Standards-Aligned High Quality Core Instruction
Equitable access for ALL students to evidence-based, standards-aligned core instruction (Tier 1) lies at the very heart of effective and sustainable tiered systems. Tier 1 is primary instruction and most student s are expected to only need primary, school-wide supports and strategies. Within a tiered system, the “health” of core instruction is typically monitored relative to the needs and growth of students using a continuum of reliable and valid data sources such as universal screening, progress-monitoring, benchmark and formative assessments to include practitioner clinical judgment. Teams of general education teachers often work collaboratively to design and deliver Tier 1 classroom instruction and integrate evidence -based academic, behavioral, and social-emotional practices and then monitor their effectiveness.
With respect to Tier 1 and tiered systems in general, educators must develop a sophisticated skill set that includes the ability to differentiate instruction and provide ALL students, including students with complex support needs, with meaningful access to high expectations and rigor within the context of grade level standards/curriculum. A system must be in place to monitor fidelity of instruction and intervention to include a mechanism for providing ongoing feedback, so that practices are uniformly implemented within and across classrooms.
In most schools, 80 percent of the resources are allocated to Tier 1, so if only 40 percent of students in Tier 1 are proficient and 80% of the resources exist in Tier 1, it will not be possible for the remaining resources to compensate for 60 percent of the students, no matter how effective supplemental intervention may be. Please refer to the RTI Action Network: What’s Your Plan? Accurate Decision Making within a Multi-Tier System of Supports: Critical Areas in Tier 1
http://www.rtinetwork.org/essential/tieredinstruction/tier1/accurate-decision-making-within-a-multi-tier-system-of-supports-critical-areas-in-tier-1 for more information.
PA RESOURCES FOR ENHANCING CORE INSTRUCTION
Pennsylvania’s Standards Aligned System (SAS ), developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, is a comprehensive, researched-based resource to improve student achievement. SAS identifies six elements that impact student achievement: Standards, Assessments, Curriculum Framework, Instruction, Materials & Resources, and Safe and Supportive Schools. Schools and educators across Pennsylvania are supported in their efforts to implement SAS by the development of a state-of-the-art portal.
https://www.pdesas.org/default.aspx
Pennsylvania’s Value Added Assessment System (PVAAS ) is a statistical analysis of Pennsylvania (PA) state assessment data, and provides Pennsylvania districts and schools with growth data to add to achievement data. This lens of measuring student learning provides educators with valuable information to ensure they are meeting the academic needs of groups of students. PVAAS is one of the tools in the cadre of tools provided to districts from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Districts, schools and teachers are using PVAAS (growth data), in conjunction with achievement data, to make sure students are on the path to proficiency and beyond. Utilizing all the data available (growth and achievement), educators are able to make data-informed instructional decisions to ensure the academic growth and achievement of all students.
https://pvaas.sas.com/
Pennsylvania Career Ready Skills
Pennsylvania’s Educator Effectiveness System
http://www.education.pa.gov/teachers%20-%20administrators/educator%20effectiveness/pages/default.aspx
Pennsylvania’s State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)
PaTTAN - SSIP Resources
NATIONAL RESOURCES FOR ENHANCING CORE INSTRUCTION
The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development
http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/cems/
CAST: Universal Design for Learning
http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.Wyft-IpKh3g
Center on Instruction
http://www.centeroninstruction.org
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
IES Practice Guides
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuides
National Implementation Research Network
https://nirn.fpg.unc.edu/
National Institute for Direct Instruction
https://www.nifdi.org/
National Instructional Materials Access Center
http://www.nimac.us/
OESE
Home - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
The Danielson Group: The Framework for Teaching
https://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/
WIDA
https://www.wida.us/
National Center for Systemic Improvement
https://www.wested.org/project/national-center-for-systemic-improvement/
Campus RTI/MTSS Implementation and Data Driven Decision Making
http://buildingrti.utexas.org/
University of Kansas Direct Instruction
http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/?q=instruction/direct_instruction
NWEA: Teach, Learn, Grow
https://www.nwea.org/blog/2015/five-easy-implement-all-student-response-strategies/
Teaching Channel Website
https://www.teachingchannel.com
Content Specific Resources for Enhancing Core Instruction
LITERACY :
Children of the Code
https://childrenofthecode.org/
National Center on Improving Literacy
https://improvingliteracy.org/
Florida Center for Reading Research
http://www.fcrr.org/
RAND: Education and Literacy
https://www.rand.org/topics/education-and-literacy.html
Writing Next
https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/3c/f5/3cf58727-34f4-4140-a014-723a00ac56f7/ccny_report_2007_writing.pdf
International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading
https://dyslexiaida.org/knowledge-and-practices/
Reading 101 for English Language Learners
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/reading-101-english-language-learners
Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/effective-literacy-and-english-language-instruction-for-english-learners-in-the-elementary-grades
Collaborative Strategic Reading
http://www.meadowscenter.org/institutes/msmi-resource/middle-school-matters/video-collaborative-strategic-reading
Reading Rockets
http://www.readingrockets.org/
International Dyslexia Association
https://dyslexiaida.org/
Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/wwc_secondary_writing_110116.pdf
Literacy How
http://www.literacyhow.org
MATHEMATICS:
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
https://www.nctm.org/
US Department of Education
https://www.ed.gov/stem
American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/math-and-science.aspx
Evidence Based Intervention Network
http://ebi.missouri.edu/
Illustrative Mathematics
https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/
Achieve the Core
https://achievethecore.org/
Achieve the Core - Coherence Map
https://achievethecore.org/coherence-map/
National Center on Intensive Intervention
https://intensiveintervention.org/
Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP)
Bridging Research, Practice, Design in Education | SERP Institute
National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM)
Index - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (nctm.org)
Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics (PCTM)
http://www.pctm.org/
STEM:
PDE Stem
http://www.education.pa.gov/Documents/Teachers-Administrators/Certification%20Preparation%20Programs/Specific%20Program%20Guidelines/Integrative%20Science,%20Technology,%20Engineering,%20Mathematics%20(STEM)%20Education%20Guidelines.pdf
Penn State Center for Science and the Schools
http://csats.psu.edu/
Computer Science for All (CSforAll)
https://www.csforall.org/
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
https://www.iste.org/
Code.org
https://code.org/
STEM Next
https://stemnext.org/
STEM Ecosystems
http://stemecosystems.org/
STEM Works
http://stem-works.com/
Achieve
https://www.achieve.org/our-initiatives/equip/equip
National Geographic
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/teaching-resources/
Improving Science and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners
https://nysrti.org/files/documents/resources/ell/create-brief-academic-language.pdf
“Standards-Aligned Core Instruction” Team Discussion
-
Describe an example of how general education teachers typically implement differentiated and flexible core instruction/intervention that communicates high expectations for all students.
-
Describe how teachers ask students to respond and how they provide corrective feedback to students when answers are incorrect (i.e., please consider evidence that may be present in fidelity checks, action plans, building goals, classroom observations, etc.).
-
Describe the process for monitoring fidelity of and differentiation within core instruction.
-
Indicate the degree to which a specific grade level team has improved student performance over the past 2 years.
-
Describe formative assessment techniques embedded within lesson design and used to inform evidence-based instruction in real time to improve student learning.
-
Reflect upon the above example of an area in core instruction identified by a grade level team as needing adjustment/refinement and the data used to reach this conclusion.
-
Identify 2-3 resources that educators frequently use to assist with selection and implementation of robust instructional practices to improve core instruction.
-
Describe resources or processes used to align curriculum within and across the tiers.
TIER 1 QUICK PICKS
MTSS: A Focus on Evidence-Based Early Literacy Practices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QEqoGGb1Jg&list=PLCkBP2csbOsv9KgoCUHsGUA_08nKyq10w&index=6
MTSS: A Focus on Evidence-Based Writing Practices
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kZxc2KDWjo&index=7&list=PLCkBP2csbOsv9KgoCUHsGUA_08nKyq10w
MTSS: Evidence-Based Secondary Literacy Practices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2hnl1fvomA&list=PLCkBP2csbOsv9KgoCUHsGUA_08nKyq10w&index=1
What is the Research and Its’ Implications on Early Intervention in Reading?
https://intensiveintervention.org/resource/what-research-and-its-implications-early-intervention-reading