National Council of Staff Development Standards in Practice Instructional Gap Analysis Strategy Aligning instruction w/ standards and assessments The Education Trust, Inc September 2006

What is the Education Trust? A non-profit advocacy group based in Washington DC that works with educators, policy makers, parents and community to close the achievement gap

Cycle of Low Achievement Low Expectations Low Level Assignments/Instruction Poor Test Results Less Challenging Courses

As Grade Level Increases, the Assignments Given to Students Fall Further and Further Behind Grade Level Standards Source: John Holton, South Carolina Department of Education, analysis of assignments from 362 Elementary and Middle Schools in SC.

And this Pattern Continues in High School Source: John Holton, South Carolina Department of Education, analysis of English Language Art Assignments in14 High Schools in South Carolina

As Grade Level Increases, The Percent of Assignments Aligned to Standards Decreases Source: John Holton, South Carolina Department of Education, analysis of assignments from 362 Elementary and Middle Schools in SC.

In high-poverty schools, kids get A’s on a lot of misaligned assignments.

“ A” Students in High Poverty Schools Score at About the Same Level as “C” Students in Affluent Schools Source : Prospects (Abt Associates, 1993), in “Prospects: Final Report on Student Outcomes”, PES, DOE, 1997.

Comparison of Letter Grades and Test Scores in English Language Arts Source: South Carolina State Department of Education Office of Research Education Research Report; South Carolina Standards-based Education Design Team - Mohr, Holton, & Keim

Students can do no better than the assignments they are given

Instructional Gap Analysis Exercise

Highly Proficient Proficient Novice Basic Standards Based System Norm Referenced System Losers Average Winners Norm Reference vs. Standards-based system

Task Specific vs General Rubrics Task specific assess the quality of a response to the assignment being reviewed.

Grade 10 Writing Assignment A frequent theme in literature is the conflict between the individual and society. From literature you have read, select a character who struggled with society. In a well-developed composition, identify the character and explain why this character’s conflict with society is important.

The Education Trust www.edtrust.org (202) 293-1217