Closing the Achievement Gap Using Scripted Curriculum By Kristen Taylor Teach For America St. Louis, ‘06
WHY SCRIPT A CURRICULM?!?! It’s supposed to be a solution to a problem. CONVENIENCE Problem: Teachers are doing nothing - Keep lazy teachers on track Problem: Teachers are teaching everything but. - Provide a baseline or minimum Problem: Comparison by classroom is impossible - Allow for tracking across divisions
PROBLEMS !*%$ THIS CURRICULM!
Steps to Success 1. Mindset: Books are resources – not scripts. 2. Knowledge: How do the “powers that be” assess your students using this curriculum? 3. Knowledge: Is the activity/lessonGLE aligned? 4. Skill: Practice the process using the content.
Books are a resource – not a script! “Houghton Mifflin School Division develops comprehensive learning programs that include a variety of products to help maximize teaching effectiveness.”
How do the “powers that be” assess your students using this curriculum?
• Teachers: Grades, tracking skills, etc. • Specialists: focus groups, their own tracking, etc. • Principals: comparison with other schools, alignment to the Board-approved resources • Superintendent: value-added, research, etc.
Is it GLE aligned?
What if it isn’t? 1. Content – context – immediate situation 2. Process – how – method – Show Me Standards 3. Frameworks – Should know, should do, sample activities
Practice the process using the content. DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL!!!! Check what is already there. • • • •
QAR – Question-Answer Relationships RAP Depth of knowledge Bloom’s Taxonomy