Hack #2 by Sheryl Carter

2025-03-27 15:07:49 UTC

Much of the IB Literature curriculum for year 1 of the course, is centered upon moving students toward the IB assessments (multiple). The first year of the course prepares students to complete an internal assessment called the oral commentary. In order to progress to the analysis of a global issue and how such issue is presented in two texts, students have to first learn what a global issue is, as defined by the IB parameters. That is where we begin in year 1. We move through the course by identifying global issues texts, then build to analyzing how author's present such issues in a variety of ways (authorial craft). While doing so we build on the skills of annotating, analysis, and discussion using literary vocabulary. This is a difficult progression for students. When we get close to the IA assessment, we have to move from identification and analysis to creating a cohesive presentation where students feel confident giving a commentary of at least 10 minutes in length on the works of their choice. I cannot chose the global issues for my students, nor lead them in their analysis. They have to be able to identify and construct this complex task on their own. If I didn't break this down into manageable increments students would be overwhelmed and struggle to complete the assessment. (Andrea Vierno)

2025-03-27 15:10:27 UTC

I appreciated that the book answered most of my questions, about students being at different stages in the progression, but really this is individualizing instruction for students. Flexibility is another issue that is brought up, and I can see how teacher's would have to be flexible in understanding that students may be at different paces and starting points. This could be difficult in say my 10th grade classes, and has been when I have such large gaps in learning in the same room and only see them for 40 minutes a day.

carriethomas8_1 — 2025-03-27 17:47:52 UTC

One of the first examples of learning progressions, that comes to mind is the teaching/scaffolding of literary techniques/elements/devices at the high school level. I taught all 9th grade my first few years here at MCHS. We started with the basics and created many mini-lessons when being introduced to a new device. We practiced identifying them and their definitions. When they went to 10th grade (which I started teaching soon after), we then spent less time with definitions and more on analysis but we would choose a select few. Moving on to the junior year we worked on analysis and application and identification in preparation for the Regents exam. By the time I started teaching IB seniors, I rarely had to focus on identification unless they were more obscure. Instead, we could analyze the effect and authorial choices and then begin to write comparative essays, analyzing how authors use these same devices across two different texts or even genres.

carriethomas8_1 — 2025-03-27 17:49:46 UTC

The section entitled "What You Can Do Tomorrow" was extremely helpful and straightforward so I didn't feel like I had a lot of questions or concerns...yet. :)

2025-03-30 18:14:54 UTC

I have a strong understanding of learning progressions and how they can be used to guide students through the stages of reading development. Learning progressions are especially effective in reading intervention because they break down complex skills into manageable steps, helping students see their growth over time. Instead of just saying "get better at reading", learning progressions show students specific steps in areas like phonics, fluency, and comprehension. I also use learning progressions to guide instruction, focusing on the skills each studnet needs to move to the next level.

2025-03-30 18:19:39 UTC

This section answered most of my concerns. However I often question: how do I explain learning progressions to parents and will they understand and accept them as an alternative to traditional grading? And: are these progressions flexible enough for students with IEPs and dyslexia?

2025-03-30 20:16:33 UTC

Learning progressions are essential in the classroom. I use them to help students break down difficult material. Once they have the most basic foundation--we move on to application. Once they have a good grasp on a very basic skill, we move up in complexity. When we continue moving forward, I typically don't have to go back and re-teach the most basic skills, as they've already mastered them and are able to apply.

2025-03-30 20:17:15 UTC

At this time, I don't have any concerns about implementing learning progressions.

2025-03-31 15:28:07 UTC

In resource room I focus a lot of my instruction on learning progressions. I give my students a quick assessment to see where they are when they first come to me. Once I establish what each student know I build upon that. For example when working on addition we start with plus 1 first, then plus zero, then add within 5, etc. I make sure students are fluent with each progression stage before moving them on.

2025-04-01 14:08:32 UTC

The learning progressions in our resource room is. When we start the year the student's in 7th grade are scared, unsure of themselves. We like to reteach some of the subjects the students don't quite understand. I have shown them how to find where they can get answers . Then as time goes by I will give them a page number and let them find it. Eventually I will ask how can I find this answer, more than one student will come over and show me where it is. This means they are moving to the next level.

emclear1 — 2025-04-01 18:26:54 UTC

I think in both my role as a resource room teacher prior to this year and as a reading intervention teacher this year, I am pretty familiar with learning progressions. The students I work with know they are with me to improve their overall reading skills. However, improving reading skills can be too broad of a goal and can encompass quite a few different skills. We take the time to break down these different skills to make it more manageable and also to show progress with each skill.

emclear1 — 2025-04-01 18:39:10 UTC

I think the biggest concern I have related to learning progressions is how to get other teachers on board with implementing them. I think Wendy also brought up a good point about parents accepting them as an alternative to traditional grading.

2025-04-02 14:15:50 UTC

I do not have experience with learning progressions. I do however use learning targets. Kids can monitor progress using the learning targets. The targets are created based on the Living Environment standards. The standards are changing to Biology for next year and we have 8 science and engineering practices as well as cross cutting concepts that I believe can be set up to show progression throughout the year.

2025-04-02 14:16:32 UTC

I would just need help finding ways to keep track/monitor each student.

2025-04-03 12:22:03 UTC

I have a lot of experience with learning progressions as this is how English Language Learners (ELL) students are graded for their assessments. In this chapter it made be better understand the value and purpose of learning progression and I can see where it can be valuable to use with all students. In our elementary school we use learning progressions 1-4 at our primary levels to give our students grades on each learning standard we have reading, writing, math, and social/behavioral development.

2025-04-03 12:28:20 UTC

I have experience with learning progressions in the Resource Room setting. We take complex skills and break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks for the students.

2025-04-03 12:29:33 UTC

There aren't any questions that I have on learning progressions at this time.

2025-04-03 14:33:38 UTC

I don't have any questions about implementing the learning progression at this time. However, I do have a small concern with it replacing traditional grading when it comes advance learners. When grades become on a scale like this (like done in college where a letter represent a range of grades) I've seen and been apart of falling subjective to not giving it one hundred percent effort for that perfect one hundred. Knowing that a 93 or something of that nature is also going to give me the same letter grade. Although I do see much value in implementing the learning progression I feel as this could be an initial issue. As time progressed if this was implemented across all grades this comparison of the learning progression to numerical value would no longer be a thing as the learning progression would just become the only thing they've ever known for grades.

2025-04-03 15:11:35 UTC

Using learning progressions with my Reading Intervention students helps me tailor instruction to meet their individual needs by breaking down complex skills into manageable steps. By identifying where each student is on the progression, I can provide targeted support, track their growth, and help them build confidence as they master literary concepts. This approach ensures that all students, regardless of their starting point, make steady progress toward a deeper understanding of reading and writing skills.

2025-04-03 15:17:28 UTC

I can see a few concerns with using learning progressions in the classroom. Assessing and tracking individual progress can be time-consuming, especially in large classes. Students might feel discouraged if they perceive themselves as being at a "lower" level compared to peers. Accurately identifying where a student is on the progression can be tricky, especially when skills overlap or develop unevenly.

2025-04-04 21:34:50 UTC

As a TA I work 1:1 with my students using learning progression to help make their end goals achievable. I break down their assignments in steps to make maintainable goals for where the students are at. I help the teacher keep track of the progression and success to help monitor their growth for each small goal set, to eventually them completing the entire task independently.

2025-04-05 01:09:08 UTC

I don't have any questions about learning progressions because right now I am not in a position where I am required to keep track of an entire class of students. I did have a concern about students that have IEPs, but the book explained pretty well the steps you can take to still implementing learning progressions, you will just shift where you need to for those students.

hchontosh2 — 2025-04-05 15:53:11 UTC

I have had some experience with learning progressions with my third graders. I have done it with their narrative writing standard. I think learning using learning progressions with third graders is important because it helps ensure that instruction is developmentally appropriate, targeted, and effective. I would like to spend more time creating learning progressions for my math curriculum. I have done a lot of work with learning progressions and my ELA curriculum.

An example of the narrative writing learning progressions is below

Writing Complete Sentences

1.Writes sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation.

2.Uses subject-verb agreement.

3.Adds descriptive words to expand ideas.

Writing a Focused Paragraph

1.Stays on one topic.

2.Begins to use a topic sentence.

3.Adds 2–3 supporting details.

4.Uses correct spacing and basic organization.

Writing a Clear Beginning, Middle, and End

1.Includes a basic story structure: characters, setting, events.

2.Uses time-order words: first, then, next, finally.

3.Starts using dialogue or feelings to add detail.

hchontosh2 — 2025-04-05 15:57:26 UTC

Learning progressions are a powerful guide, but they should be used with flexibility and professional judgment. They're most effective when paired with formative assessment, student voice, and responsive teaching.

Sometimes I feel they can be too rigid. Strictly following a progression can limit flexibility or creativity in teaching.

Sometimes it isn't for all of our learner's. Progressions are often designed for a “typical” learner, but real classrooms are full of diverse learners.

Kids might move through a progression without deep understanding, especially if it becomes a race to finish.

It takes some time to organize and implement in your classroom. With all we need to accomplish in a year its challenging to find time to create these plans.

2025-04-07 13:44:55 UTC

As a T.A. I work with each student on science as they struggle so much with this. They are starting to make the goals that have been set. We do it slowly so they understand the work. Most of our students at this time are working more independently.

2025-04-07 13:47:50 UTC

I really don't have any questions or concerns at this time.

2025-04-07 15:04:56 UTC

I work with behaviorial students, so my progressions are on minimizing behaviors while keeping them the task being learned with out an outburst. There are times learning needs to be put on hold in order to keep the student from escalating.

2025-04-07 18:03:17 UTC

I have never used the phrase "learning progression" but I always think with the end in mind to achieve academic goals. I chunk out learning to build towards the outcome target or goal. So although I have never used the term, I have been doing something simliar to this alone for years for my students.

2025-04-07 18:04:59 UTC

My big concern would be how to build assessment chunks into my schedule to gather the progressions. I am sure initially this is harder but once we get moving along in the year, it will become second nature.

kdodd32 — 2025-04-08 16:49:15 UTC

My big concern with learning progression is when our students transition to teachers who don't understand our process. I have worked with many teachers who are very willing to work with us and then some teachers are not understanding of the way we break things down or teach alternate strategies.

kdodd32 — 2025-04-08 16:52:13 UTC

I have had good experiences with learning progression. With the students I work with we have to master one skill in order to move and be successful with the next skill. We use the saying "we are just building on what we already know to move forward."

kkellogg3 — 2025-04-08 17:13:23 UTC

After reading this hack I realized I do not have formal experience with learning progressions. I do have experience with certain parts of it, but I have not fully gone through all of the steps as suggested in the hack. The parts that I have done are the beginning pieces. Having an anticipation guide, quick quiz , something to check background knowledge to begin a unit is always my first step. I also use learning targets and have created checklists with I can statements that I have used to conference with students. Another part that I have experience with is the self reflection of students along the way. So I would like to gain more experience with the part of the learning progression that builds upon creating rubrics using prerequisite knowledge to advanced knowledge and creating that into a rubric that the students can also understand.

kkellogg3 — 2025-04-08 17:16:10 UTC

The obvious concern with learning progressions is time. However, this is also why I am excited to be in a departmentalized setting next year. For the first time, 4th grade is going to be departmentalized. I have taught in this setting before and for reasons like this it is very beneficial to the students. I can dig so much deeper into creating these learning progressions when I am teaching 1-2 subjects. I think this will definitely be something that I will focus on for next year.

2025-04-10 14:56:52 UTC

When I think about learning progressions, I think about how I have structured my curriculum for the entire year. For example, one of the major goals in 9th grade is to be able to recognize literary terms in context. We spend the beginning of the year reviewing definitions of literary terms while formulating examples. We then further our understanding by looking in the text for examples of the literary term. Through the use of active reading strategies and targets, students are practicing the identifying specified literary terms each time they read. I also discuss with students the process of and the why we do what we do. Having metacognitive awareness is a key component to success.

2025-04-10 15:02:09 UTC

As with all new approaches, there will be growing pains. There will be stumbles along the way. Time is needed to revamp and rethink. These are not "concerns" per say. They are simply realities.

bschulte12 — 2025-04-13 15:54:51 UTC

I've had great experience with learning progressions in the form of rubrics/checklists. At the start of a new unit I would give a pre-assessment that was worded like a learning progression to check student knowledge and comfort level with the topic. At the end, I would grade culminating activities using the same rubric.

2025-04-14 12:50:24 UTC

I do not have much experience with learning progressions but I would like to begin using them. For Earth Science I use targets based on the NYS standards as well as crosscutting concepts.

2025-04-14 14:43:29 UTC

I have never heard of "learning progression" before. As an aide and working with a one on one and helping other students in the classroom my days are breaking down the work due to behavioral happening or the student being farther behind. So, each one is at a different spot and handled differently to get what we can done at those moments in class. I look at these as a win if we can only make a step forward than where we were before as a win for the student. Maybe with the one student I guide in ELA I am possibly doing this by setting goals at a time. I have discussed with the lead teacher that possibly the student seeing her goals and steps will guide her to positive success and not be afraid to risk.

2025-04-14 15:10:20 UTC

As I am starting out with the learning as I am an aide at moment I worry on the new way. It sounds like a lot and worried on how each student's learning ways will work and come up with the best approach of the learning progression. Will it take more time and stress, or does it come together pretty easy? I want the best learning way for the students and what will be less stress but for them to see how their steps are moving forward on their learning. A step at a time is what I tell myself and never say no to anything new and scary looking.

2025-04-27 15:07:53 UTC

The learning progressions discussed in this chapter make me think of our math module work in second grade. This year specifically, I have really made a concerted effort to start each lesson with a discussion of the day’s learning target (what they should know by the end of the lesson) and connect that learning target to any work we completed in previous lessons. I like to think this is a way to walk students through their learning progressions; allowing students to see where they have been with their learning and where they are going to go. During these discussions, students will often say “Oh, we’ve done this before!” which tends to be instant buy-in; they immediately feel motivated because they feel as though they have already had success in that area. I use this time to go over any vocabulary I feel may be a struggle for students and work to activate any prior knowledge in an effort to “level the playing field” for all learners. To me, this allows students to see the steps we are taking towards mastering a specific learning standard.

2025-04-27 15:27:23 UTC

I think with being an early elementary teacher, this seems somewhat daunting as I teach all subject areas. I will say, once I started the process with my math modules, it became easier and I will be set up for years to come (if we keep the same math program). It is also an area where I see great value for students so I do know the time and energy in the work is worth it.

2025-05-04 00:13:57 UTC

I have no experience with learning progressions. I hadn't even heard of them before reading the chapter.

2025-05-04 00:15:05 UTC

My concern with learning progressions is that they seem time consuming and tedious to create. I also worry that my students wouldn't use them to their advantageous and the effort of creating them would be for nothing.

kmoulton14 — 2025-05-06 15:35:46 UTC

I find learning progressions make a big difference with the small group of students I have. It keeps them aware of what they are learning and not just hoping to just get a good grade.

kmoulton14 — 2025-05-06 16:10:01 UTC

I know I will be be deliberate in creating learning progressions with my math students next year. I work with small groups so it is do-able. It will definitely take some time to work into my schedule and my question would be to find ways to implement it when I only see see my students every other day.

aaldridge25_1 — 2025-05-06 21:06:48 UTC

I have no experience with learning progressions and had never heard of them until this chapter.

aaldridge25_1 — 2025-05-06 21:07:39 UTC

I am wondering where to start with these. I'm also not entirely sure my middle school students would use them correctly.