Science Toolkit

8/9/2019 Science Toolkit

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The FOCUS Processand Science

Instruction

Copyright 2008 The Wil liam Cecil Golden School Leadership Development Program. This resource wasdeveloped by the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium serving as a Program Partner.


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Floridas Vision forEducating All

Children is ClearThere are:

No Excuses


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The Mission In effective schools, not only do teachers

believe the students can learn, but they

also believe that they, the teachers, canteach them. Teachers in effective schoolsgo about their business of teaching withthe confidence that they will succeed.They are continuously seeking ways to dotheir job better, not looking for excuses for

not doing it.

Dr. Larry Lezotte


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To Achieve the Goal

Florida Schools will employ the

process known as:

FOCUS on Student Achievement:

Floridas Continuous Improvement

Plan

Student Achievement in Academics

will Increase


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Steps of the FOCUSProcess

FFormulate a Plan

OOptimize the Timeline CConcentrate and Collaborate

on Teaching FCAT Standards

UUtilize Assessments

SSustain Learning with Tutorials

and Enrichment(Davenport et al. FOCUS 8-9)


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Advantages of the

FOCUS Process

Fosters a climate of high expectation

The academic needs of students areclearly identified as a result of the ongoing

analysis of data Moves us from random acts of school

improvement to focused improvementefforts

Works well with anycurriculum, content

area or grade Helps to ensure that the curriculum is

aligned with the Sunshine StateStandards

AND ensures that the Sunshine StateStandards are taught

(Davenport et al. FOCUS 8-9)


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Expected Outcome ofthe FOCUS Process

Students in Florida Achieve!

Test scores will take care of themselvesif educators commit to ensuring that eachstudent masters essential skills andconcepts in every unit of instruction, aligntheir practices and resources toward thatpurpose, and discontinue many traditionalpractices that do not serve that purpose.

Dr. Richard DuFour, 2004


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Basis of Floridas FOCUS

Is an integrated system, basedon three sets of research-

evidenced ideas Effective Schools Correlates of

Lezotte, Edmonds and Brookover

PDCA or the Shewhart Cycle

Total Quality Management ofDeming

(Davenport et al. FOCUS 8-9)


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Effective SchoolsResearch Effective schools movement was begun in

the mid 1960s in response to claims thatschools made no difference

Key individuals in the compilation of theresearch were Drs. Larry Lezotte, RonEdmonds and Wilbur Brookover

A study to identify key elements commonamong schools shown to do an

outstanding job of educating poor andminority children was conducted

Their work goes on with researchcontinuing to support the key elements orcorrelates of effective schools

(Lezotte)


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The Correlates ofEffective Schools

Safe and orderly environment

Climate of high expectations for success Clear and focused mission

Instructional leadership

Frequent monitoring of student progress

Opportunity to learn and student time on

task Good home-school relations

(Lezotte)


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An Effective School An effective school is defined in the

research as one in which equalproportions of low and middle income

level children evidence high levels ofmastery of the essential curriculum. In aneffective school, there are no differencesin the proportion of students masteringthe basic skills as a function of the group

to which they belong. No child is condemned to educational

failure because of family background,race, socioeconomic status, or gender.(Davenport et al. FOCUS 5)


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Plan Do Check - Act The PDCA Cycle comes from the work of Walter

Shewhart, a teacher of W. Edwards Deming

Floridas FOCUS strongly aligns with PDCA andthe 8 Step Continuous Improvement Model (CIM)

The Eight steps of the Continuous ImprovementModel are

Data disaggregation

Calendar Development

Direct Instructional Focus

Assessment

Maintenance Monitoring

Tutorials

Enrichment

(Davenport et al. Closing)


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Application of TQM inSchools Identify, analyze and solve problems

Establish quality goals and objectives

Measure results Focus the strategic vision on the needs,

requirements and expectations of itscustomers

The bottom line is that schools will:

Become more data driven Establish quality goals and objectives

Identify, analyze and solve problems

Focus the vision on the needs, requirements,and expectations of the students


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RelationshipamongFloridasFOCUS,

PDCA and The

ContinuousImprovementModel


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FCAT SSS ScienceTest

Many questions require a high level

of cognitive demand

Since 2004, the cognitive classification

system forFCAT SSS Science has been

based largely upon Dr. Norman L. Webbs

work with Depth ofKnowledge levels

(Cognitive Complexity Classification of FCAT SSS Test Items)


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FCAT SSS Science Test

The FCAT SSS Science Tests, given at

grades 5, 8, 11 have

15-25% of points at a low cognitive

complexity level

40-60% of points at a moderate level

25-35% of points at a high level



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FCAT SSS Science Test Low Complexity Items

Recall and recognition of concepts andprinciplesStudents arent required to come up withoriginal methods or solutions

Moderate Complexity ItemsMore flexible thinking and choice amongalternatives requiredStudent must make decisions

High Complexity ItemsHeavy demands on student thinking withthinking in an abstract and sophisticated wayOften involves multiple steps



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Work ofNorman L. Webb

For additional information

Webb, N.L., 1999,Alignment BetweenStandards and Assessment,

University of Wisconsin Center for

Educational Research.

http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat/pdf/cog_complexity-fv31.pdf



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Works Cited


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Works Cited

Documents

Science Toolkit