Grade Expectations for Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities S 2004 ummer (History and Social Sciences) Acknowledgments Vermont State Board of Education Diane Mueller, Chair Chester Lisa Cox, Vice Chair Brattleboro Trevor Braun Elmore Marissa Cormier Colchester William Corrow Williamstown Thomas James Essex Junction Rick Manahan St. Albans Town Deborah McDowell South Burlington Chris Robbins Danville Susan Schill Belvidere Commissioner of Education Richard H. Cate Deputy Commissioner of Education H. “Bud” Meyers, Ph.D. Cover Graphic Design David Lustgarten Nondiscrimination Statement The Vermont Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, marital status, sex, disability, age, or sexual orientation in its programs or activities. STATE OF VERMONT Vermont Department of Education 120 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2501 July 2004 Dear Vermont Educational Leader: In the fall of 1996, the State Board of Education adopted Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities. Over the years thousands of Vermont teachers, parents and students have participated in group meetings and reviews aimed at improving the standards with the goal of making them more useful as guides to curriculum development. In 2000, the standards were formally revised and again adopted by the State Board. Now, in the summer of 2004, another chapter in the standards, Grade Expectations for Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities, has been written. Each of the existing standards for History and Social Sciences has been carefully studied and applied to a process of development that has produced Grade Cluster Expectations (GCEs). Like the Grade Level Expectations in Mathematics, Reading, and Writing, these GCEs are more specific statements of the Vermont standards in Vermont’s Framework. Unlike the Grade Level Expectations (GLEs), which delineate specific grade levels, these Grade Expectations are organized by Grade Clusters (pre-K and K; 1 and 2; 3 and 4; 5 and 6; 7 and 8; and high school). The purpose of using grade clusters is to provide additional flexibility for alignment of local curriculum and local comprehensive assessment systems. As in the development of the GLEs, the development and review of these Grade Expectations involved Department of Education and Vermont Institutes staff, teachers, administrators, content experts and professional associations. Nationally recognized standards, research and curriculum, standards from other states, and Vermont local curriculum were reviewed and considered as part of the development process. I want to thank everyone who participated in this process. Sincerely, Richard H. Cate Commissioner Introduction As Vermont educators work toward meeting the challenges of the School Quality Standards in Act 68 (formerly Act 60), open communication is critical. The School Quality Standards state: Vermont schools will have fully implemented a local comprehensive assessment system by which students are assessed in those Framework or comparable standards associated with the Fields of Knowledge and Vital Results and those standards associated with the arts, health and safety education, physical education, foreign languages and applied learning. In response to this challenge, Grade Cluster Expectations (GCEs) have been developed. Assessment items are currently being developed for arts. Grade Expectations (GEs), encompass both Grade Level Expecta- tions in Reading, Writing and Math, and Grade Cluster Expectations. These GEs will serve multiple pur- poses in terms of teaching, student learning, and local assessment. What are GEs? Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities provides the foundation for Local Com- prehensive Assessment Systems. The creation of GEs will provide more explicit guidance. GEs will: • provide a valuable resource for teachers and schools as they implement the Vermont Framework • relate directly to the Vermont Standards and associated evidences • differentiate performance on content knowledge or skills between adjacent grade clusters • lead to focused, coherent and developmentally appropriate instruction without narrowing the curriculum The purposes of the Vermont Framework will not change with the development of GEs. Why two-grade clusters? The GCEs specify two-grade cluster skills and content (PreK-K, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, and proficient at high school, and advanced at high school). Two-grade clusters will: • provide more flexibility in creating local curriculum • allow for a broader time span in which developmental changes can be addressed • take into account local opportunities to learn How were the GEs developed? Grade Expectation development in Vermont involved many educators in order to get the best thinking for this important effort. This required work of teachers, content experts, curriculum coordinators, and adminis- trators. Using background research in national, state, and local documents, committees of teachers came together to discuss and debate what was essential for Vermont’s students to know and be able to do. These essential skills and concepts became the GEs, which were then reviewed by hundreds of teachers around the state during the field review process. What are assessment items? An assessment item could include performance, a product, a response to a prompt, a reflection, or a portfolio of work over time – a way of documenting what a student knows and is able to do. Ideally, taken as a group, assessment items should: • focus on depth of understanding by identifying key knowledge and skills that progress developmentally • provide clear guidance to classroom teachers on content and skills that can be adequately assessed • assess what is essential for our learners right now and what will be essential for our students 5, 10, or 20 years from now • be designed to help the learner revise his or her performance independently Assessments will be available at: http://www.vermontinstitutes.org/assessment/index.htm. How do you read the GEs? As you read the GEs, remember that each has four parts: • A bolded statement called the “stem” is at the beginning of each GCE. Each “stem” remains the same across the grades, and is meant to communicate the focus of the GCE across the grades. • Bullets in a GCE indicate how the GCE is specified at that grade cluster. • Differences between adjacent grades are underlined. • “E.g.s” are exam- ples (not requirements or limited sets) of stu- dent demonstration or fur- ther clarification of a GCE. How do we read a GE? GE # Stem Grade Cluster Grades 3 –4 Grades 5 –6 H&SS3-4:14 H&SS5-6:14 Students act as citizens by… Students act as citizens by… Demonstrating the role of individuals in Giving examples of ways in which the election processes(e.g., voting in political parties, campaigns, and elections provide opportunities for class or mock elections). citizens to participate in the political process. i Differences between adjacent grade clusters e.g.sare examples of student Indicates GE could be are underlined demonstration or further used in the Inquiry clarification of a GE process How do GEs fit into the curriculum? The GEs are designed to work in conjunction with local decisions to help develop assessments and curricula, as represented by the following formula: Content + Assessment (GEs) + Learning Opportunity + Teaching Opportunity = Curriculum History and Social Sciences Overview Educators from around the state, with the help of The Vermont Institutes, developed Vermont History and Social Sciences Grade Cluster Expectations as a means to identify the content knowledge and skills ex- pected of all students for local assessment required under Act 68. This work was accomplished using the Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities, Vermont curricula, national standard documents, state standard documents, and current research as resources. The GEs were reviewed by history and social sciences educators from around the state. The data from field review was collected, reviewed, and used to revise the GEs. They were then sent out for Expert Review and revised one final time. History and Social Sciences GEs are not intended to represent the full curriculum for instruction at each grade cluster. GEs are meant to capture the essential learning elements that can be assessed locally. In other words, the GEs are a guide to assessment and should not “narrow” the curriculum for instructional pur- poses. History and Social Sciences GEs include concepts and skills not easily assessed in an on-demand setting. Many processes are ongoing throughout the school year and are best assessed within the classroom. The H&SS Inquiry GEs reflect work that the majority of teachers are already doing in their classrooms when they have their students investigate a question or research a topic or issue. Inquiry can be an essential tool in each of the content areas in H&SS, and is signified by an (i) symbol. As a process, inquiry can be used to design and conduct research in every area of the social sciences. In its parts, inquiry teaches stu- dents how to: Ask pertinent questions Develop hypotheses Make a research plan Conduct research Read primary sources Evaluate media Analyze data and information Draw conclusions Be social scientists The H&SS Inquiry GEs are based on those in science inquiry, but have been changed to reflect specific skills and interests of the social sciences. However, these basic similarities can promote cross-curricular learning while reinforcing skills for all Vermont students. GE Num- Component Grouped with Vermont Stem ber(s) Standards H&SS1- Inquiry *1.3, *1.4, *1.8, *1.18, H&SS1 Students initiate an inquiry by… 1.19, 1.21, 2.1, 2.2, H&SS7 *3.10, 2.6, 2.7, 2.10, H&SS2 Students develop a hypothesis, thesis, or research statement 2.11, 2.12, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, by… 6.4, 6.6 H&SS3 Students design research by… H&SS4 Students conduct research by… H&SS5 Students develop reasonable explanations that support the research statement by… H&SS6 Students make connections to research by… H&SS7 Students communicate findings by... H&SS8- History 4.5, 4.6, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6 H&SS8 Students connect the past with the present by… H&SS10 H&SS9 Students show understanding of how humans interpret his- tory by… H&SS10 Students show understanding of past, present and future time by... H&SS11- Physical and 4.3, 4.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.13 H&SS11 Students interpret geography and solve geographic prob- H&SS13 Cultural lems by… Geography H&SS12 Students show understanding of human interaction with the environment over time by… H&SS13 Students analyze how and why cultures continue and change over time by... H&SS14- Civics, 6.9, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 4.1, H&SS14 Students act as citizens by… H&SS17 Government, 3.7, 3.11, 3.13 H&SS15 Students show understanding of various forms of govern- and Society ment by… H&SS16 Students examine how different societies address issues of human interdependence by… H&SS17 Students examine how access to various institutions affects justice, reward, and power by... H&SS18- Economics 3.8, 3.9, 6.15, 6.16, 6.17 H&SS18 Students show an understanding of the interac- tion/interdependence between humans, the environment, and the econ- H&SS20 omy by… H&SS19 Students show understanding of the interconnectedness between government and the economy by… H&SS20 Students make economic decisions as a consumer, producer, saver, investor, and citizen by... Inquiry: Grouped with Vermont Standards *1.3, *1.4, *1.8, *1.18, 1.19, 1.21, 2.1, 2.2, *3.10, 2.6, 2.7. 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.6 Grades PreK-K Grades 1-2 Social and Historical Questioning Social and Historical Questioning H&SSPK-K:1 H&SS1-2:1 Students initiate an inquiry by… Students initiate an inquiry by… • Developing a question by completing prompts, “I won- • Asking questions based on what they have seen, what they der…?”, “Why…?”, “How is this like…?”. have read, what they have listened to, and/or what they have researched as a class (e.g., How is living in Vermont different than living in Florida?). Hypothesis/Research Statement Hypothesis/Research Statement H&SSPK-K:2 H&SS1-2:2 Students develop a hypothesis, thesis, or research statement Students develop a hypothesis, thesis, or research statement by… by… • Sharing ideas about possible answers to questions (e.g., • Using prior knowledge to share ideas about possible an- What might we see on a field trip to a factory?). swers to questions (e.g., How do people use teamwork to get jobs done?). Research Plan Research Plan H&SSPK-K:3 H&SS1-2:3 Students design research by… Students design research by… • Identifying resources for finding answers to their ques- • Identifying resources for finding answers to their ques- tions (e.g., books, videos, and people). tions (e.g., books, videos, people, and the Internet). • Explaining what their jobs will be during an inquiry inves- • Explaining what their jobs will be during an inquiry inves- tigation (e.g., drawing pictures after a field trip). tigation (e.g., drawing pictures after a field trip). • Identifying ways they will show what they have learned. • Planning how to organize information so it can be shared. Vermont Department of Education (Health & Social Sciences Grade Expectations) H&SS8