Instructional Focus Calendar Refresher

Teaching and LearningKati Pearson, Director

Tammy Demps, Program SpecialistRehana Insanally, Program Specialist

Zhakima Spratley, Program Specialist

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Purpose for FCIM Focus Calendars:

• Collaboratively creates a roadmap for teaching, re-teaching, and assessing targeted benchmarks during the academic school year.

• Places focused instruction on the tested benchmarks while answering the following questions:– What do students need to know?– What do I need to teach them?– How much time do I need to do it?

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FCIM CalendarsAre Not….but, they Are…..

• “The Instructional Focus Calendar or FCIM calendar is not your lesson plan or scope and sequence.

• It is simply a guide that tells what objectives will be focused • on during a particular week. It ensures that every concept on the

state assessment will be covered in the classroom.

• It helps align the written curriculum, with the taught curriculum, • with the tested curriculum.” (Taken from Closing the

Achievement Gap: No Excuses by P. Davenport and G. Anderson)

• Instructional Focus Calendar or FCIM calendar may look • different at each school based on the data and the needs of

the students.

Developing FCIM Focus Calendars

Determine areas of focus based on academic needs of whole class, course, and/or grade-level assessment data.

Map dates for a specific benchmark skill to be taught, re-taught, or reviewed.

Which specific skills do we map? Select specific skills with the weakest

performance data.

› Prioritize by most highly tested benchmark skills using FCAT Content Assessed Reports.

Determine the order for specific skills to be re-taught/reviewed. › Prioritize by sequence of specific skills within

benchmark cluster. Map specific skills to calendar dates. Allow sufficient time for introducing the skill,

providing opportunities to practice the skill, and assessing the skill.

Curriculum Planning

Align curriculum with Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) and K-1 CCSS.

Identify most highly tested benchmarks. Identify benchmarks with weakest student

achievement data. Prepare FCIM Focus Calendar.

Effective classrooms are data driven and benchmark focused.

Sample Reading Instructional Focus Calendar

Academic School Year: Segments

The academic school year should be viewed in three distinct segments as you implement FCIM Focus Mini-Lessons.

August – January

Using baseline data, instruction

prioritizes benchmarks and skills identified

through the analysis of the

school’s student data.

April – June

Instruction prioritizes

benchmarks not covered earlier in

the school year and skills essential to

learning for the next grade level or

course.

January – March

Using mid-year data, instruction

prioritizes benchmarks and skills identified

through the analysis of the

school’s student data. Prioritize based on most highly tested benchmarks with

more time allotted for benchmarks with the weakest student performance data.

Alignment of Instructional Focus Calendar’s MUST:

Align to:› Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and K-1 CCSS

› Instruction› Assessment Data

Additional Resources

Instructional Focus Calendar FAQsInstructional Focus Calendar Sample and Blank Template