Slice #6 2012 - Accommodations, Modifications or Differentiation?

At a recent professional development day we spent time thinking about differentiation, accommodations and modifications. After a brief introduction, where all K - 8 teachers were together, we moved to smaller groups with teachers representing all of the grades.

While we have been using RTI for a few years as well as a workshop model to meet the needs of various learners, it was quickly apparent that we didn't have a shared definition of accommodations, modifications and differentiation. We knew how to change lessons to help students, slowing down for some and extending for others. We have already become skilled at using benchmark assessments to identify students to spend some time in tier 2 interventions. We have "problem solving" meetings for students needing even more support which sometimes can lead to 504s or IEPs. It was time to build a shared understanding of the words that guide us through our lessons.

Here's what a quick overview of what we came up with:
• Targets are needed in order to determine what skills should be mastered.
• Students need to understand what they already know and what they need to work on to meet goals.


• Pre and post assessments cane help make sure students focus on the skills they need or are provided with extensions when they have met targets.
• Differentiation is used to adjust lessons for learners at both ends.
• Accommodations are put in place when students struggle with a concept and need it taught in smaller portions or in a different way to be successful.
• Modifications are made for students that continue to struggle over time and need targets/goals/lessons modified to be successful.

As teachers we do all these things, but don't always recognize when it is an accommodation, modification or the differentiating. Now we need to continue to create our own targets and provide valuable pre and post assessments for our units. Finding the TIME for this will be a challenge.

Slice 2012 #5 - Casimir Pulaski Day

Did you you know that today is Casimir Pulaski Day? If you teach in Illinois you may, but for most people the name isn't familiar. It is celebrated the first Monday in March giving pubic school students the day off of school. (In our district it is a professional development day for teachers.) While the law commemorating Casimir was passed in 1977, it's not widely recognized as much more than another day off for Illinois schools. You see, our schools are off for more "extra holidays" than most other states. (Columbus Day, Veterans Day, MLK Day and Presidents Day are also days off.)

With an already packed curriculum and state testing beginning this week, there isn't much time to help students understand the reason the day is a school holiday. As a fifth grade teacher, most of my students only knew that it was a day that would provide them with an extra-long weekend. I shared a brief lesson on Casimir, how he came to America to help the Patriots during the Revolutionary War, teaching them how to fight and also providing training for the cavalry. He is credited with saving George Washington's life. He died in 1779 after being wounded in the Siege of Savannah. He was also a soldier of fortune, a mercenary, willing to fight for personal gains rather than because of a strong belief in a conflict. He did make a difference, helping the Patriots as they fought against a powerful army.

These holidays, while perhaps well intentioned in their hopes that students will reflect on history and the individuals commemorated, have lost their luster in most classrooms. Wouldn't it be better to commemorate these individuals by learning more about them on the day set aside for their remembrance than by having students out of the classroom?

Slice 2012 #4 - Our Labs

When we take weekend trips to see our college kids or family members, our two labs come along too. They enjoy the road trips and being with everyone.

This weekend we stayed at a hotel where a number of college students were also staying. Our daughter's team was staying there and the hotel permitted dogs. It's amazing the reaction the dogs get from the young adults. Everyone wants to pet them and then shares stories about their dogs. They miss their own pets and welcome the chance to give ours extra attention.

Our own kids love to see the dogs too. Being around the dogs can't help but make you smile. Having pets is an extra responsibility, but well worth it. They are very much a part of our family.

Slice # 3 2012 - March Snow

As I left school Friday rain was falling. I quickly changed from rain to freezing rain and then to snow as I drove home. Everything was white by the time I made it the 20 miles between work and home. This Friday we had what was to be a four hour drive to reach our weekend destination. The snow, while pretty, nearly doubled the time we spent before arriving. While snow is beautiful to look at and welcomed in December, I no longer enjoy seeing it when March arrives. Today the temperatures have dropped and the wind blows an Arctic blast. How I look forward to Spring and days filled with warmer weather, buds and flowers. I guess as I get older snow is less magical.

Slice #2 2012 - Tournament Weekend

It's Friday. We are heading out of town after our work day so we can watch our daughter's college team play in a conference water polo tournament. It's four hours away. We are taking the dogs, as we always do. I have packing and organizing to complete before I leave for school. My list is long.

I'm a bit apprehensive about the trip. She has been on the all-conference team the last two years. She's been a starter too. This year she isn't playing as much. She had shoulder surgery in August. The doctor says she is ready, she is still hesitant as she doesn't want to go through surgery again. I understand, but I also know it's the last year she will be able to play this sport as she will be graduating in December. She loves the game. She doesn't want her time as a player to end although she's been an assistant coach for a high school team near her school for three years and will be involved with polo through that too.

We will watch, cheer on the team and be there to support her, not knowing what the future holds and how many more opportunities we will have to watch her from the stands. I know there is a beginning and ending to everything, but it's a hard lesson to learn when you're young.

Slice #1 2012 - Slices - Windows to the world

It's Thursday and the first day of March. I've been writing a slice every Tuesday since December. Now on to my next challenge, writing a slice every day in March. Writing helps me reflect. Sometimes I write about teaching. Other times I write about issues that are in the news. I also write about my world outside of teaching. Writing a slice has helped me as a teacher of writing. I go through the same process my fifth graders go through as they write and refine their work. I've had them write Tuesday slices too. It gives me a window into their world. I guess that's what my slices are too, windows to my world.

Nobody told me there'd be days like these...

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- strange days indeed...

John Lennon, you had NO idea..

February is nearly over and as March begins students will be assessed on their progress using the state test. They will be taking three reading tests and three math tests as fifth graders. Some are multiple-choice, while others require written responses. I’m fairly confident that they will all do well provided they take the test seriously. Once testing is complete and tests are sent in, scores should be available by June. Teachers, schools and parents will all be given the results. Scores will be published for schools and districts, ranking performance. While I understand the need for standardized tests, I feel the weight of the testing, as do my students. Expectations are set high. Assessments are an important part of instruction, but the ones that allow me to access student progress and adjust instruction accordingly are much more valuable than these one-size-fits-all assessments. Scores aren’t available until my students have already advanced to the next grade.

An added worry crosses my mind as I think about how our state will be using our test scores as a portion of our evaluation. Our jobs will increasingly depend on maintaining high scores. Will our instruction change to one where we focus more on this high-stakes test and less on differentiation? I hope not, but I’ve seen the signs in so many places. What happens when you have a year where student scores are low based on their ability or test anxiety?

I wish there was a way to evaluate students, mark their growth and help them learn without forcing them to take these cookie-cutter like assessments. I learn so much more from assessments given throughout the year where I am able to adjust instruction to meet the needs of individual students. We are living in the information age, not the industrial age. The assembly-line mentality behind standardized tests should be replaced with a more flexible, authentic, student-centered model.

I’m stepping off my soapbox now with a sad shake of my head and knowing that once March 14^th arrives we will all be free of these assessments for another year. The ten weeks after will be spent on instruction that will prepare my students for the next steps on their educational journey. No more bubbling in the best answer, but truly thinking.