Curriculum Corner

Every fall, winter, and spring all students complete benchmark assessments using the benchmark screener AIMSweb. AIMSweb is a brief accurate assessment of reading and math skills. Some of these assessments are administered whole group on Chromebooks, while other assessments are done individually with an examiner. These scores then give us a snapshot of how our students performed on these measures in a moment of time as a group and individually.

This process is called universal screening. Universal screening is used to identify the needs of students and ensure they have the resources necessary to best help them learn, grow, and succeed in their education. It is comparable to a well-check that is done at the doctor’s office to ensure that students are growing in their knowledge and meeting educational milestones.

This winter assessment data is important because it is one tool we can use to help determine if instruction and intervention provided thus far have had the expected impact. At this point in the year, we examine fall to winter growth for students, grade levels, and schools to allow for time to make changes to improve learning trajectories for the rest of the year.

This data will also help us to determine student needs, including forming WIN instructional groups. As a reminder of WIN, please see the previous curriculum corner.

At Metcalf, we value and celebrate the whole child. We love educating future leaders, engineers, athletes, dreamers, and readers. We also want kids to be kids. We want them to be active, enjoy family time, and just have fun at home.

The one non-negotiable homework assignment that is present at every grade level is Read 20-30 minutes each night. Research shows that reading every night improves vocabulary, expands world knowledge, deepens empathy, and improves academic performance.

Most researchers agree that the bulk of vocabulary growth during a child’s lifetime occurs indirectly through language exposure, rather than through direct teaching. (Miller & Gildea, (1987) Nagy & Anderson (1984)).

Frequent time spent reading not only correlates to higher reading test scores (Adams, 2006), but a regular reading habit feeds on itself. The more learners read, the more confident and interested in reading they become. Considering physical and mental health, a large study found that reading for as little as six minutes reduces stress levels—decreasing blood pressure and pulse rate (University of Sussex, 2009).

Reading with your child for 20 minutes a night has the potential to:

• improve listening skills

• engage children in discussion about books

• build connections with parents/guardians

• provide opportunity to discuss new words or ideas from the books

• provide more contact time with words

• builds confidence in kids' reading skills, even when basic skills

Consider making reading part of your nightly routine. When deciding what this routine looks like, consider the age and needs of your child. Reading does not need to be them sitting independently with a book. Consider reading to them, reading with them, or even listening to an audio book and discussing it. This can be done in bed or also listening while driving to a practice.

Just keep reading…

“Let’s raise creative thinkers who explore their world, express their dreams, embrace differences, and never lose touch with their inner artist.”- Barbara Rucci (Art workshop for children, 2016, Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.)

As you are aware, we celebrate and embrace the arts at Thomas Metcalf School. Each studio space class (art, music, theater, or makerspace) works to develop creative thinkers who explore the world through the lens of their specific craft. We want students to feel safe to explore, create, hypothesize, wonder, and dream without the fear of judgment or evaluation. The beauty and learning is in the creative process, there is no pressure to perform a certain way and “perfect” doesn't exist. Each artist is free to explore materials, ideas, and self-expression. Research shows us that,

“Children need freedom to think out loud and create together. They need to observe, chatter, mingle, experiment, hypothesis and explore. This collaborative setting has the potential to foster and cultivate original thinking. One idea triggers another and from there, multiple ideas develop. Children benefit from being in a shared space hearing shared ideas. This kind of environment serves as a catalyst for encouraging original thinking. Confidence grows, risks are taken, the unexpected occurs, possibilities are revealed, and new ideas develop.” Barbara Rucci (Art workshop for children, 2016, Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.)

Through our quest to seek out ways to improve our programs, the K-4 Studio area teachers (art, music, theater, or makerspace) made the decision in the 2021-2022 school year to replace traditional grades for these creative classes with a portfolio. This year, the work has expanded to some of the studio classes in grades 5-8. By moving past traditional reporting practices, we allow space for creative thought and opportunities to learn through failure as students explore. In place of scores in these areas on the report card, you view a portfolio website (grades K-4) or a personal portfolio (grades 5-8) that showcases what students have been creating and learning. Additional portfolios may look different in different classes - while students may create individual portfolio entries in one studio, they may work collaboratively in others.

By moving away from grades in our studio classes we allow creativity to open up and authentically encourage failure and self-exploration, both of which are vital to building strong life skills and the creative process. As part of the laboratory schools, it is our goal to demonstrate learning in authentic ways and support the whole child.

We are beyond proud of our creators, dreamers, engineers, musicians, thinkers, and artists. We would love for you to check out our creative Wildcats at work: https://sites.google.com/metcalf.illinoisstate.edu/virtualstudios/home?authuser=0.

Last year, as part of ongoing learning and work with strengthening out Tier 1 mathematics instruction, Metcalf teachers engaged in a book study, reading Math Fact Fluency: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention. That study challenged teachers to look at how they are teaching and ensuring fluency with math facts. Our conversations and work centered around the research-based definition of fluency: "skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately." (National Research Council, 2001, p. 116)

Often math fact fluency and math fact automaticity are used interchangeably; however, they are not synonyms. Fluency in mathematics is the ability to flexibly apply strategies in an efficient and accurate way. On the other hand, automaticity in mathematics, is being able to provide an automatic response.

Math fluency is important because it…

1. contributes to students’ ability to solve more difficult problems quicker and more accurately.

2. leads to success in students’ future mathematics courses and careers.

3. builds confidence in students’ math ability.

By the end of.... Students should be fluent with...

Kindergarten Adding and Subtracting within 5

1^st grade Adding and Subtracting within 10

2^nd grade Adding and Subtracting within 100

3^rd grade Adding and Subtracting within 1,000

Multiplying and Dividing within 100

4^th grade Adding and Subtracting within 1,000,000

5^th grade Multi-digit multiplication

6^th grade Multi-digit division

Multi-digit decimal operation

Math Fact Fluency comes with a supplementary website that we wanted to share with parents to play games at home to help support fluency. The website has many fun, easy, and free games!

Link for games: https://kcm.nku.edu/mathfactfluency/

Unlike workbooks, games provide opportunity for mathematics discussion and assessment. For example, when playing, you might ask,

• "How did you solve that?"

• "What are you thinking?"

• “Wow! That was so creative! How did you come up with that strategy?”

You can model problems saying, "this is how I approach it" or just think out loud as a model for the learner to hear. Games are a great way to make math fun and build fluency! If you make a mistake, don't refer to it as "dumb" or model embarrassment. Model a growth mindset and make mistakes a learning opportunity!

With the end of the first quarter right around the corner (October 14), the communication in the curriculum corner this week will address Metcalf's descriptors for our 5-pt (4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 0) grading scale. Metcalf made the research-backed decision to use standards-based learning and grading more than 13 years ago. This decision followed the research that:

• Formative assessment has a profound and last influence on student learning

• Clearly communicating learning targets to students in advance shows them a target that is clear and easier to hit

• Feedback through the assessment process has been shown to have a positive impact on student efficacy and learning

• Inviting students to engage in self-assessment promotes meta-cognitive practices and increases awareness in their learning

• Reassessment honors and respects the fact that all students and unique and some may take longer to learn

• Reliability in grading practices increases with a shortened scale

This year, Metcalf teachers are meeting during early dismissal professional developments to re-visit the grading descriptors to ensure that we all have a deep and common understanding of our levels of proficiency. In addition, we sent 6 teachers to the Assessment and Grading Conference in Austin this summer to ensure that we are continuing to learn, grow, and do what is best for each of our students when it comes to assessment and grading. Our grading descriptors are as follows:

4 - Demonstrates masterful work by effectively communicating and flexibly applying understanding of the assessed standard.

Short Description: Shows flexible application of the standard

3 - Demonstrates proficient work by communicating a meaningful understanding of the assessed standard.

Short Description: Meets the standard at the appropriate rigor level

2 - Demonstrates an ability to communicate an emergent understanding of the assessed standard. Some gaps in understanding exist.

Short Description: Demonstrates a developing understanding

1 - Demonstrates significant gaps in understanding the assessed standard. Guidance and practice is necessary in order to progress.

Short Description: Demonstrates novice understanding of the standard

0 - Too little or no work submitted to show evidence of the assessed standard.

Short Description: Too little or no work submitted

On the report cards, you will see priority standards for each of your child's classes. While they have definitely learned more than just these outcomes, the ones on the report card are viewed as the non-negotiable standards that we hope to see students demonstrate proficient with. These are the standards for which students have received a great degree of instruction, assessment, and support. While a student might not be proficient with a skill yet, report cards should provide a snapshot of these priority skills.

You may have heard your children talking about WIN time at school. What Individuals Need (WIN) time is a 30-minute period built into the daily schedule at each grade level. The purpose of WIN is to meet the needs of each learner outside of Tier 1 instruction. This flexible, instructional time is meant to be used for Tiered Intervention (research backed support based on student need) in math, reading, speech, ESL, SEL and/or enrichment. This time is flexible, fluid, and designed to meet each learner where they are and coach them forward. Your learner may be paired with an interventionist, school psychologist, speech and language pathologist, classroom teacher, or a WIN coach (ISU student or graduate student) to differentiate learning.

WIN was put in the schedule last year to ensure, under our Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) model, that each student can get the additional instruction and support they need without missing Tier 1 instruction. Through our intentional programming, we will:

• Embrace the fact that every learner at Metcalf is our student.

• Ensure that everyone in the Metcalf community understands, supports, and promotes our core values and mission.

• Work to meet the needs of all students.

Metcalf's MTSS model should:

• Use the strengths of educators within the system.

• Support every single student. Every person matters and has value.

• Strategically involve parents/guardians/families as educational stakeholders.

• Create a sense of community and optimism within education.

Parents will soon be receiving communication through Metcalf's constant contact with an invitation to complete our Social and Emotional Screener through Edumetrisis. We will use this information to help guide us as a school to ensure that all learners have every opportunity to develop these critical social and emotional skills. With this screener coming out, we would like to take some time to share more about Social and Emotional learning.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to:

• recognize and manage their emotions;

• demonstrate caring and concern for others;

• establish positive relationships;

• make responsible decisions; and

• handle challenging situations constructively.

Quality SEL instruction in which students learn to process, integrate, and selectively apply SEL skills in developmentally, contextually and culturally appropriate ways in conjunction with a safe, caring, participatory and responsive school climate can result in positive outcomes including:

• promotion of mental wellness;

• prevention of mental health issues;

• school connectedness;

• reduction in student absenteeism;

• reduction in suspensions;

• adoption, implementation and institutionalization of new practices; and

• improved academic outcomes.

As a result of the Children’s Mental Health Act of 2003, the Illinois State Board of Education adopted the Illinois Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards. Drafting of the 10 SEL standards, along with goals, age-appropriate benchmarks, and performance descriptors, was a collaborative effort between ISBE and the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership with technical support from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Integration of SEL into systems and practices is highly recommended. Integration can occur by:

• examining existing systems and structures to determine how social and emotional learning efforts can be integrated into them;

• embedding SEL instruction into existing curricula;

• embedding SEL instruction into existing curricula;

• taking advantage of teachable moments that occur naturally throughout the day

• promoting students’ feelings of autonomy, relatedness, and competence; and

• providing opportunities for students to practice social and emotional competencies.​​

At Metcalf, assessment is designed and used not as a method to judge, but a strategy to support learners and advance learning. Assessment is not done to students, but with them in order to increase self-awareness, encourage growth, and increase metacognitive practices. We define Formative Assessment (assessment for learning) as the active and intentional learning process that partners the teacher and the students to continuously gather evidence of learning and coach the student forward. We view Summative Assessment (assessment of earning) as the process of verifying that learning of the standards has occurred through intentionally aligned assessments delivered after teaching, formative assessment, and feedback have taken place.

To support your learner at home, you can ask such questions as:

• What feedback did you receive today? Can we look through (or talk about) it together?

• What was your greatest challenge today? How did you over come it?

• What is a goal or skill are you working towards this week? How can I help you?

We function under the shared belief that all students can learn at high levels. We look forward to coaching and guiding all of our students in our classrooms this year!