Taking the High Road Hopewell HS

Talent Development/Advanced Studies/AVID

August 19, 2009

Objectives/Goal of today’s collaboration….• To reflect on the level of rigor in our schools• To evaluate the effectiveness of various strategies

that can increase rigor in our classrooms• To model practical applications for both staff and

students To promote academic excellence within the

classroom through abstract thinking and an engaging curriculum

Warm-Up Activity

Paint the Picture Provide a visual representation that reveals your

thinking and answers to the given question

What does a rigorous classroom look like, sound like, feel like?

The Crisis With Rigor in American Classrooms The NAEP analysis showed, while the nation’s lowest-

achieving students made respectable gains from 2000 to 2007, the performance of top students made little progress

88% of high school dropouts had passing grades, but dropped out due to boredom

80% of 10th grade students now aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree. Following trends since 1990, less than half of these students will achieve this dream

69.6% of employers rate high school graduates as deficient in critical thinking and problem solving skills

Rigor mortis

Although school leaders generally recognize the importance of rigor, many are not thoroughly and accurately measuring, monitoring, and encouraging rigor. Too often it is a vague concept that means that instruction is “hard, tough, and sometimes boring” SREB

Why Rigor??

Think-Pair-Share

How does rigor relate to your job as a classroom teacher?

How can increased rigor help your school reach its goals?

Why do we need Rigor in our classrooms? Better prepare students for future work Global Competitiveness Changing youth Ensure students achieve and excel beyond standards Increase student interest and motivation Increase teacher interest and enjoyment

The Jury Test

“How confident would you be getting a fair trial if the members of your jury had merely met standards?”Analyze an argumentWeigh evidenceRecognize biasBalance principles of justice and mercy

-Tony Wagner

“Official” CMS definition

Rigor is a characteristic of the learning experience which helps students develop the capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative and personally or emotionally challenging.

As a result of rigorous content, students create a process of thinking and problem-solving that is self-directed and applicable to the real world.

(based on definition of Jolly and Kettler, 2007; Tomlinson, 2007; Small Schools Project/ASCD, AVID, NCDPI)

Content, Process, Product1. How would you define rigor in terms of:

content process product

2. Think in terms of strategies as they relate to: student engagement/interestdepth and complexitycontextapplication

Rigor in Content, Process, Product

Content is interdisciplinary, and real world Process is inquiry based and utilizes multiple

perspectives, and connections Product answers essential questions and relates to real

world application Assessment is authentic

Together they produce an “enduring understanding”

Worth Being Familiar With It

Important To Know and Do

EnduringUnderstanding

The Ring of Learning

“Sticky Bars”

Content, Process, ProductIn which area would you have the most

difficulty increasing rigor?

Content

NCSCOSEssential Questions

Essential Questions

Allow students to explore key concepts, themes, theories, issues

Provoke inquiry, foster questions and are not answerable in a brief sentence or not answerable at all

Spark meaningful connections and promote transfer of ideas

(Content)

Points to Consider with Essential Questions…. Can the question be addressed in many subjects? Does it generate a personal interest that will “hook”

the students? Does it lend itself to real world applications? How are the essential questions addressed?

(Content)

How do we write good essential questions?

1. Essential questions are concepts in the form of questions.  2. Essential questions are organizers and set the focus for the

lesson or unit3. Essential questions are initiators of creative and critical

thinking4. Essential questions are conceptual commitments focusing on

key concepts implicit in the curriculum   

What is your teaching objective? Write the objective as a question. Do you need smaller key questions?

(Content)

Sample Essential Questions Must a story have a beginning, a middle, and an

end? To what extent is DNA destiny? Must heroes be flawless? In what ways is Algebra real and in what ways

is it unreal? Who is a “winner” in athletics? What makes a mathematical argument

convincing?

(Content)

Process the strategies Questioning Connections Multiple Perspectives/POV

Quick Question Challenge

What does the research say?

Questioning is the key to success in the 21st century The most recognized and accepted method to foster

critical thinking is questioning observations show most teachers keep questions at the recall level

Students who don’t ask good questions have many academic struggles

(Process)

Inquiry

• The most recognized and accepted method to foster critical thinking

• Questions should lead to multiple responses• Questions should be thought-provoking and

lead students to new questions• Teachers may not always know the answer

when asking the question• Bloom’s Taxonomy provides foundation for

scaffolding(Process)

Questioning Strategies

Question Chips

Question Stem of the day

Seminars(Process)

Connections

A Curriculum of Connections is designed to help students to think about and apply key concepts, principals, and skills:

Across disciplines Across times, locations, and/or cultures Through the eyes of people who affected and are

affected by the ideas As impacted by various conditions: social economic,

technological, political(Process)

The “Me” Connection

Students are asked to: Reflect on their skills and interests as they relate to the

discipline and how each is useful to the other Think about the impact of the discipline on the lives of

others and self in the wider world Examine the ethics and philosophy characteristic of the

discipline and their implications See a new way through creative and critical analysis

(Process)

Multiple Perspectives Look through the eyes of the expert

Assume a role as a means of studying the disciplineComprehend the daily lives of workers or

professionals in the discipline working conditions, hierarchal structures, fiscal aspects of the work, peer or collegial dynamics

Define and understand the implications of internal and external politics that impact the discipline

(Process)

Looking through the Eyes Of . . .

I can’t run fast enough to escape that evil eagle

Rabbit Environmentalist

We must do more to protect the endangered

Historian

Eagles originally nested in forty-five of the forty-eightstates. More than 100,000 bald eagles were killed in Alaska from 1917 to 1953

I am respected and honored as a symbolfor the United States. I am a commanding hunter with keen vision and powerful talons.

Bald Eagle

I don’t know why he gets so much attention. He’s nothing special

Falcon

The Product

Offers Student Choice (interest/engagement)Tiered option - “Must Do” and “May Do”

Answers essential questions and relates to real world application

Demonstrates practices of practitioners and scholars

Demonstrates an understanding of a Big Idea

Assessments Formative or Summative

Performance Assessment is testing that requires a student to create an answer or a product that demonstrates his or her knowledge or skills

Authentic Assessment is student assessment in which knowledge and skills are measured using the real world environment, rather than standardized tests

Let’s get to Work…

Examine the student work If you were having a conference with a

fellow teacher, what suggestions might you give (about content, process, or product) to increase the rigor of the activity?

Take Baby Steps…

Let’s Wrap Up…

Triangle – Three things you learned from the presentation

Square – One thing you have “squared” away

Circle – A question still circling in your mind (include your name so we can contact you)

Who to call for help??Director – stephanie.schoen (6174)Advanced Studies – kathleen.koch (2701)Elementary – shirley.kohl (6165)AVID – kat.eaker (2645)Compliance/Testing - carol.staples (2700)Horizons - roberta.malickson (2644)Stellar Intern – edwin.allen (5544)

Please complete the evaluation!!!

ResourcesAcademic Rigor Non-Negotiables -

www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/development/gifted/nonnegotiablesJolly and Kettler. (2007). Rigor Presentation. National Association for Gifted Children

Convention, November 1-4, 2007.Tomlinson. (2007). Rigor Presentation. National Association for Gifted Children

Convention, November 1-4, 2007.Small Schools Project/ASCD - www.smallschoolsproject.org/PDFS/co21003/rigor_not.pdfAVID - www.avidonline.org/info/download.asp?ID=3741&criteria=%22rigor%22Lang and Atwood http://www.sdesa6.org/content/docs/SettingObjectivesandmore2.pptInternational Center for Leadership in Education (2000). Instructional strategies: how to

teach for rigor and relevance (kit and handbook). New York: Leadership Media.Blooms Presentation by Denise Tarlinton, July 4, 2004Erin Lyons – JV Washam Literacy Facilitator --- Marzano HandoutSpecial thanks to SW Middle School – for their ideas and suggestions!!(NAGC) Meeting the Needs of High Ability and High Potential Learners in the Middle

Grades http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=400

http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/hi216/learning/bloom.htmhttp://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/League/esques.htmlUnderstanding by DesignThe Parallel Curriculum Carol Ann Tomlinson, Sandra N. Kaplan,Joseph S.Renzulli,

Jeanne H. Purcell, Jann H. Leppien, Deborah E. Burns, Cindy A. StricklandBrookings Institute, Loveless. National Association of Educational Progress Analysis 2008