Kindergarten - Gateway 1
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Focus & Coherence
Gateway 1 - Meets Expectations | 100% |
|---|---|
Criterion 1.1: Focus | 2 / 2 |
Criterion 1.2: Coherence | 4 / 4 |
Criterion 1.3: Coherence | 8 / 8 |
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for gateway 1. These materials do not assess above-grade-level content and spend the majority of the time on the major clusters of each grade level. Teachers using these materials as designed will use supporting clusters to enhance the major work of the grade. These materials are consistent with the mathematical progression in the standards, and students are offered extensive work with grade-level problems. Connections are made between clusters and domains where appropriate. Overall, the Kindergarten materials are focused and follow a coherent plan.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectation for this criterion by not assessing any topics before the grade level in which the topic is introduced in the standards. No above-grade-level content was assessed on mid-module or end-of-module assessments in any module. All assessments, rubrics and topics relate to Kindergarten standards. All interview questions are related to Kindergarten standards. Students are assessed on fluency only up to 5. They are assessed on counting to 100, comparing numbers between 1 and 10, and understanding of addition and subtraction among other topics.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for focus within assessment. Overall, the instructional material does not assess any content from future grades within the summative assessment sections of each module.
- No above-grade-level content was assessed on mid-module or end-of-module assessments.
- All assessments, rubrics and topics relate to Kindergarten standards.
- All interview questions are related to Kindergarten standards.
- The summative assessments focus on grade-level topics.
- The first module assesses one-more and one-less than a given number between 6 and 10.
- The fourth module assesses students' ability to add and subtract within 10.
- Appropriately, there are no assessments on telling time, which is a Grade 1 standard.
Criterion 1.2: Coherence
Students and teachers using the materials as designed devote the large majority of class time in each grade K-8 to the major work of the grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for focus by spending the majority of the time on the major clusters of the grade. This includes all clusters within the following domains: K.CC, K.OA and K.NBT.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectation for focus by spending the majority of the time on the major clusters of the grade. This includes all clusters within the following domains: K.CC, K.OA and K.NBT.
- While some lessons include multiple standards, approximately 113 out of 152 lesson days are devoted to major work.
- More than 70% of the lessons are explicitly focused on major work, with major work often included within supporting work lessons as well.
- Of six modules, modules 1, 4, and 5 address major work almost exclusively. Module 3 devotes more than half of the lessons to major work.
- The two shortest modules, 2 and 6, are devoted to supporting and additional work.
- Of the 45 assessment days, 39 are devoted to major work.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for coherence. The materials use supporting content as a way to continue work with the major work of the grade. For example, when studying shapes students are still counting and reasoning about numbers. The materials include a full program of study that is viable content for a school year including 180 lesson and assessment days. This set of materials is consistent with the mathematical progression of learning set forth in the standards. All students are given extensive work on grade-level problems and this work progresses mathematically. These instructional materials are visibly shaped by the cluster headings in the standards. Connections are made between domains and clusters within the grade level. For instance, materials make connections between sorting shapes by attributes and reasoning about the size of the groups they are sorted into. Overall, the Kindergarten materials support coherence and are consistent with the progressions in the standards.
Indicator 1c
Supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for their use of supporting content as a way to enhance coherence. For Kindergarten, reviewers focused on the use of counting and addition/subtraction within the K.MD and K.G domains.
- In module 1, students are classifying and then counting objects.
- In module 2, students are asked to use shapes to count sides, quantity and attributes.
- In module 2, students are expected to count sides to distinguish between shapes and to use counting to answer questions about shapes.
- In module 2, students are asked to use varying numbers of circles to practice adding and subtracting.
- In module 3, students are using counting to count heights and lengths using words like "greater than" and "less than." They are also expected to count and compare group sizes with shapes.
- In module 6 students are asked to draw shapes with a specific number of sides, add those shapes to another group of shapes and write the appropriate equation for that addition.
Indicator 1d
The amount of content designated for one grade level is viable for one school year in order to foster coherence between grades.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectation for this indicator by providing a viable level of content for one school year.
- Materials provide for 180 days of instruction and assessment.
- Lessons are expected to be 50 minutes.
- Lessons include fluency practice, application problems, concept development and a student debrief.
- The materials are structured so that a teacher could make modifications if necessary.
- While a district, school or teacher would not need to make significant changes to the schedule set forth, reviewers expressed concerns about the volume of lessons.
- Some lessons may take longer than indicated.
- Days are included at the end of the year for culmination activities and preparation for summer practice.
Indicator 1e
Materials are consistent with the progressions in the Standards i. Materials develop according to the grade-by-grade progressions in the Standards. If there is content from prior or future grades, that content is clearly identified and related to grade-level work ii. Materials give all students extensive work with grade-level problems iii. Materials relate grade level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten are consistent with the mathematical progressions in the standards meeting the expectation for this indicator.
- Students work on their understanding of the number 5 before moving on to the number 10.
- Students work extensively on the domain of K.CC before working with K.OA and K.NBT.
- Pre-Kindergarten standards are offered as foundational standards for Kindergarten.
- Students are expected to practice writing numbers 21-100 but, appropriately, they are not assessed on this content.
- Problem sets in each module offer students extensive work on grade-level problems.
- Within the differentiation sections teachers are given suggestions for supporting struggling students while continuing to expect that students work on grade-level problems.
- Suggestions for supporting English language learners (ELLs) continued to reflect high expectations for these students.
- The teacher notes include suggestions for advanced students to continue working within their grade level while deepening their understanding of the content.
Indicator 1f
Materials foster coherence through connections at a single grade, where appropriate and required by the Standards i. Materials include learning objectives that are visibly shaped by CCSSM cluster headings. ii. Materials include problems and activities that serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain, or two or more domains in a grade, in cases where these connections are natural and important.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten foster coherence through grade-level connections.
- Topic titles and lesson titles are informed by cluster headings.
- Module 1 includes a topic called "Classify to Make Categories and Count," which is informed by the cluster heading "Classify Objects and Count the Number of Objects in Each Category."
- Module 3 includes a lesson called "Compare Objects Using the Same as...," which is similar to the cluster heading "Count to Tell the Number of Objects."
- Module 5 includes a lesson called "Model with Objects and Represent Numbers from 10-20 with Place Value or Hide Zero Cards." This is similar to the cluster heading "Work with Numbers 11-19 to Gain Foundations for Place Value."
- Module 1 connects the K.CC and K.OA domains with K.MD.B.
- Module 3 connects K.CC and K.MD. Module 6 connects K.CC with K.G.
- Module 6 asks students use counting and cardinality to make shapes.
- Module 3 connects comparison of length with comparisons of numbers.
- Module 1 asks students to sort objects (shapes) into categories and count the number in each.