6th Grade - Gateway 1
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Focus & Coherence
| Score | |
|---|---|
Gateway 1 - Does Not Meet Expectations | 35% |
Criterion 1.1: Focus | 2 / 2 |
Criterion 1.2: Coherence | 0 / 4 |
Criterion 1.3: Coherence | 3 / 8 |
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 do not meet the expectation for alignment to the CCSSM. The materials do not meet the standard for time spent on the major work of the grade with 63% of the suggested lessons and six of the 12 units devoted to the major work of the grade. The amount of content designated for Grade 6 is not viable for one school year in order to foster coherence between grades. The instructional materials do not provide students of varying abilities extensive work with grade level problems. Materials do not relate grade level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge; problems and activities do not effectively combine or connect domains and/or clusters.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 assess topics only at this grade level. For example, all unit assessments, test questions and performance tasks assess on grade level content. There are no examples of below or above level assessments in the student edition. Overall, the instructional material meets the expectations for focus within assessment.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials and unit assessments reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for assessing the grade level content. No future grade standards are addressed.
- All units in this grade level address a major, supporting, or additional cluster of Grade 6.
- Unit 1: 6.RP.A, major.
- Unit 2: 6.RP.A, major.
- Unit 3: 6.NS.B, additional.
- Unit 4: 6.NS.A, major.
- Unit 5: 6.RP.A, major.
- Unit 6: 6.NS.C, major.
- Unit 7: 6.G.A, supporting; 6.NS.C.8, major.
- Unit 8: 6.SP.A, additional.
- Unit 9: 6.EE.A, major.
- Unit 10: 6.EE.B, major.
- Unit 11: 6.G.A, supporting.
- Unit 12: 6.G.A, supporting.
The unit test questions address the above listed clusters.
The performance task assessments address only Grade 6 content. There are four performance tasks for Grade 6. All assess major, supporting, or additional clusters:
- Exciting Entertainment: 6.SP.A and 6.SP.B additional clusters
- International Space Stations: 6.G.A supporting cluster
- Making Energy Drinks: 6.RP.A major cluster
- Neighbors Helping Neighbors: 6.RP.A major cluster
There are no examples of below or above level assessments in the student edition.
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 are not developed so that students and teachers using the materials as designed devote the large majority of class time to the major work of the grade. For example, only 63% of the days are suggested for major work of the grade. Six of the 12 units are designated as major work of the grade. Overall the instructional materials do not meet the criteria for the time devoted to the major work of the grade.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 do not meet the expectations for spending the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade. Ninety-five of the 150 teaching days, or 63% of the lessons and six of the 12 units, are devoted to the major work of the grade. Based on the pacing in both the scope and sequence and the curriculum guide, 95 of the 150 teaching days and/or 63% of the lessons and performance tasks are spent on the major work of the grade.
Performance tasks are evenly distributed between major work and supporting opposed to focusing on the major topics.
Two tasks are on major (Units 2 and 5).
Two tasks are not on major topics (Units 8 and 11).
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 coherence and consistency with the CCSSM. The instructional materials do not meet the criteria outlined in the CCSSM publisher guidelines for the time for the major work of the grade. Clearly, the amount of content that is designated for this grade level is not viable on its own for one school year. Content from prior grades is not identified or related to grade level work. Throughout, the lessons do not differentiate for lower ability or advanced learners. Furthermore, materials do not include problems and activities that serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain, or two or more domains in a grade. Overall the Grade 6 material falls short of addressing key aspects of coherence and consistency with the standards.
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 meet the expectations for the supporting content enhancing focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade. All of the units support the major work of the grade level. Overall, the supporting clusters in Grade 6 support focus and coherence to the major work of the grade level.
All of the supporting clusters in Grade 6 support the major work of the grade level.
- Unit 7 addresses the major cluster of 6.NS.C.8 which looks at positive and negative numbers within the coordinate plane. This is supported by the cluster 6.G.A.3, which is plotting geometric figures in a coordinate plane. The information gained in 6.NS.C.8 is needed to complete 6.G.A.
- The geometry units (11 and 12) support the major topics. To find area of figures, students will need the knowledge from the major cluster 6.NS for the following:
- Finding the area of figures on the coordinate plane supports use of positive and negative integers and plotting points in all four quadrants on the coordinate plane.
- There are problems that use fractional and decimal side lengths, supporting the major work of extending the number system to the rational numbers.
- Students will need to use absolute value when determining area of a figure on a coordinate plane and they will need to fluently multiply rational numbers.
- Unit 12 is also the supporting cluster 6.G.A, finding surface area and volume, that also supports the major work of 6.NS and 6.EE.
- While using formulas for volume, students are being supported in expressions and equations.
- Students will need to multiply and divide fluently and also be able to manipulate volume formulas to solve for the unknown.
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 do not meet the expectations for the amount of content designated for one grade level being viable for one school year in order to foster coherence between grades. Teachers would have to find outside resources for re-teaching and/or more practice of skills. Overall, the amount of content that is designated for this grade level is not viable on its own for one school year.
The provided material would be able to be completed in one school calendar year. However, teachers would need to find outside resources for re-teaching or more practice of skills.
There are generally at least 180 school days in a school year. The suggested time for teaching this content in Grade 6 is 150 teaching days.
● The 150 days include instruction, quizzes, tests and performance tasks. That would leave approximately 30 days of instruction unaccounted for. It would be typical to lose a few days to standardized testing or special school activities.
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 do not meet the expectations for the material to be consistent with the progressions in the standards. However, the content from prior grades is not clearly identified, nor are connections to future grades. Overall, the materials develop but do not clearly identify the progressions from prior grades in the standards.
- Materials do develop according to the grade-by-grade progressions. However, content from prior or future grades is not clearly identified.
- The closed caption dialogue for the instruction and summary videos contains no mention of grade level.
- Learning goals for the lessons are not connected to any other lesson.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 do not meet the expectation of giving all students extensive work with grade level problems. Overall, the materials do not consistently give students of varying abilities extensive work with grade level problems.
- The lessons do not differentiate for lower ability or advanced learners.
- There is one lesson per learning goal and one assignment for each lesson. There are no materials available for re-teaching or additional practice for any of the skills.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 do not meet the expectation of relating grade level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades. No references or connections are made for the teacher or the student. Overall, materials do not relate grade-level concepts explicitly to knowledge from earlier grades.
- Materials do not relate new content to previously taught content.
- The closed caption dialogue does not make reference or connections to previously taught content for the student or the teacher.
- There are no direct connections between the lessons within a unit.
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 partially meet the expectations for fostering coherence through connections at a single grade, where appropriate and required by the standards. Overall, materials include learning objectives that are visibly shaped by CCSSM cluster headings.
- Materials do include learning objectives that are shaped by the CCSSM cluster headings.
- Units 1, 2 and 5 have learning goals to support the cluster 6.RP.A, understanding ratio concepts and using ratio reasoning to solve problems.
- Unit 1 develops ratios.
- Unit 2 applies use of ratios to solve a variety of problems.
- Unit 5 uses ratios to find a percent of a number.
- Units 3 and 4 have learning goals to support 6.NS.A, apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions.
- Units 9 and 10 have learning goals to support 6.EE.
- Unit 9 supports the application and extension of previous understanding of arithmetic to algebraic expressions.
- Unit 10 has learning goals to support reasoning about and solving one-variable equations and inequalities, as well as making relationships between dependent and independent variables.
The instructional materials do not include problems and activities that serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain. Neither do they include problems and activities that connect two or more domains in a grade, in cases where these connections are natural and important. Overall, the materials do not foster coherence through connections at Grade 6.