Welcome toI-CAT Training!

Iowa Core Outcome 4

…increase the degree of alignment of each and every

student’s enacted curriculum … to the Iowa Core

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Today's Outcomes• Ensure a common understanding of

curriculum and alignment concepts and terms

•Deepen understanding of the alignment process

•Learn how to use (and how to train others to use) the ICAT tool

Success CriteriaAt the end of today’s session, your team will be able to…

• prepare the I-CAT for use in your district (administrative level).

• train and support your teachers in using the I-CAT (teacher level).

• generate reports from the I-CAT.

The process to be used was strongly influenced by the following resources:

• Surveys of Enacted Curriculum http://www.seconline.org

• Webb Tools http://facstaff.wcer.wisc.edu/normw/

Giving Credit *

Brad Niebling, Heartland AEA 11

A review of alignment concepts and terms

Alignment

Directionality Level of AnalysisDimensions

Horizontal Vertical Coarse-Grained Fine-Grained

Topical/Conceptual Knowledge

Cognitive Complexity/ Demand Emphasis

A review of alignment concepts and terms

The 1st phase of alignment will focus on:

• Intended Curriculum to Enacted Curriculum

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• Summative self- reports

• Observation & dialogue

• On-going conversations

•Dimension: Topical/Conceptual Knowledge

•Directionality: Horizontal Alignment

•Level of Analysis:Fine-grained results (with coarse-grained, as well)

The 1st phase of IC alignment will focus on:

So… what’s the big deal about alignment?

Why does it matter if instructional content (your enacted curriculum) aligns with your intended curriculum?

(the Iowa Core’s Essential Concepts, Skills, and Standards)

The Policy The Purpose & Potential

(The research regarding best practice)

The Policy:The Iowa Core was signed into law…

• Senate File 2216 was passed in April 2008

• Implementation plan requirements outlined by the Department of Education

• Organized into 6 outcomes (Outcome 4: Alignment)

6 Outcomes (Iowa Core Implementation Plan)

1. Leadership2. Community3. Continuous Improvement4. ALIGNMENT5. Professional Development6. Characteristics of Effective Instruction

Outcome 4 District/School leaders and other educators monitor and use data to increase the degree of alignment of each and every student’s enacted curriculum and other relevant educational opportunities to the Iowa Core. (intended curriculum)

Policy

If district/school leaders (administrators, teachers, and the school board) and other educators monitor and increase the degree of alignment between the intended, enacted, and assessed curriculum, then the quality of instruction will improve and student learning and performance will increase.

Purpose & Potential

1.Guaranteed & viable curriculum2. Challenging goals & effective feedback

3. Parent & community involvement

4. Safe & orderly environment

5. Collegiality & professionalism

What Works in Schools… Marzano(School level factors that contribute most to school effectiveness)

1.Guaranteed & viable curriculum

What Works in Schools… Marzano

Guaranteed: • Clearly articulated content… addressed in specific

courses and at specific grade levels… regardless of the teacher a student is assigned to… for ALL students

Viable: • Adequate time for addressing the

articulated content…

“Opportunity to Learn”The Research:

What do you think this phrase might

mean?

Opportunity to learn refers to equitable conditions or circumstances within the school or classroom that promote learning for all students. It includes the provision of curricula, learning materials, facilities, teachers, and instructional experiences that enable students to achieve high standards. This term also relates to the absence of barriers that prevent learning.

“Opportunity to Learn”

In this chapter… we focus on Opportunity to Learn (OTL) in the

narrowest sense:

students’ content exposure.

Handbook on Education Policy Research:Schmidt, W.H., & Maier, A. (2009). Opportunity to Learn. In G. Sykes, B.L. Schneider, D.N. Plank (Eds.), Handbook on Education Policy Research (pages 551-552). New York, New York: Routledge.

The Research:

The Research: Opportunity to Learn

• Read the excerpt from the article• Look for the 4 general findings about U.S. curricula• Jot down ideas as you read

Individually…

Collectively…• Engage in conversation about…

• What is the current status of YOUR district in regard to these 4 issues?

Opportunity to LearnHandbook on Education Policy Research:

The 1st phase of alignment will focus on:

• Intended Curriculum to Enacted Curriculum

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So… how do we do it?

District Setup

Teacher Setup

https://peoplebox.aea11.k12.ia.us/4DCGI/ilg

Iowa Curriculum Alignment Tool

I-CAT (Firefox is the preferred browser to use with I-CAT)

The mindset necessary for this work:

• Not evaluative or judgmental

• Requires both individual work and collaborative work

• Individual reflection and data entry• Collaborative conversations and data analysis

https://sites.google.com/site/aea11alignment/learningcenter/videos

So what can I-CAT tell you?

(A summary of multi-level “hit rate” analysis)

So what can I-CAT tell you?

(Which ECS were taught, and which were NOT taught)

(Line-by-line summary of alignment between what is taught and the Details within each ECS set)(Details taught designated by “x”; not taught highlighted yellow)

Course-specific information:

So what can I-CAT tell you?

(Comparison of courses at the detail level- with summary)

Consider these…

Policy

Purpose

Potential

Passion

Possible Next-Steps for schools/districts, after teachers complete the ‘first pass’ with ICAT…

• Determine a schedule for on-going alignment activities

• Use the alignment data generated to…

oCreate a database of grade and course sequences that ensure an opportunity to learn the full Iowa Core for every student

oCreate & add, modify or eliminate content from instruction to ensure sufficient opportunity to learn for every student

oEngage in professional development (or seek advice from content specialists) on course/instructional design

THANK YOU!We appreciate your participation today!

Please take a moment to complete this end-of-session survey.

http://survey.aea267.k12.ia.us/survey/6758/29a5/