6th Grade - Gateway 1
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Focus & Coherence
Gateway 1 - Partially Meets Expectations | 71% |
|---|---|
Criterion 1.1: Focus | 2 / 2 |
Criterion 1.2: Coherence | 4 / 4 |
Criterion 1.3: Coherence | 4 / 8 |
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations for alignment to focusing on major work of the grade and coherence. The instructional materials meet expectations for the two focus criteria by not assessing above Grade 6 standards and by allocating a large percentage of instructional materials to major standards of the grade. Some strengths are found and noted in the coherence criterion, but too many areas of weakness lead to the instructional materials not meeting quality expectations for coherence, particularly for connecting content throughout the units and aligned with the progressions.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for assessing grade-level content. Overall, the instructional materials do not assess content from future grades within the summative assessments provided for each chapter.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for assessing grade-level content. Overall, the instructional materials do not assess content from future grades within the summative assessments provided for each chapter.
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 6 meet the expectations for spending the large majority of class time on the major clusters of the grade. The text allocates 106 days out of 154 (68.8%) for instruction on major work for the grade, and 42 out of 65 (66%) of the lessons are aligned with the major standards. Overall, the instructional materials allocate a large percentage of instructional time to clusters of standards that are major work of Grade 6
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for spending the large majority of class time on the major clusters of the grade. Overall, the instructional materials allocate a large percentage of instructional time to clusters of standards that are the major work of Grade 6.
- Forty-two of 65 (66%) of the lessons are aligned with the major standards of Grade 6.
- The text allocates 106 days out of 154 (69%) for instruction on major work for the grade.
- Section 8-5 and chapter 9 are aligned to supporting standards, but they support the major work of the grade by asking students to calculate the volume of solids with rational side lengths and giving students data sets to analyze with rational numbers, respectively.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 do not meet the expectations for being coherent and consistent with the CCSSM. The instructional materials have an amount of content designated for Grade 6 that is viable for one school year, and they also give students extensive work with grade-level problems. The instructional materials partially have the supporting content enhancing focus and coherence simultaneously, but they do not have materials foster coherence through connections at a single grade. Overall, the instructional materials for Grade 6 strongly exhibit some characteristics of coherence as noted in indicators 1d and 1e, but for the entire criterion, there are too many weaknesses for the materials to meet the expectations.
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 6 partially meet the expectations for having supporting content enhancing focus and coherence simultaneously. Overall, the instructional materials miss opportunities to connect non-major clusters of standards to major clusters, and as a result, the supporting content does not always engage students in the major work of Grade 6.
- Lessons 8.2 and 8.4 have some opportunities for students to become fluent with multiplying fractions within area, surface area and volume.
- Chapter 9 covers supporting content, but it somewhat supports the major work of the grade by giving students data sets to analyze with rational numbers. Chapter 9 could have more data sets with rational numbers, including some on the chapter assessments, in order to better connect with the major work of the grade.
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 6 meet the expectations for having an amount of content designated for one grade level as 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.
- As noted in the pacing on page T42, the book totals 150 days of instruction, leaving time for review and enrichment, additional activity labs, assessments and projects.
- Days beyond the 150 suggested by the materials can be used for assessment purposes or utilizing some of the guided problem-solving items.
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 6 partially meet the expectations for having materials that are consistent with the progressions in the CCSSM. Overall, the materials give students extensive work with grade-level problems, but grade-level concepts are not always explicitly related to prior knowledge from earlier grades. Also, the materials partially develop according to the grade-by-grade progressions, with non grade-level content clearly identified.
- Chapter 2, on expressions and equations, has not been written with CCSSM progressions in mind. For example, expressions involving whole-number exponents (6.EE.A.1) are absent from chapter 2 and are found in chapter 3 instead.
- Problems in the textbook do use appropriate numbers for Grade 6.
- Chapter 2 does not progress order of operations to algebraic expressions from numbers.
- Given the instructional materials have very few problems aligned to standards prior to Grade 6, students are given extensive work, almost exclusive, with grade-level problems.
- A "Math Background" section is found in the teacher edition and explains the prior knowledge students should have from the previous grade and how it is linked to the upcoming chapter.
- In chapter 1, the "Math Background" section includes what students have learned in a previous course and then also lists "What You'll Learn Next."
- Chapters 2-5 and 7-10 do not mention knowledge or skills from a previous course.
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 6 do not meet the expectations for having materials foster coherence through connections at a single grade. Overall, the materials do not include learning objectives that are visibly shaped by the CCSSM cluster headings and the materials do not always connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains in a grade when appropriate.
- Cluster 6.EE.B, solving one-variable equations and inequalities, is spread over several chapters.
- Section 4.3 discusses "invert and multiply" which does not support applying and extending previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions.
- Lessons are not aligned to cluster headings. 6.NS.A could possibly be aligned to the introductory lab 4.1a, but the objective is absent.
- 6.SP.A and 6.SP.B are connected to each other in chapter 9.
- 6.NS and 6.G standards are connected in lesson 7.2 (page 248, 14-17).
- In chapter 1, 6.EE and 6.NS are connected in the pacing guide, but there is no part of the lesson that includes "letters standing for numbers."
- All problems in lessons 1.5 and 1.6 are to be solved with the traditional algorithm and do not include any variables.
- The text does not connect 6.RP.A to 6.NS.B in the pacing guide.
- There are missed opportunities in linking major clusters with supporting clusters. For example, 6.NS and 6.G are loosely connected, but there are no opportunities for division.