Begin with similar expectations
The standards tell us where to take students, but not how to deal with students not ready for them.
How do we know where to start?
- What standards are most important at this time?
- What skills must everyone learn?
- What content knowledge do we expect each student to have?
- How will we know where students are in the learning progression for the standards?
What are the skills and knowledge every student needs at the start of a learning cycle?
The answer will guide your diagnostic decisions.
Previous expectations should support new learning outcomes.
Hopefully, previous instruction built a foundation to support your instructional needs. If you are confident they did, look for data that can help guide your diagnostic decisions.
What diagnostic measures should we use to gauge student readiness?
Focus on the most critical skills and keep your diagnostic data targeted.
What do we need to know about our students at the start?
- What skills or knowledge should students have now?
- Where are our students now?
- Where do we start based on their initial performance results?
Diagnostic assessments need to measure skills and content knowledge within your target standards. If not, your data will not have value. Good data will keep you from chasing issues outside your focus.
Tasks are best with guidelines
Tasks show student thinking while providing performance data. Setting guidelines for administration is important. Consistency creates better instructional and placement inferences from the data. If you allow modifications, make sure everyone knows the rules.
What will we do with students that show a large learning gap?
Some students will not be ready to start at grade level expectations. Closing their gaps need a different approach than just regular instruction.
Specialized resources, including site and district coaches, will be necessary to assist in the design of a support system. Identify the support students will receive, along with the additional or modified work expected from them.
Communicate student the expectations with stakeholders, including parents.
The transparency of support models helps everyone understand the expectations for instruction, support, and issues the student will have to overcome.
