STEP A

STEP APreparing for the Data Team Process1Step A is a precursor to the data team process. Steps 1-5 are repeated over and over as a cycle, while Step A is done once at the beginning and is not part of the cycle; hence, the name. It is a process that is applicable to any instructional unit.1OutcomesKnow the rationale for Step A with respect to the data team process.Experience Step A as a tool to help teachers become more intentional with their instruction.Understand the benefits of Step A.

2There are three primary outcomes in this presentation: rationale, benefits, and experience.2

Formal Data Team ProcessStep AStep 1Step 2Step 3Step 4Step 5Prepare for the Data Team ProcessCollect and Chart DataAnalyze Strengths and ObstaclesEstablish Goals: Set, Review, ReviseSelect Instructional StrategiesDetermine Results Indicators3Most people are familiar with the Center for Performance Assessments data team process as outlined here. The challenge generally begins with steps 1 & 2 since schools often use data from CSAP or Benchmark data to begin the conversation only to discover that the curriculum doesnt always address the identified needs. Step A grounds the data team conversations in the essential learning of the instructional unit rather than relying solely on data from high stakes summative exams.3EXAMINE EXPECTATIONS

Guiding Question: What must students know and be able to do (essential learning/power standards) by the end of this unit?Briefly review the big ideas, content assessments (if applicable), and other relevant materials to get the gist of the unit. List key ideas below.For each lesson in the unit, read the title and the intended learning statement/goal/objective. Review the lesson to see what both the teachers and students will be doing. Arrive at a common understanding of the intended learning for each lesson, paraphrase it, and record it on chart paper or on a separate document in the format shown below.

Lesson #Paraphrased Intended Learning4The overview piece should just be a 2-3 minute glance over unit introductory materials. Teachers sometimes tend to rely on the lesson titles or the lesson objective statements when charting. Digging into the lesson, however, is the only way to gain a deep enough understanding to paraphrase the learning with specificity. Typically it is sufficient to spend 1-2 minutes per lesson for the charting purposes. 45

This is an example of a chart generated while looking at a fifth grade poetry unit for reading. This unit contains 15 lessons. It is a good idea to label the chart and to write the lesson objectives in a single color to make color coding potential essential learnings easier.5Paraphrasing with specificityObjective: Students are immersed in the language andvisual design of poetry to deepen their understanding of the genres elements.

Ask: Specifically what is happening in this lesson? What is the benefit to students?

Paraphrase: Students will scan a poem to find an attention grabbing snippet & will comment on why they chose it to deepen understanding of the elements of poetry.

6Notice Read, Ask, Paraphrase = RAP. Paraphrasing with specificity is key to developing deeper understandings around the intention of the lesson and is helpful to have as a reference during the data team process. Show the actual lesson here.6Look for patterns or themes in your list generated in Part B. Circle or markthe lessons that correspond to the same pattern/theme/skill/concept in order to identify what might be essential in this unit. If your curriculum has already specifically identified the essential learnings for the unit of study, list them below. D. In Making Standards Work, Doug Reeves suggests the following criteria when selecting essential learnings: Endurance: Will students use this skill or strategy throughout their academic careers? Leverage: Can students use this learning in other content areas? Necessity: Do students need to know this skill or strategy before they can learn something else? Is it a stepping stone to other learning? Apply these criteria to your list from Part C to select or discuss your curriculums identified essential learnings. Also consider whether the learning is specific, measurable, and attainable.

7Get all ideas on the table when suggesting possibilities for what is essential. Then use the criteria to narrow down the list to 1-2. One or two essential learnings is generally reasonable for six-week unit unless otherwise specified in the curriculum.7Record the essential learnings for this unit along with the correlating lessons from Part C below. Note the standards and/or progress report indicators addressed by referring to the unit addendum, the alignment to standards spreadsheet, or other similar resources.

Essential LearningCorrelating LessonsStandards Addressed8List the essential learning and the numbers of the lessons that specifically address the learning. The essential learning(s), however, can become the lens with which to approach all lessons. Refer to district documents (addendum progress report indicators, for example) to identify which standards are being addressed by the essential learnings. 8 DEVELOP A CURRICULUM MAP

Guiding Question: What is the target timeframe for this instructional unit?Refer to the Year at a Glance, Timeframe Documents, or other similar resources to determine the recommended pacing for the unit. Enter the approximate timeframe for the unit below.

Approximate beginning date:______________ Approximate ending date:__________________9Everyday Math has timeframe documents that say specifically how much time to spend on the unit. The dates are identified to put a stake in the ground for planning purposes.9III. CREATE OR IDENTIFY A COMMON SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Guiding Question: What does proficiency look like for each essential learning? Consider this simplified scale by Robert Marzano from The Art and Science of Teaching.

4 In depth inferences and applications that go beyond what will be taught.3 DEFINITION OF PROFICIENCYNo major errors or omissions regarding simple or complex ideas that will be explicitly taught.2No major errors or omissions regarding simple ideas; major errors or omissions regarding more complex ideas.1A partial understanding of some of the simpler and complex ideas.0No understanding or skill demonstrated.10

When completing this rubric, it is only necessary to identify step 3: proficiency. Getting specific about the simple and complex ideas around an essential learning is sufficient to address all score point on the rubric.10Notice the definition of proficiency in score point 3 and that all score points relate to the degree of demonstrating the simple and the complex ideas around the essential learning. To begin, first consult professional resources to agree upon a working definition of any content-specific terms. Then identify the simple and the complex by considering the following:SIMPLE: Students will know____...

For the simple, determine what knowledge you want students to have about the essential learnings.

Think about the basic levels of Blooms taxonomy, and consider the following verbs: count, define, describe, draw, find, identify, label, list, sequence, tell, write, recall, match, quote, summarize.

COMPLEX: and will be able to________.For the complex, determine how students will apply what they know.

Think about the higher levels of Blooms taxonomy, and consider the following verbs: compose, design, perform, evaluate, invent, organize, compare, contrast, rank, produce. Essential LearningDefinition of Content-Specific TermsSimpleComplex11Use the sentence frame Students will know_________and will be able to ___________ to identify proficiency. Consider what knowledge you want students to have around your essential learning (know) and how they will apply that knowledge (be able to).1112

This is the definition of proficiency for the essential learning around reading poetry with fluency for the fifth grade reading unit. Notice the specificity of the language. Fluency is now prosody and is defined.12Finally, create or identify an assessment that allows students to demonstrate their current levels of proficiency around the essential learning(s). Assessments should specifically address both the simple and complex components of proficiency. Include a common script for any parts intended to be read aloud. If an assessment already exists for the unit, identify specifically which questions address the simple and/or complex components of proficiency.

Score the results using the Marzano rubric, and record them on a separate document along with noted student strengths and obstacles. This data will be utilized in Step 1 of the data team process.13Be sure that the assessment specifically addresses both the simple and complex aspects of proficiency.1314

This is the assessment for the fifth grade poetry unit. This is an example of an assessment that is not long, complicated, or done with pencil and paper. The assessment will be score with the Marzano rubric. When scoring, also note students strengths and obstacles using anecdotal notes.14

Formal Data Team ProcessStep AStep 1Step 2Step 3Step 4Step 5Prepare for the Data Team ProcessCollect and Chart DataAnalyze Strengths and ObstaclesEstablish Goals: Set, Review, ReviseSelect Instructional StrategiesDetermine Results Indicators15The data generated from the pre-assessment will be the data that is charted in Step 1 of the data team process. Corroborate strengths and obstacles with data from a body of evidence in Step 2.15Talk at tablesWhat are the benefits of the Step A process?16Benefits of the Step a ProcessGrounds the data team process in the specifics of the instructional unit.Addresses the Three Common Expectations.Allows participants to become intimate with core curriculum.Generates common understanding of instructional terms and proficiency levels.Provides common goals and timeframes for instruction.Takes the subjectivity out of scoring.Provides opportunities for collaboration and rich conversation among colleagues.

17The Three Common Expectations are specifically addressed in #2 (data use). A net result of this process becomes fidelity to the core (#1). Probably the most valuable benefit of the step A process is the conversation. In units without pre-determined essential learnings, WHAT teachers identify as essential is less important than THAT they are collaborating to identify something as essential. Narrows the focus of instructional units.

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