Home and School Meeting May 16, 2013

Home and School MeetingMay 16, 2013 Heterogeneous Classrooms

The Lord and Gospel Values are the reason we have our school! • He has given us community and offered us the opportunity to spread His word. • Everything else flows from this truth. • As heard in the Spring Show “We are all in this together.” • We have to recognize and know this. Do we all believe this? It is our prayer that we embrace it. We can only pass it on if we do believe and embrace it.

Academic Excellence flows from the first reason we exist. It flows from our formation in Gospel values.

A Reflection and Comparison • The Lord Himself did not teach a group of all “like” or “similar” abilities, interests, or talents. • The Lord had a truly “mixed” group. • His band of apostles and disciples were often identified as highly unlikely to succeed. • This is food for thought and reflection.

VISITATION B.V.M. • V -- Verbal, Visual, Vivacious • I -- Independent/Interests • S -- Scaffolding • I -- Intelligences/Involved • T -- Thematic Assignments • A -- Anchoring Learning • T -- Tiered Activities/Learning • I -- Intrapersonal/Interactive • O -- Oriented with all in mind • N -- No one is left out/All are important!

Reasons/Notes/Study Common Core State Standards Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies Terra Nova Testing results Multiple opportunities to challenge, practice, reach for the stars…

Middle States Crossroads • The Middle States process calls for the administration and faculty to look at all programs and determine positives, negatives and levels in-between. • Determination on pedagogy that is not working the best is one among other considerations. • This decision has been discussed for three to four years already.

Common Core Standards Teachers are facilitators of learning in CCSS. • Students have many abilities and cognition factors in common but there is ALWAYS plenty of room to challenge, reach, stretch, practice, go over again, support, ask the middle to go further, ask those who need repetition to listen to a great idea.

Independent Working Group As we have it now there may be three or four levels of learning in this group. Our teachers address this differential on a daily basis. The same process will occur in the next year. Perhaps with fewer students who can reach high in the room, they will be able to do so more easily.

Archdiocesan Support and Suggestion Heterogeneous grouping continues to be the suggestion and recommendation of the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education. There was no ultimatum from them; however, they have strongly encouraged this format whenever they have come for visits. Unanimous vote of the Faculty – all grade levels.

Some Notations from our experience • Higher CSIs in the blended groups. They may not have had all other criteria. • Harder and more enthusiastic workers have arisen in the blended groups. • The students in the “top” group, for want of a better word, have not always worked to their ability. They learn in class and don’t turn in work/assignments… • Better discussions by far in the blended groups.

Real-world Issues • There was always a criteria for “top” group or Group 1. We , as educators, know what works best for a homogeneous group. • At this time of year we would work very hard at analyzing all scores and data. • Information was sent home and with good solid data behind it. • Immediately the office staff and teachers would receive numerous calls of concern that child/children were not placed in this group . • Many meetings… • Sometimes, students were placed in on probation. • Sometimes, not placed in group but continuing issues because of it.

Continuing Real World Issue • As grouping proceeding into new school year… • Students emerged as not capable of keeping up with the Group 1. • Calls and meetings to and with parents. • Educators were not always permitted to remove students from group. • The lower end and struggling end of Group 1 does not have same ability as the higher end.

Real World Issues continued… • Differentiated learning had to be employed in many cases because of the disparity. • Lower end of group does pull down the overall effectiveness of a group like that. • Group 1 students were being tutored. • Group 1 students should not have to be tutored.

When students were struggling in group 1 parents were called; discussions at length; time frames were set up; performance didn’t improve; but parents would not permit child to be pulled from group. • Overall effectiveness of this format was not there.

What is the “new” plan? • This is a “play” on words as the plan is really not “new” at all. • We have been executing “DIFFERENTIATION” FOR A LONG TIME. • It has been happening in all groups ALREADY. • For us, it is already REAL WORLD, a 21st century learning concept.

DIFFERENTIATION • What is it? • Definition • What the teacher does? • What the teacher does not always do? • It is not about just giving harder tests! This is NOT the meaning at all.

Some Examples • Tiered Learning • Literature Circles • Scaffolding Tools • Brainstorming Vocabulary Usage

Some More Examples • Project-based learning with choices according to interest • Graphic organization • Cubed learning models • Rubrics which offer variations according to levels and difficulty • Circles where sharing/collaboration occurs but all report. You will see different interests and choices emerge when communication is employed. (21st century terms…)

Aligning Lesson Plans with the Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy • Verbs that focus the “cubing” of lessons” • Cubes vary with tasks or commands that are appropriate to the level of readiness or ability. One can do this with tasks on ability levels or with tasks that target different learning styles such as verbal, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, musical, art, etc…

Focus on verbs in the Cube… • Acquire Create • Apply Draw • Adjust Ask • Assess Repeat • Remember Judge • Understand Compare • Analyze Contrast • Evaluate Infer

21st Century Learning =the Differentiated Classroom Rigor Relevance Relationship Reflection Communication Collaboration Critical Thinking Creativity

Home and School Meeting May 16, 2013