Implementing the Georgia Performance Standards with Fidelity Northeast Georgia RESA
“The School Keys: Unlocking Excellence through the Georgia School Standards are the foundation for Georgia’s comprehensive, data-driven system of school improvement and support.” School Keys, Georgia Department of Education
“The School Keys can be best utilized when combined with data collected using the Georgia Assessment of Performance on Schools Standards (GAPSS Analysis) instruments.� School Keys, Georgia Department of Education
“The GAPSS Analysis provides the instruments and tools that can be applied to the School Keys strands to determine school needs and, based on quantitative and qualitative data collected from a variety of sources, chart the progress of schools.� School Keys, Georgia Department of Education
“There’s a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza, Dear Liza. There’s a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza, a hole!” American Folk Song
The highest level that water can rise in a holey bucket is the height of the lowest hole.
The GAPSS Analysis provides the opportunity to find the “holes” in our schools through data collection and then find appropriate ways to “plug” them using continuous school improvement to raise the level of student achievement.
The Georgia Department of Education encourages the use of the School Keys and the GAPSS Analysis by schools, systems, and RESAs as tools to assist in measuring, guiding, and facilitating the constant growth that occurs as a school strives for continuous improvement.� School Keys, Georgia Department of Education
Our purpose today is to: ďƒ˜ Score classroom obser vations using the GAPSS Obser vation Tool to strive for common expectations. ďƒ˜ Develop a deeper under standing of the GAPSS data collection process as a result of the training on use of the GAPSS Obser vation Tool.
Reading the Obser vation Tool The code in the left-most column references the strand, standard, and element for the Georgia School Keys and Implementation Guide.
C 1.1 = Curriculum Strand/Standard 1/Element 1
The second column from the left houses the elements that describe the behaviors to be observed. Under the column marked OBSERVED, participants will check beside the element if it is observed and leave it blank if not. The examples found in the right-most column do not represent an exhaustive list; they are merely examples.
Read through the observation tool. ďƒ˜ Mark any areas for which you have questions or would like further clarification. ďƒ˜
Frequently Asked Questions ďƒ˜
For I 1.3, is it enough for the teacher to have the GPS and essential question posted or do he/she also have to reference the standards to check this element as observed? ď ś The
AND in this element tells the observer that the standard/essential question should be posted AND referenced during the observation to mark this one as observed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is meant by, “Higher-order thinking skills and processes are utilized in instruction” and “Higher-order thinking skills and processes are evident in student work”?
Frequently Asked Questions:
What should we look for when the element says, “Instruction is dif ferentiated to meet student readiness levels, learning profiles, and interests ”?
“. . . A differentiated classroom provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products so that each student can learn effectively.” Tomlinson, How to Dif ferentiate Instruction in Mixed- Ability Classrooms , 2001
Differentiated Instruction IS NOT. . . The individualized instruction of the 1970s. Chaotic Just another way to provide homogeneous grouping. Just “tailoring the same suit of clothes” (i.e., being “easier’ on needier students and “harder” on more talented students) Tomlinson, How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms , 2001
Differentiated Instruction IS. . . Proactive (the teacher proactively plans a variety of ways to “get at” and express learning)
More qualitative than quantitative (giving students different types of assignments rather than varying the number of their assignments)
Rooted in Assessment (formative assessment) A provision of multiple approaches to content, process, or product. Student-centered A blend of whole-class, group, and individual instruction Organic (evolves during instruction)
Tomlinson, How to Dif ferentiate Instruction in Mixed- Ability Classrooms , 2001
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean by, “The use of technology is integrated ef fectively into instruction”? Though
technology can be any tool that is used to facilitate learning, the intent here is any electronic device that is used to facilitate learning. However, the ef fective use of technology implies that it is used to its maximum value (i.e., SMART board used not merely as another projection device but rather an interactive device for students and teachers).
Frequently Asked Questions ďƒ˜
What is meant by formative assessments ? ď ś Assessments
that are formative are processes and tasks that are used throughout a lesson/unit for the purpose of gauging student progress with feedback and for the purpose of adjusting instruction in light of student needs or gaps. These can be teacher questions, tickets-out-the-door, tasks, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “written commentar y ” look like? Written
commentary refers to comments, either from the teacher or by student, on student work that gives some feedback to the student regarding his/her progress toward mastering the standard within the work. You may see written commentary on student work displayed in the classroom or in students’ notebooks/portfolios.
Frequently Asked Questions ďƒ˜
How do I ask the student questions at the bottom of the second page of the observation tool? ď ś
Students are questioned, up to three, when the classroom setting affords the observer the opportunity to do so, such as the class working in small groups or individually. Place a check in the blank if the student could answer correctly (regarding the standard), leave it blank if the student did not answer correctly, and circle NA if you could not ask the student.
Use your Observation Tool to score the instruction you witness in the following video:
Measurement Lesson 2nd grade class Georgia Per formance Standard Addressed: M2M1. Students will know the standard units of inch, foot, yard, and metric units of centimeter and meter and measure length to the nearest inch or centimeter .
Discussion of the observation
Different points of view
The data collected on all the observations serves as a snap-shot of the operations of the school overall – NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS.
Our purpose today was to: ďƒ’ Score classroom obser vations using the GAPSS Obser vation Tool to strive for common expectations. ďƒ’ Develop a deeper under standing of the GAPSS data collection process as a result of the training on use of the GAPSS Obser vation Tool.
Kaycie Maddox Mathematics Specialist for Grades 9-12 Northeast Georgia RESA 706/742-8292, ext. 227 kaycie.maddox@negaresa.org