3rd 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 3 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 3 meet the expectation for not assessing topics before the grade-level in which the topic should be introduced. The materials include some assessment questions that were above grade-level, but these could be omitted without affecting the underlying structure of the materials.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for ORIGO Stepping Stones 2.0 Grade 3 meet expectations that they assess grade-level content. Above grade-level assessment items are present, but could be modified or omitted without a significant impact on the underlying structure of the instructional materials.
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 Quarterly Test, Modules 4-6, Question 1, students choose the multiplication problem represented by the array (3.OA.1).
- In Module 9, Performance Task, Question 1, students label 4/6 and 11/8 on a number line (3.NF.3a).
The following questions assess above grade-level standards and would need to be omitted or modified to meet grade-level standards:
- Module 3, Interview, students double numbers by finding the product of 2 x 30, 43 x 2, 2 x 35, 2 x 45, and 17 x 2 (4.NBT.5).
- Module 3, Check-Up, the problems use numbers over 1,000 for rounding to the nearest ten or hundred. In item 1.a., students round the following numbers to the nearest hundred: 391; 4,386; 7,019; 1,089. In item 1.b., students round the following number to the nearest ten: 674; 899; 3,562; 1,499.
- Module 3, Performance Task, students write the nearest ten, nearest hundred, and nearest thousand depending on where the arrow points on a number line with values between 7,500 to 7,600. Module 3 uses numbers over 1,000 for rounding to the nearest ten or hundred.
- Module 3, Quarterly Test, Test A, Item 19, students round 5,346 to the nearest ten. Test B, Item 19, students round 1,452 to the nearest ten. Module 3 uses numbers over 1,000 for rounding to the nearest ten or hundred.
- Module 10, Interview, students find the area of a room that is 13 x 7. Students would need to be provided graph paper so they could draw out the room and count squares (4.NBT.5).
- Module 11, Check-Up 2, Problem 2, students figure change and identify coins and values of money. This does not relate to the standard of fluently adding and subtracting within 1,000 because decimals are required (5.NBT.7).
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 3 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 3 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 10 out of 12, which is approximately 83%.
- The approximate number of days devoted to major work of the grade (including supporting work connected to the major work, but More Math) is 105 out of 156, which is approximately 67%.
- The approximate number of lessons devoted to major work (including supporting work connected to the major work) is 94 out of 144, which is approximately 65%.
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 65% 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 3 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 3.NF.3a, 3.NF.3b, 3.NF.3c, and 3.MD.2 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 3 partially meet the expectations for supporting content enhancing focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade. Connections to major work standards are not called out in the program.
Connections between supporting and major work:
- Module 2, Lesson 4, connects supporting work (3.NBT.A), use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic to (3.OA.D), solve problems with the four operations. Students add place values of addends through ones, tens, hundreds, and add those three partial sums to find an answer.
- Module 2, Lesson 9, connects supporting work (3.MD.B), representing and interpreting data to major work (3.MD.A), solving problems with intervals of time. Students use a number line to represent elapsed time.
- Module 6, Lesson 9, connects supporting work (3.MD.B), representing and interpreting data to major work (3.OA), representing and solving problems involving multiplication and division. Students use graphs and tables to represent data such as explaining how a picture graph shows the number of cans that were recycled by different grade levels. Students answer questions like: "What does one can mean? What does half a can mean? What does one and a half cans mean?".
Missed connections between supporting and major work:
- Module 10, Lesson 1, students calculate the area of two different shapes by counting the squares (3.MD.6) and compare to see which is larger. Connections to using multiplication strategies are not addressed (3.OA.3).
- Standard 3.MD.3 is not addressed. Students miss the opportunity to draw scaled picture graphs and scaled bar graphs, interpret the data and use operations to answer problems (3.NBT.2 and 3.NBT.3).
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 3 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 1/2 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 3 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, under the mathematics tab, Focus, prior content needed for the module is identified in the section, “Coherence: Prerequisite Skills from Prior Grades”. For example, in Module 4, division is formalized. Students must have mastered lessons in Grade 2, Module 12 to be successful (Representing division by sharing and grouping, identifying fractions less than 1, partitioning shapes, and estimating and measuring capacity in liters).
- 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 7, the Newsletter states, “Experience with composing and decomposing numbers has prepared students to learn the standard algorithm, the paper-and-pencil procedure most adults learned to add multi-digit numbers. What was once called carrying is now regrouping.”
- The “Focus” document for Module 9 explains the beginning of the development of knowledge of the standard algorithm for multi-digit subtraction, but states that fluency with use of this algorithm is not expected in Grade 3.
The instructional materials provide students with extensive grade level work. However, there is no evidence of Standards 3.NF.3a, 3.NF.3b, 3.NF.3c, 3.MD.2, and 3.MD.3 being addressed 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.
In addition, the lesson structure presents opportunities for students to explore grade-level mathematics in more depth. These include sections on Starting the Lesson, Teaching the Lesson, and Reflecting on the Work section. Every lesson includes Maintaining Concepts and Skills, and Ongoing Practice that can be used as independent work. Lessons also include differentiation activities. These activities are intended to be used when needed.
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 4, identifies 2.G.3 as a prerequisite for this module as students “identify fractions less than 1".
- 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.
- On each lesson page, there is a link that states the previous grade-level lesson and subsequent lessons related to that lesson.
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 3 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 1, Lesson 7, students represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division (3.OA.A).
- In Module 3, Lesson 2, students multiply and divide within 100 (3.OA.C).
- In Module 4, Lesson 9, students develop understanding of fractions as numbers (3.NF.A).
- In Module 8, Lesson 10, students solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects (3.MD.A).
- In Module 10, Lesson 10, students understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition (3.MD.C).
The instructional materials include problems and activities that connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains.
- In Module 1, Lesson 8, students interpret products of whole numbers (3.OA.1) and apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide (3.OA.B) by using arrays to show the properties of operations.
- In Module 4, student represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division (3.OA) and develop understanding of fractions as numbers (3.NF.A).
- In Module 6, student represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division (3.OA) and solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects (3.MD.A) by using graphs to solve word problems involving multiplication and division.