2014-15 SLO-Math Professional Development Unit

1. 2014-15SLO-MathProfessional Development Unit By: Rebecca Johnson-LeDoux Place Bridge Academy

2. During the course of this PDU, what three instructional strategies did I implement? What strategy worked best? Why? Math SLO- 1st Grade Standard: add/subtract within 20: Students who struggled were allowed to use a number line or a number grid as a strategy as it helped them with number recognition. Students who were more comfortable with their numbers and counting were given a choice to how to solve problems: start with larger number (count on/back), draw a picture, or touch math. The strategy that worked best was count up/back as students could begin at any number to implement this strategy and it was a time saver when it came to our 5 minute math tests. This also allowed students to find patterns in counting and build automaticity. Students can use this strategy in later grades. The biggest thing I did to implement this SLO and these strategies was to practice, practice, practice!

3. How did I apply the PDU strategies in my classroom/practice? (examples) Who did I collaborate with during the PDU? Discuss the ways you collaborated while implementing the PDU strategies. *For examples see the Artifact slides* Strategies were applied throughout the data gathering process. Throughout the PDU process I was able to collaborate with my teammates as well as other grade levels to discuss what they were doing in their classrooms in relation to their SLOs. Even though different grade levels have different standards they all relate and build upon each other. I can see/hear about where I needed to get my kids ready in relation to the following year. Being a Teacher Leader I was also able to help out different groups and see what they were doing in relation to their SLO and work in their classrooms. I also had meaningful conversations with many colleagues that helped me with my SLOs during the process. We were able to work with our TEC to discuss the different steps and what would work best for us at our school. We were given many opportunities to work on our SLO PDU during the school day. This allowed us to meet with others, go over data, and make any changes we thought were necessary. We were also able to support each other in this process as it was new to all of us. This collaboration allowed us to discuss our findings and results at different parts of the process.

4. What did I learn to do differently as a result of the PDU and strategy implementation in my classroom or in my practice? This SLO process requires teachers to consider standards that can be assessed for an entire school year. Due to this I was able to take multiple assessment points with different assessments during the school year to see individual progress towards a standard. I was pleasantly surprised to see the progress that ALL of my students made, no matter their level. The difficulty I found was finding time to regularly assess using the 5 minute math tests and to decide what other pieces of evidence I wanted to collect. This made me think about my curriculum and what I did in my classroom that would help track progress and what lessons touched on the standard I chose. I discovered there were a lot of different ways for my students to practice and apply the standard in different formats within the curriculum. Sometimes I found myself gathering too much data! This SLO PDU helped me look more closely at my groupings of students based upon the baseline data and preparedness levels. After originally setting my groups I was able to move students around groupings and see their progress based upon their BOE I was collecting. This PDU helped me in understanding my grade levels standards better and how I can apply them to my curriculum in ways that will benefit the students in learning these standards.

5. Why is this PDU action research process important to my students learning and to my growth as a professional? This entire process allowed teachers to analyze, discuss, and reevaluate their teaching methods throughout the entire school year. We were able to see what was and was not working for our students. Having the time to discuss with my colleagues my results throughout the process helped me grow as to adding more “tools” that I can use in my own classroom that would benefit my students. By me being able to analyze what I am doing in the classroom allows me to focus on the skills the students need to learn in order to be successful in future grades. This process implements different steps in the data process and allows teachers to track every students progress towards being proficient in a specific standard, no matter their level. All students are included in this process which allows for teachers to see each one of their strengths and weaknesses and discover ways to support them. I felt I got to know my students better through this process and could celebrate with them ALL at the end of our time together.

6. PDU Data AnalysisReflecting on the data you have collected, how did this experience impact instruction, progress monitoring, student performance, and your own practice? I asked myself some questions during this process: • Baseline: What level are the students beginning? What are their misconceptions? What strategies do they use? This helped me see what level they began. • BOE: What progress are they making towards proficiency? What areas are they strong in? Where does review/re-teaching need to be? I had many ways to see their progress of growth. • My lesson plans changed in that I did more review of the skills and concepts the students struggled with to create a better foundation for the skill. • Small groups were being pulled more often for skills to be reviewed. Small groups were also being changed more frequently to cover a more focused skill (i.e. word problems, strategies, etc.). • I looked more closely at student work samples and focused in on specific problems that addressed the specific standard, even if the entire lesson did not focus on that standard. I really got to know my curriculum because of SLOs. • I realized more ways students could show their proficiency towards this standard, not just drills.

7. How will I apply my new learning in the future to further my practice? What are my next steps? • This was a practice year for us all when it came to SLOs. The entire process was drawn out over the entire school year. Next year we will still be learning this process but things will happen more closely to the beginning of the year. I have learned the steps to this process and the things I need to consider when setting my preparedness levels and my BOEs. I was able to identify those students who struggled with this standard earlier on and see the strategies that did work for them and those that did not through their BOE. Students were constantly being moved around in small groupings based upon their BOEs. Some students really made progress in this standard and it was rewarding to see it through their work. The students that struggled still made progress from where they began at the beginning of the year. Maintaining the BOE allowed me to see this progress and share it with them as well. • My next steps are to finish out the school year maintaining this progress and trying to move students closer to being prepared for their next school year. Examining their BOEs and any other data I collect will help me continue to set small groups. Regular assessments and practice will allow students to apply their knowledge and skills, thus allowing proficiency in this standard. I will then take what I learned and experienced this year to prepare myself for next year in working with SLOs.

8. PDU Artifact Baseline data with language levels to help with my preparedness levels.

9. PDU Artifact Baseline data groupings while considering language level

10. PDU Artifact Edits by me to Performance Criteria after discussions with colleagues.

11. PDU Artifact Changes recommended by a colleague.

12. PDU Artifact Data to help baseline groupings from BOY Interim

13. PDU Artifact SLO data-Star Math from beginning of the year-used for preparedness levels

14. PDU Artifact Growth students showed on their STAR Math assessment for EOY.

15. PDU Artifact-Student 1 Timed assessments-4 months difference

16. PDU Artifact-Student 1 continued Strategies to help add/subtract

17. PDU Artifact-Student 2 5 weeks difference

18. PDU Artifact-Student 2 continued Different methods to apply skills.

19. Exit Ticket • What support(s) do you need to further your professional growth in future PDUs? • Being a PDU leader I was able to communicate with the coordinators and gather resources for those participating. I learned as I went along. It was a great learning experience for me. I think any teacher needs more time! • 2 things that you took away from the PDU this year & constructive criticism • I think for the SLO process to be more successful next year the process cannot keep changing while it is being worked on. There are a lot of steps to it and teachers stressed over all the steps that needed to be completed. • I really enjoyed seeing what my colleagues thought about this process and the artifacts they chose to present during the final phase. I am proud of our student’s growth as well as my colleagues in this learning process. • I think getting to know your curriculum and assessments can help in the process.