7 th grade On- Level and Pre-AP/GT PLC Thursday, October 16 th 2014

Goals and Outcomes  Review and discuss Middle School Distinction Reports focusing on how these results impact our classrooms, our campus, and our district. What are some next steps that we can create for ourselves in order to help us grow in each of these areas?  Review and discuss the data from the first 7 th gr. On- Level Curriculum-Based Assessment. (Window for the 7 th gr. Pre-AP/GT CBA opens up on Oct. 27 th, and goes through Nov. 7 th.)  Calibration of 7 th grade Personal Narrative Essays

Celebrations and Challenges!!!  Share with a partner one celebration/ success story you’ve experienced so far this year, and one challenge you’ve been faced with this year.

Middle School Distinction Reports  4 Indexes were scored:  Attendance  Academic Achievement Distinction in ELA  Greater Than Expected Progress in Reading (based on all 3 grade levels)  Grade 7 Writing Performance on STAAR (Level III)  Grade 8 Reading Performance on STAAR (Level III)  Each campus was rated against their own group of 40 campuses that were most comparable to their population/ demographics, etc… (Medlin’s 40 schools were different than CTMS’s 40 schools.)  Each campus was given a Quartile Score within each of the 4 indexes, with Q1 being the highest and Q4 being at the bottom. * In order for a school to earn a distinction in ELA, a school needed to be Q1 for two of the four indicators.

 Step 1a. Take a few minutes to look at this report by yourself. Feel free to make notes on it about what you notice.  Step 1b. Share your findings with a partner.  Step 1c. Be ready to share these finding out with the large group.  Step 2a. Discuss in your small groups… In what ways have we been successful? In what ways can we work toward helping to make improvements?  Step 2b. Be ready to share these ideas out with the big group.  Step 3. When you are finished, feel free to take a look at the High School Distinction Reports. What do you notice, here? Middle School Distinction Reports

Curriculum- Based Assessment #1  Take a look at your data/ results from your 1 st Curriculum-Based Assessment.  What do you notice?  Strengths?  Areas of need?  How will the results of this first CBA help guide your future instruction?  In looking closely at this data, what would be a few of our next steps?

Update from TEA  Field Test Prompts will now be removed from 7 th gr. Writing and from the English I and English II EOC Exams for the next 3 years!  Every 3 years, the students will have field test prompts at each of these grade levels so that TEA can still keep a current bank of prompts to use for future state assessments.  In grade 7 only, they are re-chunking the writing test; TEA will be telling us what day and what prompt!  Day 1: ½ Multiple Choice, plus the Expository Essay  Day 2: ½ Multiple Choice, plus the Narrative Essay  Why did the state decide to stay with Phase 1 for another year?  Every time we change to a new phase, scores tend to drop about 20%. With the amount of struggling readers and writers the state has had, we just couldn’t afford to drop another 20% this year. We need to take it slow and give these struggling readers and writers a little more time.

Calibration of Essays: A Quick Review of the Narrative Rubric…  What do you notice about the 4 column? Highlight some key words/ phrases.  Look at the verbiage/ description of the 2’s and 3’s. With a different colored highlighter, highlight some key phrases/ words.  What changes do you notice? Discuss at your tables.

State Scored NISD Exemplars  Each person will receive their own individual packet of our state scored NISD student exemplar score point 8’s from  The 1 st 34 essays in your packet seem to be the strongest.  Table 1 will read essays 1-9  Table 2 will read essays  Table 3 will read essays  Table 4 will read essays  Take the next minutes, and silently read to yourself each of the exemplars you were assigned, making brief notes about what you notice.

State Scored NISD Exemplars  Also, as you read, your group will have 2 charges…  1. You will be assigned one “look for/ focus”. Your group must come to a common agreement of which 2 exemplars out of the 8 or 9 exemplars best fit your focus. Be prepared to write a short commentary on each of these 2 selected best pieces to be shared out with the group.  Table 1: Hooks/ Leads and Strong Controlling Idea  Table 2: Transitions/ Transitional Phrases- How do they effectively move the story along?  Table 3: Supporting Details- How do the details within each paragraph support the controlling idea? Is each detail closely linked to the ones before and after it?  Table 4: Conclusions- How does the conclusion respond back to the prompt? How does the conclusion enhance the effectiveness of the story? How does the conclusion answer the question of “So What?”  2. Out of the 8 or 9 essays your group read, your group must come to a consensus of 1 overall “BEST” comprehensive exemplar, and be able to write a quick commentary as to why this one is the BEST out of the 8 or 9 essays that you read.

Scoring your own Narrative Essays - The rest of the afternoon will be spent scoring your 7 th grade Narrative Essays - If you feel you come across a Score Point 4 (8), let’s discuss it since we may want to use it as a district exemplar that we can write a short commentary over it stating how it meets the standards of a Score Point 4 (8), and place it on our 7 th gr. Curriculum Netschool page.

Thank you! Many thanks for your time and participation today! We already have an amazing start to the year! It was great seeing you all this afternoon! Enjoy the rest of your week!