AERO SAW

Overview AERO SAW

Research confirms that student work from a teacher's own classroom is a critical source of evidence for learning how well a lesson was taught, what improvements are needed, and how to improve student learning. An analysis of student work on a particular topic helps teachers to differentiate instruction so that all students in the classroom can master the concepts being taught. It provides the tangible bridge between students and teachers and provides concrete, direct evidence of what the teacher intended and what the student learned from assignments. Student work is the data that provides crucial and telling information about a classroom, and it is the focus of AERO SAW's Evidence to Excellence (E2E) process. The E2E process:

Student work also:

• Provides concrete evidence of what the teacher intended and what the student learned.
• Provides data for examining if the students' work is good enough.
• Offers a baseline for improvement.
• Links the activities of workshops to teachers' own classrooms. In workshops, teachers discuss, analyze, and reflect on their students' work as well as student work from other classrooms.

E2E is a structured format to help teachers examine their student work. It is a process for linking assessment and instruction to improve student learning. Central to E2E is the reflection and questioning that guides small discussion groups of mathematics, science, and language arts teachers in taking apart their own assignments, assessments, and student work for critical analysis. Examining student work from their own classrooms allows teachers to see the firsthand evidence about whether or not students understand concepts and ideas and provides information for teachers on how to structure their assignments so that students can grasp the content of the lesson.

By asking a series of specific questions about the assignment, student work, and assessment, teachers can determine how their assignment relates to the academic standards, uncover gaps in content knowledge for both their students and themselves, and examine the overall intellectual quality of the assignment. Through discussions using a structured protocol teachers begin to grasp what they have not yet achieved in their teaching and how they can teach for a deeper understanding of their subject. Teachers who have practiced the E2E process find that it becomes second nature as they develop new lessons.

In the E2E process, teachers:

• Identify the standard and essential understandings of the lesson.
• Explain how the lesson fits into the unit addressing the standard.
• Share the assignment to address central teaching and learning goals.
• Examine student work for evidence of essential understandings.
• Question how many students "got" the lesson.
• Reflect on discussions with colleagues to improve the lesson and raise student achievement.
• Intervene with students requiring extra assistance

To fit the needs of different schools, AERO SAW E2E provides a plan for face-to-face and online opportunities for teacher professional development. Topics of these sessions include: Overview of a process for analyzing student work to inform teaching and learning. Focus will be on unpacking the standards and defining the essential understandings of the standards and the assessment of these essential understandings. Analyze and reflect on the assignment: Inquiry based tasks; Meatiness of the assignment and analysis and reflection on the intellectual quality of the assignment and student work

Read more about the Evidence to Excellence Process. [Next]