Common Core Curriculum Maps for ELA

Look at the free curriculum maps for ELA when working on your pacing guide. The second edition is already out and will be available to you soon. Ms. Amy has lots of the books referenced for each grade level!!
http://www.commoncore.org/free/

Mastery Connect

Please go to the following site and watch the video about the mastery connect system. I highly recommend joining the free online community. You can look at other assessments from teachers in the area and upload your own. Our ipods will work great with this system because there are free apps that can be used by the students that correspond to this site. Please let me know what you think about it. You can either comment to this entry or send me an email. Hope you can use this!!

http://www.masteryconnect.com/

Program Reviews Questions and Answers

I am including a link from Kentucky Teacher that addresses many questions about Program Reviews and what will be coming up within the next school year! We will discuss many of these questions in our meeting tomorrow.
http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/features/2012/01/assessment-system-looks-to-%e2%80%98develop-well-rounded-kids%e2%80%99/

Topics for 2012

Click on the link below in order to listen to the following:
In a special video edition of Commissioner’s Comments, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday welcomes Kentucky educators back to school after winter break, and offers a preview of  “what’s hot and what’s coming in 2012.” Among the topics highlighted are the Unbridled Learning: College/Career Readiness for All assessment and accountability system; student growth; Kentucky Core Academic Standards; new professional development resources; and the upcoming legislative session.
http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/commissioners-comments/2012/01/exciting-changes-improvements-for-kentucky-schools-in-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+KentuckyTeacher+%28Kentucky+Teacher%29

K-Prep Released Items/Thinkfinity

Kentucky Department of Education recently released sample assessment items for the 2011-2012 Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) test. The new assessment for grades 3-8 is a blended model built with norm-referenced test (NRT) and criterion-referenced test (CRT) items which consist of multiple-choice, extended response and short answer items.

I have included a link to the sample items that have been develped for each part of the assessment (CRT and NRT). As more items become availiable, I will send you updates! Be sure to look at the K-PREP blueprint and items and times.
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Testing+and+Reporting+/District+Support/Link+to+Released+Items/Sample+Assessment+Items+for+K-PREP.htm

While gathering this information, I came across a site that I have seen used in many classroom but wanted to remind everyone what a wonderful resource that you have for free! If you click on the "in my classroom" tab, you will be directed to many standards based lessons and ideas!
http://www.thinkfinity.org/

Another Formative Assessment Idea

In the links that Ms. Kelli sent for data analysis, there was a brochure on how to use the weekly selection test in our reading series as a teaching tool and formative assessment. Last year we discussed how to count the selection test into the overall grade since we were giving common summative assessments at the end of each unit. We are only giving grades for summative assessments so the selection tests can still be a great tool to use when monitoring student progress of the learning targets. Instead of looking at it as comprehension of the story, you can look at the skill the students must apply to answer the question and determine if they are mastering that skill. If you give a selection test weekly, you would have the data along the way to see what you needed to go back and re-teach as a whole group or with a smaller group of students before they apply those skills on the summative assessment.

I placed this brochure in your mailbox and it includes: how to use the weekly selection test, which students take the test, how to use the data to inform instruction, and a description of constructed response questions.

Follow-up on Data Analysis

Last week at our staff meeting, you received an example of how to analyze individual and whole group summative test results on one sheet. This is very helpful because it provides a visual of what learning targets you need to go back and work on with individual students and it allows you to see what types of questions the majority of your class is missing. Ms. Kelli mentioned how she documented results for her students with reading. I have included the links she sent me and a brief description of each.

http://meswiki.wikispaces.com/First+Grade
This site provides unit benchmark analysis that correlates with Reading Street. You can select your grade level on the left turquoise column and you will find the analysis and other instructional resources for that reading unit.

http://www.falmouth.k12.ma.us/index.php/home/academics/english-language-arts/reading-street-documents
This page contains detailed information about the Reading Street curriculum by grade level. You can access how they format their ELA block, what small group and guided reading looks like with this reading series, how each week is organized, pacing guides, etc...