Content Dimension: Writing and Writing Interventions
This template guides users through the processes of self-reflection, needs determination, and goal setting to develop an overall plan for improving implementation of the Writing and Writing Interventions principles and practices described in the Middle School Matters Research Platform and Field Guide. Users should follow these steps for each principle.
Step 1: Self-Reflection
Review evidence (i.e., reliable documentation) and indicate which instructional conditions are already in place. Next, determine the current level of implementation for the principle, according to the rubric below (adapted from Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005). This step helps users determine whether and why implementation of each principle requires improvement.
1. No Implementation: There is no evidence of implementation of this principle in the school.
2. Exploration: The decision has been made to implement the principle. Knowledge is being shared about the practices and conditions described. There is no systematic expectation of implementation, nor is there good evidence of it.
3. Initial Implementation: The principle is beginning to be implemented. There is limited evidence of implementation of the practices. Some of the conditions described are being met.
4. Full Implementation: The principle is being implemented. There is strong evidence of implementation of all or almost all of the practices. All or nearly all of the conditions described are being met. There is a system in place for documenting and/or measuring implementation.
5. Sustainability: The principle is being implemented, and processes are in place for getting new personnel up to speed. There is a system in place for providing feedback and support for improving implementation of the principle.
Step 2: Needs Determination
Classify the school’s types of need and indicate what can be done to address that need (e.g., determine which broad strategies can help). A knowledge deficit exists when educators are not aware of the principle, nor the research or evidence that supports implementation of the principle. A translation deficit exists when educators need support in translating knowledge about the principle into instructional practice. A resource deficit exists when there is a lack of systemic support (e.g., time, materials, money, staff) for implementing the principle. Finally, a feedback deficit exists when educators are not made aware of the quality or success of their own implementation of the principle.
Step 3: Goal Setting
First, develop specific goals for improved implementation of the principles within each content dimension. Make sure to set “SMART” goals that fit the following criteria (adapted from Doran, 1981):
· Specific: The goal is clearly stated, not vague, and includes the specific actions to be performed.
· Measurable: The goal is evaluable. One can easily identify accomplishment of the goal.
· Attainable: The goal is reasonable and can realistically be accomplished in a specific amount of time.
· Relevant: The goal is important and produces significant benefit for your students, teachers, school, and other important stakeholders.
· Timely: The goal is limited in time and has a due date associated with it.
Here is an example of a SMART goal: “By the end of the 2014–2015 school year, every student at ABC Middle School will have successfully completed ABC’s adopted online typing tutorial.”
Continuing current practices would be an appropriate goal for any principle determined to be at level 5 (sustainability). In this case, other principles should be the focus of improvement efforts for the upcoming school year. Schools should consider setting goals for four or fewer principles, per content dimension, in an academic year and looking for areas of alignment across principles and other content dimensions as a means of using resources most effectively and efficiently.
Second, indicate how your school will monitor progress toward goal completion and who is responsible for monitoring progress.
Finally, after developing all implementation goals, identify and describe a specific, measurable outcome at the school, teacher, or student level to achieve as a result of meeting the implementation goals developed for this content dimension. (You will complete this step on the last page of this form.)
Here is an example of a specific student outcome to achieve: “By implementing principles in the Writing and Writing Interventions content dimension, ABC Middle School will increase the number of seventh-grade students achieving “met” or “exceeded” progress on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) writing test from 30% in 2013–2014 to 40% in 2014–2015.”
Action Planning to Promote Goal Completion
Schools should consider using the MSMI Action Plan Template (available at http://www.meadowscenter.org/library/resource/msmi-implementation-plans) to develop specific steps and deadlines to achieve each implementation goal. Detailed plans with focused effort promote timely goal completion.
Date: ______School: ______
Step 1: Self-Reflection
Review
Indicate which sources of evidence you will use to determine whether each practice is in place.
Lesson plans
Student assignments and activities
Curriculum documents / Classroom observations
Annual plan or school improvement plan
School goals / Student work samples
Surveys or interviews
Practices
For each practice, select all conditions that have been met, according to the sources of evidence that you reviewed.
Practice 1: Ask students to analyze, interpret, or personalize in writing information that has been read or presented.
Content area teachers assign students writing tasks that include analyzing information that has been read or presented.
Content area teachers assign students writing tasks that include interpreting information that has been read or presented.
Content area teachers assign students writing tasks that include personalizing in writing information that has been read or presented.
Practice 2: Ask students to provide written summaries of material read or presented in class.
Content area teachers teach students to summarize by identifying the most important information, deleting trivial and redundant information, and finishing with a short synopsis of the main and supporting information.
Students summarize material read or presented in class by identifying the most important information, deleting trivial and redundant information, and finishing with a short synopsis of the main and supporting information.
Practice 3: Ask students to take written notes about material read or presented in class.
Content area teachers teach students a structured note-taking procedure (e.g., Cornell Note-taking Method).
Content area teachers have clear expectations for students to take written notes about material read or presented in class.
Students take written notes about material read or presented in class.
Students’ written notes include an organization of the abstracted material with a connection between ideas and a blending of the new information with their own knowledge.
Practice 4: Ask students to answer questions in writing about material read or presented in class.
Content area teachers teach students how to answer questions in writing about material read or presented in class (with expectations, such as complete-sentence responses).
Students write complete-sentence answers about material read or presented in class.
Evidence
Describe the evidence that helped you determine whether each instructional condition had been met.
Current Implementation Level for This Principle _12345_
Step 2: Needs Determination
Deficit Types
Based on the evidence on the previous page, indicate the school’s types of need for this principle. Select all that apply.
Knowledge / Translation / Resource / Feedback
Strategies
Select which (if any) of the following strategies you will use to improve implementation of this principle.
Knowledge:
Provide professional development
Add to team or staff meeting agenda / Translation:
Create organizers or manipulatives as a group
Review lesson plans
Review classroom assessments, assignments, or activities / Resource:
Review instructional programs
Review curricula
Review schedule or calendar / Feedback:
Add to observation checklist
Review school-level or required assessments
Additional Strategies
List any additional strategies you intend to use to improve implementation of this principle.
Step 3: Goal Setting
Develop specific goals to improve implementation of the principle in the school. Ensure that goals are specific, measureable, attainable, reasonable, and timely (SMART). After typing each response, press the Tab key.
Implementation Goal / Method for
Monitoring Progress / Person Responsible
for Monitoring Progress
Principle 2: Explicitly and systematically teach students the processes, knowledge, and skills of effective writing. /
Step 1: Self-Reflection
Review
Indicate which sources of evidence you will use to determine whether each practice is in place.
Lesson plans
Student assignments and activities
Curriculum documents / Classroom observations
Annual plan and school improvement plan
School goals / Student work samples
Surveys or interviews
Practices
For each practice, select all conditions that have been met, according to the evidence that you reviewed.
Practice 1: Analyze and emulate model text to discover the characteristics of good writing and the features of specific types of text.
Content area teachers review relevant grade-level standards and select exemplary models of writing to illustrate genre-specific features or criteria aligned with those standards (e.g., essential elements of a persuasive argument, word choice, sentence construction).
Content area teachers teach students to analyze model texts by thinking aloud, posing questions that direct students’ attention to targeted text elements, and allowing students to work in pairs or small groups.
Content area teachers pair using an exemplary model of writing with establishing specific product goals (e.g., requirements for writing a persuasive argument).
Students analyze model text to identify characteristics of good writing and features of genre-specific text.
Students emulate model text in their own writing by using characteristics of good writing and features of genre-specific text.
Students set individual goals to improve their own writing, based on the exemplary models.
Practice 2: Model and teach strategies for planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing written work.
Content area teachers teach students strategies for planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing written work.
Content area teachers use a gradual-release model for teaching writing strategies in which strategies and their rationale are described and discussed.
Content area teachers model strategies and then provide time for guided practice in applying the strategies.
Content area teachers emphasize when and how to apply a strategy in new writing situations.
Content area teachers use a research-based instructional approach to help students remember and apply the writing process steps (e.g., self-regulated strategy development).
Students independently apply strategies for planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing written work.
Practice 3: Teach students how to construct more complex sentences.
Content area teachers teach students to construct complex sentences through combining simpler sentences and expanding sentences by including additional details.
Content area teachers use a gradual-release model in teaching sentence construction skills by modeling the strategies to students and providing guided practice in applying the strategies to allow time for students to grasp the concept.
Students independently apply strategies to construct complex sentences.
Practice 4: Refine students’ spelling, grammar, and usage skills.
Content area teachers work with students to improve spelling by teaching them how word meaning and spelling are connected.
Content area teachers instruct students in common prefixes and suffixes related to their content area to improve student spelling.
Students proofread their writing for spelling, grammar, and usage errors to improve the quality of their writing.
Evidence
Describe the evidence that helped you determine whether each instructional condition had been met.
Current Implementation Level for This Principle _12345_
Step 2: Needs Determination
Deficit Types
Based on the evidence on the previous page, indicate the school’s types of need for this principle. Select all that apply.
Knowledge / Translation / Resource / Feedback
Strategies
Select which (if any) of the following strategies you will use to improve implementation of this principle.
Knowledge:
Provide professional development
Add to team or staff meeting agenda / Translation:
Create organizers or manipulatives as a group
Review lesson plans
Review classroom assessments, assignments, or activities / Resource:
Review instructional programs
Review curricula
Review schedule or calendar / Feedback:
Add to observation checklist
Review school-level or required assessments
Additional Strategies
List any additional strategies you intend to use to improve implementation of this principle.
Step 3: Goal Setting
Develop specific goals to improve implementation of the principle in the school. Ensure that goals are specific, measureable, attainable, reasonable, and timely (SMART). After typing each response, press the Tab key.
Implementation Goal / Method for
Monitoring Progress / Person Responsible
for Monitoring Progress
Principle 3: Establish word processing as the common medium for student writing. /
Step 1: Self-Reflection
Review
Indicate which sources of evidence you will use to determine whether each practice is in place.
Lesson plans
Student assignments and activities
Curriculum documents / Classroom observations
Annual plan or school improvement plan
School goals / Student work samples
Surveys or interviews
Practices
For each practice, select all conditions that have been met, according to the sources of evidence that you reviewed.
Practice 1: Make enough word processors available in the school, so that all students can use them to complete writing assignments.
The school and content teachers provide students access to computers for use in completing writing assignments.
Students use computers or word processors to complete writing assignments.
Practice 2: Teach keyboarding skills and how to use word processing programs and software.
Content area teachers teach students how to use word processing programs and their editing features (spell check and grammar check) to improve the quality of their writing.
Teachers teach keyboarding skills and use of word processing programs and software to improve students’ compositions.
Students use a computer or word processor to support their writing.
Students use the spelling and grammar check functions of word processing programs to improve the quality of their writing.
Evidence
Describe the evidence that helped you determine whether each instructional condition had been met.
Current Implementation Level for This Principle _12345_
Step 2: Needs Determination
Deficit Types
Based on the evidence on the previous page, indicate the school’s types of need for this principle. Select all that apply.
Knowledge / Translation / Resource / Feedback
Strategies
Select which (if any) of the following strategies you will use to improve implementation of this principle.