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Introduce yourselves at your table group. Each person shares out one celebration about the new year. Choose one celebration at your table to share out with the whole group.

NORMS We will ….. Be honest and share what we think and feel. Participate in the conversation. Focus on the task. Think creatively and comprehensively. Treat one another as equals. Listen when others speak. Bring humor to the table.

Today’s Agenda Explore question stems from the newly released Reading STAAR test and SE’s needing focused attention Discuss implications of text complexity Examine district summative assessments Clarify the new NISD Writing Framework Engage in conversation about Progress Monitoring and Tools

Reading STAAR Spring rd4th5th Below 70% 3.6A characteristics of poetry (1) 4.4 poetry (infer) (4) 5.4A how poets use sound effects (1) (infer) 3.F19E summary (3) 4.F19E summary (2) 5.F19E summary (2) 3.19D inference (72%) (10)4.19D inference (16)5.19D inference (72%) (17) 3.13A details/facts that support the main idea (3) 4.11A summarize main idea and supporting details (6) 3.12 author’s purpose (expository) (2) (infer) 4.10 author’s purpose (expository) (2) (infer) 3.13B draw conclusions (4) (infer) 4.5 structural elements of drama (5, all inference) 5.7A literary and language devices in bios/autobiographies (2) (infer) 4.19F connections between informational and literary texts (paired passage) (4) (1 question is inference) 5.11E logical connections between ideas within a text and across 2-3 texts (2) (infer) 3.10A language that creates a graphic visual experience/appeals to senses (2) (infer) 5.3 compare/contrast themes or lessons in several works of fiction (1) (infer)

How can we be more purposeful when teaching the low SE’s on STAAR? * Question stems/prompts in weekly scope and sequence * Including STAAR stems in guided reading and book clubs * Including a STAAR formatted question each day or every few days (as appropriate) as part of the closing. Teach test taking skills along the way, vs. cramming it all in a few weeks before

Using STAAR stems is one way to prepare students for the rigor of STAAR. But… what other instructional practices need to be considered for students to be successful on this rigorous assessment? MAD MINUTE – Talk for one minute at your table about the above question.

What about Text Complexity? Exposing students to different levels of text complexity, within multiple genres, and having them grapple with making meaning, is essential to growing effective, proficient readers.

Determining Text Complexity * Text complexity is defined by: 1) Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software. 2) Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, organization, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader. 3) Reader and Task considerations – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional judgment.

Text Complexity and The Continuum The Continuum identifies 10 factors related to text difficulty:

Let’s take a look at the District Summative Assessments Examine at your table groups: * What do you notice? * What SE’s are covered? * What is the format of the assessment? * What texts are used? * If this is the summative assessment, what should our instruction look like to prepare students for the assessment?

New NISD Narrative and Expository Writing Frameworks Reminders: -All schools are required to introduce and use the new frameworks with all students. If you need to adjust the framework for a small number of students, you may do so. -Some schools are making the connection between what frameworks students used last year with the new frameworks, to help bridge their understanding to the new framework structure -We value your feedback. Please keep some notes on how the new frameworks helped students, as well as possible tweaks to make it more user friendly for students.

Progress Monitoring Guiding Questions -How do you use assessment information to guide instructional decision making for the individual students, groups of students, and/or the class as a whole? -How do you re-teach and re-assess students who are struggling? What resources do you use? -How are you tracking each student’s progress?

Progress Monitoring Tools Write a list of all the tools in your assessment binder, or that you use for progress monitoring. What tools help you determine what a student knows and can do?

Converse with Colleagues Compare lists. What is different? What is the same? Add what you want to include or what you want to explore based on your conversations. How do you use the information you gather to change your instructional practices? How do you re-teach and re-assess students who are struggling? What resources do you use for interventions? How do you keep track of students’ progress? How do you set goals with students, make sure they are meeting goals, and then set new goals? Create group chart of different tools and/or practices shared.-

Group Discussion

How do I decide what information to gather and/or take notes on, in order to monitor a student’s progress?  District Literacy Assessments BOY, MOY, EOY – ( keep paper copies available for easy access for lesson planning, goal setting, parent conferences, and RtI)  ELA Summative & Common Assessments- use data from these assessments to plan instruction for small groups and individual students  Individual Student Goal Setting – use your data and observations to set individual reading and writing goals, and be sure to have a system to check back in to monitor goal attainment and setting new goals  Anecdotal notes-for individual students based on challenging SE’s, student goals, skills/strategies covered in RW & WW, guided reading and book clubs

Spring PLC -Please experiment with and try-out progress monitoring tools/ideas and plan to come back to Spring 2015 PLC to share your success and struggles. -Please plan to bring examples of student writing using the new narrative and expository frameworks

“I almost feel like there should be bells ringing and lights flashing as I describe my assessment notebooks. For without a doubt, they’re my most important teaching tool.” (Taberski, 2000)