4th Grade - Gateway 1
Back to 4th 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 - Partially Meets Expectations | 78% |
|---|---|
Criterion 1.1: Focus | 0 / 2 |
Criterion 1.2: Coherence | 4 / 4 |
Criterion 1.3: Coherence | 7 / 8 |
The instructional materials for My Math Florida Grade 4 partially meet the expectations for Gateway 1, focus and coherence. Assessments represent grade-level work, and items that are above grade level can be omitted or modified. However, content from probability is taught and assessed. Students and teachers using the materials as designed would devote a majority of time to the major work of the grade. The materials are coherent and consistent with the standards.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials for My Math Florida Grade 4 do not meet the expectations that the materials do not assess topics from future grade levels. The instructional materials do contain assessment items that assess above grade-level content which can be omitted or modified in the digital assessment suite. However, content related to probability is taught and assessed in Grade 4.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for My Math Florida Grade 4 do not meet expectations that they assess grade-level content, as content from probability is taught and assessed in Grade 4.
In the Florida Assessment Guide for My Math Florida, there are four types of year-long assessments and implementation suggestions (pages iv-v).
- Countdown to FSA contains 20 weeks of two-page practices with five problems each.
- Chapter tests contain 20 problems that assess all of the standards presented in the chapter.
- Performance Tasks for each chapter measures students’ abilities to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards.
- Benchmark Assessments address content prior to the assessment point and include a performance task.
- My Math also provides three leveled tests for each chapter with a Form A and B.
The materials in the print Florida Assessment Guide for My Math Florida cannot be edited; however, assessments on the digital platform can be edited. The following assessment items from the print Florida Assessment Guide assess above grade-level content but can be omitted or modified in the digital platform:
- Chapter 12 Test, Item 12 states, “Ira caught a fish that weighed 4,000 grams. About how much would the fish weigh in pounds?” Students convert between different systems of measurement. (6.RP.1.3d)
- Benchmark Test 2, Item 7, Part A states, “The ratio of drivers who drive more than 10 miles to those who drive less than 10 miles for the town of Clarksville is the same as for the town of Blakesville. If 20 people surveyed in Clarksville drive more than 10 miles to work, how many people in the Clarksville survey drive less than 10 miles to work?” (6.RP.1.3)
The following assessment items assess statistics and probability.
- Chapter Test 11, Item 8, Part C assesses mode by stating, “What was the speed of a typical serve for Wilson? Explain.” The students are using data from a line plot they created in Part B to answer Part C. (6.SP.1.2)
- Benchmark Test 3, Performance Task, Part B, students find the mode for the data given. (6.SP.1.2)
- Benchmark Test 4, Performance Task, Part B, students find the mode for the data given. (6.SP.1.2)
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 for My Math Florida Grade 4 meet the expectations for spending a majority of class time on major work of the grade when using the materials as designed. Time spent on the major work was figured using chapters, lessons, and days. At least 64 percent of the time is spent on the major work of the grade.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The instructional materials for My Math Florida Grade 4 meet the expectations that the materials spend the majority of time on the major clusters of the grade. The materials are taught in 14 chapters which are scheduled to be taught in 160 days.
- Each chapter provides two days for review and assessment, which are included in the 160-day count.
- In the materials, 105 out of 160 days, or approximately 66 percent, are focused on the major work of the grade level.
- Nine of the 14 chapters, or about 64 percent of the time, is spent on the major work of the grade.
- Three chapters (7, 11, and 12), or about 21 percent of the time, is spent on supporting work which is truly supporting the major work of the grade. This brings the time spent on the major work to closer to 85 percent of the time.
- Two chapters (13 and 14) of the 14 chapters, or about 14 percent of the time, is supporting work, which is treated separately.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials reviewed for My Math Florida Grade 4 meet the expectations that the materials are coherent and consistent with the standards. The materials represent a year of viable content. Teachers using the materials would give their students extensive work in grade-level problems, with 111 out of 119 of the lessons representing grade-level work. Materials describe how the lessons connect with the grade-level standards and with prior and future standards. However, eight lessons from future grade-level content are present and are not clearly identified as such. Overall, coherence and consistency of the standards is achieved in My Math Florida Grade 4.
Indicator 1c
Supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.
The instructional materials for My Math Florida Grade 4 meet the expectations that supporting content enhances focus and content by engaging students in the major work of the grade. Overall, the instructional materials do not miss opportunities to connect non-major clusters of standards to major clusters, and as a result, the supporting content does engage students in the major work of Grade 4.
- In Chapter 7, students must use operations (4.OA.1) to complete patterns (4.OA.1).
- In Chapter 11, Lessons 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 support the major work by using fractions and the four operations to solve problems.
- In Chapter 12, Lessons 4-6 are supporting the major work by using the four operations to solve problems.
- In Chapter 13, Lessons 2, 4, and 5 are using the four operations to solve problems.
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 for My Math Florida Grade 4 meet the expectations that the amount of content designated 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.
- The materials are written for 160 days of a school year.
- Each chapter has remediation activities, enrichment activities, and chapter projects available.
- The major work of the grade is the focus for 115 of the 160 days.
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 for My Math Florida Grade 4 partially meet the expectations that the materials are 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 mostly develop according to the grade-by-grade progressions in the standards.
- There are eight lessons which deal with future grade-level content, and those are not identified as off grade-level work.
- The content in Chapter 6, Lessons 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10, use the division procedures, but at this level conceptual understanding should be emphasized.
- The content in Chapter 7, Lessons 7, 8, and 9, are expressions at the Grade 6 level.
- Each chapter has a section at the beginning called "What's the Math in this Chapter?" On these pages, the progression from grade to grade is shown.
- 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 6, Lesson 1, on page 329A.
Materials give students extensive work with grade-level standards.
- The chapters in this book contain a "Check My Progress" section to make sure students are ready to move on.
- Only one lesson (Chapter 2, Lesson 7) exists on subtracting across zeros, which may not be enough for this concept.
- Differentiated instruction activities are available in the Teacher Edition for students who are approaching level, on level, and above level.
- Grade-level practice is evident in the "Practice the Strategy," "Apply the Strategy," and "Review the Strategy" within each lesson.
- There are 119 lessons over 160 days.
- Of these, 111, or 93 percent, of lessons provide work with grade-level problems.
- The content in Chapter 6, Lessons 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10, use procedures for division, but at this level conceptual understanding should be emphasized.
- The content in Chapter 7, Lessons 8, and 9 are expressions at the Grade 6 level.
Materials relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.
- The "Am I Ready?" section at the start of each chapter is focused on knowledge that is truly prior knowledge either from prior-grade work or from previous work in Grade 4. All prior knowledge is grade-appropriate.
- The materials relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.
- In the Teacher Guide, each chapter contains a section called "Where's the Math in this Chapter?" with information on what students should already know prior to entering Grade 4. Also, each lesson in the chapter has a clearly identified section on coherence which states previous standards needed.
- Each chapter begins with a Readiness Quiz. This quiz can be taken in the Student Edition under "Am I Ready?" or online.
- Each lesson begins with a review problem of the day to review prior knowledge; for example, Chapter 4, page 197B.
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 for My Math Florida Grade 4 meet the expectations that the materials foster coherence through connections at a single grade level. Overall, the materials do include learning objectives that are visibly shaped by the MAFS 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 MAFS cluster headings.
- Each standard is taught in the sequence in which the MAFS is written.
- In the Chapter Overview of the Teacher Edition, each lesson is identified as major, supporting, or additional work. Also, the learning objective is listed below. For example, Chapter 4 focuses on major work of 4.NBT.1 and 4.NBT.2. Lesson 2 has students estimating products by rounding and Lesson 5 has students multiplying by a two-digit number.
- Each lesson identifies the domain, cluster, objective, and any additional objectives that are addressed in the lesson.
Materials include problems and activities that serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains in a grade.
- The content in Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 6 connect 4.OA and 4.NBT.
- The content in Chapter 7 incorporates both 4.OA and 4.G.
- The content in Chapter 8 uses 4.NF and 4.NBT standards.
- The content in Chapter 14 combines 4.MD and 4.G.
- The content in Chapter 9, Lesson 2 connects 4.NF.2.3 with 4.NBT, 4.NF.2.3a, and 4.NF.4.3d.
- The content in Chapter 14, Lesson 3 connects 4.MD.3.5a with 4.G.1.1.