3rd Grade - Gateway 1
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Focus & Coherence
Gateway 1 - Partially Meets Expectations | 78% |
|---|---|
Criterion 1.1: Focus | 2 / 2 |
Criterion 1.2: Coherence | 4 / 4 |
Criterion 1.3: Coherence | 5 / 8 |
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the expectations for Gateway 1 focus and coherence. Some examples were found of above grade-level content being assessed, but the occurrence of these items was infrequent, and the items could be easily revised or removed. The instructional materials do spend the majority of the time on the major clusters of the grade, spending much more time on multiplication and division than on fractions. Major work includes all clusters within 3.OA and 3.NF, and clusters A and C within 3.MD. The fraction domain is not well-developed in this grade-level program. The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the expectations for coherence. The materials often use supporting content as additional opportunities to engage in the major work of the grade. For example, partitioning shapes within the geometry domain is used to support students’ understanding of fractions. The materials include a full program of study that is viable content for a school year including 150 days of lessons and assessments. This set of materials is only partially consistent with the Mathematical progression of learning set forth in the standards, as it only includes 16 days of learning around fraction concepts. This grade-level program is visibly shaped by the cluster headings in the standards. Connections are made between domains and clusters within the grade level. Overall, the Grade 3 materials partially meet the expectations for Gateway 1.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the expectations for focus within assessment. The majority of unit review/test items assess content from prior and/or current grade levels. There are instances of assessment items that do not align to grade-level expectations, but these items could be easily revised or removed by classroom teachers. Overall, the instructional materials meet the expectation for this indicator.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the expectations for focus within assessment. The majority of unit review/test items included in the student activity books assess content from prior and/or current grade levels.
- In units 1 and 2, one of the test objectives is “recall basic multiplications and divisions with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 10.” 3.OA.C.7 calls for students to “know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers by the end of Grade 3” and this program assesses fact recall after two units of instruction and then not again on any other unit review/tests.
- Unit 2 review/test:
- Item 25 is a word problem that includes the language “twice the number of…” This sounds like multiplicative comparison work (4.OA.A.1-2), but this is Mathematically reasonable for Grade 3 because it is used in the context of a word problem.
- Unit 3 review/test:
- Items 18-19 have large numbers in word problems with multiplicative contexts; however, problems could be solved with additive thinking. It should be noted that the lessons related to these items didn’t use such large numbers.
- Unit 4 review/test
- Items 7-17 don’t allow for much workspace, which may discourage students from using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and the relationship between multiplication and division, as explicitly called for in 3.NBT.A.2. This could easily be rectified by reformatting the items.
- Unit 7 Review/Test:
- In item 6, the figures are already shaded and divided. Also, the equation ¼ + ¼ + ¼ = ¾ is a Grade 4 expectation (4.NF.B.3b), but this equation is Mathematically reasonable based upon 3.NF.A.1and 3.NF.A.2.
- Standard 3.NF.A.3.D calls for comparing fractions with like numerators/denominators, and item 18 has neither. However, the standard also calls for comparing by reasoning, and Grade 3 students should be able to reason that 2/2 = 3/3 because they both name 1 whole (3.NF.A.3.C).
- Standard 3.NF.A.3.D calls for comparing fractions with like numerators/denominators, and item 20 has neither. However, the students are given visual models to support their reasoning, so the item is appropriate for Grade 3.
*Evidence updated 10/27/15
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 Grade 3 meets the expectations for focus by spending the majority of the time on the major clusters of the grade. This includes all clusters within the 3.OA, all clusters in 3.NF and cluster A and C from 3.MD. The fraction domain is not well developed in these lessons.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 3.OA, all clusters in 3.NF and cluster A and C from 3.MD.
- Units 1, 2 and 7 are completely focused on major work.
- Units 3, 5 and 6 spend most of the lesson/assessment time on major work.
- Unit 4 is not major work.
- These materials spend a great deal of time on multiplication and division, but not enough time is spent on fractions. Only 9 lessons in one unit at the end of the year is focused on fractions.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the expectation for coherence. The materials often use supporting content as a way to continue work with the major work of the grade. For example, partitioning shapes within the geometry domain is used to support their work on fractions. The materials include a full program of study that is viable content for a school year including 150 days of lessons and assessments. This set of materials is not consistent with the mathematical progression of learning set forth in the standards, including only including a few lessons on fractions. These instructional materials are visibly shaped by the cluster headings in the standards. Connections are made between domains and clusters within the grade level. Overall, the Grade 3 materials partially support coherence and are not 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 Grade 3 partially meet the expectations for their use of supporting content as a way to enhance coherence. For Grade 3, reviewers focused on the use of data and shapes as methods for supporting operations and fractions.
- Unit 3 contains the only example of using a scaled bar graph as a connection to multiplication.
- Unit 3 misses opportunities to connect data to the 3.OA domain.
- Measurement data in fractions of an inch are not connected to the fraction work of the grade level. It is instead taught as a stand-alone concept.
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 Grade 3 meet the expectation for this indicator by providing a viable level of content for one school year.
- Materials provide for 150 days of instruction, quizzes, fluency checks and formal assessment.
- Most lessons are appropriate in length for Grade 3.
- Some lessons may take longer than indicated.
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 Grade 3 are not consistent with the mathematical progressions in the standards and do not meet the expectation for this indicator.
- The problem types included in the application problems show an increasing level of difficulty in multiplication.
- Much of the school year is devoted to multiplication and division.
- Fractional measurement is included in lessons before working with fractions on a number line.
- Unit 6 requires fraction language (one-sixth) before fractions are taught in unit 7.
- Only 9 lessons on Grade 3 fractions are contained at the end of the year. This does not allow for a complete progression of learning for Grade 3 fractions nor does it offer extensive work on grade level problems in fractions.
- Support offered to help struggling students while still engaging with grade level problems is inconsistent. Some include suggestions for lowering expectations to previous grade levels instead of supporting students with current grade level work. This was found in units 4, 5 and 6. This work was not identified as previous grade level work.
- Minimal connections are made for the teacher within the lessons to prior knowledge from previous grades.
- A progression chart including Grade 2 and Grade 4 content is included in the planning pages.
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 Grade 3 foster coherence through grade level connections.
- Some lesson and assessment objectives include language shaped by the cluster headings in the standards.
- Connections are made between 3.OA and 3.MD.
- Connections are made between 3.G and 3.NF.A.1.