Settings for Change II
depicts a series of meetings and a classroom lesson. The footage is from a project that is trying to improve student achievement by helping schools focus on important learning outcomes for students (standards or academic goals), then helping faculties and administrators focus on helping all students achieve the outcomes. The sequence shown on the video is:
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Academic Achievement team |
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Grade level meeting |
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Classroom |
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Principals from several schools |
At individual school |
Same school |
Same grade level |
A brief section-by- section synopsis follows (each section--named in bold--corresponds to one of the boxes above):
Video times (approx.)
7 mins (May 4, 2000). Principals' meeting where Bill and Claude discuss with principals ideas and strategies for helping teachers focus on student work during grade level meetings. Claude presents "Suggested procedures for analyzing student work and drawing instructional implications." The group addresses conceptual and logistical challenges. One principal identifies 3 key challenges: Helping teachers become comfortable with the process; institutionalizing the process; and deciding what standards (or learning goals) to focus on. Bill and Claude have been meeting with a larger group of principals since October, 1997; they have been meeting with this smaller group since December, 1999.
6 mins (following week). Academic Achievement Team (Curriculum Comm.) meeting at Chandler Elm. Representatives from all grades discuss how they are bringing in student work to their grade level meetings and using as basis for instructional improvements. Following discussions from different grade levels, the first grade representative describes in greater detail what her grade level has been doing.
6 mins (2 weeks later) Grade level meeting. First grade teachers discuss student scores on writing assignment, using a rubric (designed by Bill). They then look at new set of student papers, discuss, analyze, score, derive instructional implications.
3 mins (immediately after) Classroom lesson where first grade teacher teaches a lesson on punctuation based on discussion/suggestions at the grade level meeting just concluded.