TLI Users
Have a Head Start in the Race to the Top
Arkansas's Race to the Top has officially begun. On January
19th, Arkansas education officials submitted the state's application
for the federal grant program that could yield a few hundred million dollars
for education in the Natural State. Unprecedented in both scope and ambition,
the federal Race to the Top (RttT) grant program offers states an unparalleled
opportunity to transform (or at least to speed up such a transformation) their
education systems to meet the demands of a new global economy.
A total of 40 applications from states and the District of
Columbia were submitted. Here, 253 local education agencies (LEAs) -- educating
98 percent of Arkansas's students -- signed on to the grant. In doing so, they
have committed both to implement the plan outlined in the grant application (if
approved and funded) in exchange for varying amounts of federal dollars. (At
least 50 percent of any award must be passed directly on to LEAs.)
For Arkansas to be successful in both winning a slice of
this sizeable pie and successfully implementing its plan, it must capitalize on
its system's considerable strengths; recognize and make use of high-quality
technologies and programs to shore up certain system weaknesses; and leverage
these existing strengths, technologies, and programs to create new
opportunities for schools to improve student achievement. While everyone is
hopeful and excited about the additional funds the RttT grant could bring to
the state, there may be some anxiety about what implementation of the state
plan will mean for educators and students.
At least in the areas of instructional improvement systems,
interim assessments, and formative assessments and overall data use, TLI is
happy to report that the 80-plus LEAs using our system already meet most of the
criteria outlined in the state's RttT plan.
Survey Finds
Differences between High School and College Expectations
An analysis of ACT's 2009 National Curriculum
Survey reveals some fundamental gaps in the opinions and expectations of
high school teachers and their college/university counterpart. Though this
finding may not seem all that surprising, it does raise some important policy issues
- particularly as states craft reform agendas to gain federal grant dollars and edge closer to adopting common standards in math and English/language arts. While
not always at odds, consider two major areas in which high school and college
teachers don't see eye to eye.
1.College Readiness High school teachers are far more likely to deem their students "college
ready" than college instructors, by a margin of 91 percent to 26 percent.
Similarly, 71 percent of high school teachers believe that their state's
learning standards and graduation requirements prepare students for college; by
contrast, just 28 percent of college instructors were as sanguine. Finally, in
the all-important area of reading, two-thirds of high school teachers in all
the core areas (English/writing, reading, math, and science) believe their
students are equipped to perform college-level reading while just a third of
college instructors agree.
2.Course Content
Overall, college instructors believe that greater depth (and rigor) in fewer
topics is more beneficial than the breadth of course content. (High school
teachers tend to opt for greater breadth.) This theme holds true, in
particular, for math and science teachers. For instance, college math
instructors rank a deep knowledge of fundamentals such as basic operations as
more important than exposure to advanced topics. Meanwhile, high school
teachers rank advanced topics such as functions as more important (see Table
1).Likewise, college science
instructors view science process skills (interpreting data, reaching scientific
conclusions, etc.) as most important for college preparation while their high
school counterparts consistently rank subject-specific content as most
important.
As schools and districts plan for curriculum changes and
additions next year, TLI is pleased to announce that it will be offering
additional science interim assessments in 2010-11. In response to many requests
for a science component, TLI unveiled science interim assessments and resources
for grades 3-5 this year (resources actually span K-5). Next fall, TLI will add
grades 6, 7, 8, and biology to its offerings. As currently configured, grades
6-8 will continue the approach used in the lower grades, whereby districts can
align their interim assessments according to units (including the relevant
SLEs). For biology, alignment of the interim assessments may be done more
traditionally - by selecting individual SLEs found in the TLI Science Precision
Standards. In addition, TLI will be offering a model alignment map for biology
- one crafted with the counsel of university science experts.
Specifically, TLI's 2010-11 science offerings will include
the following:
in grades 3-5, four assessment modules (aligned
to units) featuring 10-20 multiple choice questions and an open response;
in grades 6-8, four assessment modules (aligned
to units) featuring 10-20 multiple choice questions and an open response;
for biology, four to six assessment modules
aligned by SLE or to TLI's model pacing guide featuring 10-20 multiple choice
questions and an open response; and
science instructional resources for grades K-5.
Districts already using TLI's science program - or those
interested in adopting it - can expect alignment for 2010-11 to begin in early
summer. For more information about TLI's science offerings, please contact
either Angela Olsen (
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)
or Lisa Walker (
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) in
the client development office (501-760-5525).
Remediation
Reports Target Students Needing Additional Help
It won't be too long before students begin testing under the
state's annual assessment program. For teachers and district curriculum staff,
this will mean targeting students who may need additional preparation before
taking the Arkansas Benchmark, End-of-Course, and/or 11th Grade
Literacy exams.
Fortunately, TLI users have several reporting tools that can
make pinpointing those students - not to mention areas of strength and weakness
- a quick and easy process. Consider a few of the reports that save teachers
and curriculum staff time and focus
their efforts on the skills or content students need most.
