McDougal Littell Pacing Guides for 4Q

Please click the appropriate link below for the fourth quarter pacing guides. Bound copies will be delivered in the next few days.

McDL Pacing Guide 7th grade 4Q

McDL Pacing Guide 8th grade 4Q

NEW 2007 CST Released Test Questions

The new CST Released Test Questions (February 2007) are available  here. Both 7th and 8th grade documents consist of 76 questions and include released test questions from 2006. The pdf documents are about 45-pages long.
Edusoft answer documents for all English Language Arts Released Test Questions will be available after February 20, 2007 under “Benchmarks.”

NEW Teacher Guide for the 2006 Writing Standards Test in Seventh Grade

The newest version of this guide includes last year’s Response to Literature prompt. Click here for the 75-page pdf document.

McDL 3Q pacing charts

Click on the blue links below to download a word file of the third quarter pacing guides. Please post a comment if you have any trouble accessing these files.

McDL Pacing Chart 7th grade 3Q

McDL Pacing Chart 8th grade 3Q

[These files were originally posted as pdf files, now they are word files which should be easier to download.]

McDL 3Q pacing chart update

Memo

To:        English Language Arts McDougal Littell Teachers

From:    Renee Loewen, Student Success Model Coordinator

CC:       Elizabeth Devita
Date:     12/22/2006

Re:        2006-2007 3^rd Quarter McDougal LIttell Pacing Guide

 

 

Please find below the 3^rd quarter pacing guides for McDougal Littell.  The pacing guides for both grade levels have been submitted to publications and you should receive your hard copy upon your return from Winter Break. 

There are a few items included in this pacing guide that I would like to highlight for you:

·         Time for CST prep has been included for both 7^th and 8^th grade.  The CST prep for 7^th grade is included at the end of the 3^rd quarter pacing guide and the CST prep for 8^th grade will be during the first week of the 4^th quarter.

·         The 7^th grade CST Writing test is scheduled for March 16 which falls on Day 116 on the pacing guide.

·         Cluster 12 has been moved to 3^rd quarter.  With the exception of Cluster 12, all other Clusters should be taught chronologically.

·         Based upon feedback from the teachers, the Vocabulary and Spelling Book ancillary was included as much as possible.

·         Continue to teach one spelling lesson a week.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing two weeks off.

LANGUAGE! Follow-up Day

LANGUAGE! Follow-up Day with Maureen Spencer

December 8, 2006

District Office Conference Room

7:30 am – 2:30 pm

One hour lunch on your own.

Teachers will receive 6 hours credit toward AB 466 portfolio.

NEW 2006 ELA CAHSEE Released Test Questions

For those of you who are interested, you can access the new 2006 ELA CAHSEE Released Test Questions here. (CAHSEE = California High School Exit Exam.) It is a 179-page pdf file. I will bring my copy along to the next few meetings/work sessions – so just ask if you would like to peruse it.

2Q McDL Pacing Charts

mcdllpacing7thqtr2.pdf

mcdllpacing8th2q.pdf

Student Success Model

Memo

To: English Language Arts McDougal Littell Teachers

From: Renee Loewen, Student Success Model Coordinator

CC: Elizabeth Devita

Date: 11/01/2006

 

I want to first thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. This is our first year in implementing the McDougal Littell pacing guide and I know it has been difficult at times. Thank you for all of your feedback and questions regarding the 1^st Quarter Pacing Guide. Please find attached the 2^nd Quarter Pacing Guide for McDougal Littell for the 2006-2007 school year. Mechelle Horning, the consultant from Action Learning Systems, has reviewed all of your feedback and has taken that into account as much as possible while maintaining the integrity of the McDougal Littell curriculum.

The following revisions were made to the 2^nd Quarter Pacing Guide:

1. According to the feedback that was given to Mechelle, some teachers indicated that the pace was too fast; therefore, one selection per Cluster was omitted. The decisions to omit specific selections were based on the CST Blueprints and the California Standards. Thus, the omitted selections contain standards that are addressed in other selections. Mechelle assured me that before making any omissions, she looked for places where standards overlapped and were taught in other selections. However, teachers still need to be very familiar with the cluster tests to make sure that all skills on the Cluster tests have been taught. In addition, to help teachers keep up with the pacing guide, the number of Formal Assessments was reduced as well as the number of activities/lessons in the “Core” column.

2. There were some questions regarding the fact that there are repeated activities in the “Strategic” column. These repeats are intentional. The research shows that struggling readers need multiple reads and interactions with the same material presented in different ways to make progress.

3. The method of the administration of the Formal Assessments was also a concern. Depending on the type of data the teacher is looking for, the method of administration of the Formal Assessment can vary. For example, some Formal Assessments could be independent closed book, while others can be open book or done with a partner or in a group as per the direction of the teacher.

4. Universal Access was included more heavily in the 2^nd Quarter Pacing Guide.

5. Spelling: Mechelle clarified that when she refers to spelling in the pacing guide, she is referring specifically to the Spelling and Vocabulary ancillary. As the content of the spelling lessons in Classzone is very similar to McDougal Littell, the decision to use the Spelling and Vocabulary ancillary or Classzone lessons should be made at the site department level. In addition, Mechelle explained that she left some room in the “Core” column to include 30 minutes of spelling instruction each week. She was not able to include it on the pacing guide, because the guide goes by days of instruction instead of dates of each school calendar week.

6. The time allotted for the administration of the clusters tests was also a concern for teachers. I know that we discussed at length to have more time to administer the Cluster Tests since the on-demand writing prompt is included in the Cluster tests. After speaking with Mechelle and the McDougal LIttell publishers, I have been informed that the Clusters tests were designed to be administered in one instructional class period. Due to this latest information, the Cluster Tests will need to be given in one day (one period for Benchmark and two periods for Strategic). The writing prompt portion of the cluster tests is not designed for the student to write for an entire period. The writing is meant to be brief and on demand. Knowing that we are shifting our thinking from a three-day district writing assessment to an on-demand writing prompt, I have worked with Mechelle to make a compromise: two days are allotted for the Cluster Tests where the writing prompt is being calibrated for the district (7^th grade – Cluster 3 and 7; 8^th grade – Cluster 2 and 7).

I want to remind you that the pacing guide is not intended to be an exhaustive list of possibilities, but that it is meant to be comprehensive. This is the first year of implementation and the first year is always the toughest. This pacing guide is a working document and the teachers are to use their professional judgment for remediation or acceleration based on student assessment results. If the data warrants, additional McDougal Littell activities can and should be used. Also, if the students’ test data shows that they have mastered a given concept, use your professional judgment to quickly review the lesson or skip it altogether. While we understand that the pacing guide is new, we would like teachers to be within two weeks of the lessons on the guide.

If you have any feedback or concerns regarding this 2^nd Quarter Pacing Guide, please be sure to give all of your feedback to your on Site Coordinator no later than December 1, 2006. Thank you once again for your patience and understanding.

Remaining McDL Meeting/Work Sessions for 2006

Here is the schedule for the remaining afterschool meeting/work sessions for 2006. All meetings are from 2 – 3:30 pm. There will be no meetings the week before Winter Break.

TPJHS Mon., Nov. 13 room 44

LCMS Wed., Nov. 15 room 59

TPJHS Mon., Dec. 4 room 44

LCMS Wed., Dec. 6 room 59

* Teachers who did not attend the AB466 training are eligible for CED pay.

Remaining Language! Meeting/Work Sessions for 2006

Here is an updated schedule for the Language! meetings/work sessions for the rest of 2006. All meeting/work sessions are from 2 – 3:30 pm.

 

TPJHS              Mon., Nov 6                  room 44

LCMS               Wed., Nov 8                  room 59

 

TPJHS              Mon., Nov 27                room 44

LCMS               Wed., Nov 29                room 59

 

TPJHS              Mon., Dec 11                room 44

LCMS               Wed., Dec 13                room 59