1. Assessing Academic Conversations
Presented by:
Cynthia Godoy, NBCT
&
Kit McConnell, NBCT
Monday April 13 & Monday April 27 3:30 – 5 pm

2. Goals of the Grant: To build a statewide network of accomplished classroom teachers and other education leaders who will:
provide expertise for the instructional shifts needed to implement the CCSS in ELA and Mathematics, and the NGSS;
support the design and implementation of school-based professional learning around instructional practice;
create and lead regional professional development;
become a resource for continued instructional support statewide by communicating and coordinating with CTA/local associations, school districts, county offices of education, and the California Department of Education.

3. Engaged participants will…
Experience a text-based academic conversation
Apply knowledge of academic conversations to instructional planning
Use strategies for assessing academic conversations
Identify benefits of using academic conversations
Collaborate around structures to support various conversations

4. THE 4 C’S OF THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity

5. of quality PD 4 Domains Students Instruction & Pedagogy
Knowing your students and attending to all strengths and needs
Strong content knowledge
Use of effective instructional strategies and Depths of Knowledge (DOKs)
Incorporating the 4 SBAC Claims and multiple assessments
Students
of quality PD
4 Domains
Content Knowledge
Instruction &
Pedagogy
Claims
& Assessment

6. Instruction & Pedagogy
Knowing your students and attending to all strengths and needs
Strong content knowledge
Use of effective instructional strategies and Depths of Knowledge (DOKs)
Incorporating the 4 SBAC Claims and multiple assessments
Students
of quality PD
4 Domains
Content Knowledge
Instruction & Pedagogy
Claims & Assessment

7. Experiencing academic conversations
What factors do you consider when grouping students?
Kagan
Heterogeneous/Homogeneous
Social Factors
What else?

8. Experiencing academic conversations
Form a group of 4 – 5

9. Experiencing academic conversations
Choose a role:
Facilitator: Assures full participation
Assessor: Monitors and evaluates conversation
Time Keeper: Keeps group on task
Reporter: Communicates group findings publicly
(Groups of 5 will have duplicate roles)

10. “Studies show homework isn’t much of a burden”
The Text
“Studies show homework isn’t much of a burden”
Read the text individually
Mark up the text/take notes on your own
Formulate one question on an index card
In 20 minutes your group should have created 4 to 5 open ended questions based on the text

11. Play your role Assessor:
- Collect your home group’s question cards and travel to another group.
- Once in the new group, you will observe and assess the academic conversation using the “TALKS” handout.

13. Play your role Facilitator: Lead your group’s conversation.
1. Decide which two questions your group will discuss
(DOK: distinguish, critique, compare, evaluate).
2. Consider the strategies you can utilize to promote participation of all group members. Foster conversation about the text and attempt to answer your “top two” questions.

14. Play your role Recorder/Reporter: Summarize your group’s
conversation on the Recorder/Reporter Notes, and be
prepared to share out.

15. Play your role
Timekeeper: Decide on the best ways to alert your group to the time limitations. Communicate the tools that you’ll use before your group begins.
For 10 minutes your group will have an academic conversation. The assessor will observe participation.

16. Instructional Shifts

17. Report Out What did you talk about? Assessor’s perspective
Measuring success

18. For Monday April 27th Try this out!
Bring artifacts related to the academic conversation:
TALKS form,
questions on index card,
Recorder/reporter notes,
video,
short piece of student writing that was a result to the conversation,
other ideas…

20. Resources… SBAC sample activities SBAC prompts SBAC performance task
Benchmark assessments
Anytime students have to write
Visual texts
AVID Weekly

21. Evaluation Access evaluation at: www.rlstevenson.net
Click on the following:
DepartmentsEnglish Language Arts Assessing Conversations