Last week, the first week of 2007, was all Professional Development Training for the teachers in my school district. I was sent to a really good seminar that we can use for our school to pull up our Assessment Scores for the DC CAS. I will blog about it next time when I prepare for the presentation or echo training for my co-teachers in my school that my principal requested me to do.
While two of my c0-teachers are also echoing next week their training on:
(1) The Standards Based Lesson Plan Template (standard, objective, introduction, lesson, closure) and
(2) The Standards Based Lesson Worksheet (Power Standards, Unwrapping, Big Ideas, Essential Questions, Engaging Scenarios).
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My co-teacher emailed all the school staff that: this initiative is critically important - the templates and approach were developed collaboratively by teachers, administrators, parents and the union based on academic research.
I emailed back: I really have no problem as to the need of the standards to be emphasized even to special ed curriculum to enable our special needs students to access the general education curriculum. I just have one question: how do we align our IEP's to the DCPS Standards?
I didn't get a response since a few minutes ago when I re-checked my email, so I guess I have to research and answer my own question. I surfed and found a very helpful module on Relating Instructional Assessments to Standards. This module addresses the following topics: educational accountability and inclusion, standards-based instruction, classroom accommodations, and preparing students for testing and assessment.
The answer to my question is back mapping, it provides focus on the content standard by addressing the performance standard and the essential skills on the student's instructional level. Back mapping allows us to:
(1.) Use the performance standards and essential skills as the foundation for IEP goals;
(2.) Use the essential skills as the foundation for short term objectives.
Now I feel the pressure put on the teachers and the students to focus on the standards and pull up the state assessment scores. Think positive...think proactive...whew!
1 comment:
I live in West Virginia and have been fighting the BOE since my daughter started school 9 yrs ago. She's now in the "2nd grade" but still at a 6 month level. I've requested time and time again for a 1:1 aide but they refuse. I am desperate in getting her this as her condition requires all H/H on a consistant basis, this will only be achieved if we can get her the 1:1 aide. I'm now at the point desperately seeking a lawyer who will attend her IEP with us, but in such a small state I'm unable to find anyone who specializes in this field. Her link is: http://sweetfaith98.blogspot.com/
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