Professional Learning

Establishing Essential Learnings

Team Reflection
Do we teach, test, and hope for the best or teach, test, and clean up the rest ? Is either of these models in effect in our school? What are some questions we could ask to begin moving away from these models?

 8-10 big ideas per semester that every student should master Measurable using both common assessments, both formative and summative Proficiency level for all students should be identified by the team Results from common formative assessment should be used to guide the team s next steps

Insights from Doug Reeves (2002)

What do we want students to learn?

Does it have endurance?
Do we really expect our students to retain the knowledge and skill over time as opposed to merely learning it for a test?

Does it have leverage?

Will proficiency in this standard assist the student in other area of the curriculum or other academic disciplines?

Does it develop student readiness for the next level of learning?

Is it essential for success in the next unit, course, or grade level?

Resources to consider
National standards
NCTM, NCTE, NSTA

State standards
GPS

Wish lists of essential learnings identified by teachers at the next grade level Teacher-made units of instruction from previous years

How will we know when each student has acquired the essential knowledge and skills?
Common Formative assessment
Are the students learning and what steps must we take to address the needs of those who have not learned?
Formative assessment is assessment for learning and summative assessment is assessment of learning (Stiggins, 2002)
(physical exam vs. an autopsy)

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