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 instructional materials for ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 meet the expectations for Gateway 1. These materials meet the expectations for focus by not assessing above grade-level content and by spending the majority of the time on the major clusters of each grade-level. The materials partially meet the expectations for being coherent and consistent with the standards. The materials include an amount of content that is viable for one school year, and the materials foster coherence through connections at a single grade, where appropriate and required by the standards.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials for ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 meet the expectation for not assessing topics before the grade-level in which the topic should be introduced. The assessments do not include any above grade-level items.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 meet expectations that they assess grade-level content.
Each grade-level consists of 12 modules. Each module contains three types of summative assessments. Check-ups assess concepts taught in the module, and students select answers or provide a written response. Performance Tasks assess concepts taught in the module with deeper understanding. In Interviews, teachers ask questions in a one-on-one setting, and students demonstrate understanding of a module concept or fluency for the grade. In addition, Quarterly Tests are administered at the end of Modules 3, 6, 9, and 12.
The following questions assess grade-level standards:
- In Module 2, Check-Up 2, Question 4, students calculate the answer: “a. 4.62 x 71, b. 9.3 x 5.12“ (6.NS.3).
- In Module 3, Check-Up 1, Question 3a, “Hiro had 8 fiction books and 3 non-fiction books on a shelf. A year later he has more books in the same ratio. If he now has 12 non-fiction books, how many fiction books does he have?” (6.RP.3).
- In Modules 4-6, Quarterly Test B, Question 18, “Write an equation to the word problem: Hugo is given $25 to attend the school concert. He pays $7 for each entry ticket and $2.50 for each soda. Hugo pays for his ticket and drink and also for his little brother’s ticket and drink. How much change with Hugo receive? Let c represent Hugo’s change.” (6.EE.2).
- In Module 8, Performance Task, Question 1b, “This machine holds 150 gumballs with different flavors. Solve each word problem. Show your thinking. Forty percent of the gumballs are cherry flavor. How many gumballs are cherry flavor?” (6.RP.3).
- Module 5, Performance Task, “Furniture is often sold in packs that the customer has to put together. Bolts, nuts, and washers are put into each pack to assemble the furniture. 1.) Two long bolts for every three short bolts are needed to put a chair together. A washer and nut are also needed for each bolt. Write the ratio of long bolts to short bolts. 2.) 10 bolts are needed to put some chairs together. The ratio of long to short bolts is the same as Question 1. Write the number of bolts that are long and short. Show your thinking. 3.) A table is sold with chairs. The table has a 2:4 ratio of long bolts to short bolts. There are 12 bolts used in the table. Mika buys the table with some extra chairs. He counts a total of 28 long bolts and 44 short bolts. How many chairs did he buy?” (6.RP.3).
- In Module 9, Check-Up 1, Question 1, students “Choose the statement that matches each inequality. Let n represent the variable.” Answer choices: “n>5 lb; n<5 lb; 5 lb = n; 5 lb< n” (6.EE.8).
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 ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 meet the expectations for having students and teachers using the materials as designed and devoting the large majority of class time to the major work of the grade. Overall, the materials devote at least 65% of class time to major work.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 meet expectations for spending a majority of instructional time on major work of the grade.
To determine the amount of time spent on major work, the number of topics, the number of lessons, and the number of days were examined. Review and assessment days are included:
- The approximate number of modules devoted to major work of the grade (including supporting work connected to the major work) is 11 out of 12, which is approximately 92%.
- The approximate number of days devoted to major work of the grade (including supporting work connected to the major work, but not More Math) is 114 out of 156, which is approximately 73%.
- The approximate number of lessons devoted to major work (including supporting work connected to the major work) is 103 out of 144, which is approximately 72%.
A lesson-level analysis is most representative of the instructional materials because this calculation includes all lessons with connections to major work with no additional days factored in. As a result, approximately 72% of the instructional materials focus on major work of the grade.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials for ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 partially meet the expectations for being coherent and consistent with the standards. Supporting work is partially connected to the major work of the grade, and the amount of content for one grade level is viable for one school year and fosters coherence between the grades. Content from prior grades is clearly identified, but there is no evidence of standards 6.NS.7 and 6.NS.8 in the materials. The objectives for the materials are shaped by the CCSSM cluster headings, and they also include problems and activities that connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains.
Indicator 1c
Supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 partially meet the expectations for engaging students in mathematics at a level of sophistication appropriate to Grade 6. Supporting work standard connections to major work standards are not called out in the program. For example, when hovering over the eye in the Steps section of each lesson, only the standard for the lesson is stated and connections are not made.
Connections between supporting and major work:
- Module 2, Lesson 8, connects major work (6.NS.C), applying and extending previous understandings of numbers to the system of rational numbers, with supporting work (6.NS.B), computing fluently with multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples. Students write the greatest common factor then use the distributive property to rewrite mathematical expressions such as 56+21 as (7*8)=(7*3).
- Module 9, Lessons 6, 7, and 8, connect major work (6.EE.A), applying and extending previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions, with supporting work (6.SP.A), developing understanding of statistical variability. Students calculate mode, median, and mean with multi-digit numbers as they apply previous understandings to algebraic expressions.
- Module 3 Lesson 4, connects major work (6.RP.A), understanding ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems, with supporting work (6.SP.B), summarizing and describing distributions. Students display ratios of items then describe the distributions of those ratios.
- Module 7, Lesson 12, connects major work (6.EE.A), applying and extending previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions, with supporting work (6.G.A), solving real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume. Students solve word problems, such as, building fences, painting, and filling in items.
Missed connections between supporting and major work:
- Module 10, Lesson 8, does not connect the major work of (6.EE.A), applying and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions, with the supporting work of (6.G.A), Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume. Students calculate volume of an item but writing, reading, and evaluating variable expressions is not addressed.
- Module 2, Lesson 7, does not connect the major work of (6.NS.C), applying and extending previous understandings of numbers to the system of rational numbers, with supporting (6.SP.A), developing an understanding of statistical variability.
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 ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 meet expectations that the amount of content designated for one grade-level is viable for one year.
There are a total of 180 instructional days within the materials.
- There are 12 modules and each module contains 12 lessons for a total of 144 lessons.
- There are 36 days dedicated to assessments and More Math.
According to the publisher, “The Stepping Stones program is set up to teach 1 lesson per day and to complete a module in approximately 2 ½ weeks. Each lesson has been written around a 60 minute time frame but may be anywhere from 30-75 minutes depending upon teacher choice and classroom interaction.”
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 ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 partially meet expectations for being consistent with the progressions in the standards.
The instructional materials identify content from prior grades and use it to support the progressions of the grade-level standards. Future grade-levels are not identified in the instructional materials. For example:
- In each module prior content needed for the module is identified in the section Coherence: Prerequisite Skills from Prior Grades. For example, in Module 2, students explore expressions and equations. According to the materials, students should have mastered the following concepts found in Grade 5, Module 1, Lesson 12 to be successful (solve word problems involving order of operations with two types of operations).
- Focus documents found at the beginning of each module identify the domains addressed and the coherence within each module, and summarizes how the lessons address the targeted standards. Focus explains how the lessons in each module transition through the progressions and make applicable connections to past or future content. Focus also identifies common errors and misconceptions in student work. In Module 2, the table identifies 5.NF.1, add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators, as a prerequisite for the 6th grade skills for performing mathematical operations involving fractions in Module 2.
- The mathematics tab includes a newsletter for parents, providing parents with information on how the content their child is learning connects to prior grades. In Module 5, the Newsletter states, “Students extend their knowledge of dividing whole numbers and fractions to dividing fractions by fractions.”
The instructional materials provide students with extensive grade level work, although there is no evidence of Standards 6.NS.7 and 6.NS.8 in the materials. The lesson structure presents opportunities for students to explore grade-level mathematics more in-depth:
- During the Step In Discussion, students engage with grade-level content through guided practice, and complete independent journal tasks during the Step Up and Step Ahead parts of the lesson.
- Each lesson includes Starting the Lesson, Teaching the Lesson, and Reflecting on the Work which present opportunities for students to engage with content.
- Ongoing Practice provides additional grade-level activities.
- Maintaining Concepts and Skills provides practice with prior and current grade-level mathematics.
- The Preparing for the next module activities include fluency practice, spiral review, and vocabulary activities.
Materials relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.
- Focus, specifically identifies where in the module and in the lesson, a prerequisite skill is located.
- Module 7 identifies 5.OA.2 and 5.NF.5 as prerequisite skills needed for Grade 6 content.
- In Maintaining Concepts and Skills, there is a “preparing for the next module” problem that is a skill from the previous grade preparing the student for the upcoming module. These problems clearly indicate coherence between grade levels. For example, in Module 4, Lesson 7, length (converting between inches and feet) is connected to Grade 4, and prepares students for Module 6, Lesson 8, length (exploring the relationship between miles, yards, and feet).
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 ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 6 meet expectations for fostering coherence through connections at a single grade, where appropriate and required by the Standards.
Overall, the instructional materials identify standards. A comprehensive list of the CCSSM and correlating lessons is found under the drop down menu on the home page. Cluster headings are clearly identified by hovering over the Lesson title.
The materials include learning objectives that are visibly shaped by cluster headings.
- In Module 2, Lessons 1, 2, and 4, students apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions (6.EE.A).
- In Module 2, Lessons 11 and 12, students apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions (6.NS.A).
- In Module 3, Lessons 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7, students understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems (6.RP.A).
- In Module 4, Lessons 1, 2, 4, and 5, students apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions (6.EE.A).
- In Module 4, Lesson 2 and 6, students reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities (6.EE.B).
- In Module 4, Lessons 7, 9 and 11, students represent and analyze quantitative relationships between dependent and independent variables (6.EE.C).
- In Module 5, Lessons 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, students apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions (6.NS.A).
The instructional materials include problems and activities that connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains.
- In Module 2, Lesson 8, students apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions (6.EE.A) and compute fluently with multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples (6.NS.B) to solving word problems involving common factors and algebraic expressions.
- In Module 4, Lesson 2 students apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions (6.EE.A) and reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities (6.EE.B) by solving real-life problems using their knowledge of expression to solve one-variable equations.