to relevant Team/Dept. Outcomes

Standards that take more than 1 unit to accomplish The Big Picture Standards that can be accomplished in a lesson plan Standards that take 2-4 weeks to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 unit to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 year to accomplish Team/Dept. Outcomes Course Outcomes Unit Goal LP

Course Outcomes: Components 4-7 outcomes for each course/subject Begins with “SWBAT” Uses one verb from Bloom’s Taxonomy Verb must be: active observable challenging & developmentally appropriate Create a “floor” not a “ceiling” of student achievement -Outcomes are framed in terms of what students will be able to do by the end of a course (MS or HS language) or subject (elementary language) -They promise what ALL students will be able to do

Progression of Critical Thinking Levels Team/Dept. Critical Thinking Levels K - 2 Know and “Explain” 3 - 5 Explain and Apply 6 - 8 Apply and Analyze (with scaffolding) HS Analyze K-2: “Explain” asks students to recall information/material covered in class 3-5: “Explain” now asks students to “explain” previously unseen ideas or reading, while “Apply” asks students to apply developed skills to previously unseen material 6-8: “Analyze (with scaffolding)” uses graphic organizers/templates to facilitate critical thinking 9-12: Students may be able to achieve Synthesis

Course Outcomes vs. Team/Department Outcomes collectively ensure that all students can meet the corresponding Team/Department Outcomes may not directly address any Team/Department Outcome; instead may lay the basis for later concepts or skills mastered by all students by the end of the course Team/Department Outcomes mastered by all students by the end of a sequence of courses

Unit Concepts: A Summary Based on standards that typically require 2-4 weeks to accomplish Each is the basis for a Unit Goal that articulates the level of critical thinking students will engage with the Unit Concept “Chunk” information in useful ways Identify the core concepts for a subject/course that will lead to “enduring understandings” Sequenced in order to form a “story” or course narrative Opening Unit ought to be engaging Begin by discussing typical course organization—sequence of textbook chapters. Are all textbook chapters important enough for an entire unit (i.e., do they all lead to enduring understandings)? Does the order make sense? Math is often the one exception here, especially in middle and high school—textbook chapter sequence often makes very good sense, and it would be difficult to rearrange, because the prior knowledge from certain concepts and skills is critical for subsequent concepts and skills. (This is NOT the case for Saxon math, which seems to be almost completely randomly ordered.) A good story always begins with an engaging opening line or sequence – why shouldn’t our courses begin in the same way?

Standards that take 2-4 weeks to accomplish The Big Picture Standards that can be accomplished in a lesson plan Standards that take 2-4 weeks to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 unit to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 year to accomplish Team/Dept. Outcomes Course Outcomes Unit Goal LP Unit Concepts introduce content and, along with Unit Goals, are the third step in organizing and prioritizing standards. Unit Concepts are the lens through which the teacher and student will engage the material. They provide the focus for the broader skills and content. The Unit Concepts define the enduring understanding which students should obtain.

Unit Concepts: Components 8-10 Unit Concepts for each course/subject Elementary subjects with less academic time (e.g. science, social studies) or electives may only have 4-6 for the year Not in SWBAT form Plants And Their Parts (2nd Grade Science) River Valley Societies: Harnessing Nature (6th Grade Soc. Stud.) Systems of Linear Equations (HS Algebra) May be phrased in terms of an essential question The American Revolution: What were the reasons for and against the colonists’ revolt from England? (7th Grade Soc. Stud.) Sequenced in order to form a course narrative A good story always begins with an engaging opening line or sequence – why shouldn’t our courses begin in the same way? For example, “plants” is a typical Unit Concept. However, what exactly about plans will students learn at each level? Is it the same? Oftentimes, students focus on different specific concepts related to a wider concept. Plants: Their Parts, seen in 2nd grade. Plants: Their Needs, seen in 4th Grade. Plants: Their Environment, seen in 7th grade. While each involves the same topic, the focus is different; therefore the concept is different. (This same example could easily be shown in social studies, for example – concept of Revolution.)

Unit Goals: A Summary Unit Goals articulate what ALL students will know and be able to do at the end of a 2-4 week unit They do so by stating the level of critical thinking, or the level at which students will engage with the Unit Concept Unit Goals: Incorporate standards that require 2-4 weeks to accomplish Focus on content and skills Assessed independently and individually on previously unseen material

Standards that take 2-4 weeks to accomplish The Big Picture Standards that can be accomplished in a lesson plan Standards that take 2-4 weeks to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 unit to accomplish Standards that take more than 1 year to accomplish Team/Dept. Outcomes Course Outcomes Unit Goal LP Unit Goals pair with Unit Concepts and specify the critical-thinking level that students will achieve in thinking about the Unit Concept. Together, Unit Concepts and Unit Goals are the third step in organizing and prioritizing standards. Unit Concepts define the enduring understanding which students should build and Unit Goals are the critical thinking expected of all students.

Unit Goals: Components 8-10 (or 4-6) Unit Goals – one for each Unit Concept The stem “SWBAT” (students will be able to) Each uses one verb from Bloom’s Taxonomy Verb must be: Active Observable Challenging & Developmentally Appropriate Constitutes a “floor” not a “ceiling” of student achievement

Resources

Accessing the Curriculum If you do not currently have an account on the ACE Collaborative Wikispace, go to http://www.acecollaborative.org/ to create one

The Unit Cover Page