Benchmarking the Change Process: Where Are We Now?

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Ron Heifetz 3 TECHNICAL PROBLEMSADAPTIVE CHALLENGES 1. Easy to identify1. Difficult to identify (easy to deny) 2. Often lend themselves to quick and easy (cut-and-dried) solution 2. Require changes in values, beliefs, roles, relationships, & approaches to work 3. Often can be solved by an authority or expert 3. People with the problem do the work of solving it 4. Require change in just one or a few places; often contained within organizational boundaries 4. Require change in numerous places; usually across organizational boundaries 5. People are generally receptive to technical solutions 5. People often resist even acknowledging adaptive challenges 6. Solutions can often be implemented quickly—even by edict 6. “Solutions” require experiments and new discoveries; they can take a long time to implement and cannot be implemented by edict

What have we shifted? 6 Shifts in Mathematics Focus Coherence Fluency Deep Understanding Applications Dual Intensity 6 Shifts in ELA/Literacy Balancing Informational and Literary Text Building Knowledge in the Disciplines Staircase of Complexity Text-based Answers Writing from Sources Academic Vocabulary

Reading Targets EngageNY.org5 CCSS goal: students leave the lesson having read, analyzed and understood what they have READ. Current goal: Students leave the lesson knowing the details of the narrative and the way a particular “element” is playing out.

“Students living in poverty often have a gap in their knowledge of words and knowledge about the world.” -David Liben EngageNY.org6

Fluency allows the brain to focus on comprehension Breadth of vocabulary increases comprehension Background knowledge increases fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension (Shanahan and Duffett 2013) Implementing curriculum that considers these linking factors involves exposing students to grade level text, with appropriate support. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE VOCABULARY READING

The Complex Text Dilemma Understanding complex texts depends on rich understanding of many, many words. Comprehension fails unless the reader understands at least 95% of the words in a text. Richly understanding a word depends on having encountered and understood it many times in a variety of contexts.\ One cannot learn what one doesn’t understand. Ideally, such scaffolding would begin on the very first day of school, with prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers reading aloud stories and nonfiction texts that build on each others’ vocabulary and ideas.

Poverty + 2 Common Disabilities 9 Rapid Naming Deficit How quickly we link stimuli to words Phonological Deficit Connecting letters and letter combos to sounds Poverty Massive Language Gap Deliberate skills instruction (Lisa Delpit was right!) Frequent opportunities for oral comprehension, rich language experiences, background knowledge to keep students’ comprehension progressing Frequent exposures to coherent texts which are connected to the primary materials. Exposure to varied, spiraled, and sophisticated syntax, content knowledge, and vocabulary. Guided Reading with Grade Level Complexity Leveled text structure does not prohibit domain specific Acceleration Consumption of a volume of text

Argument vs. Persuasion Argument is not about trying to get others on your “side.” Not everyone is an renown/established expert on something “A logical argument…convinces the audience because of the perceived merit and reasonable-ness of the claims and proofs offered rather than either the emotions the writing evokes in the audience or the character or credentials of the writer.” (CCSS ELA appendix A)

Argument vs. Persuasion Argument as required by the CCSS means not resorting to tabloid appeals to get attention, nor does it require broadcasting your expertise to appeal to audiences. (This isn’t fox news and it isn’t Paul Krugman.) Argument as required by the CCSS means using considering multiple perspectives, thinking beyond surface knowledge, critiquing the validity of one’s own thinking, anticipating counterclaims.

Ron Heifetz 12 TECHNICAL PROBLEMSADAPTIVE CHALLENGES 1. Easy to identify1. Difficult to identify (easy to deny) 2. Often lend themselves to quick and easy (cut-and-dried) solution 2. Require changes in values, beliefs, roles, relationships, & approaches to work 3. Often can be solved by an authority or expert 3. People with the problem do the work of solving it 4. Require change in just one or a few places; often contained within organizational boundaries 4. Require change in numerous places; usually across organizational boundaries 5. People are generally receptive to technical solutions 5. People often resist even acknowledging adaptive challenges 6. Solutions can often be implemented quickly—even by edict 6. “Solutions” require experiments and new discoveries; they can take a long time to implement and cannot be implementedby edict

Curriculum Ensure that lesson design, planned scaffolding, supports, and interventions maximize student thinking, analysis, and problem solving and constantly target the standards. Collaborate with colleagues on the best ways to adapt lessons plans to meet the needs of all students while still targeting grade level standards. Make curricular planning decisions for any English Language Learners (ELLs) using the Bilingual Common Core Progressions.

Data Driven Instruction Conduct test/task/ student-work-in-hand analysis meetings that follow a protocol such as the Analysis Meeting Protocol. Carefully discuss appropriate scaffolds/ supports for any students who are struggling against specific standards and push each other’s thinking to ensure student growth during all planned activities. Re-teach/ adjust teaching practice based on analysis of student progress against the Common Core State Standards 14

Culture of Safety & Development Communicate and foster an environment in which growth is a process that involves risk taking, making mistakes, and perseverance for students and colleagues Work with parents/families to help them to understand the Common Core State Standards and assessments. Provide access points for parents/families to understand shifts in instruction/ math progressions/ expectations for students like the ideas and resources accumulating on the parent page on EngageNY.org. Communicate specific, standards based areas of growth and development so that parents/families can track their students’ learning. 15

Persistent Practice Here’s the analysis (theme, tone, character) find the evidence By the end of the lesson, students will know… Oh they can’t read that because… I want them to appreciate… We’re supposed to read ___ texts in ___ grade. Hermione Granger Syndrome Buckets of Books Disparate, disconnected pieces of knowledge 16