HJMS
Evaluation & Assessment Dec 2015 Issue 2
Professional Learning
December 8 -
Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix. Preview the following linked article.
http://www.karin-hess.com/#!The-Hess-Cognitive-Rigor-Matrix/cmbz/7C5E6A13-1611-4CC5-BC84-1074B05080BC
December 9 -
Response to Intervention (after early release)
December 15 -
Tiered Instruction & Assessment Using ALDs/Standards Rubric
GA Milestones - Promotion/Retention
Resuming in the 2015–2016 school year, grades 3, 5, and 8 students’ performance on the reading portion of the ELA test will be used to provide a grade-level reading determination of Below Grade Level or Grade Level or Above. The determination is based on the linkage of the Lexile scale to Georgia Milestones. To be eligible for promotion, students must demonstrate reading skill at the beginning of the grade-level stretch-band. The stretch-bands were developed to signal the reading level at each grade students need to achieve to be college and career-ready upon graduation. Students who receive a Reading and Vocabulary domain designation of Below Grade Level need remediation and are eligible to retest in ELA. Generally speaking, these students will be in the Beginning Learner and some at the lower end of Developing Learner achievement levels. Students who achieve the beginning range of Developing Learner demonstrated sufficient writing and language skills to increase their achievement level but may still be reading below grade level.
Math:
Also resuming in the 2015–2016 school year, grades 5 and 8 students must achieve the Developing Learner achievement level in mathematics to be considered eligible for promotion. These students have demonstrated partial proficiency of the grade level concepts and skills and can proceed to the next grade level when provided focused instructional support. Students who achieve the Beginning Learner achievement level should receive remediation and be provided the opportunity to retest.
EOG Interpretive Guide for Spring 2015: http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Documents/Milestones/EOG%20Resources/GA%20Milestones%20EOG%20Interpretive%20Guide%20for%20Score%20Reports%20Winter%202014-Fall%202015.pdf
Sample Differentiated Product Assignment
http://www-tc.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/inst180/docs/inst180_s5_r2.pdf
PL - Follow Up on Differentiation: Tiering
How to Make Tiering Invisible to Students
From time to time, students may question why they are working on different assignments, using varied materials, or coming to dissimilar outcomes altogether. This could be a blow to your classroom morale if you’re not tactful in making your tiers invisible.
Make it a point to tell students that each group is using different materials or completing different activities so they can share what they learned with the class. Be neutral when grouping students—use numbers or colors for group names, and be equally enthusiastic while explaining assignments to each cluster.
Also, it’s important to make each tiered assignment equally interesting, engaging, and fair in terms of student expectations. The more flexible groups and materials you use, the more students will accept that this is the norm.
Tiering assignments is a fair way to differentiate learning. It allows teachers to meet the needs of all students while using varying levels of tasks. It’s a concept that can be infused into homework assignments, small groups, or even learning centers. If done properly, it can be a very effective method to differentiate learning because it challenges all students.