Learning Goals, Scales and Learning Activities

Office of Academics and Transformation

Department of Mathematics and Science

Millard Lightburn, Ph.D. Science SupervisorMary Tweedy and Keisha Kidd, CSS

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• Florida Educators are tasked with guiding our students towards mastery of the New Florida Standards and Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

• To accomplish this task, it involves establishing and communicating learning goals that will enable student learning growth.

Learning Goals, Scales, and Learning Activities

Department of Mathematics and Science

Learning Goals and Progression Scales

Contemporary researchers state:•Knowledgeable teachers know what concepts are central to a discipline.•No curriculum can replace the knowledge and expertise of a teacher.•Learning goals with scales are one of the instructional planning processes that enable teachers to focus on instruction that is most important.July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

WHAT ARE LEARNING GOALS?

• Learning Goals are statements that communicate to teachers and students what students will understand and be able to do at the conclusion of instruction.

• They encompass two broad categories of knowledge: Declarative and Procedural.

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

Categories of Knowledge in Learning Goals

• Declarative Knowledge is student recall of information about facts, generalization or principles e.g. Student will understand…..

• Procedural Knowledge involves skills, strategies or processes. e.g. Student will be able to……

• Complex learning goals may involve both e.g. The student will understand “x” and be able to do “y”.July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

Research on Learning Goal

• Robert Marzano, John Hattie et al reveal that goal-setting and monitoring of progress on goals have the potential to increase student performance. In Marzano’s meta-analyses he found that a student who receives instruction with clear learning goals will likely score 16 to 41 more points on an assessment than a student who does not have a learning goal.

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

Effectiveness of Learning Goals and Scales

• For learning goals to have a positive impact on student performance, it must include a rubric or scale for learners to monitor their progress and celebrate their growth.

• For learning goals to be effective, they need to focus on the important knowledge and skills needed to master the standards.

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

Learning Goals and Students

• Learning goals must be: Comprehensible to the student and measurable either by scale or rubric both for the teacher (to monitor) and the student (to monitor his/her understanding and progress towards mastery).

• The students must be able to understand what they are expected to understand or able to do.

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

Learning Goals and Students• Standards are written for professional

educators.• Learning goals may need to be “translated”

into terms students understand.• Goals should be Measurable because tracking

progress (by teacher and student) is an essential aspect of quality instruction.

• Both teacher and student must be able to recognize when students move from one level of the scale to another.

July 2014 Department of Mathematics and Science

SCALES

I think it’s called a scale but mom calls it a @#$@#$

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

WHAT ARE PROGRESSION SCALES?• Stages or progression points that move a

student towards mastery of the goal and a set of formative learning activities that support the learning goal.

• Scales provide a clear progression of what a student should understand or be able to do.

• The progress points built into the scale should be appropriately sequenced in ascending levels of difficulty.

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Department of Mathematics and Science

IMPORTANCE OF SCALES• Scales are formative in nature because they

help guide students towards mastery.• Marzano states that the use of clear learning

goals is identified as a high-effect size instructional strategy.

• When used appropriately, scales in conjunction with formative assessments have the potential to greatly improve student performance on summative measures (e.g. FCAT, EOC etc)

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

Learning Activities• Learning activities are purposeful exercises that

engage the student with explicit content to promote mastery of the learning goal.

• Learning goal is where the student needs to be at the end of a unit and learning activities are the vehicles and paths the student uses to get there.

• Learning activities should be planned in a way that students are engaged at a level of cognitive demand consistent with the learning goal.

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

Developing Learning Goals

• At MDCPS we decided to use the achievement level descriptors and the item specifications to guide the development of the learning goals with appropriate scale progression.

• We will develop learning goals for all annually assessed benchmarks from grades 3-5.

• A sample Grade 5 Science Learning Goal is shown on the next slide.

July 2014

Department of Mathematics and Science

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Department of Mathematics and Science 15

SC.5.N.1.1 Define a problem, use appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigations of various types such as: systematic observations; experiments requiring the identification of variables; collecting and organizing data; interpreting data in charts, tables, and graphics; analyze information; make predictions; and defend conclusions. (Also assesses SC.5.N.1.2, and SC.5.N.1.4.) (Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning)

Scale Learning Goals Assignments/Activities

Score/Step 5.0

I am able to independently…… 

research appropriate reference materials to support scientific understandingdesign and carry out scientific investigations of various types

defend conclusions with evidencemeet goals from steps 3 and 4

Design and conduct an investigation/experiment, analyzing its data, reporting results and defending its conclusion with evidence from the data and research. (use science website or other sources for activities)

Score/Step 4.0

I am able to ……design a problemuse appropriate reference materials to support scientific understandinganalyze informationplan and carry out scientific investigations of various types defend conclusions with evidenceMeet goals from step 3

Design and carry out an investigation to solve a testable question.  Display findings with data, a conclusion with supporting evidence from the data and reference materials. (use science website or other sources for activities)

Score/Step 3.0 Target(Learning Goal)

I am able to ……develop a problem statementmake predictions/hypothesizeplan and carry out scientific investigations identify variables and control group (if applicable) collect, organize and interpret data defend conclusions with evidence

Develop a testable question, hypothesize and plan and carry out the experiment. Draw a conclusion using evidence from the investigation data.  (use science website or other sources for activities)

Score/Step 2.0

 

I am able to when given a problem statement and experiment………make a hypothesiscarry out the experimentcollect and record datadraw a conclusion

Make a hypothesis from a given testable question. Follow procedures to carry out the experiment then draw a conclusion.

Sample Learning Goals for Grade 5 Science

References

• The information contained in this PowerPoint was taken from the summary of the Florida Leaders online course “Learning Goals with Scale-an introduction to a high effect size instructional strategy that support standard based”. (https://www.floridaschoolleaders.org/resources/index.aspx)

• Classroom Instruction that works: Research based strategies for increasing student achievement (2001) by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, Debra and Jane Pollock.

July 2014 Department of Mathematics and Science