Implementation and Benefits of Vertical Alignment

How your role will make a difference! 

Fall 2018 - Staff Development

By Fjola Unnarsdottir

AGENDA

STAAR score data for grades 3 - 5

The gap between grade levels

Agenda 2

How vertical alignment will benefit the students at BES

Tools and practices to help facilitate success

Agenda 3

Continuing vertical alignment throughout all grade levels in the future

Thoughts, comments and concerns

Agenda 4

What is vertical alignment?

How vertical alignment will be utilized at BES

Agenda 1

What Teachers Make

We will develop a PLC for vertical alignment to ensure student success!

Teachers Make a Difference

Brazos Elementary has the ability to make our academic readiness stable and consistent throughout third through fifth grade.

WHAT IS VERTICAL ALIGNMENT??

Vertical Alignment

Great Schools Partnership (2014) states: When a curriculum is vertically aligned or vertically coherent, what students learn in one lesson, course, or grade level prepares them for the next lesson, course, or grade level. Teaching is purposefully structured and logically sequenced so that students are learning the knowledge and skills that will progressively prepare them for more challenging, higher-level work.

"In the end, data-driven instruction is not about teaching to the test: it is about testing the teaching. That makes all the difference." (Bambrick-Santoyo & Peiser, 2012, p. 34).

• Establish a meeting schedule for PLC
• DATA
  
• Collaborate effective cohesiveness between grade levels
  
• Effective assessments
  

STEPS TO SUCCESS Alignment Great Schools Partnership (2014) states: When a curriculum is vertically aligned or vertically coherent, what students learn in one lesson, course, or grade level prepares them for the next lesson, course, or grade level. Teaching is purposefully structured and logically sequenced so that students are learning the knowledge and skills that will progressively prepare them for more challenging, higher-level work. "In the end, data-driven instruction is not about teaching to the test: it is about testing the teaching. That makes all the difference." (Bambrick-Santoyo & Peiser, 2012, p. 

Take this moment to use your district calendar to collaborate the dates and times PLCs will be held.

We will resume in 10 minutes.

With your grade level group, please choose 3 weekdays which would work best, then morning or afternoon for each day chosen. You will then compare and contrast your days with the other grade levels and determine the most common amongst the grade levels for your PLC meetings.

Spring 2015

76% of students reached "satisfactory"

STAAR 3rd Grade

Percent of students on grade level between 2015 and 2017

Spring 2016

73% of students reached "satisfactory"

Spring 2017

63% of the students reached "approaches" while only 25% reached "meets"

3rd

2015

3rd Grade Students As They Progress In Grade Levels

The 2015 grade level third graders as they move to 4th (2016) and 5th (2017)

4th

2016

5th

STAAR scoring "meets". This means the student percentage is at grade level. 2017

2015

4th Grade STAAR "satisfactory" percentage

STAAR 4th Grade

4th Grade STAAR results from 2015 to 2018

2016

4th Grade STAAR "satisfactory" percentage

2017

4th Grade STAAR "approaches" percentage

4th Grade STAAR "approaches" percentage

                   2018

THOUGHTS???

PLC Teams

"It’s called a vertical “team,” which means, just like its name implies, it’s a team. When teachers come together to maximize student success, they work towards the same goal and collaborate to ensure seamless transitions for students from year to year." (Catapano, n.d.).

A curriculum that is coherently organized and sequenced, on the other hand, avoids these potential issues—at least in theory. What students are learning builds on what they have learned previously, and lessons are not unnecessarily repetitious or redundant across courses, subject areas, and grade levels (Great Schools Partnership, 2014). Teachers generally know what is being taught by other teachers, particularly teachers in the same subject area, including the subject-area material and standards that are taught in both previous and subsequent grade levels (Great Schools Partnership, 2014). All learning materials—from textbooks and reading materials to quizzes and tests—are based on the same consistent and coherent set of learning expectations (Great Schools Partnership, 2014).

Vertical Alignment Goals

To create a smaller deficit between the grade level STAAR scores. We will also ensure that students maintain high performance levels as they continue throughout grade levels. 

How???

3-STEPS PROCESS MODEL

Steps to success with our vertical alignment

Grade level collaboration on TEKS and assessments

Collaboration

Implementing effective teaching strategies within the classroom.

Implementation

Students performance on STAAR will reach or maintain "Meets" or "Masters" level 

Output

Collaboration

• Our collaboration will work from the top down. 5th will meet with 4th and 4th will meet with 3rd.  
  
  
• The teams will discuss TEKS within units and develop appropriate assessments. 
  
  
• The teams will meet after assessment is given and determine which TEKS the students are not grasping. 
  

• Reteaching will be done over the TEKS the students struggle with.
  

• The teacher will have impromptu observations during the process. 
  

IMPLEMENTATION

Teachers will take the collected data and collaboration from their teammates and implement an effective teaching strategy within their classrooms. In order for teacher ownership for our vertical alignment strategy, teachers will have observations from the administration committee. 

This committee is working towards our vertical alignment goal with you. 

Administration

Here to see you SUCCEED!!!!

Principal

Fjola Unnarsdottir

Vice Principal

Carrie Abbey

Curriculum Superintendent

Sue Attwood

Vertical Alignment Observation Committee

Violetta Cisotto

Curriculum Specialist

With  implementation of school wide instructional practices and research based instructional practices which align with the weakness within the current lessons, we can have a higher student success rate. 

Let Us Continue

To put BRAZOS on the MAP

2018-2019

OUTCOME

Our PLC will create a smaller deficit between grade level STAAR percentages for the "meets"  category within our mathematics department.

QUESTIONS?

The Future

Once we have effectively implemented our vertical alignment team, we shall revise our data for the 2018-2019 STAAR test results. With that we can determine the best practice to add second grade to align with third grade in our PLC.

                   References

Bambrick-Santoyo, P., & Peiser, B. M. (2012). Leverage leadership: A practical guide to building                                          exceptional schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Catapano, J. (n.d.). Vertical teaming is essential. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/vertical-                              teaming-essential

DuFour, R. (2008, December 23). Blog | All Things PLC | Powered by Solution Tree. Retrieved from                                 http://www.allthingsplc.info/blog/view/41/working-in-vertical-teams

Great Schools Partnership. (2014, March 3). Coherent Curriculum Definition. Retrieved from                                             https://www.edglossary.org/coherent-curriculum/

Make An Impact - Inspirational Video [Video file]. (2015, October 21). Retrieved from                                                             https://youtu.be/pb7_YJp9bVA

References Cont.

Mali, T. (2006, October 24). What teachers make [Video file]. Retrieved from                                                                                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxUhttps://youtu.be/RxsOVK4syxU