Welcome back!Welcome back!Secondary Language Arts Secondary Language Arts Department Head MeetingDepartment Head Meeting

Leon County SchoolsOffice of Curriculum Services

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

IntroductionsIntroductions

Kathy Corder – Secondary Language Arts and Reading, SpringBoard, and Advanced Placement

Cara Zatoris – Secondary Language Arts and Reading, Achieve 3000, Title I

All

How our PLC WorksHow our PLC Works

Department Head as LiaisonDepartment Head as Liaison

Curriculum staff balances teacher/school support with implementation of district, state, and national initiatives.

The department head is the collective voice of his or her teachers and the courier of information from the district.

Teachers in the trenches rely on the communicative nature of the curriculum staff-department head relationship.

Calendar of Important DatesCalendar of Important Dates

•Department Head Meetings: 8/20, 9/24, 10/22, 11/19, 1/14, 2/18, 3/25 and 5/6•Writes Upon Request Scoring for 8th and 10th Grade Language Arts Teachers: 8/30,10/7, and 12/9•Text Dependent Writing Follow-up for LA Teachers of 6th, 7th, and 9th grades – 10/17

Our Focus for 2013-2014Our Focus for 2013-2014

•FCAT Writing Performance•Alignment of CCSS Writing/Language Standards•Modifications to Major Works Document•Other Concerns?

Contact Information Needed for:Contact Information Needed for:

•Names of SpringBoard Teachers and Grade Designations•Names of 8th and 10th grade ELA teachers

Please get this information to me by the end of the day tomorrow.

Review of Major Works Alignment ProjectReview of Major Works Alignment Project

•For implementation, each teacher is asked to teach one “new” work from the grade level list this year.•During the 2nd semester we will revisit our product to consider minor modifications and additions.•To eliminate future problems with the teaching of works at multiple grades, please make sure that all of the works you want to “protect” at a grade level are in the Major Works document. If something is missing that you want included, please let me know as soon as possible.•If you want to request an exception, bring your request to department head meeting for consideration. Notify me prior to the meeting and I will put it on the agenda.

CCSS Curriculum Units for NovelsCCSS Curriculum Units for Novels

•A team of teachers created resources for teachers to use for 11 of the major works. Resources can be accessed on the Sharepoint page.•Please share the resources with your teachers.•If you have a creator in your department, allow him or her to lead a training session on developing CCSS units.•If you don’t have a creator at your school, see Cara or Kathy about getting someone to lead a training at your school.

Sharing of Curriculum UnitsSharing of Curriculum Units

Leon County Schools’ 2013 FCAT Writing Results(1)What is considered “proficient” for FCAT Writing?(2)What percentage of your students met proficiency?(3)What percentage of your students did not meet

proficiency?(4)How does our district proficiency rate in middle

school compare with the middle school state proficiency rate?

(5)How does our district proficiency rate in high school compare with the high school state proficiency rate?

(6)Where does Leon County Schools rank in the state with writing proficiency in middle school?

(7)Where does Leon County Schools rank in the state with writing proficiency in high school?

Let’s take a look at some of our papers.

• FCAT 2.0 Writing Rubric/Calibration Sets• Analysis of Papers• Distinguishing Between the 3’s and the 4’s• Instruction Needed to Move our 3’s to 4’s

Questions for Schools to Discuss

•What can we do to help our students scoring 3.0 to meet the standards for a 4.0?•Have we closely studied our 3.0 papers to help us develop an instructional plan?•What action plan can we create to bring about results?•What obstacles will we face? How will we overcome them?

District Goals for Schools with Less than 60% Proficiency*

•Teachers should regularly integrate elements of writing process into weekly lessons.

•At least once a month, students should participate in a 5-day writing workshop activity that includes prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. (Traditional WUR prompt)

•Teachers participate in three district-sponsored training/scoring dates.

*Title I schools have additional requirements.

District Goals for Schools with 60% Proficiency or Higher

•Teachers should strategically integrate elements of writing process instruction in weekly lessons.

•At least once every nine weeks, students should participate in a 5-day writing workshop activity that includes prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. (Traditional WUR prompt)

•Teachers participate in three district-sponsored training/scoring dates.

Instructional Implications

•We must re-emphasize writing process instruction in our language arts classrooms.•Feedback and revision are needed, particularly for our students scoring 3.0.•A balance of creative, text-dependent, and prompt writing activities utilizing the writing process will help our 3’s achieve success.

Thank you for Thank you for your active and your active and positive positive participation.participation.

Thank you!Thank you!