Educators are often surprised when they study their grade-level or course standards in-depth and compare their agree-upon learning expectations to their current resources. The gap between the desired learning and what current resources offer may be small; although oftentimes, it is much greater than first perceived.
With the ever-expanding Open Educational Resources (OER), as well as purchasable resources, educators need to be savvy in conducting standards-resources gap analyses. When there is a robust understanding of their agreement on the standards-based learning expectations, both vertically and horizontally, teachers (and students) can begin to truly own their resources, rather than the resources owning them!
This photo captures a moment in time when a team of elementary teachers was working on a standards-resources gap analysis focused on their use of the EngageNY English Language Arts (ELA) modules coupled with state-assessment score trends that revealed areas of concern. First, they spent time on standards literacy and a deeper understanding of the CCLS ELA standards. Second, they agreed on the critical skills their students needed systemically to be successful and reach independency related to the areas of concern.
Next, they evaluated the modules inclusion of the in-focus standards and aligned critical skills by reviewing the units’ lessons, activities, and assessments. They found gaps in learning that they determined needed to be rectified immediately. To close the gaps instructionally, they developed ancillary unit requirements by either designing an additional unit or determining a module's activities that could be removed and replaced with in-district resources and appropriate OER materials. Lastly, they began designing formative and summative assessments to aid in evaluating students’ independency and transfer capabilities for the identified standards’ learning expectations.
Since a standards-resources gap analysis needs to be customized for a learning organization, Janet works diligently to ensure that the specific analysis model leads to empowering educators in confidently determining how current, as well as future, resources meet the needs of their learners, and for themselves.
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