3rd Grade - Gateway 1
Back to 3rd Grade Overview
Note on review tool versions
See the series overview page to confirm the review tool version used to create this report.
- Our current review tool version is 2.0. Learn more
- Reports conducted using earlier review tools (v1.0 and v1.5) contain valuable insights but may not fully align with our current instructional priorities. Read our guide to using earlier reports and review tools
Loading navigation...
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 |
Students and teachers using the materials as designed will devote a majority of time in Grade 3 on the major work of the grade. The materials are mostly coherent and consistent with the standards. Assessments only represent grade-level work. Six percent of the lessons are on future grade level content and are not clearly identified. About 65% of the time is spent on the major work of the grade. Overall, the materials do provide a focus on the major work and the materials are coherent.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The Grade 3 My Math instructional materials assess topics from future grade levels, however an online test generator is available, so points were not deducted. The form assessments are featured in the digital companion. Six assessment forms exist for each chapter and an online test generator is available.
Indicator 1a
The Grade 3 My Math instructional materials assesses future grade-level content on form assessments, however an online test generator is included in the materials for teachers to create their own assessments. With the inclusion of the digital test generator the Grade 3 My Math materials would not assess future grade level content if teachers created their own assessments.
- The online assessments contain six assessments per chapter.
- My Math assesses content from future grades on four chapter assessments.
- The assessment for chapter 4, on forms 2A and 2B, question 8 and form 3A and 3B, question 10, assess combinations which is a Grade 7 expectation.
- In chapter 9 assessment forms 1A and 1B, questions 4,5 and 6; form 2A and 2B, questions 4 5 and 6; and form 3A and 3B questions 4, 5 and 6 all assess factors, which is a Grade 4 expectation.
- In chapter 10, form 1A and 1B questions 8 and 9; form 2A and 2B questions 8 and 9; and form 3A and 3B questions 7 and 9 all assess compare and contrasting fractions at the Grade 4 expectation level.
- An online test generator is included with the digital companion and teachers can build their own assessment, which would not assess future grade level material.
- The content in chapters 2, 8 and 13 have 2 formative assessments and a chapter review which are in the student edition.
- The rest of the chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 have one formative assessment and a chapter review in the student edition.
- Four benchmark tests are available online. Benchmark 1 (chapters 1-3), Benchmark 2 (chapters 4-7), Benchmark 3 (chapters 8-10), and Benchmark 4 (chapters 11-14).
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.
Students and teachers using the materials as designed devote the majority of the time to the major work of the grade. Time spent on the major work was figured using days, lessons and chapters. Grade 3 spends about 65% of the time on the major work of the grade. Technically this meets the standard, however there is concern about the amount of time spent on multiplication, division and fractions. Grade 3 is the foundation for multiplication, division and fractions. With only 36% of time spent on multiplication and division and 7% of the time spent on fractions, mastery of those concepts may not occur with the materials provided.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The Grade 3 instructional materials spend the majority of time on the major clusters of the grade. Grade 3 material for My Math is taught in 14 chapters which is scheduled to be taught in 160 days.
- Approximately nine of the 14 or about 65% of the time is spent on the major work of the grade.
- Five of the 14 chapters (1, 2, 3, 12 and 14), or about 35% of the time, represent supporting work, which is treated separately.
- There are 109 total lessons in Grade 3. Of those, 69 lessons focus on major work (63%), 15/109 lessons focus on supporting work (14%), and 25/109 (23%) focus on additional clusters.
- The first 3 chapters are spent on additional work and students do not begin major work until chapter 4.
- Only five chapters or 36% of the time is spent on multiplication and division.
- Only one chapter or 7% of the time is spent on fractions.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials are mostly coherent and consistent with the standards. Seven lessons from future grade level content are present and are not clearly identified as such. The materials represent a year of viable content. Teachers using the materials would give their students extensive work in grade-level problems, with 94% of the lessons representing grade-level work. Materials describe how the lessons connect with the grade-level standards and with prior and future standards. Overall coherence and consistency of the standards is achieved in Grade 3 My Math.
Indicator 1c
Supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.
Supporting content for Grade 3 My Math partially enhances focus and content by engaging students in the major work of the grade. Overall, the instructional materials miss some opportunities to connect non-major clusters of standards to major clusters, and as a result, the supporting content sometimes engages students in the major work of Grade 3.
- Five and half chapters consist of supporting work and the half chapter (chapter 13) enhances the major of work of the grade.
- The content in chapter two has two lessons (2 and 3) that use patterns of addition to solve problems.
- Chapters 1, 3, 12 and 14 treat the supporting work separately.
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 amount of content designated for Grade 3 My Math is viable for one school year. Overall, the amount of time needed to complete the lessons is appropriate for a school year of approximately 170-190 days.
- Chapter assessments and reviews are calculated to take two instructional days per chapter.
- Each chapter also has remediation and enrichment activities available plus chapter projects.
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.
Grade 3 My Math materials are partially consistent with the progressions in the standards. Future grade level content is not clearly identified. There are extensive grade-level problems and concepts are explicitly related to prior knowledge.
Materials develop mostly according to the grade-by-grade progressions in the standards. Future content from prior or future grades is not clearly identified.
- There are seven lessons, which deal with future grade level content, and those are not identified as off grade level work.
- The content in lesson 6, chapter 4 is over combinations, a Grade 7 expectation.
- The content in lessons 8 and 9, chapter 8 is over multiplication and division beyond 100, which is a Grade 4 expectation.
- The content in lessons 1-4, chapter 9 is over factors, which is a Grade 4 expectation.
- Each chapter has a page titled "What's in this chapter?" where the CCSSM standards are laid out along with a box that says "What will my students do next with these skills?" An example of this is chapter 5, page 235D.
- In each chapter, there is also a spot for coherence, which lists what happened before, now and next in the standards. An example of this can be found in chapter 5, lesson 1 on page 245A.
Materials give students extensive work with grade-level problems.
- There are 109 lessons over about 160 days. Of these, 102 of the lessons provide work with grade-level problems.
- The content in lesson 6, chapter 4 is over combinations, which is a Grade 7 expectation.
- The content in lessons 8 and 9, chapter 8 is over multiplication and division beyond 100, which is a Grade 4 expectation.
- The content in lessons 1-4, chapter 9 is over factors, which is a Grade 4 expectation.
- Differentiated instruction activities are available in the teacher edition and in the digital companion for students who are approaching level, on level and above level.
- The chapters in this book also contain a check my progress section to make sure students are ready to move on.
Materials relate grade level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.
- Each lesson begins with a review problem of the day to review prior knowledge. For example, in chapter 6, page 601B contains the "review problem of the day."
- Each chapter has a page titled "What's in this chapter?" where the CCSSM are laid out along with a box that says "What will my students do next with these skills?" An example of this is chapter 5, page 235D.
- In each chapter, there is also a spot for coherence, which lists what happened before, now, next in the standards. An example of this can be found in chapter 5, lesson 1 on page 245A.
- Each chapter begins with a readiness quiz. This quiz can be taken in the student edition under "Am I Ready?" or in the digital companion.
- All prior knowledge is grade appropriate.
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.
Grade 3 materials foster coherence through connections at a single grade level. Overall, the materials do include learning objectives that are visibly shaped by the CCSSM cluster headings, and the materials connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains in a grade when appropriate.
Materials include learning objectives visibly shaped by CCSSM cluster headings.
- In the chapter overview of the teacher edition, each lesson is identified as a major, supporting, or additional work. Also, the learning objective is listed below.
- For example, chapter 4 focuses on major work of 3.OA.A. Lesson 1 has students using models to explore the meaning of multiplication. Then lesson 2 has students relating multiplication to addition. Plus, each lesson identifies the domain, cluster, objective and any additional objectives that are addressed in the lesson.
Materials include problems and activities which serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains in a grade.
- For example, chapters 2 and 6 connect operations and algebraic thinking and number and operations in base ten.
- The content in lesson 2 in chapter 4 connects 3.OA.A.1 with 3.OA.A.3 and 3.OA.D.8.
- The content in lesson 1 in chapter 4 connects 3.NBT.A.3 with 3.OA.D.8.
- The content in chapter 3 combines 3.NBT.2 and 3.OA.D.8.
- The content in chapter 6 combines 3.OA.A.1 through 3.OA.C.7 and 3.NBT.
- The content in chapters 11 and 12 combine measurement and data standards along with operations and algebraic thinking.