Case Study

Fostering Student Accountability for Classroom Work: Elementary

Introduction

A frequent complaint among teachers is that students do not complete their assigned classwork, either failing to begin or finish it. Before they can reliably diagnose the causes of this issue, however, teachers must first ask themselves a number of questions:

• Have I taught the content well enough that my students are able to begin and finish their work successfully?
• Have I put into place routines and procedures for checking, getting help, and receiving timely feedback?
• Have I modeled and demonstrated key concepts?
• Is my classroom supportive of student learning?
• Have I established an appropriate match between what my students know and what they have been asked to accomplish?

These five questions form the basis of an accountability system for doing academic work. Helping students take responsibility for completing assigned work begins when the teacher develops a system that supports and enables them to become accountable.

To foster student accountability for academic classwork, teachers need to develop and implement strategies that support students’ efforts at various stages of doing their classwork. This IRIS Case Study focuses on five key components of an effective accountability system.

Providing effective content instruction: When students understand and can apply classroom content, they are more likely to make connections between their previous learning experiences, the content itself, and the assigned classwork. This will help them develop skills for future learning.

Creating supportive settings: A positive and structured learning environment encourages student effort and is inclusive of each student’s cultural and linguistic identities.

Modeling desired outcomes: To illustrate academic expectations, teachers should offer specific examples of those expectations (e.g., a model of the process, a completed product, a scoring rubric).

Assigning appropriate tasks: If they are to assign appropriate tasks, teachers must first assess their students’ skills and abilities. This includes assessing what they currently know about a topic, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Offering timely feedback: Keeping students engaged and focused on their classwork means that teachers should offer feedback not only while students are working on a task but also when they have completed it.

Once these five areas have been addressed, the teacher’s next step is to focus on ways to help students be responsible for following established procedures and for doing their best to complete and submit their assignments.

Each case study includes multiple STAR Sheets and cases.

About the Strategy

Providing effective content instruction involves teaching students the content from which the classwork is drawn. To do so, a teacher must offer specific instruction in the relevant area of study, and not simply give directions for completing an individual task. The teacher should also connect that content with past learning and teach students effective strategies for learning both it and future content.

What the Research and Resources Say

• Students learn content when it is presented coherently, is tied to their present understanding, and is supported by activities that create real connections between them and it (Brophy, 2000).
• Although low-income culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students are less likely to receive effective content instruction, it is especially important to the academic success of these students that they do so (Cartledge et al., 2015).
• When CLD students receive instruction in classrooms where students are encouraged to participate and teachers provide opportunities for all students to respond to prompts or questions about the content, both their behavior and academic performance are enhanced (Cartledge et al., 2015).
• Quality teaching focuses on what students are learning (as opposed to completing). This requires that instructors meet the needs of diverse and varied learners by presenting content in multiple ways (Wormeli, 2007).
• Students are more likely to be engaged with content when teachers provide effective instruction that includes meaningful and challenging tasks. Maintaining student engagement prevents problem behaviors and is a foundation of effective classroom management (Slavin, 2014).
• If student feedback is to be fruitful, it must be preceded by effective instruction (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; see adjacent fact sheet on Feedback).
• In conjunction with components such as positive teacher-student relationships, effective instruction enables teachers to bolster the achievement of students of poverty (Tough, 2012).
• Effective instruction takes into account student differences and cultural contexts and strives to identify and address opportunity gaps that students are experiencing (Milner, 2010; see adjacent fact sheet on Supportive Settings).
• Assessing, activating, and building students’ background knowledge enables them to not only make connections with content but develop internal frameworks within which to remember and utilize it (Lent, 2012). The ability to integrate students’ prior knowledge with the introduction of new content is one characteristic of an expert teacher (Hattie, 2012).
• In addition to building their content knowledge and understanding, effective instruction helps students develop the ability to learn flexibly and resourcefully (CAST, 2011).

Strategies to Implement

1. Be familiar with district and state curriculum guidelines for your area of teaching. Use these guidelines in conjunction with other instructional aids (e.g., teacher’s guides) to develop lesson objectives to outline learning goals for your students.
2. Be familiar with your students. Know their interests, background knowledge, cultural and linguistic identities, preferred learning strategies, and needed supports.
3. Be familiar with effective instructional strategies. Having multiple tools to connect students with content will enable you to better address student needs and respond to student misunderstandings.
4. Use these instructional strategies to guide your instruction, assignments, and assessments, keeping in mind both your lesson objectives and your students’ abilities and learning differences.
5. Develop classroom learning environments that are learner-centered, knowledge-centered, and assessment-centered. The following table defines these different types of classroom environments.

CLASSROOM TYPE	DEFINITION
Learner-Centered	Students construct their own meanings, beginning with the beliefs, understandings, and cultural practices they bring to the classroom.
Knowledge-Centered	Teachers help students make connections between kinds of information, their own experiences, as well as their past, present, and future learning.
Assessment-Centered	Classroom instruction evolves when teachers provide consistent, supportive feedback, challenging students to reflect on their understanding of information as well as its connection to their learning.

NRC, 2000

About the Strategy

Creating supportive settings involves coordinating the physical, social, academic, and emotional context of the classroom within which the assignment is made. The strategy of creating supportive settings establishes a positive, productive tone for the context in which the assignment is explained, modeled, and completed. For example, an independently completed assignment is structured differently than a collaborative small-group assignment. Using this strategy means attending to one or more of the following areas: classroom membership, student cultural background, assignment length, assignment structure, assignment grading weight, assistance provided, resource location, classroom seating arrangement, and individualizing or differentiating the assignment to meet IEP or other guidelines.

What the Research and Resources Say

• Safe, caring learning environments provide opportunities for learners to make connections with content by correctly completing tasks, making errors, and receiving feedback (Hattie, 2012; see adjacent fact sheet on Feedback). Mistakes are an important part of the learning process and should be regarded as such.
• Knowing to whom the content is being taught is deeply connected to what is being taught, how it is taught, and how it is learned (Milner, 2010). Instructors who understand and acknowledge students’ cultural backgrounds and build upon these can better avoid potential conflicts and address opportunity gaps (Milner, 2010).
• Teachers in supportive settings take into consideration the needs of English language learners (ELLs) when they select instructional strategies, make information accessible, and group students for instructional tasks (Hill & Miller, 2013).
• Students “learn best within cohesive and caring learning communities” (Brophy, 2000). The development of a sense of community (and the productive relationships it enables) is significant to the learning process for all students and is one of the principles of working effectively with students in urban settings (Milner, 2015).
• Monitoring student progress provides the teacher with a sense of student success or struggle and provides the student with access to assistance as needed (Evertson & Emmer, 2017).
• When the structure of the academic setting conflicts with students’ cultural traditions or understandings, students’ learning can be hampered (Cartledge et al., 2015; Milner, 2010). Instead, culturally responsive teaching provides connections among students’ individual, academic, and cultural identities (Cartledge, et al., 2015; Castagno & Brayboy, 2008).
• Classrooms in which students perceive bias or preferential treatment based on racial or ethnic characteristics are more likely to see significant end-of-year achievement gaps, even when those students begin the year at the same academic level. Conversely, classrooms where such biases are absent are far more likely to produce positive learning outcomes for all students (McKown & Weinstein, 2008).

Identifying Data Sources

1. Beginning at the start of the year, work to establish and maintain a positive, productive learning climate in your classroom, one in which students are permitted to make and learn from their mistakes, to bring their full identities and abilities into the classroom, and to feel they are welcome and valued members of the learning community.
2. Structure assignments in a way that supports students’ connection with content and your classroom’s already established positive, productive learning climate.
3. Evaluate students’ progress and adjust the classroom setting to further assist their successful learning (see adjacent fact sheet on Feedback).

About the Strategy

Modeling desired outcomes involves demonstrating or providing a structure for the completed assignment. Demonstrations might include working sample problems or providing an example completed at the level of expected performance. The structures may be in the form of grading criteria, rubrics, or displayed assignment procedures.

What the Research and Resources Say

• When students are given a model of excellence, they have a better understanding of the goal and of the teacher’s expectations (Wong & Wong, 2009).
• Cognitive modeling is helpful in teaching learning and problem-solving strategies to students. It involves the teacher talking through his or her thinking processes while completing a task (Brophy, 2000). Cognitive modeling can be utilized with academic instruction (Atalib & Tollett, 2005), behavioral instruction (McCaslin et al., 2006), and social problem solving (Daunic & Merrill, 2014).
• Providing clear expectations helps increase student engagement with the content (Jang, Reeve, & Deci, 2010). Teachers who give students greater control over their own learning (e.g., by providing choices, offering encouragement) can also increase student engagement (Jang et al., 2010).
• Teachers themselves serve as model learners. When teachers show they are enthusiastic about and value learning, their students see the reward of learning (Good & Brophy, 2008), which in turn positively impacts students’ emotional experiences within and across school years (Frenzel et al., 2009).
• To increase student performance and learning, the teacher must effectively teach students how to assess their own performance. Students may self-assess using a rubric, a set of written expectations, a demonstration, or a model provided by the teacher (Andrade, 2014).
• When students engage in self-assessment and reflect on their progress toward meeting their learning goals, they develop social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, which can increase their motivation, academic achievement, and capacity to learn (Yoder, 2014).

Strategies to Implement

1. Complete an assignment prior to assigning it to students. This preview enables you to know the flow of the assignment, the questions students might ask, the difficulties they might encounter, and the level of performance expected. The example you complete can then serve as a demonstration of what to do, a key for students to check their work, or a framework for designing grading criteria.
2. Provide a model demonstrating what to do and how to do it. This is particularly useful for multipart projects or for assignments with new content or a higher level of difficulty. Your model may be a teacher-completed example or a student-completed one. Both negative (what not to do) and positive (what to do) examples are productive if they are explained. Use the negative or non-example first followed by the positive one.

Commas in a series (negative examples)

• I, want, to, invite, Ron, Grant, Dewayne, and Pablo, to my birthday.
• The recipe calls for sugar flour cinnamon and vanilla.

Commas in a series (positive examples)

• Susan, Orion, and Remarquiz participated in the spelling bee.
• Grandma and I went to the grocery store, bought the ingredients, and then baked a cake for my mother.

3. Alternatively, or in addition to your example, provide students with grading criteria for the assignment so they can compare their performance with your expectations. The example below could serve both as a display in the classroom and as a grading sheet for submitted paragraphs.
4. Note that students may copy the exact model provided, which can diminish creativity and/or reduce the learning taking place. Providing multiple unique examples, fading the modeling provided over time, and focusing on the criteria of the assignment can help accommodate for students’ desire to meet your “exact” expectations.

About the Strategy

Assigning appropriate tasks involves making assignments that are suitable for the students’ age, prior experience with the content, and level of motivation, as well as the format of the instruction, and the time allotted to complete the assignment. In addition, an appropriate assignment takes into account any specified educational adaptations for individuals. These include a student’s IEP, 504 Plan, or cultural and linguistic needs.

What the Research and Resources Say

• Students need to be able to connect the tasks of an assignment to their own cultural, academic, and personal experiences (Good & Brophy, 2008).
• There are a variety of ways to respond to diversity in student learning, including by individualizing instruction, offering computer-based instruction, and adapting individual assignments (Good & Brophy, 2008). The teacher can also differentiate instruction by using different curricula for different students, using a variety of strategies to help students master concepts or skills, and by offering a number of ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge (Tomlinson, 2014).
• Students benefit from completing assignments that pose challenges they can solve through persistence or peer-, resource-, or teacher-provided support. When assignments seem overly challenging, students may avoid them altogether (Weinstein et al., 2011).
• When they select appropriate assignments, teachers should also take into consideration their students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Teachers who fail to take into account their students’ experiences and differences may very well find that many of their students will not receive the full benefit of their instruction (Milner, 2010).
• Most academic practice should help students apply their learning within authentic contexts (Brophy, 2000).
• When students are involved in the development of the assignment criteria, it enables them to hold reasonable expectations of themselves and to develop a growth mindset, encouraging persistence (Tomlinson & Moon, 2014).
• Specific plans need to be in place for when students are absent in order to make sure the assignment they missed is an appropriate task (e.g., they know the necessary content, clearly understand the directions and grading criteria, and have sufficient time and assistance for completion) (Evertson & Emmer, 2017).

Strategies to Implement

1. When preparing assignments, select tasks that help students focus on the learning goals you and/or they have established.
2. For each assignment, determine the criteria for success and communicate it with clarity. When possible, include students in the development of these criteria.
3. Plan for individual adjustments to assignments as called for by IEP or 504 plans.
4. Anticipate ways to address students’ cultural and linguistic needs through assignments.
5. Monitor students’ progress on assignments to identify necessary class-wide adjustments in pacing and to provide needed assistance.
6. When an assignment carries across several class periods or days, provide students with checkpoint deadlines and/or completion time lines.

About the Strategy

 

• Offering timely feedback involves communicating with students on their classroom work with a frequency that helps promote students’ learning and helps the students maintain their interest in and commitment to the work. This strategy provides support as students build understanding of the content, yet allows them independence. Offering timely feedback can occur in the form of verbal comments, written statements, grades, and/or opportunities for students to self-check.

What the Research and Resources Say

• Feedback should be provided to students while working (while a teacher is monitoring) as well as when the work is completed. Feedback should clearly indicate the student’s progression toward the expected learning performance (Evertson & Emmer, 2017).
• “To be effective, feedback needs to be clear, purposeful, meaningful, and compatible with students’ prior knowledge and to provide logical connections” (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).
• Effective feedback is a crucial component to formative assessment, impacting both a teacher’s future instruction and a student’s future learning (Heritage, 2014) and can help students learn the connection between effort and achievement (Evertson, 2015).
• Teachers can communicate low expectations to low achieving students when they don’t give feedback to these students or when they provide inappropriate positive feedback for incorrect responses (Evertson & Emmer, 2017). Classrooms with student-perceived equity include “high expectations, opportunity and choice, and constructive feedback for students at all points on the achievement hierarchy and from all ethnic groups” (McKown & Weinstein, 2008, italics added).
• Feedback can be just as instructive, and as important, for the social aspects of completing classwork as for the academic aspects (Yoder, 2014).
• When feedback connects students’ successes with their effort, it can enhance their self-efficacy (Anderman, 2013). Increased student achievement can also result from feedback that helps students connect present understandings with set goals and desired performance (Timperley, 2013).
• Feedback is one of the most significant influences on student academic achievement (Hattie, 2012; Timperley, 2013), yet instruction precedes feedback; effective instruction is a prerequisite to effective feedback (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; see adjacent fact sheet on instruction).
• Though feedback is critical to academic as well as social-emotional learning (SEL), poorly designed or delivered feedback can dampen or harm student learning (Schwab & Elias, 2015). Rather than providing feedback that is controlling in nature or trait oriented (e.g., “You did well because you are smart”), teachers should offer feedback that is effort oriented and that helps the student learn to self-assess (e.g., “Your effective use of time on this project has allowed you to include some extra details that are really interesting.”) (Schwab & Elias, 2015).

Strategies to Implement

1. Offer feedback to students that balances the need to build independent skills with content learning as well as their needs to be supported and encouraged.
2. Offer feedback with greater frequency at the beginning of the year, the beginning of a study unit, the beginning of an individual assignment, and the beginning of new academic or social-emotional skill development. As you confirm that students are growing more confident and competent, the time between occurrences of feedback can be extended to allow for growth in self-assessment and independence.
3. Provide equitable feedback (in frequency or level of attention) to each student in the class.
4. State or write your feedback in a manner that helps students connect their effort on an assignment with their performance and/or their progress toward a learning goal.

Background

Scenario

Raoul is a third-grade student born in the United States to Costa Rican parents who are pursuing U.S. citizenship. Raoul’s parents moved to the U.S. as graduate students at the local university. Though he speaks Spanish with his parents at home, Raoul is fluent in English and often serves as their translator. As a result, he is comfortable speaking with others in either language. Raoul is a very likable child. He is good-natured, has a wonderful sense of humor, and treats others with respect. However, Raoul struggles in school because he is hard of hearing. In particular, he is frequently unable to follow oral directions and has difficulty when content is only presented orally (e.g., through a lecture). His difficulty with oral information occurs mostly in whole-class situations where he can’t observe additional conversations and cues. Given these circumstances, Raoul’s teachers should help him to:

• Increase his ability to gather information orally in whole-class settings
• Use his skills with peer interactions to increase his access to class information

Raoul’s class has been learning about endangered species. Though Raoul is interested in animals and tries extra hard to listen and pay attention during science, the majority of the content has been delivered through lectures. Two weeks into their endangered animals unit, Raoul’s teacher explains their unit assignment: a solo five-minute presentation to the class on the endangered animal of their choice. The teacher tells the class they need to include the same types of information about the animal that she talked about in class. She also indicates that because some students may choose the same animal, she wants them to work independently without talking to one another. She gives them the next four class sessions to work on their presentations and asks the students to include a picture of the endangered animal they choose in their presentations. The teacher closes her instructions by stressing that the presentations will equal one test grade.

Possible Strategies

• Providing effective content instruction
• Creating supportive settings
• Modeling desired outcomes

Assignment

1. Read the Case Study Set Introduction and the STAR Sheets for each possible strategy.
2. For each of the three strategies, write a statement describing the potential difficulty that Raoul could have with this assignment.
3. For each potential difficulty (for each of the three strategies) describe an instructional suggestion to support Raoul in meeting his two goals.

Background

Scenario

Shelley is a first-grader at a rural elementary school in a farming community. Her parents have to work hard just to subsist on the poverty-level income from their small farm. Shelley contributes to the family farm work through chores she completes before and after school, such as collecting eggs. Though they did not complete high school, Shelley’s parents value education highly and are eager to help Shelley and her siblings with schoolwork however they can.

Shelley’s kindergarten teacher noticed that Shelley was able to accomplish all of the tasks assigned to her when there were only one or two directions given at a time. However, when Shelley was given more than two directions at a time, she would often confuse the directions or forget some of them.

Though she tried to help Shelley to practice following more than two directions, the kindergarten teacher did not feel Shelley made progress in this area. Shelley’s performance of kindergarten skills, with this one exception, was sufficient for her promotion to first grade. The kindergarten teacher was concerned that this exception, however, would become more significant over time.

At the beginning of her first-grade year, Shelley’s kindergarten teacher shared her observations and concerns with Shelley’s first grade teacher, Mr. Brown. After observing the same pattern, Mr. Brown set the following goal for Shelley across the first semester:

• Increase the number of directions Shelley can successfully follow from 1 to 4

Possible Strategies

• Modeling desired outcomes
• Assigning appropriate tasks
• Offering timely feedback

Assignment

1. Read the Case Study Unit’s Introduction and the STAR Sheets for each possible strategy. Select one strategy from this group that will be most helpful for Mr. Brown to use to support Shelley in meeting her goal.
2. Write a summary of the strategy you selected and an explanation of why it is the most helpful in setting this goal for Shelley.

Background

Scenario

At the beginning of the year, An-Chen’s kindergarten teacher, Ms. Ohana, noticed that An-Chen was sometimes able to accomplish all of the tasks assigned to him and at other times he seemed completely lost. For example, he could easily pick out several letters of the alphabet by name and sound, but couldn’t identify many of the toy foods and other items in the classroom house/grocery center.

Following An-Chen’s parent(s) not showing up at the initial grading period parent-teacher conference, Ms. Ohana decides to discuss An-Chen’s situation with a peer who teaches An-Chen’s older brother. In their conversation, Ms. Ohana learns that An-Chen has been living between homeless shelters, distant relatives, and on the street this school year. She also discovers that An-Chen has likely not ever been to a grocery store (or had several other “typical” experiences of his classmates).

Possible Strategies

• Creating supportive settings
• Offering timely feedback
• Providing effective content instruction

Assignment

1. Read the Case Study Unit’s Introduction and the STAR Sheets for each possible strategy
2. Identify which goal would be best for An-Chen.
   1. Halt An-Chen’s time at the home/grocery center until he is able to have personal experience visiting a grocery store so he will not feel out of place and/or embarrassed by his circumstances.
   2. Limit An-Chen’s personal choice time to the home/grocery center until he is able to identify 80% of the items in the center in order to compensate for the experiences he is not able to get out-of-school.
   3. Increase An-Chen’s identification of items in the home/grocery center by having him create an alphabet book with items from the center, beginning with the letters he does not yet know to help him learn those.
   4. Increase An-Chen’s identification of items in the home/grocery center by having him create an alphabet book with items from the center, beginning with the letters he already knows to help him connect present to past learning.
3. Select one strategy from this group that would be most helpful for Ms. Ohana in setting this goal.
4. Write a summary of the strategy you selected and an explanation of why it is the most helpful in setting this goal for An-Chen.

Background

Scenario

Glenda is a fourth-grade student in an inner-city neighborhood school. Glenda’s neighborhood is a vibrant metropolitan area in which the city has supported safety (e.g., well-lighted, consistent police patrol, quick response to utility difficulties, etc.) and has encouraged several businesses to locate within the community, providing jobs for many of the school’s parents. The majority of the community lives in public housing and has a community-run housing governance board, work/ school carpool system, and child care center. As a single parent, Glenda’s mother feels supported by community outreach, such as the tutoring Glenda receives at the after-school day care.

Glenda’s IEP calls for her to have shortened assignments to accommodate her specific learning disability, dysgraphia. This adaptation is particularly important in math, where Glenda may intuitively know the answer but works much more slowly and, therefore, becomes easily overwhelmed with the process of writing. In fact, Glenda can only work about one-third of the math problems her peers work in the same amount of time. Following a set of lessons on division, Glenda’s teacher wants to make a review assignment for the class from a page in the math textbook (see next page) to make sure they are all ready for the upcoming test. Glenda’s teacher has set the following goals for her across this nine-week period:

• Increase Glenda’s facility with multiplication and division
• Increase the types of multiplication and division problems Glenda can work
• Increase Glenda’s independence in completing classwork

Possible Strategies

• Modeling desired outcomes
• Assigning appropriate tasks
• Offering timely feedback

Assignment

1. Review this Case Study Unit’s Introduction and the STAR Sheets for the strategies listed above.
2. Select one option (A, B, C, or D) for the directions given with the math review assignment (see the next page) that you feel will be best for Glenda and her classmates.
   1. Assign problems 1–22 to the entire class, but only require Glenda to complete problems 1–8.
   2. Assign the review problems in the following order, but only require Glenda to complete through problem #20. Assignment order: 1, 7, 13, 19, 2, 8, 14, 20, 3, 9, 15, 21, 4, 10, 16, 22, 5, 11, 17, 6, 12, 18.
   3. Assign the even-numbered problems and require that work be shown, but allow Glenda to select a peer to complete them with.
   4. Assign the odd-numbered problems and allow Glenda to only write the answer, then check the answers and have her rework any missed problems.
3. In writing, tell which assignment option you selected (A, B, C, or D). Explain why the option you selected is the best, both for the class reviewing division and for Glenda to meet her goals. Comment on which strategies you used in making your decision and why they were helpful.

 

Background

Scenario

Joe is a second grader at an affluent suburban elementary magnet school. Joe’s parents are both involved in community leadership and are extremely active with the Parent-Teacher-Student Organization at Joe’s school. Though their intent is to be supportive of his schooling, Joe’s parents are sometimes considered by the school staff to be intimidating and pushy. The principal has also sensed that Joe’s parents are somewhat embarrassed that Joe is receiving Title I tutoring in reading.

Joe attends a Title I tutoring session from 10:00 to 10:30 each morning with four second graders from other classes. When he leaves for the Title I tutoring, his class is still having reading instruction (9:30 to 10:10). Therefore, Joe misses the last 10 minutes of reading class each day. Joe’s teacher and the Title I tutor have been working together all year to make sure that Joe doesn’t miss any reading instruction from the classroom.

The story that Joe and his classmates will read next week is about friendship. Joe’s teacher is planning to use the last 10 minutes of each reading class to help the students write a four-sentence paragraph about what makes a good friend. She has the following plan for the five lessons she will teach next week during the last 10 minutes of reading class:

Joe’s teacher shares these plans with the Title I tutor on Monday of the week before she plans to begin these lessons. She explains that Joe will miss both the instruction and the opportunity to interact with his peers. Joe’s teacher is also concerned that he continue working toward the following nine-week goals she set for him:

• Increase the number of Joe’s written responses to reading
• Increase Joe’s confidence in his writing
• Increase Joe’s ability to read his writing aloud

She asks the Title I tutor to help her think of how she could best adjust the assignment for Joe.

Possible Strategies

• Providing content instruction
• Creating supportive settings
• Modeling desired outcomes
• Assigning appropriate tasks
• Offering timely feedback

Assignment

1. Review this Case Study Unit’s Introduction and the STAR Sheets for the strategies listed above.
2. Select one recommendation from the Title I tutor (A, B, or C) as the best for adapting this assignment for Joe.
1. Have the Title I teacher teach the same lessons each day in tutoring that Joe would miss in his regular class, even if the other second grade students are not having to write a paragraph in their classes.
2. Let Joe participate with his class in this set of lessons and miss half of his tutoring sessions for a week, even if this means he has to interrupt the tutoring session in progress for the other four students.
3. Give Joe the assignment to write a paragraph on his own at home, even if he doesn’t get to participate in the lessons or to read his paragraph out loud on Friday with the rest of the class.
3. In writing, tell which recommendation you selected (A, B, or C). Explain why the option you selected is the most likely to help Joe meet his goals. Comment on which strategy(ies) you used in making your decision.

Background

Scenario

Ndele attends an ELL tutoring session from 10:00 to 10:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with four English language learners in other classes. When he leaves for the ELL tutoring, his homeroom is still in session (9:30 – 10:30). Therefore, Ndele misses the last half of homeroom three days a week. Ndele’s homeroom teacher and the ELL teacher have been working together all year to make sure that Ndele doesn’t miss any instruction from the classroom.

The instructional focus for homeroom next week is one on writing essays to build skill for applications (e.g., college, job, scholarship). Ndele’s teacher has the following plan for the five lessons she will teach next week during homeroom:

Ndele’s teacher shares these plans with the ELL teacher on Monday of the week before she plans to begin these lessons. She explains that Ndele will miss portions of the instruction and some opportunities to interact with his peers. Culturally, Ndele’s exclusion from the process may generate conflict for him and his classmates. Ndele’s teacher is also concerned that he continue working toward the following goals she set for him this nine weeks:

• Increase the length of Ndele’s written responses in English
• Increase Ndele’s confidence in his writing English
• Increase Ndele’s ability to read his writing aloud

She asks the ELL teacher to help her think of how she could best adjust the assignment for Ndele.

Possible Strategies

• Providing content instruction
• Creating supportive settings
• Modeling desired outcomes
• Assigning appropriate tasks
• Offering timely feedback

Assignment

1. Review this Case Study Unit’s Introduction and the STAR Sheets for the strategies listed above.
2. Select one recommendation from the ELL teacher (A, B, or C) as the best for adapting this assignment for Ndele.
1. Have the ELL teacher continue the lessons each day in tutoring that Ndele would miss in his homeroom class, even if the other ELL students are not having the same lessons in their classes.
2. Let Ndele participate with his class in this set of lessons and miss his tutoring sessions for a week, even if this means he and his tutoring peers do not get to continue their progress on a project for an upcoming multicultural event.
3. Have Ndele participate in the lessons up to the time of his tutoring and then have the ELL teacher come to his class on Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00-10:30 to support his essay development and catch him up as needed, even if this means he might have her as a partner instead of a peer.
3. In writing, tell which recommendation you selected (A, B, or C). Explain why the option you selected is the most likely to help Ndele meet his goals. Comment on which strategy(ies) you used in making your decision.

Background