1. Minnesota PreK-3rd Grade Leadership Series
A-BIRD for Curriculum Development
Minnesota PreK-3rd Grade Leadership Series
October 29, 2015
Dr. Sharon Ritchie
FirstSchool
© FirstSchool 2015
FirstSchool2014

2. NAESP: Elements of Effective Pre-K-3 Programs
Structural
High-quality, voluntary universal Pre-K for all children three and four years old
Full-day kindergarten
Qualified teachers who have both a bachelor’s degree 
and specialized training in how young people learn
FirstSchool2012

3. NAESP: Elements of Effective Pre-K-3 Programs
Quality Indicators
Opportunities for teachers to share data, planning and 
professional development across grade levels
Strong leadership committed to providing to children 
a seamless educational experience
Understand providing a student-centered, personalized 
and well-rounded approach from ages 3 to 8.
Quality, developmentally-appropriate curriculum and 
standards aligned from Pre-K through third grade
FirstSchool2012

4. Strong Leaders Seek Answers to Imperative Questions
How do we improve the school experiences of our most vulnerable children? What do we know and believe about the educational and social needs of young children? What if research drove practice? How do we use data to reveal the successes and challenges we face? How do we operate with a mindset of continuous improvement with a culture of collaborative inquiry?
Educational..trajectory, voice,
FirstSchool2012

5. If your practices and policies are not working for boys of color
If your practices and policies are not working for boys of color..they are not working!
The faces of these boys let us know they have already received repeated messages that school is not the place for them, that they do not belong, that they are not valued

6. No wonder…… ‘Exiled’ “Isolated” Unrecognized
Subject to arbitrary rules
Over represented in discipline, suspension, retention, drop-out and special education
Overlooked for their gifted and talented potential
Black boys 3 x more likely to be expelled
Black and Latino boys comprise 80% of spec ed population
Black boys 2.5 times more unlikely to be in G&T
FirstSchool2015

7. Drop Out Prevention Starts Early
We need an approach to the early school experiences of our children of color and those who come from less advantaged home that makes school a place where they find themselves smart and capable and knowing they belong.
In order for drop out prevention to actually start early, we must examine minute by minute experiences of these boys to illuminate the micro-aggressions they suffer and shift the responsibility from their shoulders and those of their families to the institutions that have not sufficiently questioned policy and practice on their behalf

8. When students don’t know they are smart and talented…..
66% of students who come from advantaged homes graduate from college while only 17% of students who have similar grades and SAT scores, but come from less advantaged homes graduate.
WHY?
Students did not feel like they ‘belonged’ in their university.
Students did not feel like they had the ability to succeed
(Tough, 2014)
Relatedness
Competence
autonomy
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9. Focus on the Predictors
Top predictors for positive third grade outcomes
Small group instruction
Peer Collaboration
Oral Language Development
Vocabulary Development
Scaffolded Instruction
Metacognition
FirstSchool 2015

10. Predictors of success for children 3rd grade and beyond
Positive trajectories
Oral Language Development
Vocabulary Development
Small group instruction
Scaffolded instruction
Metacognition
Algebra/Higher order thinking
Collaboration
Self regulation-executive function

11. Brain Research is Your Friend
What they said……..
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12. A-BIRD for Curriculum Development
FirstSchool Instructional Practices for Achieving Equity
A culture of caring needs to be in place before substantive learning can occur. It is foundational to child success as it ensures one feels safe, valued, and accepted.
© FirstSchool 2014
Before any of that other stuff can be meaningful….
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13. Good Teachers are Critical to Children’s Success
Children form academic trajectories early in their school careers that tend to be stable and difficult to change over the course of their schooling
(Alexander & Entwisle, 1993)
Children’s negative perceptions of competence and attitudes become stronger and harder to reverse as children progress through school
(Valeski & Stipek, 2001)
That which is reinforced sticks around
and those who come from poverty and that what happens early really matters
© FirstSchool 2013

14. CLASS: Emotional Support Across PreK-3

15. FirstSchool2012

16. Reflection
Consistency, balance, regard for individuals, and the importance of relationships were the central messages. How are you validated and/or challenged to think about instructional practices and policies from this frame?
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17. A-BIRD for Curriculum Development
FirstSchool Instructional Practices for Achieving Equity
culture of silence
Self regualtion
vocabulary
A culture of competence ensures each child is a productive, successful, and contributing member of the team.
© FirstSchool 2014
FirstSchool2014

18. Self regulation cannot develop when adults regulate behavior
As children develop self-regulation, they:
ignore distractions
focus and attend
delay gratification
persist in challenging situations
ask for help
control emotions and express them appropriately
(McClelland, Acock, & Morrison, 2002).
Aggression and inadequate impulse control are perhaps the most potent obstacles to problem solving and successful relationships in childhood.
(Joseph & Strain, 2006)
“Childhood self-control is twice as important as intelligence in predicting academic achievement.”
(Anthony, 2014)
Brain research shows that self-regulation is linked to maturation of the prefrontal cortex area of the brain, which occurs during the preschool years. Evidence indicates that self-regulation and impulse control do not emerge spontaneously but are learned.
(Boyd et al. 2005)

19. Culture of Silence
A classroom emphasis on oral language development has been identified as one of the premier instructional strategies for ensuring the success of children, especially those from low socio-economic communities
(Mason & Galloway, 2012).
Vocabulary proficiency is a critical predictor of academic achievement beginning as early as the third grade
(Storch & Whitehurst, 2002).
© FirstSchool 2014

21. What if we really used research to guide our practice?
A classroom emphasis on oral language development has been identified as one of the premier instructional strategies for ensuring the success of children, especially those from low socio-economic communities (Mason & Galloway, 2012).
Vocabulary proficiency is a predictor of academic achievement beginning as early as the third grade (Storch & Whitehurst, 2002).

22. What if we really used research to guide our practice?
A-BIRD for Curriculum Development
What if we really used research to guide our practice?
A large body of research has shown that collaborative approaches to learning can be effective in:
producing achievement gains
promoting critical thinking
enhancing problem solving in face-to-face learning contexts
(Steffe, Cobb, & von Glasersfeld, 1988; King, 1989; Webb, 1989; Webb & Palincsar, 1996).
So, let’s talk a little bit about what the research says about the benefits of collaboration
FirstSchool2014
FirstSchool2014

23. Collaboration

24. CCSS: “Children are deep thinkers and it is the role of the teacher to capably guide and support them.”
The English Language Arts Standard requires that students have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner.
The Standard for Math across K-3rd grade similarly stipulates that children should be able to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
FirstSchool2012

25. Gradual Release Instructional Model Fisher & Frey, 2007
A-BIRD for Curriculum Development
Gradual Release Instructional Model Fisher & Frey, 2007
One of the rationales for why collaborative learning is included in the CC is because it is an important step in moving students from new learning to mastery. Talk through the steps in the model. In classrooms, we see plenty of focus lesson, guided instruction, and independent tasks. But little of the intermediary step of collaborative learning, which is essential to students being capable of working independently.
FirstSchool2014
FirstSchool2014

26. Culturally Relevant Teaching
A-BIRD for Curriculum Development
Culturally Relevant Teaching
Individualism fosters and promotes independence, individual thinking, individual achievement, self-expression, and personal choice.
Collectivism fosters and values interdependence, group success through adherence to norms, respect for authority, and group consensus.
(Trumbull, Rothstein-Fisch, & Greenfield, 2000).
90% of the people in the world function in collectivistic societies rather than individualistic ones. So when we talk about preparing our children to be global citizens of tomorrow’s world, it is important that we provide them with the foundation to function and work in both individualistic and collaborative environments
More problem with behavior systems
FirstSchool2014
FirstSchool2014

27. A-BIRD for Curriculum Development
FirstSchool Instructional Practices for Achieving Equity
A culture of excellence enables each learner to excel beyond minimal competencies.
© FirstSchool 2014
FirstSchool2014

28.   
Note the one item in each of the domains that is usually the lowest – indicating that these are the most challenging aspects of each domain. Best way to improve in these areas is to have a deep understanding of exactly what is being measured and what it takes to get a high score.

29. Insert data breaking down Instructional Support into ½ hour segments
Only given as a part of individual teacher data for the 3 dimensions in instructional support.
Cycle
Start Time
End Time 1
7:56 AM
8:16 AM 2
8:26 AM
8:46 AM 3
8:56 AM
9:16 AM 4
9:26 AM
9:46 AM 5
9:56 AM
10:16 AM
Cycle
Start Time
End Time 6
10:26 AM
10:46 AM 7
12:12 PM
12:32 PM 8
12:42 PM
1:02 PM 9
1:12 PM
1:32 PM 10
1:42 PM
2:02 PM 11
2:12 PM
2:32 PM

30. School 15 cannot be right..am talking to Erin about what went wrong

32. How do we know what they know unless we ask them?
Contribution of oral language and scaffolded instruction to formative assessment
How do we know what they know unless we ask them?
Formative assessment supports continuous teaching and learning by providing teachers the information they need to make informed instructional choices. Teachers collect evidence about what children say, do, make or write while instruction is occurring and learning is underway. The teacher uses the evidence to understand where a child may be in his or her learning which helps the teacher make immediate and ongoing adjustments to instruction and learning.
NC DPI 2014
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33. Reflection
How does research and data pointing to the importance of prioritizing children talking and working together, and teachers talking less and asking and listening more impact your decisions about practice and policy in your work?
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34. “My data weren’t perfect. How exciting!”
All of those dismal figures do not have to be the state of education. At FS, we found that by helping schools & districts develop a culture of collaborative inquiry, by providing them with important findings from educational, neuroscience, and developmental research, and by giving them new lenses and data to view their current practices, teachers and administrators were At the individual teacher level, we saw a number of them make some phenomenal shifts. Today, however, I am going to share with you some of the impressive changes that occurred across the scope of our work with our pilot schools.
“My data weren’t perfect. How exciting!”
FirstSchool “Six Word Stories” from teacher partners

35. A culture of collaborative inquiry, A mindset of conitnuous improvement
Ask-don’t tell
Move from evaluation to inquiry
Move from performance to mastery goal orientation
Reinvigorate professionalism
We want our children to treat others well, function effectively as a community member, take risks, learn to appreciate the perspective of others
FirstSchool2014

36. Teachers say it best…
“Now we are sharing data with one another. It is clear what successes we have had and we know what we need to work on. The data has helped us be more intentional and meaningful with every bit of our time. Time is so precious.”
“I don’t have to feel like a perfect teacher. Data gives me the feedback that helps me engage in thoughtful and meaningful planning of how to engage kids in practices and activities that I know are going to make a difference.”

37. Small Changes Make A Big Difference
As teachers change- how they use instructional time that supports high levels of learning grows dramatically:
3% = 12 minutes/day, 60 minutes/week, 2160 minutes/year = 5.5= 1+ week more
5% = 20 minutes/day, 100 minutes/week, 3600 minutes per year = 9 more days/year = nearly 2 weeks more!
10% = 40 minutes/day, 200 minutes/week, 7200 minutes per year = 18 more days/year = 3+ more weeks per year
6.5 hrs/day minus 1 hr. lunch & recess, 1 hr. basics, & .75 specials = 3.75 hours of actual instructional time available = 225 minutes/day
© FirstSchool 2013

38. Teacher Data: Monitoring Progress

39. Small Changes Make a Big Difference
8% more small group instruction
32 minutes per day
2 hours, 36 minutes per week
14 days per year

40. Predictor of Positive 3rd Grade Outcomes

41. Small changes make a BIG difference
18% decrease in didactic instruction
72 minutes per day
6 hours per week
33 days per year
24% increase in scaffolded instruction
96 minutes per day
8 hours per week
44 days per year
Ben’s Activity

42. Focus on the Predictors
Top predictors for positive third grade outcomes
Small group instruction
Peer Collaboration
Oral Language Development
Vocabulary Development
Scaffolded Instruction
Metacognition
FirstSchool 2015

43. Predictors of success for children 3rd grade and beyond
Positive trajectories
Oral Language Development
Vocabulary Development
Small group instruction
Scaffolded instruction
Metacognition
Algebra/Higher order thinking
Collaboration
Self regulation-executive function

44. Brain Research is Your Friend
FirstSchool2012

45. What if….
……from preschool through third grade, students consistently had the opportunity to:
Practice self regulation
Develop executive function
Engage in a student-centered, personalized 
and well-rounded learning
Know that school was a place they belonged and were valued
Know that teachers and peers were interested in what they said, what they knew, and what they felt
FirstSchool2014

46. Be Nice
Let the Children Talk
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47. Follow us on Twitter: @firstschoolfpg
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48. http://firstschool.fpg.unc.edu Please feel free to contact us
with questions or comments at:
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