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The Coherence Map shows the connections between Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

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For grades 1 through HS with color-coded guidance on how to address prerequisite content.

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TO SEE WITHIN GRADE LEVEL CONNECTIONS: Start by clicking on "Search CA NGSS", then select "Detailed Search", then go to "PE Code" and select Performance Expectation for your grade level.  Scroll down to view connections to the CA Science Framework, CCSS for ELA & Math, and Evidence Statements.

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If experiencing difficulty using the Chrome browser, using Firefox or Safari as the browser may provide a more efficient interface.

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Impact the World: Strategies for Transferring Learning

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Impact the World: Strategies for Transferring Learning

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Picture a fifth grader who has identified animals as one of her passions. She has chosen to work on the problem of endangered species and make recommendations for improving the situation. Monday morning starts off with a Skype conference call with an NGO in Brazil that will share some important information about deforestation of the Amazon.

After she finishes the call, the student and her team write down action steps and divide the tasks based on each member's interest and expertise. They have two weeks until the next call and before then have two scheduled team meetings and a full-day lab session to work on this project with an expert and the teacher who is mentoring the group. This project is called the Innovation Challenge.

At the end of year, the student's team will present its work to a group of experts who will evaluate their technical skills, application of conceptual understanding, ability to think critically, and collaboration skills. If the work measures up to the standards for a particular area, they'll receive a badge denoting their skills in that area.

This student has been deepening her understanding of concepts such as ecosystems, cycles, reproduction, energy, change, organisms and habitats since Kindergarten. She started the school rainwater collection program in the second grade and has always had a passion for nature and living things. She spent last summer rebuilding and preserving habitats through a program at a National Park. She has already transferred her understanding of habitat loss to several situations as she analyzed the effect of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in third grade and the introduction of non-native species in the Everglades in fourth grade. She feels prepared for the Innovation Challenge as all of her learning experiences have led her to this level of thinking and application.

How could we achieve this vision?

The student in this scenario was transferring her understanding from grade level to grade level and from context to context. It seems far off from our current reality, but it doesn't need to be!

The key to understanding learning transfer is this: facts and topics do not transfer. By this I mean that facts and topics cannot be applied directly to a new situation. Whenever we try to apply our insights from one situation to another we are always abstracting to the conceptual level, generalizing from a specific instance to a broader rule, before our knowledge helps us unlock the new situation.

Most teaching focuses on the topic and factual levels of learning without intentionally teaching the underlying concepts. This dooms transfer from the start!

Author H. Lynn Erickson created a visual to help us see how knowledge is structured. Take a look at the examples below and think about how the conceptual relationships, called generalizations and principles, help students deepen their understanding and transfer it to other contexts. How different would school be if we intentionally tried to reach this level of learning?

Researcher John Hattie's work supports the claim that conceptual understanding is key to transferring learning to new situations. He explained, "We come to know ideas, and then we can be asked to relate and extend them. This leads to conceptual understanding, which can in turn become a new idea - and so the cycle continues. These conceptual understandings form the 'coat hangers' on which we interpret and assimilate new ideas, and relate and extend them" (Hattie, 2012, p.115).

He says there are three distinct levels of learning: surface, deep and transfer. See his triangle graphic below and notice how it corresponds to Erickson's Structure of Knowledge above. Hattie, Fisher, and Frey stated, "Together, surface and deep understanding lead to the student developing conceptual understanding" (p. 61). They agree that, "the ultimate goal, and one that is hard to realize, is transfer. When students reach this level, learning has been accomplished" (Fisher, Frey and Hattie, 2016, p. 19).
A High Impact Strategy to Foster Learning Transfer
To transform teaching and learning for the 21 st Century, we need to create conceptual understandings or big ideas from our content and then use the conceptual inquiry cycle to explore the ideas in different contexts, transferring and deepening our understanding along the way.

Erickson gives us an easy formula for creating big ideas:

Take a look at how we can transform traditional learning objectives or big ideas into more powerful ones. The ones on the left are typical curricular goals. The ones on the right provide much more clarity for both teacher and students.

Once we have strong big ideas, the next step is to use the conceptual inquiry cycle to pose a question to students, of which the big idea is the answer, and take them through different contexts to illuminate the answer.

Take a look at the questions below that correspond to the better statements or big ideas above. How much deeper would learning be if we used these kinds of questions to drive instruction?

Arranged this way, learning has the potential to allow students to use their understanding to unlock complex problems and challenges. And that's just what the world needs now.

From: Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Elementary and Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Secondary

Additional References:

Erickson, H.L., Lanning, L.A. & French, R. (2017). Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. London: Routledge.

Hattie, J., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2017). Visible learning for mathematics, grades K - 12: What works best to optimize student learning, grades K-12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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Impact the World: Strategies for Transferring Learning | Corwin Connect

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Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin What if we could truly do school differently? Picture a fifth grader who has identified animals as one of her passions. She has chosen to work on the problem of endangered species and make recommendations for improving the [...]

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TO SEE CONNECTIONS ACROSS GRADE SPANS : Start by clicking on "Standards List" then select the grade level Performance Expectation. Scroll down to see "Articulation across brade-bands"

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2016 Science Framework - Science Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The curriculum framework was adopted by the State Board of Education on November 3, 2016. This is the final published version.

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A few years ago, I came across "10 assessments you can perform in 90 seconds" by TeachThought and really enjoyed the formative assessment strategies they outlined. Using formative assessment strategies in class during instruction-or "simple assessments," as they call them-is easy and provides the instant feedback teachers need to identify which learners need more help and adjust their instruction and lesson plans accordingly. Visit the blog above to get more detail on the following techniques:

1. New Clothes

2. Dos and Don'ts

3. Three Common Misunderstandings

4. Yes/No Chart

5. Three Questions

6. Explain What Matters

7. Big Picture

8. Venn Diagram

9. Draw It

10. Self-Directed Response

Combining these 10 with 10 others we've blogged about in the past gives teachers 20 great formative assessment strategies for checking on student learning. Be sure to click through to learn more about these formative assessment strategies.

Want more? Here are seven more strategies you can use to elicit evidence of student learning.

1. Entrance Tickets. We've blogged about and explained the Exit Ticket, so why not have an Entrance Ticket? Here, the teacher asks a question at the start of a lesson, and students write their responses on index cards or strips of paper. Answers are used to assess initial understanding of something to be discussed in that day's lesson or as a short summary of understanding of the previous day's lesson. The teacher designs the lesson around the fact that information on student learning will be coming in at the start of the lesson and can be used to improve the teaching and learning in that lesson. Be sure to write the question so it is easily interpreted and analyzed, allows time for you and/or the students to analyze the responses, and leaves space for you to adjust the lesson, if needed.

2. Keep the Question Going. With this formative assessment strategy, you'll ask one student a question and then ask another student if that answer seems reasonable or correct. Then, ask a third student for an explanation of why there is an agreement or not. This helps keep all the students engaged because they must be prepared to either agree or disagree with the answers given and provide explanations.

3. 30-Second Share. With this strategy, students take a turn to report something learned in a lesson for up to 30 seconds each. Connections to the learning targets or success criteria are what you'll be looking for in the language used by the student. Make this a routine at the end of a lesson so all students have the opportunity to participate, share insights, and clarify what was learned.

4. Parking Lot. This is an underused strategy for students and one that can surface questions before learning, as well as during and after. This tool also offers an anonymous place for questions that may be directly related to the content or tangential to the current topic and provide insight into student thinking. Simply save a spot on your whiteboard to write down ideas or questions that aren't completely relevant in the moment but should be revisited later.

5. One-Minute Paper. This might be considered a type of exit ticket as it is typically done near the end of the day. Ask your students, either individually or with a partner, to respond in writing to a single prompt. Typical prompts include:

Most important learning from the day and why

Most surprising concept and why

Most confusing topic and why

Something I think might appear on a test or quiz and why

3-2-1. At the end of the learning, this strategy provides students a way to summarize or even question what they just learned. Three prompts are provided for students to respond to:

3 things you didn't know before

2 things that surprised you about the topic

1 thing you want to start doing with what you've learned

Assessment Reflection. This strategy is a post-assessment reflection completed individually first and then shared in a small group. After an assessment, the teacher provides a list of questions so learners can reflect on their assessment experience. During group discussion, ideas are collected as new information to support students to better prepare for and engage in future assessments. Consider the following or similar questions. You might also use strategies such as Plus, Minus, Interesting, or Plus/Delta.

How engaged were you with this assessment? Why?

What did you feel most confident about? Why?

What did you do that led to your success or confidence?

What was the most difficult part of this assessment? Why?

What would you do differently next time?

What was the most confusing? Why?

What do you know about the topic that the assessment didn't allow you to show?

Dig in

All 27 of these formative assessment strategies are simple to administer and free or inexpensive to use. They'll provide you with the evidence of student learning you need to make lesson plan adjustments and keep learning on target and moving forward. They'll also give your students valuable information so they can adjust their learning tactics and know where to focus their energies.

If you're not quite sure where to get started, the following discussion questions can help.

Questions for teachers

How do you use formative assessment data to inform instructional decisions?

How can formative assessment strategies foster a learning environment of collaboration and engagement?

How do formative assessment strategies elicit evidence of student learning?

What is one strategy you could try tomorrow and why?

How do you use formative assessment data to drive school-wide instructional academic decisions?

How can you model formative assessment strategies in staff meetings, PLCs, and meetings with teachers?

What are three formative assessment strategies you could bring to your teachers and staff? Why do you feel these would be most effective at your school?

To learn more, visit the Formative Assessment Archive for Teach. Learn. Grow., and get more formative assessment tips and tricks in our e-book "Making it work: How formative assessment can supercharge your practice."

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27 Easy Formative Assessment Strategies for Gathering Evidence of Student Learning

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All 27 of these formative assessment strategies are simple to administer and free or inexpensive to use. They provide the teacher with the evidence of student learning needed to make lesson plan adjustments and keep learning on target and moving forward.

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MATH: Mini-Assessments (Achieve the Core)

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MATH: Mini-Assessments (Achieve the Core)

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achievethecore.org's digital tools and resources for teachers have been made possible by contributions from teachers across the country as well as through generous support from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and the GE Foundation.

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ELA: Content Specifications for Summative Assessment

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ELA: Content Specifications for Summative Assessment

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William McCallum, a lead writer of the CCSS, explains how the coherence and focus of the standards were designed to help teachers succeed in the classroom. From the Hunt Institute. 2-min video.

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William McCallum, a lead writer of the CCSS, explains how the coherence and focus of the standards were designed to help teachers succeed in the classroom. From the Hunt Institute. 2-min video.

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HS Math: Essential Concepts for High School Math

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HS Math: Essential Concepts for High School Math

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Essential Concepts for High School Mathematics - NCTM and Statement of Competencies in Maths - CSU-UC Systems

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HS Math: Widely Applicable Prerequisites for College & Postsecondary Programs

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HS Math: Widely Applicable Prerequisites for College & Postsecondary Programs

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see pages 7 & 8

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Learning Acceleration Guide (TNTP) April 2020

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Learning Acceleration Guide (TNTP) April 2020

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Learning Acceleration Guide Updated (TNTP) November 2020

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Learning Acceleration Guide Updated (TNTP) November 2020

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Reinvesting & Rebounding: Where the Evidence Points for Accelerating Learning

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Reinvesting & Rebounding: Where the Evidence Points for Accelerating Learning

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Talking Points on Accelerating Student Learning (Tier 1, 2, 3)

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Talking Points on Accelerating Student Learning (Tier 1, 2, 3)

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Guidance for Accelerating Learning (Math & ELA)

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Guidance for Accelerating Learning (Math & ELA)

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Identifying and Addressing Unfinished Learning In Science

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Identifying and Addressing Unfinished Learning In Science

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Explore best practices and resources to support all students in accessing rigorous grade-level content .

A key recommendation from our research findings is to give all students greater access to grade-level assignments. While this is critical to improving academic outcomes for all students, it's much easier said than done. Assigning rigorous content poses a significant instructional challenge for teachers who are faced with the reality of students who are behind grade level and need varying types and levels of support to be successful academically.

We observed teachers addressing this reality in many ways: reteaching content from previous grades, assigning students texts at their current reading levels, and providing worksheets with tasks broken down into discrete steps, to name a few. While these strategies did help students complete their assignments more successfully, they often focused on remedial content and did not help students meet the demands of grade-level standards. This speaks to a real and widespread need in the field of education that collectively we haven't yet figured out: How do we support all students to be successful with the rigorous grade-appropriate content that we know is so important for their academic outcomes?

What we're calling "scaffolding up" attempts to address that need. Instead of simplifying activities and bringing content down to what students can currently do, scaffolding up focuses on getting students to master the key practices and concepts in grade-level content, with students able to do so increasingly independently over time. We've combed the field for best practices and resources to support teachers in implementing scaffolding up strategies in their classrooms. As you'll see below, this is a modest collection and the resources are specific to a content area or population of students. As the field expands its expertise in this area, we will continue to share learnings and resources.

Best Practice

Details

Keep equity and rigorous content at the forefront of all decisions on what and how to teach students who are behind grade level .

Always use the relevant grade-level college and career ready standards as your baseline for planning content. Ensure you are deeply familiar with the standards for your grade level and/or content area, as w ell as how they connect to students' previous and future learning.

Any other standards you may be using, such as English language development standards, should work in tandem with-not supplant-grade-level college and career ready standards.

Provide all students with the opportunity to work with the same grade-appropriate texts and/or tasks in whole-group instruction.

Set aside time , both when initially creating unit/lesson plans and on an ongoing basis, to plan when and how you'll incorporate specific scaffolds to support students .

P roactively plan scaffolding in each lesson according to the learning objective, target standard(s), and your students' needs. Regularly revisit the scaffolds you've planned to gauge whether they are meet ing students' needs and adapt your plans as needed.

If u sing a curriculum that includes scaffolds, evaluate their appropriate ness for your content and population of students and adapt as needed.

Co-plan with other staff members who work with your students (such as interven tion specialists) to ensure students consistently receive appropriate scaffolds that support them in accessing grade-level content .

When possible, build time in your unit plans for regular progress checks to remediate specific content as needed (versus doing a broader review of multiple standards on a less regular basis).

Tailor scaffolds to the specific content you're teaching, the demands of grade-level standards, and the needs of your students.

Regularly assess where your students are currently perf orming to understand the ir academic progress and identify the most effective scaffolds to address their evolving needs.

When students need more support, provide repeated and varied opportunities to engage with grade-level content (for example, having students read the same text multiple times with different purposes and supports) . When students need less support, resist the urge to over-scaffold; u se scaffolds only when necessary and only for the students who need them.

For groups of students with different needs, consider how best to address them with targeted scaffolds or small-group instruction.

If working with the same group of students over an extended period of time , gradually decrease the frequency or level of scaffolding over time to promote students' increasing independence.

Continuously build your expertise in scaffolding best practices.

Considering the population of students you work with and the content you teach, seek out corresponding development opportunities and resources about the most effective support strategies.

If you are a content area teacher (for example, science or social studies), familiarize yourself with literacy scaffolding best practices.

Literacy Best Practices and Resources

Best Practice

Resources

Use text sets and systematically order them from less to more complex, by topic, to build students' background knowledge.

Use varying strategies before reading a text, during the initial reading and subsequent readings, and after reading to support all students in comprehending a complex text.

8 th grade ELA video and 8 th grade s cience video with examples of appropriate scaffolds for English language l earners

UnboundEd ELA Curriculum describes the linguistic demands of ELA standards and includes standard-specific scaffolds at multiple levels of language acquisition for all lessons ( for example, see sample 3 rd grade lesson plan )

Build students' vocabulary with a focus on words that are key to text comprehension.

In addition to having all students work with grade-appropriate texts, include time in your literacy block for differentiated support for individual and/or small groups of students depending on their needs.

Mathematics Best Practices and Resources

Best Practice

Resources

Continuously plan how best to support students following the Understand-Diagnose-Take Action cycle:

Understand : Study the focus standards for upcoming instruction and identify the critical prerequisite skills students need to access grade-level content.

Diagnose : Determine student understanding of prerequisites based on diagnostic or formative data, considering if gaps exist for your whole class or a small group.

Take Action : Build needed scaffolds into upcomin g lessons for whole class needs and plan differentiated instruction or coordinate with intervention to address small group needs.

Strategically prioritize remediation of the content that matters most for success in later mathematics (versus attempting to address all gaps students have or spending the most time on areas where student performance is weakest).

When students' unfinished learning does not prevent them from engaging with grade-level content, integrate remediation support into regular instruction.

Differentiate math content and scaffolds for students based on individual or small group remediation needs.

P r ovide new experience s for students to re-engage with previously taught content (versus re teaching using methods and strategies students were not successful with before ) .

Terms of Use
These tools and resources are provided for informational or educational use only and are not intended as a service.

Unless otherwise indicated, the resources provided on the Student Experience Toolkit are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license and are subject to the copyright rules under that license.

Commercial use of the materials is not allowed without explicit written permission from TNTP, Inc. Unless otherwise noted, any distribution of materials posted on this website must credit TNTP, Inc. as follows:

From The Student Experience Toolkit (2018) by TNTP, Inc., available at https://tntp.org/student-experience-toolkit.

Permission to copy, use and distribute materials as described above shall not extend to information housed on the Student Experience Toolkit and credited to other sources, or information on websites to which this site links.

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Explore best practices and resources to support all students in accessing rigorous grade-level content . A key recommendation from our research findings is to give all students greater access to grade-level assignments. While this is critical to improving academic outcomes for all students, it's much easier said than done.

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Scaffolding in a Visible Learning Classroom

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Scaffolding in a Visible Learning Classroom

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In the world of Visible Learning, many educators are drawn to influences with effect sizes above the hinge point of 0.40. Not only does Scaffolding fall in the zone of desirable effects, it has an effect size of 0.82 - nearly double the rate of learning. In the face of student struggle, you can achieve these results in three intentional and sequential steps.

Scaffolding to support students during the learning process is in your hands. Anticipating where students may get stuck and responding in such a way that keeps the cognitive load in the control of students is the aim. Over time, the use of scaffolds fades as the learner gains the knowledge needed and moves onto the next level of understanding. How then can teachers infuse scaffolds that keep students engaged in the cognitive work, while recognizing that too many may hurt more than help?

Try using a scaffolding design process through a three-step sequence; Prompt-Cue-Reteach. The use of prompts and cues can aid in clarifying the learning target for students, and provide teachers with the necessary information in order to individualize the support needed. To prompt a student is to provide a hint and activate background knowledge to think further. To cue a student means to have the learner focus on one bit of relevant information, and make connections to move forward. Noticing the impact of these prompts and cues is key to determine if re-teaching is the appropriate scaffold needed by the student. Let's take a look at how to build scaffolding support to activate thinking and spark up learning in three steps:

Step 1 - Prompts

Prompts do not give students additional information. They do not trigger students with a hint of where to look or how to process a question or task. Prompts simply activate students' minds to help them go searching inside their own heads for information to help them apply to their learning. When students feel they have reached a cognitive roadblock, they might just stop their thinking. Prompts reboot their hunt for prior knowledge they already have. We think of it like turning on the light switch in a storage room. It's a reminder to students that they hold the necessary knowledge. They just need to access and apply it.

These prompts are often metacognitive. Many prompts are not specific to a grade level or content area. Examples include:

What do you already know?

How will you approach this?

What strategy will be effective?

However, in thinking about literacy and math, some specific prompts might help students access prior knowledge:

What do good readers do?

Does that make sense?

What is the author trying to say?

What predictions do you have?

Wait time

What strategy is most efficient?

What is the problem asking you to do?

What information do you have?

Does that seem reasonable?

Wait time

You can continue to use multiple prompts. There's no rule that says if one prompt doesn't trigger productive thinking that you move on to one cue. The important thing to remember is not to skip prompting. Even if a specific student regularly needs heavy scaffolding, that doesn't mean it is okay to skip prompting. If students are not able to trigger their own metacognition with a prompt like "What is something you can try when you are stuck?" they will never establish it as a mental habit if the teacher chooses to skip the prompt and jump right to cues.

Teachers sometimes think that a miscue or a wrong answer is an indication that a student did not learn the necessary foundational knowledge to apply to the current learning task. This assumption leads us to use stronger scaffolding than necessary. Prompts are often skipped and replaced with cues during the scaffolding process. Be mindful of how you allow students to activate their own learning to be successful. A common response is to jump to their rescue with leading questions. You might then get a false sense of student learning because heavy scaffolding led to a predetermined result.

Step 2 - Cues

Cues are supports provided to students that point them in a successful direction without giving an answer. Using the storage room metaphor, cues shine a flashlight in the room as a suggestion to students to "look here." When using cues to scaffold, teachers are not blatantly disclosing correct responses, but narrowing the search significantly by providing a directional guide.

Examples of cues include:

Look at your notes.

What does the anchor chart tell you?

Check this part again.

Specific to the literacy and mathematics classrooms, cues might be:

Step 3 - Reteach

As a last resort, when prompts and cues have been exhausted, it might be necessary to provide some re-teaching. Reaching might include filling in surface level knowledge so students can move to the deep phase of learning. Checking for understanding in order to identify the gaps will allow a redesigned teaching delivery so that it's different rather than a repeat of what was already taught.

Be careful. Too often, re-teaching is followed with close-ended yes/no questions that do not hold students accountable for retaining the content. It's better to ask questions that provide some accountability:

Little/No accountability

Some accountability

Using the 1-2-3 steps of Prompt-Cue-Reteach in a chronological sequence leads to continuous learning and builds efficacy in students. Keeping the learning in the hands of students is the aim. Knowing the difference between prompts and cues provides the right amount of support to activate students to apply what they have previously learned. You can continuously assess throughout the scaffolding sequence using student responses to your prompts or cues to make instructional decisions in the moment. Focusing on this sequence will keep students thinking and persevere when learning gets tough.
References:
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2017).  Visible Learning for Literacy: Implementing the Practices That Work Best to Accelerate Student Learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin, a SAGE company.

Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2017).  Visible learning for mathematics, grades K-12: What works best to optimize student learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin, a SAGE company.

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author: Connie Hamilton, Ed. S and Olivia Amador, Ed. D

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author: Julie Stern and Julie Wilson Jungalwala

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Scaffolding in a VISIBLE LEARNING Classroom | Corwin Connect

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Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin In the world of Visible Learning, many educators are drawn to influences with effect sizes above the hinge point of 0.40. Not only does Scaffolding fall in the zone of desirable effects, it has an effect size of 0.82 - nearly double the [...]

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Unleashing the Potential of Classroom Questioning

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Unleashing the Potential of Classroom Questioning

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Walk into almost any classroom and you'll observe teachers asking questions, calling on students who raise their hands, and evaluating the respondents' answers as to their correctness. This right-answer orientation to classroom questioning relegates a potentially powerful assessment strategy to an uninviting, low-impact routine for the majority of our students. Embedded in this familiar, time-honored classroom narrative are teacher and student beliefs related to three questions: Why do teachers ask questions? Who will answer? What happens as a result?

Why do teachers ask questions? Pose this query to students, and the majority will respond: Teachers ask questions to find out if anyone knows the right answer. Teachers have a myriad of purposes for questioning, including to highlight important facts and concepts, to enlist students as they cover required content, and to check for student understanding.

Who will answer? Students also have a quick response to this question. Most will name classmates who almost always volunteer by raising their hands or calling out a response-and most are confident that their teachers will rely on these eager beavers, while letting others "off the hook" as long as they don't call attention to themselves.

What happens as a result? Students would say "the beat goes on." Teachers continue calling on the willing to surface the answers they are seeking. As they use this strategy to march through the content, a majority of students tune out. The rich get richer as the unengaged fall further behind academically.

Contrast these to the beliefs and behaviors of students whose teachers are using quality questioning practices to transform their classrooms to communities where students use questions to assess their learning, listen to and interact with peers to receive feedback and extend their learning, and demonstrate ownership of their learning by setting goals and choosing strategies to take next steps.

In one fourth-grade language arts classroom we recently visited, each student reflected silently on a focus question presented by their teacher, moved to dialogue with a partner, and then transitioned seamlessly to whole class discussion where they shared and extended their ideas. Their language reflected a learning culture grounded in equity and respectful listening:

I agree with you, and I'd like to add what Jasmine, Yvonne, and I thought . . . .

I respectfully disagree with you because. . . .

What do you think about this, Jose?

Following each student's comment, there was a pause to allow that student to add to or change his comment-and for other students to think about what had been said.

I'd like to piggyback on what you said. . . .

Mia, I'd never thought about it that way.

Over the course of the class period, each student contributed to the whole class discussion, and the teacher intervened only occasionally-to pose a question for clarification, to affirm the collaborative thinking of students that resulted in the creation of a powerful metaphor for their idea, and to share her own thinking about the topic with the students.

Down the hall, a class of third graders was engaged in a spirited discussion about polygons and quadrilaterals. Connor, I respectfully agree with you because . . . . I agree with you for the most part, Tristan, but you said that polygons could be four sides or more, and they can be three sides or more. The teacher asks one student to provide a summary statement. The student responds, I'm not so sure that I can think of one, so I'm going to phone a friend. Another student spoke up to offer his friend a response. The requesting student made this request without embarrassment, and she listened to her friend's summary with interest. As these students engaged in dialogue, each was actively listening, making eye contact with classmates (not the teacher) and building on one another's ideas. They asked questions of one another, provided feedback-both confirming and corrective-and demonstrated an authentic interest in polygons and quadrilaterals!

Both of these teachers confessed that they had not always taught this way, that they, too, had once operated teacher-centered classrooms. They reflected on the change in their mind frames, including the intentionality with which they and their students co-created classroom cultures in which the kinds of discussion we observed could flourish.

The language arts teacher reflected on her journey with her students to create a culture where everyone's voice is valued, where collaboration is the established way of learning. We intentionally set out slowly to go very far. I have backed away. It's about them and not me. I let them know that there is no opt out in this classroom, that everyone will be called on and that it's not about the right answer. I tell them that if you're wrong, you've just not yet processed the information-then one of their classmates or I will provide the support they need. I don't give up on any of the kids; they're going to learn at their own rate.

Her colleague, the third grade math teacher, echoed these beliefs. Establishing a classroom culture starts on day 1-we talk together about providing time to think, listening and learning from one another, using encouraging words and supporting one another, being one another's cheerleaders, celebrating "aha"s. Part of it is about creating a safe learning environment. The payoff for me is seeing those reluctant students who might not know where to begin a problem become fully engaged. Listening to the discussion sparks their thinking; soon they are making connections and participating in the discussion themselves. I've seen the confidence grow in all my students; they've become powerful learners.

As we listened to these two veteran teachers, we called to mind the following mind frames John Hattie (2012) identified from his synthesis of almost 1,000 meta-analyses.

I engage in dialogue not monologue

I believe that my role is to develop positive relationships in my classroom

I see assessment as feedback about my impact

I want to talk more about learning than about teaching.

And we also reflected on the professional learning journey we were taking with these two and other teachers in their school and district, a journey focused on quality questioning to engage both teachers and students in thinking and learning that lead to higher levels of achievement for all.

Our view is that quality questioning is the most accessible and potentially the most powerful formative assessment strategy available to teachers and students. Quality questioning is grounded in the following responses to the above questions.

Why do teachers ask questions? In quality questioning classrooms, teachers ask questions to stimulate student self-assessment-and to surface student responses that will serve as feedback to the teacher about where students are in their learning. When teachers believe this, they frame questions that align with standards and learning intentions (where are we going?) and consider their students' interests and current levels of mastery. In other words, they create questions that engage students and are worth their students' thinking about.

Who will answer? Every student is responsible for using teacher questions as prompts for thinking to access their current conceptions and understandings. Students understand they cannot opt out; they know they are expected to be ready to respond with what they think they know. Teachers select response structures that offer time for initial individual thinking, optimize student-to-student talk and hold every student accountable for being ready to answer aloud. They use questioning strategies that encourage each student to wrestle with the question: where am I now in my learning?

What happens as a result? All students and teachers are learning as they engage in ongoing assessment of their own and others' thinking. Students and teachers give and receive formative feedback and correct misunderstandings. They build individual and collaborative understandings. Along the way, teachers and students are determining where to next? in teaching and learning.

Walk into a quality questioning classroom and you'll observe teachers and students posing questions, students engaging in dialogue with one another and with the teacher, and students and teachers evaluating responses and providing feedback to self and one another. In this classroom, wrong answers are viewed as opportunities for learning. Questions invite all students to think, self-assess, listen and learn from one another. This is a classroom community that rests on a collaborative culture where all are comfortable and confident learners who demonstrate ownership for their own and other's learning.

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author: Jackie A. Walsh and Beth D. Sattes

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author: John Almarode, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey

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author: John Hattie, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Shirley Clarke

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Unleashing the Potential of Classroom Questioning | Corwin Connect

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Walk into almost any classroom and you'll observe teachers asking questions, calling on students who raise their hands, and evaluating the respondents' answers as to their correctness. This right-answer orientation to classroom questioning relegates a potentially powerful assessment strategy to an uninviting, low-impact routine for the majority of our students.

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Three Faces of Quality Questioning (Webinar)

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Three Faces of Quality Questioning (Webinar)

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Jackie Walsh & Beth Sattes: The Three Faces of Quality Questioning Webinar

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School closures during the 2019-20 school year resulted in a disruption in classroom standards-based instruction. As a result, there may be gaps in learning that can impact students' mastery and progress, impacting achievement during the 2020-21 school year and beyond.  English learners, along with other vulnerable and historically underrepresented students, may be greatly impacted. For this reason, it is critical to accelerate learning for English learners during remote or hybrid learning and the transition back to schools. Learning acceleration refers to strategies to mitigate gaps in learning and instruction.

For an overview of learning acceleration, visit the CDE Learning Acceleration web page (Coming Soon).

Leveraging Fiscal Resources

As we return to schools, it is critical to leverage the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) concentration funds, supplemental federal Title I, Title III, and federal flexibilities. Title III supplemental funds can be used to support early college high school or dual or concurrent enrollment programs or courses designed to help English learners achieve success in postsecondary education. About a third of migratory students in the state are also English learners and the supplemental services of Title I part C can serve to provide accelerated summer distance learning programs and credit accrual programs. Similarly, English learners make up 25 percent of students with disabilities and, for those dually identified students, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds can be used to accelerate their learning.

Visit the CDE Title III Authorized Use Scenarios web page for additional uses of Title III funding.

English Learner Learning Acceleration Resources

The webinars in this series are:

How to Support Young English Learners at Home with Language and Literacy Development

Topics addressed in this session:

Lesson Planning for English Learners in Distance Learning Environments: Secondary Educators

Topics addressed in this session:

Lesson Planning for English Learners in Distance Learning Environments: Elementary Educators

Topics addressed in this session:

Effective Questioning in Grades K-2: The Development of Oral Language in a Distance Learning Environment

Topics addressed in this session:

Linking, Describing, and Critiquing in Secondary Mathematics: Supporting English Learners' Oral Language Development

Topics addressed in this session:

Introduction to oral language development and its importance for English learners

The importance of oracy in developing mathematical understanding

Continua for quality interactions

Activities and tools supporting student engagement in mathematical practices

Supporting Secondary English Learners in the Social Studies Classroom in a Distance Learning Environment

Topics addressed in this session:

Introduction to oral language development and its importance for English learners

How to enable oral language development in a distance learning environment?

What resources support quality interactions for English learners?

Using multimodal texts to invite interactions

Analyzing Text Themes in Grades 3-5: The Development of Oral Language in a Distance Learning Environment

Topics addressed in this session:

How to Prepare Dual Language Elementary Students to Engage in Conversations Around Central Ideas with High-Quality Texts

Topics addressed in this session:

Inviting students' prior experiences and knowledge: Why is it so important?

Student-centered activities to incorporate their prior knowledge and experiences: How can we do it?

How to Engage Dual Language Elementary Students with High-Quality Texts

Topics addressed in this session:

The critical thinking and literacy practices needed to succeed in the twenty-first century

A research-based approach to meaningfully engaging elementary dual language students with high quality texts that lead to:

The development of metacognitive and metalinguistic practices;

Deepened understandings of key concepts and themes within and across texts; and

Support rich understandings of language.

Supporting Secondary English Learners in the Science Classroom

Topics addressed in this session:

Introduction to oral language development and its importance for English learners

Asking questions and defining problems

Analyzing and interpreting data

Engaging in argument from evidence

Facilitating Secondary English Language Arts (ELA) English Learners' Oral Language Development While Engaging in Distance Learning

Topics addressed in this session:

Introduction to oral language development and its importance for English learners

Modeling of three ways to scaffold and support English learners' oral language development in distance learning

The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) Curriculum and Instruction Sub-Committee on ELA and English Language Development (ELD) has a plethora of activities designed to support English learners' English proficiency and content development via distance and accelerated learning on their Padlet of resources at ELA/ELD Padlet of Padlets for Distance Learning and CISC ELA/ELD Online Learning Resources .

Additional resources designed to assist educational teams as they plan for and implement learning acceleration strategies are available on the CDE Learning Acceleration web page (Coming Soon).

Family Engagement for Learning Acceleration

As LEAs determine how they will implement learning acceleration, engaging parents, families, community partners, and students is critical. LEAs will see the most success with learning acceleration when they engage families and students in an authentic way. This includes but it not limited to actively seeking input and information through surveys and other means and having a feedback loop to ensure that families and students know how their input was considered and/or utilized.

Families that are new to the country may need support in gaining familiarity with U.S. school structures including the use of devices and language acquisition program choices. Offer parents of English Learners a voice in school planning including information about participating in the school English Learner Advisory Committees (ELAC) and the District ELAC (DELAC) and other advisory committees.

Effective use of distance learning technology platforms will accelerate learning for English learners to be able to engage virtually, or remotely, with or without access to devices and internet connectivity. Local Education Agencies (LEAs) may need to communicate directly via phone with families to explain how the existing system(s) will support distance learning for English learner, immigrant, and migratory students and as necessary walk them through how to use the devices, connect to the devices and/or provide the necessary resources to close the digital divide. There are a plethora of applications to be able to communicate in multiple languages with families and students via phone, text and other media.

Additional resources designed to assist educational teams as they plan for and implement learning acceleration strategies are available on the CDE Learning Acceleration web page (Coming Soon).

Leveraging Funding for Family Engagement:

Consider using Local Control Funding Formula concentration or supplemental funds for English learners or Title III funding to hire one or more community liaison(s) to assist families that speak other languages.

Family Engagement Resources:

The CDE English Learner Updates Newsletters web page includes Distance Learning Parent Newsletters that provide information for parents about distance learning as well as relevant resources. This newsletter is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese.

For more family engagement resources, visit the "Resources" tab on this page and scroll to the heading "Parent and Family Resources."

Family Engagement Webinars:

Secondary Educators: Communicating with Families of Newcomer English Learners During Distance Learning

The following topics are addressed in this webinar:

Elementary Educators: Communicating with Families of English Learners During Distance Learning

This archived webinar was sponsored by the Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd, in collaboration with the CTA, and the CDE.

Topics addressed in this session:

The need for home-school connections during distance learning

Challenges for home-school communication and learning support

Ideas and resources that aid in communicating with families and caregivers of English learners

Recommendations and activities for families and caregivers of young English learners

Engaging Parents and Students from Diverse Populations in the Context of Distance Learning

Presenters discussed strategies in three important areas:

Questions: English Learner Support Division | ELSD@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0938

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, June 30, 2020

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Learning Acceleration: Support English Learners

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School closures during the 2019-20 school year resulted in a disruption in classroom standards-based instruction. As a result, there may be gaps in learning that can impact students' mastery and progress, impacting achievement during the 2020-21 school year and beyond.  English learners, along with other vulnerable and historically underrepresented students, may be greatly impacted.

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CCEE The Field Guide: Accelerating Learning, Equity, and Well-Being

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CCEE The Field Guide: Accelerating Learning, Equity, and Well-Being

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Accelerating Learning - CCEE Field Guide

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(Tools and resources from this section were created with support and inspiration from the Learning Accelerator, the TNTP Learning Acceleration Guide , Instruction Partners' Guidance for Accelerating Student Learning , and CCSSO's Restart and Recovery Tools . Links for each are provided in the sections that follow.)

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Text Examplars & Sample Performance Tasks

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Text Examplars & Sample Performance Tasks

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Quick reference chart for converting leveling systems such as Lexile and Flesch-Kincaid into CCR grade bands.

Step-by-step guide to accessing free, online tools that help identify the appropriate grade band for a text.

SCASS Rubric for Informational Text SCASS Rubric for Literature
Qualitative Dimensions of Text Complexity Chart: Scales for evaluating the qualitative features of text complexity: text structure, language clarity and conventions, knowledge demands, and levels of meaning/purpose

Grade 11-CCR Sample Qualitative Scale
Example of completed qualitative scale for the 9-10 band.
Companion to Qualitative Scales
Detailed explanation of qualitative features; to be consulted in filling out the qualitative scale.

Grade 11-CCR Sample Qualitative Scale
Example of completed qualitative scale for the 9-10 band.
Companion to Qualitative Scales
Detailed explanation of qualitative features; to be consulted in filling out the qualitative scale.

Use this guide to support the analysis of a text for complexity.
Read Aloud for Grades K-2

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Quick reference chart for converting leveling systems such as Lexile and Flesch-Kincaid into CCR grade bands. Step-by-step guide to accessing free, online tools that help identify the appropriate grade band for a text.

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Text Complexity: Qualitative Measure Rubric

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Text Complexity: Qualitative Measure Rubric

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Assessments designed to illustrate the ELA/literacy Shifts and expectations of college- and career-ready standards

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Learning Acceleration for All: Planning for the Next 3-5 Years

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Learning Acceleration for All: Planning for the Next 3-5 Years

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Use this resource to plan your strategy to accelerate every student back to grade level over the next 3-5 years.

With more students returning to in-person instruction, school systems can begin to shift their focus from surviving the crisis to helping students recover. Above all else, that means accelerating students back to grade level-not by rushing through the curriculum, but by using proven strategies that help students engage with the most critical work of their grade as quickly as possible.

This guide is designed to help system leaders create a plan to do just that-starting with the critical decisions this summer that will shape what's possible for students and schools over the next several years. We offer recommendations not just on goals and instructional materials, but on the authentic community engagement, change management, and organizational development that are critical to any plan's long-term success. We also highlight the most effective ways leaders can use one-time federal resources from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) to support their learning acceleration plans-and avoid spending those resources on initiatives less likely to create meaningfully better experiences for students.

Terms of Use
These tools and resources are provided for informational or educational use only and are not intended as a service.

Unless otherwise indicated, the resources provided on the COVID-19 School Response Toolkit are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license and are subject to the copyright rules under that license.

Commercial use of the materials is not allowed without explicit written permission from TNTP, Inc. Unless otherwise noted, any distribution of materials posted on this website must credit TNTP, Inc. as follows:

From COVID-19 School Response Toolkit (2020) by TNTP, Inc., available at https://tntp.org/covid-19-school-response-toolkit.

Permission to copy, use and distribute materials as described above shall not extend to information housed on the COVID-19 School Response Toolkit and credited to other sources, or information on websites to which this site links.

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Bring TNTP to your school system

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Learning Acceleration for All: Planning for the Next Three to Five Years

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Use this resource to plan your strategy to accelerate every student back to grade level over the next 3-5 year

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Instructional Planning Guide: K-2 Reading/ Listening Comprehension

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Instructional Planning Guide: K-2 Reading/ Listening Comprehension

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Instructional Planning Guide: Foundational Skills Observation Tool

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Instructional Planning Guide: Foundational Skills Observation Tool

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Science: NGSS Cross Cutting Concepts Progression Matrix

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Science: NGSS Cross Cutting Concepts Progression Matrix

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2013 Mathematics Framework Chapters - Mathematics Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The State Board of Education adopted the Mathematics Framework on November 6, 2013.

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SBE-Adopted ELA/ELD Framework - ELA/ELD Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The State Board of Education adopted the English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework at its July 9, 2014, meeting. This is the final, edited digital version of the ELA/ELD Framework, published July 2015.

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2023 Mathematics Framework

At its meeting on July 12, 2023, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve ( Mathematics Framework). The framework is important guidance designed to help educators align classroom teaching with California's rigorous math learning standards.

The Mathematics Framework reflects input from California parents, educators, students, and others who commented during the two 60-day field review periods that were held in 2021 and 2022.

California is committed to achieving excellence in math teaching and learning through curriculum and instructional approaches grounded in research and reflective of best practices across the globe. The Mathematics Framework provides guidance for mathematics learning for all students at all levels of math-including calculus-and ensures students have a wide variety of options including pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in college and career.

Frequently Asked Questions
Information about the draftMathematics Framework.

Schedule of Significant Events for the Revision of the Mathematics Framework
At its meeting on July 13, 2022, SBE revised the Schedule of Significant Events (Timeline) for the Revision ofMathematics Framework. The Timeline was originally approved by the SBE on May 8, 2019, and was previously revised on September 11, 2019, May 7, 2020, July 14, 2021, and November 3, 2021.

A professionally-edited and designed PDF version of the framework will be posted at a later date. The content will not substantively change from the version posted below.

Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee

At their January 08, 2020, meeting the State Board of Education appointed 20 members to the Mathematics Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee (Mathematics CFCC) to assist in the development of the Mathematics Framework.

The Mathematics CFCC Meetings and Notices

Focus Groups

Pursuant to the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 9511(c), the California Department of Education (CDE) convened four focus groups across California.

Listserv

Additional Resources

2013 Mathematics Framework

Assembly Bill 250 (Chapter 608, Statutes of 2011) called for the revision of the Mathematics Framework to align with the California Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

Video: Overview of the Mathematics Framework (Dated 26-Feb-2015)
This video for teachers, administrators, and other educators provides an overview of the Mathematics Framework and how it supports implementation of the California Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (PDF; 3MB)
Links to the standards adopted by the California State Board of Education in August 2010 (Modified January 2013 Publication Version).

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative
The multi-state initiative released the CCSS on June 2, 2010. The initiative site includes information about the development and research behind the standards, appendices, the states that have adopted the CCSS, and frequently asked questions.

Appendix A
Designing High School Mathematics Courses Based on the CCSS.

2005 Mathematics Framework (Available on request)
The Framework was adopted by the State Board of Education on March 9, 2005.
*To order a copy of this framework please contact CDE Press.

Content Standards
Links to downloads of all Content Standards.

All Curriculum Frameworks
Links to downloads of all Curriculum Frameworks.

Questions: Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division | CFIRD@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0881

Last Reviewed: Friday, October 20, 2023

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Curriculum frameworks provide guidance to educators, parents, and publishers, to support implementing California content standards.

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History-Social Science Framework - History-Social Science Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The State Board of Education adopted the History-Social Science Framework on July 14, 2016. This is the final digital version of the Framework.

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Strong performance in elementary mathematics CCSS, which emphasizes the concepts, procedural fluencies, and applications of arithmetic, was important for the later Algebra performance of all students.  Multi-step problems and  Mathematical Reasoning and Communication added the most predictive value.

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Promising Practices to Accelerate Learning for Students with Disabiltiies

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Promising Practices to Accelerate Learning for Students with Disabiltiies

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Due to school closures and lost instructional time, the vast majority of students are entering the 2020-2021 school year behind grade level. Many schools will aim to design a learning progression that remediates instruction, meets students where they are, and picks up the curriculum where students left off. This approach will, at best, keep students from falling behind further but will not accelerate instruction. Research shows that these approaches to remediate instruction are largely ineffective to help students "catch up."

Remediation as the primary way to support students performing below grade level is especially concerning for students with disabilities. It can result in lowered expectations for these students and relegate them to lower "tracks" than their nondisabled peers. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released guidance to clarify that, as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's (IDEA) requirement to provide each child with a free appropriate public education, IEPs should be written in ways that create a pathway and roadmap for students to strive for and meet grade-level standards.

Jump to:

Any discussion of reimagined learning or accelerated learning must take into account students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The Supreme Court's decision in the Endrew F. case recognized the right of all students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to have ambitious academic goals. Further, the Court stated "while the goals may differ, every student should have the chance to meet challenging objectives." The Supreme Court also recognized that if a student is not making expected progress toward his or her annual goals, the IEP team must revise, as appropriate, the IEP to address the lack of progress. If a school or district decides to implement an instructional model that attempts to "accelerate" learning or get students to meet grade-level standards more quickly, it must consider the needs of all students. Students with significant cognitive disabilities should be able to participate in and engage with content alongside their peers.
For more information on inclusive practices for students with significant cognitive disabilities, visit the TIES Center at www.tiescenter.org , the national technical assistance center on inclusive practices and policies that works with states, districts, and schools to support the movement of students with disabilities from less inclusive to more inclusive environments.

Promising approaches to accelerating learning share common characteristics. These models do the following:

Streamline curriculum while focusing on grade-level standards. Research shows that, in lieu of remediation, effective acceleration programs streamline content, reducing redundancies in curriculum in order to focus on rigorous, grade-level content while familiarizing students with prerequisite skills at critical junctures. This careful focus allows students to make up for lost instruction while keeping up with grade-level instruction.

Allow for additional time to integrate necessary prerequisite skills. While streamlining curriculum is important, students may still require more time to acquire prerequisite skills or engage with and master new content. Allowing for additional time at the school or district level necessitates collaborative conversations about schedules that include representation from special educators, service providers, language or reading specialists, electives teachers, and families. Allowing for additional time at the classroom level should be determined in a collaboration between general and special educators.

Customize instruction based on strengths and areas of growth for each student. Effective approaches to accelerating learning demand that curricula be tailored to deliberately and intentionally meet individual learners' specific needs over a prescribed period. Rather than approaching instruction from a deficit model, efforts should focus on student strengths, simultaneously providing compensatory strategies and additional instruction to address gaps in learning and needed areas of growth. Special educators should be an integral part of this process as they have nuanced understanding of student strengths and progress with specific skills. Effective models also ensure that needed accommodations are provided.

Leverage student interests that lead to deep, engaging learning. When content is aligned to student interests, the result is an increase in engagement and learning outcomes. Culturally responsive education that recognizes and affirms students' cultural and racial identity also leads to better academic outcomes.

Use Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multiple modalities, and small group instruction. UDL and multiple modalities for instruction can support accelerated approaches. Teachers should use UDL to design flexible learning environments that anticipate learner variability and provide alternative pathways into the curriculum. Teachers should also adapt approaches to accelerated learning to reflect the strengths and areas of growth for each student. Small teacher-to-student ratios and small group instruction can also build ownership of learning for students and reinforce social ties that improve learning and behavioral outcomes . , Furthermore, small group tutoring has been shown to be one of the most effective strategies to improve student outcomes.

Some districts and programs already have approaches that embody these key components for successful acceleration. The following examples incorporate many of the evidence-based practices that can lead to acceleration of learning. It is important to note that while these approaches show promise, not all students with disabilities would be served well in them. Decision makers should recognize the need for balancing student-responsive instruction with accelerated models.

Importance of Accountability and Guardrails in All Instructional Models

Regardless of the instructional approach used, it is critical to preserve and adhere to the statewide assessment and accountability system laid out in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The federal accountability system measures student proficiency by grade level and uses time as a means to determine if students are making progress similar to that of their peers within and across subgroups - like students with disabilities, students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, ELLs, and students of various races/ethnicities. For instance, ESSA maintains the federal requirement (which began with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act) to administer statewide standardized assessments to all students in grades 3-8 and once in high school to measure students' proficiency against grade-level standards. Schools must report the results, must disaggregate data by student subgroup, and are held accountable for student performance on these assessments, among other indicators. The disability and civil rights community has fought for such a system where comparable, annual statewide assessments are administered and publicly reported on so that all students are counted and communities can understand where there are inequities in public education.

By design, some of the accelerated approaches to instruction presented here take a more fluid approach to the pace of learning progressions. In these situations, it is critical that school leaders and policymakers effectively monitor student progress and proficiency using valid and reliable measures. This will ensure that no student groups are held to lower standards or set on trajectories that will prevent them from reaching the same levels of achievement as their peers. If accelerated models of instruction use growth models, grade spans, or other ways to group students and track progress, adhering to federal assessment and accountability requirements is still paramount. Without these guardrails, students at the margins - like students with disabilities - may be held to lower standards or left behind.
Refer to Part 3: Policy Recommendations for more information.

Power Standards: Educators focus on delivering a subset of standards or prioritized grade-specific indicators that any state or district determines are critical for student success.

Power Standards: Milwaukee Public Schools
As part of Milwaukee Public School System's reopening plan , the district articulated instructional expectations for teachers, students, and families. The district designated "power standards" - the most important grade-level goals - as priorities for the first six weeks of school, and provided sample lessons for educators to use when teaching those standards. In other words, the district expected teachers to condense and focus on critical grade-level content with time carved out to address prerequisite skills. This type of district- or state-level guidance is helpful as it paves the way for the redesign of curriculum and instruction to accelerate learning. Organizations such as Achieve the Core have created guidelines on the best ways for districts and schools to maintain high expectations for mastery of grade-level content during and after COVID-19, despite instructional loss.

Example of Power Standards for Grade 2 Mathematics

Combine lessons in order to reduce the amount of time spent on time and money. Emphasize denominations that support place value understanding such as penny-dime-dollar. Limit the amount of required student practice.
-Achieve the Core, 2020-2021 Priority Instructional Content in ELA/Literacy and Mathematics, page 25

Impact
While there is no data about the efficacy of this specific district-level practice and policy, similar efforts in postsecondary education have demonstrated promising outcomes. For instance, the California Acceleration Project (CAP) worked with community colleges to redesign remedial courses for students who have not fully satisfied college-entry benchmarks and are required to pass remedial classes before qualifying for college credit. The CAP created streamlined courses that incorporate prerequisite skills and simultaneously allow students to earn credit.

Key features of this approach:

Streamlines curriculum while focusing on grade-level standards

Frees up time from grade-level curriculum to integrate necessary prerequisite skills

This approach has been shown effective in increasing course completion. For example, course completion rates increased by 2.3 times for required English classes and by 4.5 times for classes in statistics.

Competency-Based Education: Competency-based learning is "an educational system in which each student gets what they need to reach their fullest potential and master high standards through flexible pathways, differentiated support, individual and collective tasks, and multiple means and opportunities to demonstrate skill development. Students have individual agency as well as collaborate in co-constructing pathways and measures of learning. Standards, competencies, and measures of mastery incorporate community input and voice to ensure pathways reflect Universal Design for Learning and are culturally responsive, nonbiased, and anti-racist."

Competency-Based Education: Purdue Polytechnic High School in Indianapolis
Established in 2017, Purdue Polytechnic High School (PPHS) is a collaboration among Purdue University, the City of Indianapolis, and industry partners who seek to prepare students for rigorous postsecondary coursework in STEM fields.

PPHS has three high school campuses serving a total of over 700 students in grades 9-12. Fifty-five percent of PPHS students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 15 percent receive special education services. The student population is racially and ethnically diverse - 34 percent Black, 22 percent Hispanic/Latinx, 36 percent White/Caucasian, and 6.1 percent Multiracial. PPHS takes a competency-based education approach, providing students credit for demonstrated learning mastery as opposed to time spent in school. Every student has a personalized learning coach and is assigned to an advisory group of 15 to 17 students. Students work with their coaches and with peers, setting goals, reviewing progress, discussing current events, and creating plans and schedules for the coming week. Students work on "challenges," which are projects with industry partners that could include, for example, creating product prototypes or drafting business plans. Each challenge lasts for six weeks, after which a new "project cycle" begins. A key feature of this approach is "personalized learning time," during which students progress through required course content (e.g., U.S. history) at their own pace. Coaches are available to assist students either individually or in small groups if they have questions or are struggling with academics or their industry-supported STEM projects.

Impact
Evidence suggests that this approach holds promise. During the school's second year (SY 2018-2019), PPHS students passed the PSAT 8/9 (an assessment given to students in grades 8 and 9 to gauge college and career readiness) at a rate similar to the national average and five percentage points above the state average. In addition, PPHS students outperformed all but one local township/school district on the 2018-2019 state assessments.

Key features of this approach:

Streamlines curriculum while focusing on grade-level standards

Leverages students' interests and capitalizes on opportunities for deep engagement in learning

Uses multiple modalities and takes advantage of benefits inherent to small group instruction and peer engagement

Frees up time to integrate necessary prerequisite skills

Customizes instruction to students' strengths and areas identified as targets for growth

Tailored Acceleration: In this model, educators regularly conduct short, formative assessments and develop individualized learning progressions for each student. Students engage in flexible groupings and in different modalities - independent practice, small group teacher instruction, computer instruction, small group practice - based on their mastery of various skills.

Tailored Acceleration: Teach to One 360
Teach to One 360 is a holistic math instructional model that leverages analytics from historical learner patterns and individual learner attributes to create a custom math curriculum. Learning is tailored to meet the strengths and needs of each student. Teach to One's adaptive technology develops individualized learning progressions that are updated regularly as teachers conduct short, formative assessments. Students engage in flexible groupings and in different teacher-led, student collaboration, and independent modalities based on their mastery of various math skills. Students get more time to develop prerequisite skills while still being exposed to grade-level content.

Various schools have adapted the Teach to One approach to address restrictions related to COVID, and have demonstrated how to implement the model in blended or distance learning environments.

Impact
A 2019 report by MarGrady Research, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, found that schools whose students enrolled in Teach to One over a three-year period saw an average of 23 percent more growth than a national reference sample. However, a second study on a smaller set of schools, by the Consortium of Policy Research in Education at Teachers College, was unable to draw any generalizable conclusion. The report suggested that the inconclusive impact of the program might be due to a lack of fidelity in implementation and to the school district continually reconfiguring the program to align the teaching to the specific grade-level standards on which schools are assessed.

Find out more about the Teach to One 360 approach.

Key features of this approach:

Uses multiple modalities and small group instruction

Frees up time to integrate necessary prerequisite skills

Customizes instruction to fit each student's strengths, areas of growth, and interests

Small Group, High-Impact Tutoring: Schoolwide, one-on-one tutoring or tutoring in very small groups takes place at least three times a week, or for about 50 hours over a semester with the same group of students.

Small Group, High-Impact Tutoring: SAGA Education
SAGA Education is a tutoring program in Chicago, New York City, Florida, and Washington, DC. SAGA pairs students with a tutor who is interested in public service - often a recent college graduate who is an AmeriCorps member. Tutors work in the program for one year and receive a stipend and pre-service training. Tutors are paired with two to four students who are behind grade level in math for one 50-minute class period per school day.

The daily tutoring sessions count as a credit-bearing elective course toward high school graduation for the students who are being tutored. Importantly, tutoring sessions do not replace participation in full-class grade-level instruction with teachers who have content expertise. Instead, the tutoring sessions provide a double dose of instruction to support and accelerate learning.

Impact
The impact of this approach has been shown to be positive. Students who received SAGA tutoring achieved 2.5 years of growth in math in one year. Among participating students, there was a 50 percent decrease in math course failures. The impact also spilled over into content areas outside of those targeted by tutoring, with a 28 percent decrease in non-math course failures.

Key features of this approach

Uses multiple modalities and small group instruction

Frees up time to integrate necessary prerequisite skills

Customizes instruction to fit each student's strengths, areas of growth, and interests

Part 2:

Implementing Acceleration Approaches With Success

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Part 1: Research-Based Approaches to Accelerate Learning - NCLD

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Due to school closures and lost instructional time, the vast majority of students are entering the 2020-2021 school year behind grade level. Many schools will aim to design a learning progression that remediates instruction, meets students where they are, and picks up the curriculum where students left off.

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AIR Academic Screening Tools (National Center on Intensive Intervention)

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AIR Academic Screening Tools (National Center on Intensive Intervention)

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Use the briefs to evaluate academic interventions available on the academic intervention tools chart across the seven dimensions of the Taxonomy of Intervention Intensity.

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Interim assessments are designed to support teaching and learning throughout the year. The CAASPP Interim Assessments include the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics as well as the California Science Test (CAST) Interim Assessments.

To access resources regarding the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) Interim Assessments, please visit the ELPAC Interim Assessment Administration Resources web page.

General Resources

User Guides

Interim Assessment Video Series

The CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessment Video Series consists of six modules covering the content and purpose of the interim assessments and how to use related systems and resources.

Interim Assessment Lists

2023-24 Interim Assessments At-a-Glance (July 2023)
This document lists, by grade level or grade span, all available CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments.

2023-24 Interim Assessments by Grade (August 2023)
This document lists all available CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments by grade or grade span, and provides information such as associated standards, total number of items and number of items requiring hand scoring.

Instructions

Other General Resources

Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Resources

Blueprints

Blueprints for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and mathematics, as well as various other resources, can be found on the CDE Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments web page

Quick Instructions and Flyers

Videos

Asynchronous Hand Scoring Learning Modules

These asynchronous learning modules guide educators on how to hand score the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment performance tasks for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and mathematics. The asynchronous learning modules can be accessed on the following web pages:

CAST Interim Assessment Resources

The CAST Interim Assessments in grades three, four, and five will each assess all three science domains. Middle school and high school will each have three interim assessments that assess a single science domain. Each CAST interim assessment will consist of two segments: one discrete segment and one performance task (PT) segment. The PT consists of four to six items, including one constructed response item worth 2 points that must be hand-scored.

CAST Interim Assessment Organization Flyer

Blueprints

Item Specifications

Item specifications describe how items for the CAST are developed to assess the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS).

CAST Item Specifications web page

CAST Constructed Response Annotated Examples

These annotated examples were created for selected constructed response items on the CAST practice tests. Practice test scoring guides and more can be found on the Online Practice Test Scoring Guides, PFAs, and DFAs web page.

Last Reviewed: September 19, 2023

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Test Administrator Resources for the administration of California tests.

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University of Washington College of Education

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Find out more about John Hattie’s Visible Learning meta-study

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Let’s Not Make Power ELA/Literacy Standards and Talk About Why We Didn’t

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Let’s Not Make Power ELA/Literacy Standards and Talk About Why We Didn’t

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Posted:

Why might we name power ELA/literacy standards?
Lately, we have gotten a few text messages from colleagues like the one on a recent Saturday night: " How do I respond to this?!"with the screen capture of a message asking, " What 5-7 ELA/Literacy standards do you think are power standards for 5th graders to master?" As schools and districts turn toward planning for next school year, sometimes this work includes arbitrarily drafting "power ELA standards" (or "focus standards," "essential standards," etc.). We cannot say this loudly enough - please do not.

Educators often name power standards for any number of reasons: they always have, it's seen as a productive lever for struggling schools; leaders want a literacy pacing calendar for teachers to follow; or systems want standards-based reporting for students. These might be compelling reasons, but the solution of power standards is not the best pathway for ensuring the success of all students. Selecting power standards is a way of proceduralizing the standards that takes considerable time for educators to do but is not meaningful for student learning. This proceduralizing decenters what is most essential: the students and their relationship to and interpretations of the texts under consideration.
Why is naming power ELA/literacy standards a bad idea?
When faced with challenges in literacy instruction (be it a lack of opportunity for students to access grade-level work, a disrupted school year, or otherwise) schools and districts would do well to focus on supporting their students to engage in meaningful, affirming, grade-level work with texts. More on what that might look like in a moment. First, a word on why isolating power standards cannot lead to student success.

Naming power standards may have been a common strategy when there were many, many standards prior to the wide adoption of college- and career-readiness standards (CCR standards) in 2009. This is not the case anymore. CCR standards ARE the power standards. They are streamlined; they are connected within and across grade levels, and they create a staircase of complexity for students to climb from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are no power standards that should sit above this set of CCR standards.

If we focus our work with students on only a narrow selection of standards, we are not providing consistent opportunities for grade-level work for all students, and we fail in our task to prepare students for the demands of college, careers, and citizenship. Naming power standards is a policy move that increases inequalities by defining opportunity gaps. This kind of gap in opportunity to meet grade-level standards is already a pernicious problem in schools and districts. Far too often, Black students, students learning English, and students currently experiencing poverty are repeatedly denied access to grade-level learning (see TNTP's Opportunity Myth). This opportunity gap is problematic for certain, but cannot be solved by creating a policy that names fewer skills for students to master.

Keep in mind that CCR-standards state a minimum of what students should be able to do by the end of each grade level. As such, they are best seen as necessary but not sufficient for ensuring equitable learning opportunities for all students. In designating power standards, educators make plain their bias that students can't master all the standards. This prioritization becomes an unnecessary distraction to the essential work of figuring out who your students are or what they need. To support equitable instruction, educators should instead consider who their students and their communities are and spend time making decisions about the curriculum, instruction, and pedagogical approaches that best suit these needs.

Finally, naming power standards decenters the students as the primary actor in interpreting and learning from texts. The CCR-standards reflect the integrated and text-centered nature of literacy by naming the various ways students should be able to read, discuss, and write about the world from rich and rigorous texts. If you isolate some standards over others, you deny students the opportunity to fully learn from these compelling texts, and you lean in on skills-first (rather than text-first) instruction. Take, for example, the two different text excerpts below. As you read, consider what questions and tasks you might engage students in to unlock the richness of each text individually and then of both together.

What should we focus on instead?
What did you think are the most important things for students to dig into with these texts? If students examined the texts through "power standards" only, then the questions and tasks will be driven by the skills in those standards rather than students exploring, learning from, and reacting to the content and construct of the texts. In the case of these Gorman texts, if a district selected Reading 1 and 2, Writing 2, and Speaking and Listening 1 as part of their "power standards," students could engage in a discussion about Gorman's perspective of American democracy and write a paragraph explaining the purpose of poetry according to Gorman. But, if the district left out Reading 5, 6, 7, Writing 5, and Speaking and Listening 3, students would not get the opportunity to compare and contrast Gorman's poem with her reasons for writing as she shares in "Using Your Voice is a Political Choice," discuss in small groups the ways in which Gorman's point of view shaped both texts, describe in writing how reading "The Hill We Climb" at a presidential inauguration impacts the poem's meaning, or write their own occasional poem to read at an important community event. And what about the next texts students engage with? Will the power standards districts select best address the complexities of these texts and the myriad opportunities to analyze across the standards? It is unlikely. By arbitrarily naming specific standards disconnected from any experience with texts, we are narrowing students' opportunities to fully analyze and deeply know the meaning of Gorman's work. Keeping text at the center of literacy instruction means giving students the opportunity to read and grapple with grade-level texts, not artificially isolating certain standards away from others.

So what might schools and districts do if they don't name essential standards? First and foremost, ensure you are providing students regular opportunities to engage with and learn from grade-level complex texts. Guidance for how to do this can be found in Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom or A Short Guide to Placing Text at the Center of Learning, which includes stopping instructional approaches that stand in the way of access to grade level materials. With the text(s) at the center, use the range of standards to drive questioning and to bring focus and clarity to text-driven culminating tasks. In the table below, we have outlined additional approaches and resources to better meet the needs of your students.

Actions That Prioritize Student Learning Resources to Support Student Learning

Accelerate learning for students not yet at grade level. Be strategic about how to know what opportunities to learn students did not have and how to provide them just-in-time support into grade-level materials.

A report on accelerating literacy and creating equity: Reading as Liberation - An Examination of the Research Base.

Rethinking Intervention from Instruction Partners

For young readers, focus on the Early Reading Accelerators

For older readers, consider integrating literacy accelerators into content teaching with tools like Building Fluency: A Guide to 6-12 ELA/Literacy from UnboundEd.

Adopt a CCR standards-aligned curriculum as a start to engaging students in learning with grade-level texts and tasks.

A list of freely available ELA instructional materials

Curriculum Support Guide from Instruction Partners to support adoption and implementation of CCR-aligned materials

Textbook Adaptations for better alignment of basal materials

Expand culturally relevant pedagogies in schools and districts. Because standards are necessary but not sufficient, we must attend to how we approach literacy instruction, what knowledge we privilege in the classroom, and who our students are as essential components of teaching and learning.

Gloria Ladson Billings on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

A Culturally Responsive Instruction: Resource List from Colorín Colorado

Complicate the narrative and tasks for students with resources from # DisruptTexts, Learning for Justice's model Reading Diversity, and Why You Need to Diversify Your Diverse Books from Zoretta Hammond

Ensure teachers have sufficient time to internalize texts and their complexities, and the support to plan appropriate scaffolds.

Achievement First's Intellectual Prep: What We've Learned

UnboundEd's Planning Process
Principles for High-Quality, Standards-Aligned Professional Learning

Address interrupted schooling due to COVID-19 closures and disruptions

Council of the Great City Schools: Addressing Unfinished Learning After COVID-19 School Closures

TNTP's Acceleration Guide

The Priority Instructional Content to support a text-centered approach while also accounting for the last year of interrupted time at school. Note: The Priority Instructional Content is different from power standards in that it suggests a focus on standards that represent the major work of literacy instruction: learning to read, close reading of complex texts, and volume of reading to build knowledge. The remaining standards work in service of this instructional focus, as described here.

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Let's Not Make Power ELA/Literacy Standards and Talk About Why We Didn't - Peers and Pedagogy

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Lately, we have gotten a few text messages from colleagues like the one on a recent Saturday night: "How do I respond to this?!" with the screen capture of a message asking, "What 5-7 ELA/Literacy standards do you think are power standards for 5th graders to master?"

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Quarter Turns: Supports to Access Complex Text Across Disciplines

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Quarter Turns: Supports to Access Complex Text Across Disciplines

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Quarter turns, which are small pivots teachers can make in the classroom, can be used across the content areas when a complex, grade-level text must be read and understood by all students. Some of the quarter turns are small changes to the text layout while others are more involved discussion structures. In all cases, the quarter turns identified in this resource have been designed to engage more students more frequently with more text.

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Quarter Turns: Supports to Access Complex Text Across Disciplines

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Quarter turns, which are small pivots teachers can make in the classroom, can be used across the content areas when a complex, grade-level text must be read and understood by all students. Some of the quarter turns are small changes to the text layout while others are more involved discussion structures.

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Unfinished Learning in Math: How Do You Address it?

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Unfinished Learning in Math: How Do You Address it?

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The role of coherence in ensuring all students stay on grade level.

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The role of coherence in ensuring all students stay on grade level

One of my favorite phrases in education is "unfinished learning." By thinking about students' gaps and weaknesses in this way-as more of a work in progress-we promote a growth mindset in both the teacher and the student. The number one question I receive from beginning and veteran teachers across the nation is "How do I address unfinished learning in my students but still stay on grade level?" I remember thinking this same question when I started teaching high school math twelve years ago. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to work with the standards and their development at the school, district, and state level. These experiences have given me the chance to find a solution to this question.

The biggest struggle I hear from teachers is that students "were never taught this information." In my experience, I find the students have been taught the material, but have not fully mastered it. Often it only takes a quick reminder in order for students to remember that they do, in fact, know what is being asked. However, this is not always the case and unfinished learning needs to be addressed. The best way to help your students with unfinished learning is to know the standards: the standards for your grade, the grade before, and the grade after. Coherence in the standards is the intentional layout of what students are to know from year to year in order to master a concept.

The Coherence Map on Achieve the Core is the best resource available for finding exactly what your students were supposed to know before they came into your class. By starting with the standard that you are teaching, the Coherence Map can show you connections to standards before the current grade level, during the current grade level, and after the current grade level as well as provide tasks for students to show mastery of these standards. Take a look at 8.EE.C.7: Solve linear equations in one variable.

Looking at the Coherence Map, we can see that there are two standards from 7th grade that students needed to master in order to be able to complete this 8th grade standard. And this particular 8th grade standard must be mastered before the student can be successful in four different high school standards. The Coherence Map also shows us that there are several standards in 8th grade that can be taught together or as a support of a standard that is part of the major work of the grade, such as 8.SP.A.3 above.

So how can the Coherence Map be helpful with unfinished learning? Here are a few suggestions that you might try.

Anticipate student struggles - While planning a unit or lesson, use the Coherence Map to help identify the weaknesses that a student might have that would hinder them from mastering the grade-level standard. By anticipating where the student might struggle, you can plan your lessons to address some of these weaknesses.

Know when to stop - Using the Coherence Map to look ahead at what will be covered on the same topic at a later level allows the teacher to focus on the standard at grade level. By doing this, teachers can incorporate strategies to address unfinished learning, such as individualized remediation and sidebar think clouds, into their lesson.

Find quality tasks - When unfinished learning is identified in a student, finding quality tasks to help the student is critical. The Coherence Map has an example task for almost every standard that can be used to both remediate and check for mastery.

By implementing these strategies and using the Coherence Map, I have found success in holding all students to grade-level standards. For example, as a high school math teacher, fractions and integer operations are the biggest piece of unfinished learning for my students. Since I know that these are taught in elementary (fractions) and middle school (integer operations), I make sure to work on grade-level topics with these concepts incorporated, both in classroom lessons and homework. I now have more time in the year to focus on my own content.

As you begin the new school year, use the Coherence Map to intentionally plan ahead in your lessons and encourage your students to work through their struggles to complete their unfinished learning.

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Unfinished Learning in Math: How Do You Address it? - Peers and Pedagogy

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One of my favorite phrases in education is "unfinished learning." By thinking about students' gaps and weaknesses in this way-as more of a work in progress-we promote a growth mindset in both the teacher and the student. The number one question I receive from beginning and veteran teachers across the nation is "How do I [...]

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Addressing unfinished learning in the context of grade-level work

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Addressing unfinished learning in the context of grade-level work

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Not all unfinished learning should be treated the same way.

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As a teacher, I had an understanding of the grade-level math content I was supposed to teach and the belief that students' new learning had to build from their prior understanding. But the harsh reality was that most of the students in my class were several years below grade level, and I only had one school year to try to catch them up. At the time, I felt like I had to choose between two pathways - to move forward with grade-level work despite students' gaps or halt grade-level instruction to build prerequisite knowledge.

Neither of these would provide equitable learning for my students.

In my current role as Director of Math Professional Learning at the Achievement Network (ANet), I've learned that I wasn't the only teacher facing this challenge. In fact, it's one of the most widespread challenges we hear from our school partners. And that's why I've partnered with Astrid Fossum from Student Achievement Partners (SAP) over the past year to think more about what it means to address students' unfinished learning in the context of grade-level work.

What is unfinished learning?

Unfinished learning refers to any prerequisite knowledge or skills that students need for future work that they don't have yet. Previously, I've used the term gap or weakness to mean the same thing, but I prefer unfinished learning because it seems to inspire action rather than focusing on student deficits.

Not all unfinished learning has the same effect on students' ability to access grade-level content. In some cases, it will simply require more time or effort from students, similar to how road construction affects travel.

For example, a student who is not yet fluent with multiplication (5.NBT.B.5) may need more time or support when solving real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume (6.G.A), but should still be given an opportunity to engage with these types of grade-level problems.

This idea may be counterintuitive at first. Given the coherent nature of mathematics, I used to think that students couldn't engage in grade-level work until they'd built all prerequisite skills. But now I see it differently - as an opportunity to help students "plug holes" or strengthen understanding.

The bridge is up!

On the other hand, there may be situations that require prerequisite knowledge for entry into a lesson or task. For example, a 7th grader needs to understand the concept of a ratio (6.RP.A.1) in order to analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems (7.RP.A). In a case where students lack the former, a teacher may insert one or more lessons to address the gap before moving into grade-level content.

To build on our driving analogy from earlier, we could use the example of a drawbridge being "up," not allowing cars to pass until it is closed. In these cases, teachers will need to "close the bridge" before moving ahead with grade-level content so students can access new material in a meaningful way.

Over the past year, I've had a chance to explore examples of unfinished learning alongside teachers, and I've been surprised to see that cases where lack of the most critical prerequisite understanding actually prevents access to grade-level content are rare. Instead, far more common are situations where students can both engage in grade-level content and fill gaps simultaneously.

Given this, and the pacing challenges that arise when teachers halt grade-level instruction to teach content from prior grades, I'd encourage teachers to ask, "Is the bridge truly up?" before deciding how to support students.

The flowchart above summarizes an approach you can take to identify and address students' unfinished learning when planning upcoming lessons or units. You may enter into this approach at different points, depending on when student gaps are identified, and you will likely cycle between the steps as you work with students, as the double arrows suggest.

As you work to understand the demands of the standards, it may be helpful to try solving problems that align to each standard yourself to help you anticipate areas where students may get stuck and to identify the most critical prerequisite knowledge. Additionally, the Coherence Map is a helpful tool to understand the progression of learning leading up to grade-level content, as illustrated on page 2 of this 5th grade example.

When possible, use data you already have to diagnose student understanding in order to save yourself time and avoid over-testing students. See what you can learn from classroom discussion, one-on-one conversations, and written work students complete as part of everyday instruction. If more information is needed, you may decide to administer a pre-assessment. Page 3 of this 6th grade example shows one teacher's approach to diagnosing student understanding.

Let the data be your guide as you take action - with whom, when, and on what? Pages 4-6 of this 8th grade example show one teacher's approach. During this phase, it's important that students understand how the extra support connects to their own grade-level content. One teacher shared that she posts grade-level problems on the board at the beginning of instruction, explaining that they will return to them after brushing up on a few skills.

There are no silver bullets

As I've looked into this topic over the past few years, I've realized that there are no silver bullets. There is no one program or solution to catching kids up who are several years behind. Instead, it takes deep content knowledge, increased time, and strategic planning to meet students where they are and accelerate their path forward.

While the 3-step approach Understand-Diagnose-Take Action will not magically "finish" students' unfinished learning, it can provide some structure to a challenge many teachers continue to face in the classroom. Reactions to the approach have been positive, and we've seen some early successes from teachers who have used it. If you're a teacher working to address unfinished learning in the context of grade-level work, please share your ideas and examples by sending us an email or Tweeting at us: @achievethecore and @AchievementNet!

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Addressing unfinished learning in the context of grade-level work - Peers and Pedagogy

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As a teacher, I had an understanding of the grade-level math content I was supposed to teach and the belief that students' new learning had to build from their prior understanding. But the harsh reality was that most of the students in my class were several years below grade level, and I only had one [...]

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Designing Shifts-Aligned Interventions in the Math Classroom

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Designing Shifts-Aligned Interventions in the Math Classroom

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Avoid common pitfalls when it comes to supporting students with unfinished math learning

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Avoid common pitfalls when it comes to supporting students with unfinished math learning

As teachers, we want to help all kids learn and when we're faced with the realization that some students just aren't "getting it," we work to figure out how to catch kids up. It's a prevalent struggle many educators grapple with and a frequent conversation in schools: How do we address unfinished learning in math and fill gaps in student understanding?

Over the course of my career I have seen, all too often, students behind grade level denied access to grade-level mathematics, in an effort to catch them up or "fill the holes." All students deserve access to content-rich instruction at their grade level, and when students have unfinished learning from previous grades, teachers need to take appropriate action-and that doesn't mean reverting solely to materials and content from previous grades.

So, how do we address unfinished learning and support students in developing understanding and mastery of content? Chrissy Allison, Director of Math Professional Learning at Achievement Network (ANet), and I were knee deep in conversations centered on unfinished learning when we first penned a "Do's and Don'ts Chart" for catching kids up. The chart identifies some missteps districts, schools, and teachers make when working with students who have gaps in their math knowledge. We've included some recommendations to consider to avoid these missteps. You can download the chart at the top of this blog post.
Recommendations for Targeted Math and Intervention
Evidence of the Shifts in Mathematics are found in the Recommendations for Targeted Math and Intervention chart. When teachers plan universal instruction with Focus, Coherence, and Rigor in mind, but ignore these Shifts when it comes to intervention and support time, there is an immediate disconnect in instruction. The Shifts must be top of mind for both whole-class instruction and extra support. Let's break a few of these down.

With Focus, intervention time should be based on the content that matters most for success in later mathematics. For instance, if a third grade student's interim data illustrates weaknesses in two clusters: 3.G.A Reason with shapes and their attributes and 3. NF.A.1 Develop understanding of fractions as numbers, prioritize the fraction work since this reflects the Major Work of the Grade. Maintaining attention to Major Work of the Grade will ensure that additional time and attention is spent on foundational content necessary for students to be successful with future math work. When planning for Coherence, use the Coherence Map to trace content across the grades and design learning activities that support grade-level mathematics. Make connections explicit to students to support their developing thinking and understanding. Remember that the standards themselves call for particular aspects of Rigor. Teaching tricks that proceduralize concepts and make ideas "quick and easy" for students undermines learning. Stay true to the aspect of Rigor in the standard and plan as such. For example, if intervening on 6.NS.B.2, Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm, teach the standard algorithm and practice, practice, practice! The suggestions in the chart likely can't all be tackled at one time. Determine where to start, what changes can be made, and how to move forward. It is important to consider interventions within the "big picture" of math education. This means taking a step back and applying the same principles you apply to your planning of whole-class instruction. At first, this may seem counterintuitive. It can be tempting to give in to gut reactions: "I need to address every gap, right now before I move on;" "I need to focus just on the unfinished learning-connecting grade-level content would just be confusing." The reality is, however, that if we give in to these inclinations, we're denying students access to grade-level content and Shifts-aligned instruction. And that isn't fair to our students.

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Designing Shifts-Aligned Interventions in the Math Classroom - Peers and Pedagogy

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As teachers, we want to help all kids learn and when we're faced with the realization that some students just aren't "getting it," we work to figure out how to catch kids up. It's a prevalent struggle many educators grapple with and a frequent conversation in schools: How do we address unfinished learning in math [...]

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New Evidence from Elementary Math Classrooms

school systems Must decide how to help students catch up from covid-19. New evidence suggests learning acceleration is the right approach.

Research suggests more students have experienced more unfinished learning over the last year than ever before. With the COVID-19 pandemic waning, school systems are facing a critical choice about how to respond. Should they use the traditional approach of reviewing all the content students missed, known as remediation? Or should they start with the current grade's content and provide "just-in-time" supports when necessary, known as learning acceleration?

New data from Zearn, a nonprofit organization whose online math platform is used by one in four elementary students nationwide, provides one of the first direct comparisons of these two approaches-and compelling new evidence that school systems should make learning acceleration the foundation of their academic strategies next year and beyond.

Findings include:

Students who experienced learning acceleration struggled less and learned more than students who started at the same level but experienced remediation instead.

Students of color and those from low-income backgrounds were more likely than their white, wealthier peers to experience remediation-even when they had already demonstrated success on grade-level content.

Learning acceleration was particularly effective for students of color and those from low-income families.

This is strong evidence that learning acceleration works, and that it could be key to unwinding generations-old academic inequities the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated. System leaders have an important opportunity in the months ahead to start providing teachers with the resources and support they need-and to start building the skill and belief that's necessary-to help every student engage in grade-level work right away.

To learn more about how to accelerate learning in your school system, download our Learning Acceleration Guide.

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Bring TNTP to your school system

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New Evidence from Elementary Math Classrooms Research suggests more students have experienced more unfinished learning over the last year than ever before. With the COVID-19 pandemic waning, school systems are facing a critical choice about how to respond. Should they use the traditional approach of reviewing all the content students missed, known as remediation?

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Using the filter, select formative Assessment Strategies

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Smarter Tools for Teachers. Discover classroom resources you can use today. Educator-created lessons, activities, strategies, and professional development to help tailor instruction and boost learning.

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Rethinking Intervention - Instruction Partners

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A series of conversations with education leaders, researchers, and practitioners about what drives and challenges "intervention" and how we can accelerate student learning after many months away from school.

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Accelerating Learning as We Build Back Better

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Accelerating Learning as We Build Back Better

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Social emotional learning approaches can help set the norm for a new age in education that builds on ... [+]
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After a year of struggling with distance learning and hybrid models, parents, teachers, and policymakers across the country are concerned about "learning loss" and how to recover from the educational effects of the pandemic. While many of us resist the deficit orientation of learning loss language, these concerns are certainly legitimate: As the crisis began, millions of children, particularly those in low-income communities, lacked access to the computers and connectivity that would make in-person remote learning possible, creating even greater equity gaps than those that already existed.

Furthermore, many low-income communities and communities of color have been especially hard hit by COVID-19, with higher rates of infection, hospitalization and death, as well as greater rates of unemployment and housing and food insecurity. These traumatic events, coupled with the ongoing instances of police shootings of unarmed civilians, have led to a growing and ever more visible divide between the haves and the have-nots, with many students encountering barriers to keeping up in school and others disengaging from school altogether.

Why We Should Aim for Reinvention

It is critically important, though, that we address these concerns based not on outdated notions about remediation, but on what we now know about how people learn effectively. Among those lessons are the following:

Positive relationships and attachments are the essential ingredient that catalyzes healthy development and learning ... and enables resilience from trauma.

Children actively construct knowledge by connecting what they know to what they are learning within their cultural contexts. Creating those connections is key to learning.

Learning is social, emotional, and academic. Children learn best when they feel safe, affirmed, and deeply engaged within a supportive community of learners.

Learning is enhanced by physical activity, joy, and opportunities for self-expression.

Students' perceptions of their own ability influence learning. All children are motivated to learn the next set of skills for which they are ready; few are motivated by labels that rank them against others or communicate stigma.

These principles - drawn from brain science and research about learning - mean that we must reinvent school in ways that center relationships (unlike the factory model designs we have inherited), allow educators to deeply understand what children know and have experienced so they can build on it and draw connections to new learning; lead with social and emotional supports and skills, fully integrated with academic learning; and enable children to see their strengths and what they do know - to feel competent and confident that they can learn. We also need to support educators in recognizing the effects of trauma, accessing resources for children, and supporting their attachment and healing, rather than unwittingly exacerbating the effects of trauma by using curriculum and rules that alienate, rather than reattach students to school.

As researchers at the Learning Policy Institute have noted in Restarting and Reinventing School, it's important not to return to "normal" but to create a new normal that is grounded in what we know from the science of learning and development.

What a "New Normal" Should Look Like

If we really want to support learning, the return to school should not include these staple features of an outdated approach to learning that research has found actually undermine achievement:

Testing students to label and track them into "high," "average," and "low" groups that are segregated by perceived ability - and often by race, class, and language background as well;

Offering regimented drill and kill remedial instruction in these segregated groups, focused on filling gaps in basic skills in the artificial ways they are assessed on multiple choice tests, which then often causes them to be taught in equally artificial ways;

"Personalizing" learning by putting students in front of programmed computers for machine-based instruction for long hours at a time - or piles of worksheets that offer the same decontextualized approach to learning;

Punishing students who disengage or express frustration and despair by excluding them from the classroom or removing "privileges" like recess and library time;

Placing the neediest students in remedial classes with the least trained and experienced teachers who are least likely to know how to create productive learning environments.

Instead, a supportive school return - both this summer and next fall - will seek to ensure that students:

Experience warm relationships and social-emotional supports achieved by redesigning schools so that they are relationship-centered, with built-in time for creating community, trust, and belonging among students and with families;

Engage in outdoor play and exercise, expressive arts, and collaborative activities that support brain development and learning;

Encounter authentic, culturally responsive learning tasks and inquiry projects connected to their experiences that allow them to understand and positively impact their environment;

Assess what students need both socially and emotionally as well as academically, address trauma with healing and support, and identify the next steps they are ready to take in their learning rather than labelling them;

Accelerate learning through additional time and high-quality tutoring rather than tracking. Intensive tutoring, found to be highly effective, both establishes strong relationships and customizes teaching directly to student readiness and needs.

This work should start right away and continue into the summer and next year. Summer school should not be a boot camp designed for students who are "behind." Instead, studies find the most effective models provide rich opportunities for play and enrichment paired with academic content offered through small classes and individualized instruction, like those Cajon Valley School District in California has structured in its "Camp Cajon" summer enrichment program.

Educators can partner with community-based organizations as Tulsa Public Schools plans to do this summer with partners ranging from the YMCA to Tulsa's Bike Club, Global Gardens, Reading Partners, Debate League, and more, creating highly engaging opportunities that mix recreation with learning. They can also motivate and educate students with opportunities like the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools. Modeled after the 1963 Mississippi Freedom Schools that developed leaders in the black community, CDF Freedom Schools now partner with community organizations, churches, and schools to provide literacy-rich after school and summer programs for k-12 students in all kinds of communities. These programs, found to be effective in promoting reading gains, motivate and inspire students as they read books that are culturally meaningful and discuss ideas aimed at social action and civic engagement for the betterment of their communities.

The opportunity to contribute is highly motivating for students, and recovery from trauma can be enabled by engaging in projects that allow students to grow and improve things: from school or community gardens and murals that feed and beautify, to a range of school, classroom, or community improvement projects that show students their strengths and produce a sense of agency as they advance growth and well-being for themselves and others.

As in-person school resumes, schools can help teachers understand students' needs with tools like the CORE districts' RALLY survey that provides regular information about students' experiences and wellness, as they integrate social and emotional learning, mindfulness, and wraparound supports health, mental health and social services. The more than $122 billion just allocated to k-12 schools in the American Rescue Plan Act provides states and districts with the opportunity to support all of these kinds of services and their coherent delivery through community schools models as a critical part of learning recovery, alongside academic investments.

To re-attach students to school and to accelerate learning throughout the coming year, the most effective classrooms will provide well-designed collaborative learning opportunities in non-tracked classrooms using curricula that involve students in engaging mathematical inquiries, culturally-affirming expeditions in English language arts, mind-opening experiments in science, and opportunities to reflect and express in the arts and humanities. And to ensure that students are able to recover successfully, these can be coupled in expanded learning time with small group supports and high-intensity tutoring that supports rapid skill development during and beyond the school day, and with successful strategies like the Acceleration Academies offered during winter and spring break weeks in Lawrence, Massachusetts. In these academies, excellent teachers work with students in small groups on hands-on learning that brings them back to school with strong skills and confidence.

If we focus only on "learning loss," we will walk down a familiar road, one paved with repetitive remediation, disengaged students, and reluctant families who are disillusioned with impersonal, inauthentic learning. Beginning this summer and continuing into the next academic year, we should restructure schooling to build trust within supportive classrooms that do not ignore the trauma of the pandemic. We can create time to build capacity among trauma-informed educators, and we can make decisions based on multiple measures of student learning and well-being. If students feel attached and affirmed, and if they receive enriching experiences with targeted supports, they will learn in ways that far exceed the "old normal" and set the norm for a new age in education that builds on how children really learn, rather than working against it.
Adam K. Edgerton, a senior researcher at the Learning Policy Institute, contributed to this story.
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Accelerating Learning As We Build Back Better

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As we work to reopen schools safely and effectively, it's important not to return to "normal" but to reinvent school in ways that center relationships and are grounded in the science of learning and development. We must move past remediation and, instead, turn to the research on how people learn.