A leading national education journal has given the state of Texas an "A" for its standards and accountability system. The ratings were published in Business Week’s 2010 Quality Counts report, which this year focuses on the national standards debate and examines the quality of work states have done independently preparing their own standards. Texas received a grade of "B" for a related category, "transitions and alignment." The results were announced in a news release last month from the Texas Education Agency.
Full Quality Counts information is available at: http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2010/01/14/index.html .
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
UbD Curriculum Design in Mirrors & Windows
We recently received the following question from a school district reviewing Mirrors & Windows: Do the materials offer multiple measures to assess student mastery consistent with UbD curriculum design?
Answer: The Mirrors & Windows program applies the Understanding by Design curriculum design through the following features:
Desired Results:
· Set Purpose questions in the Before Reading section for every selection help students set goals
· Student rubrics are provided to establish goals and guidelines for Writing Workshops and Speaking & Listening Workshops
· Learning Objectives for each lesson are provided in the Teacher’s edition
· Reader’s Context and Mirrors & Windows questions address the “big ideas” or essential questions and specific understandings that are desired
Assessment Evidence:
· After Reading critical thinking questions assess understanding of the lesson and extension activities offer opportunities for application of learning
· Student Checklists and self-and peer-evaluations are included in the Writing Workshops
· Selection Quizzes are provided for each selection in Meeting the Standards
· Selection Tests and Unit Tests are provided in the Assessment Guide and ExamView Assessment Suite®
Learning Plan:
· The Assessment Guide and ExamView® Assessment Suite offer Formative Surveys and oral reading fluency assessments that indicate a student’s ability level.
· Students can then be assigned selections at the appropriate reading level, with corresponding leveled activities in the Meeting the Standards unit resources and appropriate lessons from the Differentiated Instruction supplements.
· Additional Differentiated Instruction is provided in the Differentiated Instruction supplements and the Teacher’s Edition
Answer: The Mirrors & Windows program applies the Understanding by Design curriculum design through the following features:
Desired Results:
· Set Purpose questions in the Before Reading section for every selection help students set goals
· Student rubrics are provided to establish goals and guidelines for Writing Workshops and Speaking & Listening Workshops
· Learning Objectives for each lesson are provided in the Teacher’s edition
· Reader’s Context and Mirrors & Windows questions address the “big ideas” or essential questions and specific understandings that are desired
Assessment Evidence:
· After Reading critical thinking questions assess understanding of the lesson and extension activities offer opportunities for application of learning
· Student Checklists and self-and peer-evaluations are included in the Writing Workshops
· Selection Quizzes are provided for each selection in Meeting the Standards
· Selection Tests and Unit Tests are provided in the Assessment Guide and ExamView Assessment Suite®
Learning Plan:
· The Assessment Guide and ExamView® Assessment Suite offer Formative Surveys and oral reading fluency assessments that indicate a student’s ability level.
· Students can then be assigned selections at the appropriate reading level, with corresponding leveled activities in the Meeting the Standards unit resources and appropriate lessons from the Differentiated Instruction supplements.
· Additional Differentiated Instruction is provided in the Differentiated Instruction supplements and the Teacher’s Edition
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)