STEP A

Preparing for the Data Team Process

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OUTCOMES

Know the rationale for “Step A” with respect to the data team process.

Experience Step A as a tool to help teachers become more intentional with their instruction.

Understand the benefits of “Step A”.

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Formal Data Team Process

Step A Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

Prepare for the

Data Team Process

Collect and

Chart Data

Analyze Strengths

and Obstacles

Establish Goals: Set,

Review, Revise

Select Instructional Strategies

Determine Results

Indicators

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I. EXAMINE EXPECTATIONS

Guiding Question: What must students know and be able to do (essential learning/power standards) by the end of this unit?

A. Briefly review the big ideas, content assessments (if applicable), and other relevant materials to get the “gist” of the unit. List key

ideas below.

B. For each lesson in the unit, read the title and the intended learning statement/goal/objective. Review the lesson to see what both the

teachers and students will be doing. Arrive at a common understanding of the intended learning for each lesson, paraphrase it, and record it on chart paper or on a separate document in the format shown below.

Lesson # Paraphrased Intended Learning

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PARAPHRASING WITH SPECIFICITY

Objective: Students are immersed in the language andvisual design of poetry to deepen their understanding of the genre’s elements.

Ask: Specifically what is happening in this lesson? What is the benefit to students?

Paraphrase: Students will scan a poem to find an attention grabbing snippet & will comment on why they chose it to deepen understanding of the elements of poetry.

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C. Look for patterns or themes in your list generated in Part B. Circle or markthe lessons that correspond to the same pattern/theme/skill/concept in

order to identify what might be essential in this unit. If your curriculum has already specifically identified the essential learnings for the unit of study, list them below.

D. In Making Standards Work, Doug Reeves suggests the following criteria when selecting essential learnings:  

Endurance: Will students use this skill or strategy throughout their academic careers? Leverage: Can students use this learning in other content areas? Necessity: Do students need to know this skill or strategy before they can learn something else? Is it a stepping stone to other learning?  Apply these criteria to your list from Part C to select or discuss your curriculum’s identified essential learnings. Also consider whether the learning is specific, measurable, and attainable.  

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E. Record the essential learnings for this unit along with the correlating lessons from Part C below. Note the standards and/or progress report

indicators addressed by referring to the unit addendum, the alignment to standards spreadsheet, or other similar resources.

Essential Learning Correlating Lessons Standards Addressed

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II. DEVELOP A CURRICULUM MAP

Guiding Question: What is the target timeframe for this instructional unit?

A. Refer to the Year at a Glance, Timeframe Documents, or other similar resources to determine the recommended pacing for the unit. Enter the approximate timeframe for the unit below.

Approximate beginning date:______________

Approximate ending date:__________________

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III. CREATE OR IDENTIFY A COMMON SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Guiding Question: What does proficiency look like for each essential learning?

A. Consider this simplified scale by Robert Marzano from The Art and Science of Teaching.

4 In depth inferences and applications that go beyond what will be taught.

3 “DEFINITION

OF PROFICIENCY”No major errors or omissions regarding simple or complex ideas that will be explicitly taught.

2No major errors or omissions regarding simple ideas; major errors or omissions regarding more complex ideas.

1A partial understanding of some of the simpler and complex ideas.

0No understanding or skill demonstrated.

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Notice the definition of proficiency in score point “3” and that all score points relate to the degree of demonstrating the simple and the complex ideas around the essential learning. To begin, first consult professional resources to agree upon a working definition of any content-specific terms. Then identify the “simple” and the “complex” by considering the following:

SIMPLE: Students will know____...

For the simple, determine what knowledge you want students to have about the essential learnings.

Think about the basic levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, and consider the following verbs: count, define, describe, draw, find, identify, label, list, sequence, tell, write, recall, match, quote, summarize.

 COMPLEX: …and will be able to________. For the complex, determine how students will apply what they know.

Think about the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, and consider the following verbs: compose, design, perform, evaluate, invent, organize, compare, contrast, rank, produce.

Essential Learning

Definition of Content-Specific Terms

Simple Complex

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B. Finally, create or identify an assessment that allows students to demonstrate their current levels of proficiency around the essential learning(s). Assessments should specifically address both the simple and complex components of proficiency. Include a common script for any parts intended to be read aloud.

  If an assessment already exists for the unit, identify specifically which questions address the simple and/or complex components of proficiency.

Score the results using the Marzano rubric, and record them on a separate document along with noted student strengths and obstacles. This data will be utilized in Step 1 of the data team process.

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Formal Data Team Process

Step A Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

Prepare for the

Data Team Process

Collect and

Chart Data

Analyze Strengths

and Obstacles

Establish Goals: Set,

Review, Revise

Select Instructional Strategies

Determine Results

Indicators

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TALK AT TABLES

What are the benefits of the Step A process?

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BENEFITS OF THE “STEP A” PROCESS

Grounds the data team process in the specifics of the instructional unit.

Addresses the Three Common Expectations. Allows participants to become intimate with core

curriculum. Generates common understanding of instructional

terms and proficiency levels. Provides common goals and timeframes for

instruction. Takes the subjectivity out of scoring. Provides opportunities for collaboration and rich

conversation among colleagues.

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