The goal is to know the Ohio Academic Content Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics and to demonstrate use of the grade level indicators in the planning and delivery of instruction. The heart of these standards detail what students should know and be able to do at every grade level. Staff has been involved in a variety of activities beginning with a self-assessment to rate their knowledge of the content standards. Summer reading, required for all district staff, focused on a question/answer format about standards, assessment and accountability. Grade level teachers and support staff (reading teachers, specialists) have been responsible for presenting material from each chapter in the monthly staff meetings.
Although the teacher provides classroom instruction, students play an integral role. "I Can...." statements are visible in classrooms, reflecting student-friendly language about what they know as a result of instruction. Student work is showcased in the office lobby and on hallway bulletin boards, as well as in classrooms.Another related goal is to monitor student achievement that results from this instructional delivery. Our building vision statement emphasizes student success through excellence of instruction. In order to accomplish this, interventions are in place to meet the academic needs of all students. Teachers meet at grade levels to discuss student progress and ways to promote student achievement through a cyclical model of assessing, revising and teaching to meet state standards.
The second priority is Using Data to Guide Instruction. The data that is available comes from informal assessments and observations within the classroom & formal assessments (standardized) given at a grade level. This data is valuable since teachers are able to identify individual student achievement, target intervention(s) and plan instruction accordingly. For instance, in preparation for March testing, interventions include individual/small group tutoring and instruction. Shorter assessments taken periodically allow monitoring of student progress. Next month, I'll continue to discuss more of our Academic Achievement Plan.