Priority Expectations

“Roll-Out” of Priority Expectations Purpose To provide an opportunity for all Lenawee County H.S. core content teachers to learn about “Priority Expectations” and the “Priority Expectations” Initiative…..  What Priority Expectations are  Why they are important  Process used for identifying Priority Expectations  Steps and timeline for work of the initiative  Opportunity to review and provide feedback/input on Lenawee’s DRAFT Priority Expectation documents

“Who among you has ever, in one year, been able to effectively teach and assess all the standards and indicators for which you are responsible?” (Power Standards, Identifying the Standards that Matter the Most, Larry Ainsworth, p.12)

Priority Expectations Are:  The standards that each teacher needs to make sure that every student learns prior to leaving the current grade.  A brief, straightforward, easy to read document to guide standards based instruction

Why Priority Expectations?  Most teachers lack a 400 day school year and students with photographic memories and there are too many standards  Power Standards narrow the focus of academic requirements  In striving to cover all standards, we end up superficially “covering” the standards like a wet blanket  The “less is more” theory

Random Acts of Improvement Goals and Measures Aim of the Organization Without Priority Expectations *With Priority Expectations Goals and Measures Aim of the Organization Aligned Acts of Improvement

 Standards: the general statements of what students need to know and be able to do at a particular grade level or in a particular course.  GLCE’s: Grade Level Content Expectations as defined by the MDE for students at the K-8  HSCE’s: High School Content Expectations as defined by the MDE for students to obtain HS credit as part of the MMC (Michigan Merit Curriculum) Common Vocabulary

 Expectations: the specific statements of knowledge or skills that students need to know and be able to do at a particular grade level or in a particular course (same as GLCE/HSCE). Priority Expectations: are those statements (i.e. standards, benchmarks, expectations, indicators, objectives, etc.) that, once mastered, give the student the ability to use reasoning and thinking skills to learn and understand other curriculum objectives. Supporting Expectations: are the remaining content expectations that will be embedded within instructional units to support the learning the overall course content expected of all students in a particular grade level / course. Common Vocabulary

Starting the Wheel in Motion… Identify Priority Expectations/ Standards (Nov. & Dec. 2009) Unwrap the Standards (March 2010) Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas and Essential Questions (March 2010) Unit Development ( April 2010 ) Assessments: Formative and Summative (Summer 2010) Use of Data to Drive Instructional Decisions (Data Director - continuous) Curriculum Mapping Identify Standards

 The “Million Dollar” Question… How can we achieve standards without becoming standardized?

Lenawee County’s Priority Expectations Process Step Who is Involved? Timeline Training - 2-day training session, for 1-3 representatives from each local district, presented by a consultant/trainer from The Center for Leadership & Learning Internal Coaches - Participate in “Engaging Classroom Assessments” (2 day seminar)  Discover the rationale for narrowing the academic content standards to the Priority Expectations.  “Unwrap” these standards and determine Big Ideas or enduring understandings from them.  Write these Big Ideas as Essential Questions to guide instruction and assessment.  Design performance tasks to enhance student understanding.  Develop components of the assessment model, including interdisciplinary standards, engaging scenarios, performance tasks, and task-specific rubrics or scoring guides. Learn the steps to creating a standards-based performance assessment that includes all components of the model Internal Coaches (best representative for each core area) October 2009 Develop Priority Expectations in 4 core areas:  Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II  Language Arts, 9 th -12 th  Biology, Chemistry/Physics, Earth Science  U.S. History/Geography, World History/Geography, Civics, Economics 3 to 5 internal coaches for each course - 1 day Internal Coaches November & December 2009 Schedule & Conduct Planning Meetings Contact all building principals to schedule planning meeting with Superintendent, Principal, and Internal Coaches / Teacher Leader Team to discuss and develop district action plan and plan of support. Disseminate “Roll-Out” Priority Expectations Process & DRAFT Documents  Internal coaches share information about Priority Expectations purpose, process, timelines, initiative, etc. and gather input/feedback on DRAFT documents from colleagues in their districts. Supt., Principal, Internal Coaches, LISD Coordinators Internal Coaches January 2010 January/ February 2010

Priority Expectations Criteria…Three Lenses What do students need for success in... School Life State Test

Priority Expectations Identification Criteria—Three Lenses  Readiness for the Next Level of Learning  Endurance  Leverage

READINESS What knowledge and skills must I impart to my students this year so that they will enter next year’s class with confidence and a readiness for success? Do teachers in the next higher grade regard this standard as a necessary entry point for a student to enter that grade with success and confidence? Vertical alignment (Grade 9 to Grade 10) Foundational learning in Math, Science, and Social Studies

ENDURANCE  Will the knowledge and skills to which this standard relates be used by students for several years after they use that standard at this grade level? Statewide assessment blueprint School improvement goals

LEVERAGE  Will the knowledge and skills to which this standard help students in other academic areas? Reading comprehension Technology skills Graphic representations

Priority Expectations Criteria

Fence Analogy  The “fence posts are the “priority expectations/standards” in which teachers need to “dig deeper” to effectively “set the posts for learning” ensuring student competency of these standards.  The “fence rails” are the “supporting expectations” that helps connect and support the priority standards. Fence posts and support rails are both needed to create a fence!

Don’t forget Priority Expectations Identifying a set of “Priority Expectations/ Standards” does not relieve teachers of the responsibility for teaching all standards and indicators. It simply notes which ones are most critical for student success in school, life, and on the state assessment, and, therefore, should receive the greatest emphasis for instruction and assessment.

Stop and Remember The textbook is not the curriculum. Priority standards / expectations are part of the curriculum. GO Forward! Remember, the curriculum is derived from the Standards/ Content Expectations outlined by the State of Michigan. The priority standards/content expectations will help us systematically prioritize the time we spend on the each of these content expectations at each level and in the various courses.

Next Steps…  Share Priority Expectations Documents  Collect feedback on DRAFT documents from county educators  Internal Coaches meet to share county- wide feedback on DRAFT documents and develop next “DRAFT” of Expectations  Internal Coaches begin the Unwrapping Process  Coaches will then roll out “Unwrapped” Information---Stay Tuned!

We identify Priority Expectations so that… …we have collective understanding and agreement on the things in which all students should have knowledge and competence We unwrap the Priority Expectations so that… …the concepts and skills contained within the standards are clearly stated and collectively interpreted. The unwrapping process also reveals: big ideas essential questions levels of thinking All of these elements come together to guide the development of formative assessments and effective instruction

Putting the Pieces Of the Puzzle Together Clear Learning Targets Effective Teaching Strategies Formative and Summative Data Assessment: Accountability for student learning. The Leadership and Learning Center

Resources  Lenawee - Priority Expectations Wiki site:  Morenci High School – Internal Coaches / Teacher Leader Team: ELAHeather Walker Math ScienceKerry Nieman Social StudiesJesse Bach