Kentucky’s Curriculum Documents A driving force behind education in Kentucky

Agenda:General Overview The Big Picture Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment Reasons for Recent Changes The Critical Documents and Their Relationships The Impact of the Documents on Schools and KDE

Guiding Questions What do I know about the state curriculum documents? What do I know about recent revisions and refinements in the documents? How do the documents impact schools? How do the documents impact my work with pre-service teachers?

Overall Outcome A general understanding of the state curriculum documents, their role in Kentucky education, and how they impact schools, education providers, and KDE.

Part I: Historical Perspective In the beginning there was…………

Name the 6 Learning Goals of KERA 1.Basic communication and math skills 2.Ability to apply core concepts 3.Ability to become self-sufficient 4.Ability to become responsible members of family, work group, community 5.Ability to think and solve problems 6.Ability to connect and integrate experiences and knowledge

Learning Goals National Standards Academic Expectations Program of Studies Core Content District and School Curriculum Curriculum Hierarchy Combined Documents

Part II: Why Revise the CCA and POS? To assure alignment with emerging national and international standards and research in all areas The Kentucky Board of Education determined that the Program of Studies should be reviewed and revised accordingly

Part II: Why The Revisions? (cont.) To better organize, clarify and focus the Core Content Assessment standards to guide instruction and assessment To draft the Blueprint for the 2007 assessment and beyond (new NCLB requirements)

Part III: A Closer Look Program of Studies Core Content for Assessment Relationships Depth of Knowledge

Learning Goals National Standards Academic Expectations Program of Studies Core Content District and School Curriculum How are the documents organized? Combined Documents

What’s The Big Idea? Why is the Program of Studies organized around big ideas?

Test 1 Learn these numbers

Types of Memory Short term memory 5 to 20 seconds Working memory Varies but temporary/chunking Long Term Memory Can be retrieved indefinitely/large relevant concepts (big ideas)

Test 2 Learn these letters DV DN BCT VF BIU SA

Big Ideas Current brain research suggests a key factor that distinguishes expert learners from novice learners is one’s ability to organize thinking by big ideas (National Research Council 2000)

Big Ideas Big ideas bring relevance to the classroom and “have enduring value beyond the classroom” (Wiggins and McTighe) Big ideas help promote transfer of learning from year to year.

What do I know about the Program of Studies Revised 2006 and Core Content for Assessment, Version 4.1? Test Your Knowledge!

The Program of Studies ….. It’s the LAW!!

Purpose of the POS The Program of Studies defines the minimum standards for all students in Kentucky

POS Organization Big Ideas Related Academic Expectations Enduring Understandings Skills and Concepts

The Core Content for Assessment ….. It’s the TEST!!

Purpose: Core Content for Assessment 4.1 Represents Kentucky’s Academic Expectations and is a subset of the content standards in the Program of Studies Is not a comprehensive curriculum or course of study

Purpose: CCA 4.1 Identifies content for inclusion on state assessment and provided focus for 2007 item development Provides parameters for KY teachers and assessment contractors to design the state assessment items

CCA Organization Domains (e.g., SC = Science) Grade Span and Level (Elementary, Middle, High and Primary-EP, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, High School - HS) Subdomains (e.g., Physical Science) Organizers (e.g., Motion and Forces) Specific numbered assessment standards Depth of Knowledge ceiling for state assessment

Organized by Levels End of primary, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, high school Ensures continuity and conceptual development in a content area across levels

Organized using Bold and Italicized Statements Bold = state assessed Italicized = supporting content

Organized using Parentheses If there is a list inside parentheses with an e.g., preceding it, that means the examples included are meant to be just that, examples. (e.g., car, airplane, train)

Organized using Parentheses If the list is NOT preceded by an e.g., the list is to be considered exhaustive and only those items will be assessed. (car, airplane, train)

Addition of Verbs for each content area Represents how students will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge, concepts and skills on the state assessment Contributes to understanding the depth of knowledge and cognitive complexity expected for the state assessment

Sample CCA Standard AH Students will analyze or explain the use of elements of music in a variety of music. DOK 3 Under this standard are listed the elements of music (rhythm, tempo, melody, harmony, form, timbre, dynamics) and specifically what will be tested regarding each element.

Combined Documents… Completing the structure Look at the example combined documents. Share what you find with others at your table.

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is… Deep understanding.

Norman Webb Senior Scientist Norman L. Webb is a senior research scientist with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the National Institute for Science Education. Webb is a mathematics educator and evaluator who leads the Institute's work on strategies for evaluating reform and rethinking how we evaluate mathematics and science education, while focusing on the NSF's Mathematics and Science Partnerships. His own research has focused on assessment of students' knowledge of mathematics and the alignment of standards and assessments. Webb also directs evaluations of curriculum and professional development projects. Contact Information Phone: (608) Office: 783 Ed Sciences Mail Drop: 78 Website:

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Indicates the cognitive demand limits for the state assessment Defines the “ceiling” or highest DOK level for each Core Content for Assessment Standard for the state assessment Guides item development for the state assessment, classification of test items, and alignment to Kentucky standards

DOK (cont.) No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires assessments to “measure the depth and breadth of the state academic content standards for a given grade level” (U.S. Department of Education, 2003, p. 12)

Remember: Depth of Knowledge… Is descriptive, not a taxonomy Focuses on how deeply a student has to know the content in order to respond Is not the same as difficulty

Depth of Knowledge Assigning depth-of-knowledge to content standards and assessment items is an essential requirement of alignment analysis Four levels of depth of knowledge were used for assessment analysis and alignment: Recall and Reproduction – Level 1 Skills & Concepts – Level 2 Strategic thinking- Level 3 Extended thinking – Level 4

Depth of Knowledge Activity Look at the DOK Support Materials. In groups, use the Support Materials to sort the sample assessment items into DOK levels.

Final Exam! Questions?