1. INSERVICE GOALS: Understand TEKS Understand the difference in difficulty between TAAS & the TAKS Recognize the TAKS critical thinking skills required in the classroom Go over TAKS Blueprints (Weights) Read & Study TAKS Guide Book Understand TEKS Big Ideas Create an Appropriate Curriculum Calendar for 1st & 2 nd Six Weeks

2. Activity 1 (1 hour) Revisit Blooms Understand Rules of Thumb for Curriculum Teach 1 to 2 levels above what student expected to perform Application Evaluation Requires instruction & thinking over TIME Walk-through Looking for student performance at the appropriate level of thinking.

3. Vertical Alignment Process Reflecting National Standards Involves everyone Involves Tested TEKS Involves Teacher Accountability

4. Understanding TEKS Know level of THINKING each TEK requires Concept, Operation, Problem-Solving Concept vs. Application Level Know what TEKS are introduced & mastered In ONE year (40% of your curriculum) Create a Spiraling Curriculum Introduce – First Year Practice – Second Year Master – Third Year State Legislated – TEKS (not favorite lesson plan) – NO freedom Freedom in the classroom – resources & strategies

5. ASK YOURSELF: If I engage my students in this activity, at what level will they be required to think? How will I know?

6. What are the new Expectations? Activity 2 (1 hour) Look exclusively to your TAKS Information BookletTAKS Information Booklet Look at the Weights on the Assessment (TAKS Blue Print)Weights on the Assessment (TAKS Blue Look at the tested TEKS Look at Clarifying ActivitiesClarifying Activities Notice that the TEKS & TAKS require critical thinking skills Understand the Big Ideas

7. Alignment Committee Must ensure that mastery level TEKS are at least introduced the year before Use data analysis to make data-driven decisions Use TAKS Guide to Create Curriculum Calendar

8. Accountability at the Application Level New TAKS Test Objectives 10% Concept 90% Application or Above Exception – Social Studies Test will be closer to 50% Concept 50% Application

9. Accountability at Application Level Requires: Teaching all concepts at least to the Application Level Rule of Thumb: Teach at least one level above what You will test Requires Teaching at the Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation Level – Project-based level BEST PRACTICES MODEL -- Most Tested TEKS will be assessed at the Application Level Recommendation for Math – 90 minutes a day with 45 minutes in problem solving – every day Recommendation for LA – 45 minutes a day in Comprehension Formal Instruction

10. Logical Reasoning Skills tested on TAAS Deductive Reasoning: The conclusion reached contains no more information than the information from which it was drawn. TAAS test requires text-dependent reading (Narrative, Informative, Functional). All the answers are based on the information in the passage. NO FEELINGS ALLOWED – DO NOT READ ANSWERS FIRST Eliminate C Creative - Response FIRST

11. Difference Between Creative & Technical Reading – page 2 C- Reading Uses Inductive & Deductive Reasoning Used in Basal Readers Used in Health, Science, Social Studies Should be taught --- but should be labeled. T-Reading Uses only Deductive Reasoning – needs to be practiced everyday in all classes. Three Levels of Questions –page 4 Level 1 – Explicit - Sentence Completion Level 2 – Stated – More Difficult to Locate Level 3 – Not Stated – But answer based on evidence in the text. Students must PROVE their answer using Text

12. New Targets for Student Expectations – in TESTED TEKS CONNECTIONS RELATIONSHIPS CONSEQUENCES

13. Activity 3 (20 Minutes) Look through your TEKS Identify the Level of Think for Each TEK using BLOOMS STAR all TEKS that are at the Application Level or above Double STAR all TEKS that correlated to TESTed TEKS

14. Understanding Thinking Skills TESTed on TAKS EXAMPLES IN ALL CURRICULUM: Classifying – sorting, grouping, lumping Categorizing – labeling, generalizing Compare & Contrast – similarities & differences FLOWS INTO WRITING Correlates with SAT Correlates with ACT

15. Reading & Thinking Process IN CLASSROOM Level 1 questions closed book Level 2 & 3 questions open book test Give 3 conclusions you can support from the text Give 3 conclusions you cannot support from the text Identify C & T Questions & Answers Introduce different reading materials (Biographies, Novels, Newspaper, Cartoons, Charts) Practice Vocabulary in Context

16. READING for Progress Stories – on grade level Non-fiction –above grade level – informative Newspapers, charts, cartoons, ads, menus, bus schedules, information gathering – Research Strand Use same text for both kinds of reading C & T Student Error Rate doubles with non-fiction and triples with science and social studies texts. Teacher accountability

17. READING for Progress Connect Reading & Writing – ALWAYS Connect Writing & Oral Discussion Connect Oral Discussion & Higher-order Questioning Skills Connect Big Ideas, Concepts, Topics

18. EXIT 2000 Test Questions 1-7 Fiction – Conclusions 70% 8-16 Fiction 17-23 Informative Text 25 – 32 Functional 33-40 Fiction 41-48 Non Fiction 90% Level 3 60% Non-Fiction

19. Connection to Writing Implied Main Idea Connection to details (classify +categorizing = Main Idea..with use of synonyms) Organization of Thinking Student comes up with labels for Webbing Use: Prewriting – brainstorm, classify, webbing for organization of ideas…determines score of 4 Draft – classify and categorizing Revising Editing Defending – Evidence, Sources, Oral questions

20. Students MUST PRACTICE THE BIG TICKET ITEMS --- CRITICAL THINKING Sequencing Categorizing Cause-and-effect Relationships Comparing Contrasting Finding the Main Idea Summarizing Making Generalizations Drawing Inferences Drawing Conclusions Interpreting information from visuals Identifying points of view and bias

21. KEEP ASKING YOURSELF: If I engage my students in this activity, what level of thinking will they be required to use? HOW WILL I KNOW?

22. Create Curriculum Calendar Three Columns 1. Big Idea 2. Tested TEKS (Identify Blooms Level) 3. Activities Planned at appropriate level of thinking (Identify Blooms Level – 1 to 2 levels above TEKS SE verb)