Math Growth
through
Flexible Grouping
SAS Institute
December 7-9, 2014
“The idea that a single teacher, working alone, can know and
do everything to meet the needs of 30 diverse students every
day throughout the school year has rarely worked, and it
certainly won’t meet the needs of learners in years to come.”
- Carroll, 2009
Eisenhower Elementary School
Upper St. Clair School District
100 Warwick Dr.
Upper St. Clair, PA 15241
Mark Miller
mmiller@uscsd.k12.pa.us
WHY FLEXIBLE GROUPING?
OUR RESPONSE TO:
‣ DATA
‣ TRUE SYSTEMATIC DIFFERENTIATION
‣ MATCHING INSTRUCTION TO EVERY LEARNER
‣ GROWING ALL STUDENTS!
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
WHY
Students Answer the Question,
“What does it feel like when you feel lost in class?”
๏ I feel scared. Sometimes I try to listen harder but mostly it doesn’t work.
๏ I get mad.
๏ I want to go home and watch TV.
๏ After a while, I give up.
๏ I wish the teacher would know how I feel and would help me.
๏ I feel dumb.
๏ I don’t like the subject very much.
๏ I tell myself maybe I’ll get it tomorrow.
๏ I daydream.
๏ Sometimes I get in trouble.
๏ I play with my hair. My mom doesn’t like when I do that.
๏ I wish I was smart.
ASCD
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
WHY
Students Answer the Question,
“What does it feel like when classes move too slowly?”
๏ I try my best to pay attention, but it can be really hard. I try to copy down
absolutely everything so I can maybe learn something.
๏ I always play with my shoes.
๏ I read ahead in the book.
๏ I draw tanks and airplanes.
๏ I make up complicated math problems.
๏ I plan out my day.
๏ I color my nails with my pen.
๏ One thing my sister taught me to do is to listen to music in my head, or to
think back to a movie, to its funny parts.
๏ When I had braces, I used to play with my braces, and I had braces for
four years!
ASCD
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
WHAT IS
FLEXIBLE GROUPING
‣ OUR 100 STUDENTS, NOT “MY” 25
‣ STUDENTS ARE PLACED IN GROUPS BASED ON CURRENT LEVEL OF READINESS
‣ INSTRUCTION MATCHES GROUP
‣ IS FLEXIBLE FOR STUDENT MOVEMENT AT ALL TIMES
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
Data Driven
Decisions
Culture
Instruction
MATH GROWTH
through
Research
FLEXIBLE
GROUPING
Professional
Development
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
Administrative
Support
Culture
GUIDING QUESTIONS
to increase student learning
WE MUST continue to ask and answer these four critical questions:
‣ What is it we expect our kids to learn?
‣ How will we know when they have learned it?
‣ How will we respond when they don’t learn?
‣ How will we respond when they do learn?
(Dufour)
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
YOUR CHECKLIST
Culture
‣ Is your culture set up to support & deliver individualized and differentiated
instruction?
‣ Is the schedule created to increase student learning or to keep adults happy?
‣ Are your students assured extra time and support for learning?
‣ Is your response timely? How quickly are you able to identify the kids who need
extra time and support? Does your focus prompt intervention or enrichment rather
than sluggish remediation?
‣ Is your response directive rather than invitational? Are kids invited to put in extra
time or does your system ensure they put in extra time?
‣ Is your response systematic? Do kids receive this intervention or enrichment
according to a school-wide plan rather than at the discretion of individual
teachers? Luck of the draw is NOT acceptable.
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
Culture
NECESSARY CULTURAL SHIFTS
In traditional schools, each teacher
in isolation
In professional learning communities,
teams of teachers
decides what to teach and when to
teach it.
๏ administers infrequent summative
assessments.
๏ focuses on inputs of teaching.
๏ practices the “if only” model of
improvement-looking out of the
window.
๏ determines what to do when students
don’t learn.
๏
๏
build shared knowledge about
essential learning and pacing.
๏ administer frequent common
formative assessments.
๏ focus on results-evidence of learning.
๏ practice the “what if” model of
improvement-looking in the mirror.
๏ create systematic responses that
ensure learning support for every
student.
(Dufour, Dufour, & Eaker.
Solution Tree 2012)
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
Culture
DO OUR STUDENTS’ NEEDS COME FIRST?
The Mayo Clinic Motto
Putting the Needs of the Patient First
“The needs of the patient come first,” and we will meet those needs
through “the practice of team medicine” and “unsurpassed
collaboration” (Mayo Clinic Mission and Values).
As Berry and Seltman write in “Management Lessons From Mayo Clinic”(2008):
“In the Mayo Clinic, teamwork is not optional-It is mandatory” (p. 51)
“Patients don’t get a doctor: They get the expertise of the entire organization” (p. 50)
“Collaboration, cooperation, and coordination are the three dynamics supporting the
practice of team medicine at Mayo Clinic” (p. 65)
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
USC’s BELIEFS FOR GROWING LEARNERS
Culture
‣ By scheduling effectively and working together, every child should receive INSTRUCTION
BASED ON WHERE THEY ARE AS LEARNERS.
Through the use of strategies such as flexible grouping and using ALL staff efficiently and effectively we are committed to
differentiating and individualizing our instruction to meet the needs of all students. All instruction should match your child’s level of
academic readiness, interest level, or learner style.
‣ DID THEY LEARN IT? as opposed to DID WE TEACH IT?
Our primary goal is to focus on whether students learn the intended concepts, as opposed to focusing on the fact that we taught the
curriculum and we need to move on. It sounds simple, but this belief is critical in providing individualized and meaningful instruction
to each student.
‣ SECOND CHANCE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ARE A MUST!
We are committed to providing timely, focused supports in order to give our students SECOND CHANCE LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES! We assess after each lesson to determine if our students learned the concept. It is not enough to wait until the
chapter test to see if students have learned.
‣ Unwavering belief in FOCUS ON STUDENT LEARNING! Together.
‣ COLLABORATION with a FOCUS!
No longer is our culture looking through the lens of a single classroom teacher of “My 25 students.” We believe we can better meet the
needs of our students by utilizing the entire faculty and resources with a mindset of “Our 500 students.”
‣ RESPOND SYSTEMATICALLY!
Our belief is that EVERY child will get equal opportunity to receive individualized instruction, challenges, and supports no matter the
grade level or classroom.
DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS
USING ALL TYPES OF DATA MATTERS!
๏ Pretest, rate of acquisition, prior performance, parent information
should be taken into account
‣ Students can move within the chapter/topic/unit/
novel to suit their needs
๏ Local Assessments
‣ Common pretests
‣ Common posttests
๏ Assessment FOR Learning
‣ Quick checks
‣ Quizzes & Homework
‣ CheckS for understanding (lesson by lesson basis)
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
DATA D
RIV
DECISIO EN
NS
FLEXIBLE GROUPING
ALLOWS US TO CUSTOMIZE
‣ Utilize instructional techniques that fit the group
‣ CUSTOMIZE in-class instructional practices
‣ CUSTOMIZE homework that reflects classroom instruction
‣ CUSTOMIZE guided and independent practice activities
depending on level of group
‣ Set high/appropriate expectations for every group and learner
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
INSTRU
CTION
STRUCTURAL IMPACT OF
FLEXIBLE GROUPING
‣ Group sizes vary based on current level of readiness
‣ Utilize ALL available staff to lower the instructional size of
some groups with an emphasis on differentiating based on the
learners
‣ Split students into small groups during some guided and
independent practice time
‣ Utilize student teachers to work with small groups during
independent practice time
‣ Instruction MUST match the instructional needs of each group
(Focus of instruction and learning objective should be at
different places on the same day across the grade level.)
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
INSTRU
CTION
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
๏ Principal
‣ Schedules
‣ Staffing needs
‣ Assist with parent communication
‣ Understand and support the philosophy of
flexible grouping
‣ Walkthroughs, observations, and discussions
(formal and informal) should focus on being
informative/supportive with an emphasis
growth
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
Admin.
Suppor
t
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
๏ Curriculum Leader
‣ Professional development training
‣ Identify needs at each grade level for
resources, training, etc.
‣ Budgeting for materials that may be needed to
help customize
‣ Sharing research with teaching staff on best
practices
‣ Assist with parent communication (Open
House, Flyers)
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
Admin.
Suppor
t
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
๏ Professional Learning Community (PLC) Culture
๏ District’s Math Curriculum
๏ Math Instruction/Best Practices
‣ Math Talk
‣ Inquiry-Based
‣ Questioning
๏ Customizing Beyond the Adopted Curriculum
‣ Pace and Rigor
‣ Materials
‣ Content
๏ Common Core Standard and PA Core Standards
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
PD
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
๏ Develop the criteria for placement,
regrouping, and movement of children during
a chapter or topic.
๏ Philosophy of rotating teachers with groups
‣ Teachers should not stay with the
same group all year.
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
PD
RESEARCH/RATIONALE
๏ “Grouping for Instruction in the Elementary School” by Robert E. Slavin
(Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools, Johns Hopkins University)
๏ The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners
by Carol Ann Tomlinson
๏ STEM: “Differentiating Mathematics Instruction so Everyone Learns” by
Jennifer Taylor-Cox, Ph.D.
๏ “The Effects of Grouping Curricular Practices on Intermediate Students’
Math Achievements” by Carol Tieso, University of Alabama
๏ Eisenhower Elementary School Data:
๏ Pre and Post Test Data
๏ Eisenhower Power Data on Retesting/Second Chance Learning
๏ PSSA Data
๏ PVAAS Data
Upper St. Clair School District
Eisenhower Elementary School
2014
RESEA
RCH