6th Grade - Gateway 1
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Focus & Coherence
Gateway 1 - Meets Expectations | 85% |
|---|---|
Criterion 1.1: Focus | 2 / 2 |
Criterion 1.2: Coherence | 4 / 4 |
Criterion 1.3: Coherence | 6 / 8 |
The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for focusing on major work and coherence. The instructional materials assess only the material required for Grade 6 and previous grades. Grade 6 meets the threshold of 65% of the year being focused on major work of 6.RP.A, 6.NS.A, 6.NS.C, 6.EE.A, 6.EE.B and 6.EE.C. In the Grade 6 there are a few times that the supporting work enhances the understanding of the major clusters. The program can be taught in 154 days. The program overview guide explicitly shows where the standards are taught and where previous standards are used to enhance new learning. The program has many components to give all students extensive work with grade-level problems. The CCSSM are visibly listed on the student pages and in the teacher edition. The work in each unit is specific to that unit's topic. There are few connections made between units and concepts.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet expectations for assessing material at grade level. The instructional materials assess only the material required for Grade 6 and previous grades. A few questions are one grade below grade level and are used as a review of skills.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet expectations for assessing material at the Grade 6 level.
- The instructional materials assess only the material required for Grade 6 and previous grades.
- A few questions are one grade below grade level and are used as a review of skills.
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 materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for spending the majority of class time on the major work for the grade level. Approximately 65% of the year is focused on major work of 6.RP.A, 6.NS.A, 6.NS.C, 6.EE.A, 6.EE.B and 6.EE.C.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for spending the majority of class time on the major work for the grade level. Approximately 65% of the year is focused on major work of 6.RP.A, 6.NS.A, 6.NS.C, 6.EE.A, 6.EE.B and 6.EE.C.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations for being coherent and consistent with the standards. In Grade 6, there are a few examples where the supporting work enhances the understanding of the major clusters. The program can be taught in 154 days. The program overview guide explicitly shows where the standards are taught and where previous standards are used to enhance new learning. The CCSSM are visibly listed on the student pages and in the teacher edition. The work in each unit is specific to that unit's topic. There are connections made between units and concepts.
Indicator 1c
Supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations for supporting content engaging students in the major work for the grade level. For example:
- Lesson 9-6 connects integer work with drawing polygons on a coordinate grid. (6.NS.C and 6.G.A)
- The topic 14 review connects expressions with surface area (6.EE.A and 6.G.A).
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 materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for amount of content being viable for one school year.
- The program can be taught in 154 days, which fits within a typical school year of 170-190 days.
- The materials do not provide explicit directions to teachers to continue to focus on the major work of the grade during the remaining days of instructional time.
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 materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for being consistent with the progressions in the standards.
- The Program Overview Guide explicitly shows where the standards are taught and where previous standards are used to enhance new learning. (pages 68-75)
- The overview instructs the teacher which intervention lesson to assign to provide support for individual students or the whole group.
- The program has many components to give all students extensive work with grade-level problems.
- For each unit there is a readiness assessment, personalized study plans to provide differentiation and guiding questions to meet diverse needs of students.
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 materials reviewed for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations for fostering coherence through connections at a single grade.
- The CCSSM are visibly listed on the student pages and in the teacher edition.
- The work in each unit is specific to that unit's topic. There are no visible connections between clusters across units.
- Two examples of connections between standards were in topic 14 ("finding surface area with use of fractional sides") and topic 15 ("creating histograms using negative integers and rational numbers"). There were missed opportunities to make connections in the geometry and statistics lessons.