VAD ToolVertical

Alignment Study

Created by Shelby Waller, Missy Mayfield, and Kathy Harvey, Region 9 ESC

Vertical Alignment/TEKS

Clarification Document Study

The Guidelines for Your Lane

Objectives 1. Pre-assess using the CSCOPE implementation rubric.2. Build an understanding of the Vertical Alignment

Documents (VADs).3. Identify which content standards are introduced or

transformed in a particular grade level.4. Determine the differences in the cognitive and content

specificity for the student expectations from one grade level or course to the next.

Pre-assessment of Vertical Alignment

Document Implementation

CSCOPE Implementation Rubric

What is my level of implementation of the

Vertical Alignment Document?

Rate the teachers in your district on their knowledge of Vertical Alignment:

1. Teachers are unaware of the concept of vertical alignment and are unable to discern gaps in textbooks, ancillary products, and/or specificity.

2. Teachers are aware of gaps in learning with incoming or outgoing students but no action is taken. Teachers are individually working from grade level to grade level.

3. Teachers are aware of gaps in learning with incoming or outgoing students. There is minimal evidence of collaboration among teachers regarding identified gaps..

4. Teachers are aware of gaps in learning with incoming or outgoing students and routinely collaborate with other teachers regarding identified gaps.

5. Teachers continually look for and identify gaps in learning with incoming and outgoing student by reflecting on the VADs, as well as data, and have professional dialogue with colleagues through the PLC.

Level 5 Implementation

Build an Understanding of the Vertical Alignment/TEKS Clarification Documents

Reviewing the Components

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

oK – 2nd

o3rd – 5th o6th – 8th

oEnglish I – English IV

MATHEMATICS

o K – 2nd

o 3rd – 5th o 6th – 8th

o Clarification DocumentsoAlgebra IoAlgebra IIoGeometryoMath ModelsoPre-Calculus

o K – 2nd

o 3rd – 5th o 6th – 8th

o Clarification DocumentsoIntegrated Physics and ChemistryoBiologyoChemistryoPhysicsoEnvironmental Science

SCIENCE

oK – 3rd

o4th and 7th (Texas History)o5th, 8th and United States Historyo6th, World Geography and World HistoryoClarification DocumentsoEconomicsoGovernment

SOCIAL STUDIES/HISTORY

In this example, the strands are written into the knowledge and skills statement.

The Student Expectation is written in bold black.

This model of an ELA Vertical Alignment Document shows an example of a knowledge and skills statement that spans the four high school English courses.

SpecificitySpecificity determines the rigor and complexity of the

content that must be provided through the

instruction.

Cognitive Specificity - Verbs from the knowledge and skills statement as well as the student expectation are highlighted to direct teachers to the level at which students should be performing.

After the Cognitive Specificity, the CONTENT is highlighted in

ALL CAPS.

Specificity determines the rigor and complexity of the content that must be provided through instruction.

Content Specificity - Following the content in ALLCAPS, is the “Including, but not limited to,” bulleted items. “Including” means students must be given learning opportunities for each of the bulleted items.“…but not limited to,” means instruction can go beyond those items listed.

CSCOPE Specificity Resources• TAKS Information Booklets• TAKS Study Guides• Released TAKS Test• National and State Standards• AAAS – American Association for the Advancement of

Science• Early Childhood Research• Texas Social Studies Tool Kit• Charles A. Dana Center Tool Kit• State Resources: Content • State Trainings (MSTAR/ESTAR)

TEKS Clarification Documents contain the same information found in a Vertical Alignment Document:

title, strand, KS, SE, cognitive expectations, content expectations, specificity, and shading.

The purpose of the TEKS Clarification Document is to provide further specificity for high school courses that do not necessarily align to specific earlier courses.

K & S StatementStudent ExpectationVERBS (Cognitive Rigor)Content

Specificity)

Level 5 Processes and Tools

Vertical Alignment Study

Our Goal

Teachers continually look for and identify gaps in learning with incoming and outgoing students by reflecting on the Vertical Alignment Documents, as well as data, and have professional dialogue with colleagues through the Professional Learning Community.

Cognitive and Content Specificity Across Grade Bands

The Vertical Alignment Study tool is used to document introduced and transformed student expectations as well as changes in cognitive and content specificity from one grade level to the next.

Teachers may analyze TEKS by STRAND or by CSCOPE UNIT.

Completing the Tool

First, complete the header of the document.

4th Grade MathGeometry and Spatial Reasoning

Find the identifying number and letter for the student expectation. Record it in the TEKS row of the “MY LANE” column.

4th Grade MathGeometry & Spatial Reasoning

4.9B

4th Grade MathGeometry & Spatial Reasoning

4.9B

Find the verb or verbs written below the student expectation and record them in the cognitive specificity row of “MY LANE”.

Connect, Use, Verify

4th Grade MathGeometry & Spatial Reasoning

4.9B

Connect, Use, Verify

Congruency of TransformationsLocate the content

title written in ALL CAPS. Record it in the CONTENT TITLE row of the “MY LANE” column.

4th Grade MathGeometry & Spatial Reasoning

4.9B

Connect, Use, Verify

Congruency of Transformations

3.9A

Recognize, Identify

Congruent Figures

Follow the same process to complete the AFTER column.• Locate and write the TEKS Student Expectation

Number. • Locate and write the VERBS.• Locate and write the CONTENT Title.

5.8B

Model, Identify, Generate

Congruency of Transformations

Identify which Student Expectations are introduced or

transformed in a particular grade level.

Introduced or TransformedTEKS

• An introduced Student Expectation would start in “your lane” and continue from there.

• A transformed Student Expectation would stop in “your lane” or could be an altered Student Expectation.

Which best describes TEKS 4.9B ? Introduced or Transformed?

Introduced

While 3.9A focused on “congruency,” 4th grade is the first time congruency of TRANSFORMATIONS are introduced, which is a completely NEW concept.

Identify which Student Expectations are introduced or

transformed in a particular grade level.

Why could this be considered an introduced TEKS?

What type of TEKS could this example represent?

What is the significance of this particular situation?

What is the significance of this type of alignment?

TEKS Clarification Documents

Science, Math, and History have TEKS Clarification Documents

rather than VADs.

The Vertical Alignment Study tool can also be used to study alignment between a high school course that has a clarification document and a previous grade level. In this example, a student expectation from Geometry will be mapped back to 8th grade.

This 8th grade Student Expectation maps to the specificity of geometry TEKS in the Clarification Document.

Bridging to a VAD

Use the Vertical Alignment Document to complete the “before” column.

Bridging to a VAD

There may not be an alignment of Student Expectations for the courses following this one.

Determine the differences in the cognitive and content specificity for the student expectation from one grade level or course to the next.

Exploring Specificity

• Using the science example of the tool, examine the three aligned student expectations.

• Determine the differences in the cognitive and content specificity for the student expectation from one grade level or course to the next.

• Record findings in the last two rows on the Vertical Alignment tool.

4th Grade MathGeometry & Spatial Reasoning

4.9B

Connect, Use, Verify

Congruency of Transformations

3.9A

Recognize, Identify

Congruent Figures

5.8B

Model, Identify, Generate

Congruency of Transformations

3rd Grade = Lower Blooms (knowledge/comprehension only)4th Grade = Medium/High Blooms (moves into application/analysis/evaluation)5th Grade = Lower/Medium Blooms (moves back to comprehension and application)Summary: Cognitive level increases in 4th grade, but decreases in 5th due to more difficult content in 5th.

3rd Grade = 2-D congruent figures only4th Grade = Transformations introduced (translations, reflections, rotations)5th Grade = Examples & non-examples of translations, reflections, & rotations on a coordinate grid; one figures producing more than 1 transformationSummary: content gets increasingly more difficult

Small Group Debrief

• How did the verbs change from one grade level to the next?

• Were there any examples where changes were not found? What does that mean?

• Were there any changes in the content title from one grade level to the next? How did they change?

• What would happen if portions of the specificity were omitted or moved to another grade level?

ON

TAR

GET

• Where does the YAG-0-MATIC fit into the bucket analogy?

Bucket Analogy Revisited• What do the holes in the bucket represent?• What does the escaping water represent?• What type of curricular issue is this?• How did the leakage affect the lower grade band?

Why might this be sobering news for primary campuses?

• Describe the cumulative effect of the leakage from grade level to grade level. Who ends up holding the bag?

• How might this leakage impact student performance on TAKS?

VAD StudyWork

SessionCreated by Shelby Waller, Missy Mayfield, and Kathy Harvey, Region 9 ESC

Work Session

• Get a partner.

• Decide on a content area or grade level that you & your partner would like to explore with the Vertical Alignment tool.

• Look at the alignment of three different student expectations for a content area or grade level.– Choose 3 SEs from a specific STRAND or…– Choose 3 SEs from the next Unit’s IFD

Where do we go from here for Level 5 Implementation?

• VAD Study should be completed…– Prior to the beginning of each school year if done by TEKS Strand– Prior to each unit if done by Unit IFDs

• Results/findings/discoveries must be documented– PLC minutes– Grade level meetings– Vertical team meetings– Other???

• The findings from the study should …– Guide professional dialogue – Lead to better instructional decisions– Lead to better prepared students

ON

TAR

GET

Debriefing the YAG-O-MATIC and the VAD Tool

1. Value of identifying

true instructional

days.

2. Value of determining

alignment issues.

3. How can discoveries

help teachers become

INTENTIONAL?

• Without a thorough “debrief,” this TEKS exercise is just a time-consuming checklist that has little value in teachers’ eyes.

• Coaches MUST help teachers take their discoveries and transfer them to instruction.