1. Compacting Curriculum in Pre-AP and AP Social Studies College Board Southwest Regional Forum January 31, 2008 Ginny Garvic Katy ISD Social Studies Curriculum Specialist Cathy Wappler, Katy ISD GT/Advanced Academic Studies Program Specialist

2. Secondary Social Studies in Katy ISD On-level courses, grades 6-12 Pre-AP courses: grades 6,7,8; World Geography; World History AP US History, Government, Economics, European History Open access to Pre-AP and AP

3. Pre-AP/GT; AP/GT Secondary GT students served in the Pre-AP/AP program, usually as a cluster Some differentiation reflected in district curriculum documents Most differentiation occurs at the delivery level

4. Why differentiate in Pre- AP/AP/GT? Wide range of student abilities in Pre-AP/AP/GT classes Desire to minimize repetition for those students with prior knowledge of material or the ability to quickly learn on their own Obligation to provide opportunities for all students to grow

5. Guiding Questions What do we want students to know? How will we know when they have learned? What will we do when they haven’t learned? What will we do when they already know it?

6. Examples of Differentiation Strategies Flexible grouping Learning centers Product options Independent study Tiered instruction Curriculum compacting

7. What is Curriculum Compacting? One example of differentiation An instructional pacing strategy A strategy which eliminates instruction over material already mastered A means of providing advanced students with opportunities to extend their learning An opportunity to provide more individualized instruction to students who need it

8. Components of Curriculum Compacting Preassessment Documentation of mastery Extension/Enrichment learning experiences (Replacement activities) Evidence of learning (Replacement product)

9. Steps in the Process Announce to students the opportunity to pre-test over a particular unit of study Suggest resources students may use to prepare if they wish Design a challenging pre-assessment which tests for deep conceptual understanding of an objective cluster

10. Steps, continued Define a high mastery level (90%) Administer and evaluate the pre- assessment Identify students who demonstrate mastery at the 90% level Identify “non-negotiables” (“family time”)

11. Steps, continued Students who demonstrate mastery propose a plan for replacement learning activities and a product Replacement activities must be based on same objectives Students submit proposals for teacher approval

12. Steps, continued Students continue their learning independently while teacher delivers traditional instruction to remainder of class Students submit daily learning logs Students submit/share products at end of unit Students complete a reflection piece on their learning experiences

13. Keys to Success Announce pretests in advance (2-3 days) Set mastery level high (90%) Give students responsibility for designing replacement activities Guide students in choosing appropriate replacement activities and products

14. Keys to Success Communicate behavioral expectations clearly and enforce them Require daily or bi-weekly learning logs Remain within the cluster of objectives Collaborate with other teachers

15. Grading Policy Must be fair to students who test out of traditional instruction Should reflect mastery of required objectives Unit grade may not be lower than pre-test grade Unit grade may be higher than pre-test grade

16. Processing... What squares with my thinking? What is throwing me a curve?

17. Positive Side Effects Higher post-assessment grades for all students More effective use of available instructional time High levels of teacher satisfaction Increased interest in the discipline on the part of highly able students

18. Resource for Compacting and Other Differentiation Strategies Differentiation: Simplified, Realistic, and Effective by Bertie Kingore Professional Associates Publishing ISBN: 0-97-16233-3-3 Questions? ginnygarvic@katyisd.org catherinewappler@katyisd.org