An upper elementary classroom has a demographic representing a range of English language proficiency levels among students. Many students are in their first year attending school at the district and are new to learning English. This consideration would influence how students in the classroom learn vocabulary and acquire English language skills, and develop their knowledge of content. Instructional design and implementation including teaching methods, use of materials, communication with students, and the structuring of learning activities is essential for developing success for these learners.

Utilizing visual aids is a strategy considered best practice for instructing English language learners. A few ways to incorporate this would be posting vocabulary word labels around the classroom along with a visual portraying the word. For example, in the science center, a poster can display words associated with science equipment like microscopes or safety glasses along with corresponding images of those words. The poster could also include key procedural words used in science activities, such as "test" or "record," with images that align to testing and recording data. Content area instruction would need frequent use of visual supports such as videos, photos, graphs, and color coding of information. Learning activities could be established as a planned sequence of skills or tasks that could be presented and described using a checklist with visual graphics symbolizing each skill or task to be completed.

Visual aids help address the needs of all students, especially the student demographic that this classroom is composed of. Visual supports such as those mentioned help bridge communication between the teacher and students to promote greater access to vocabulary, content, and procedures. There is greater opportunity for each student to become independent to learn concepts and develop skills when visual aids are used.

Across the district there appears to be growing concern on the effectiveness of the existing instructional program outlined to address bullying. It's become evident that a review of the program is necessary. Reasons for the program evaluation stem from an increase in communication from families and guardians stating that their children are being bullied both in school classroom settings and in less supervised environments such as school common area spaces, extracurricular events, or on social media platforms. Bus drivers have also submitted recent reports of bullying incidents, some of which involved physical altercations. Teachers share that students can be competitive but overall seem focused on learning.

Given the rise in reporting on bullying-related incidents, it becomes a priority to implement a process for the evaluation of data captured by the district's incident tracking platform. The platform used by district personnel to input a record of bullying incidents should already have an algorithm feature that points to patterns, trends, and the identification of areas that are high incidence or high risk. Consulting this data captured by the tracking tool allows the curriculum and instructional leader to make more informed decisions on components of the bullying program that need further development. For example, data may reflect that the majority of incidents submitted into the platform by teachers and staff occur outside of classroom space like hallways, cafeterias, and locker rooms.

By thoroughly assessing incidents, leveraging the right technology tools, and implementing effective instructional strategies within the existing program to diffuse bullying, the district can make a significant impact on their educational practices. The instructional program then has greater potential to be more impactful.

Evidence of student engagement levels during walkthroughs and classroom observations is lacking. This problem persists throughout the district. Consultation with district and building leaders regarding instructional practice in areas such as student engagement levels is important. Opportunities to consult the leadership team enable the district to examine root causes of instructional problems, and garner unified support to address this problem district wide. A collaborative focus on a district-wide problem will facilitate student performance for not just a classroom, grade level, or school, but for the district as a whole.

An approach taken by a curriculum and instructional leader to support improved instructional practice for student engagement would be to set up a meeting with district stakeholders such as administrators, specialists, department chairs, or grade-level leads. At this meeting, evidence of recent student engagement levels can be presented, followed by discussion, and result in surveys or a needs assessment on best ways to address the problem. The consultation should lead to an outcome that will provide teachers with resources to improve engagement in the classroom. Staff development training topics could encompass ways to improve the use of open-ended questioning techniques or the differentiation of lesson plans to accommodate various learning needs in order to improve engagement levels.

Collaboration to address instructional practice leads to effective implementation for accomplishment of district goals and support for student learning. Through consultation, stakeholders have improved communication pathways to generate relevant resources to address areas such as student engagement. Without efforts to consult and collaborate, there can be misalignment in executing district goals to address problems or areas of concern. Most importantly, outcomes for learning and students' progress will be enhanced because of this collaboration.

Grade 7 math standards that need to be addressed at Caledonia Street Middle School are 7.PAR.3 and 7.GSR.5.

Student performance data shown in Document C for 7.PAR.3 and 7.GSR.5 reveal stagnant growth at each level, even evidence of decline when comparing percentages. Three years ago, data for 7.PAR.3 reflects that 28% percent  of the school's student population achieved at the beginning level, while 12% percent  achieved at the distinguished level. Those percentages are similar for those levels last year. Data tracks along those same lines for 7.GSR.5; 3 years ago, 29% percent  of the student population was at the beginning level, with 11% percent  at the distinguished level, while last year 28% percent  at the beginning level, and only 9% percent  had reached the distinguished level.

Document D summarizes teachers' responses about instructional materials and approaches used during the 1st and 3rd years of the new math curriculum. Math standard 7.PAR.3 requires that students "represent authentic situations using equations and inequalities with variables…". When reviewing evidence from this document, of the teachers who responded to the questionnaire 3 years ago, 40% percent  reported that they either "Always" or "Often" provided students with real-life applications using the STEM explorations section of the curriculum. Last year, on that same question, 0% percent  of the teachers responded "Always," 20% percent  responded "Often." Comments left by teachers in the questionnaire are also important to consider. Three years ago, teachers wrote that students are engaged with the curriculum much more and that students like the activity types. Teachers also referenced the new curriculum as doing a good job promoting conceptual understanding but does not give students enough opportunities to practice solving problems. Last year, teachers responded with the following comments: "I'm using more of my own worksheets and assessments because I find those included with the curriculum materials are often confusing or too difficult." "My class really isn't ready for the open-ended nature of some of the projects unless I modify them." Information from Document D reflects that there was more use of the curriculum upon the first year of its implementation. Last year's responses indicated that teachers appear to be using their own instructional materials or resources more.

An instructional approach to address both standards is teachers' increased use of the curriculum's real-life applications of mathematics using the STEM Explorations sections. An example that may be included in the Explorations sections is one where students are charged to design and construct an insulated container for drinking water. Parameters would be set for the activity by the teacher, and students would need to know how to solve for area of circles, surface area of prisms, & cylinders. The parameters set would allow for student choice and engagement while utilizing equations as noted in standard 7.PAR.3 and problem solving identified in 7.GSR.5. Refocusing teachers on the instructional materials and approaches that are part of the curriculum is an effective way to continue implementation of approaches like this.

An approach for evaluating student growth would be the use of pre- and post-assessments. Document D references the curriculum's Chapter Readiness Check pre-assessments, which could be used with a post-assessment aligned to the pre-assessment. This approach supports what is already being called upon in Document E for professional development. Actions across the 3-year span include professional-development topics that target student monitoring of learning and student assessment development such as seen in Year 1, Quarters 1 & 4; Year 2, Quarters 2 & 3; and Year 3, Quarters 2 & 4. This approach will provide teachers with necessary feedback so that instructional adjustments can be made to achieve the school improvement goals for Grade 7 mathematics.

The learning environment can be designed as an equitable learning space to support student learning and address students' strengths and needs. Features of equitable learning spaces involve the use of relevant resources, meaning that texts and materials reflect the different backgrounds of students. An equitable learning space is one that is safe and involves all students, which can be reflected in the use of community building, student interest surveys, reflection, and varied activities. Document A cites demographic information about the 812 students enrolled at Caledonia Street Middle School; ensuring that classrooms promote equitable learning spaces should be a priority for the middle school teachers to establish and maintain.

Implementation of structured dialogue techniques is an instructional approach enabling students to develop knowledge and skills while participating and engaging in discourse with peers about content. Examples of structured dialogue techniques that work well across content areas include think-pair-share, Socratic seminars, and fishbowl discussions. When students are tasked to approach problem-solving tasks in math or science, think-pair-share is a common technique requiring participation from each student to think about and apply understanding for solutions to the problem. In English language arts, structured dialogue works effectively for literature circle book discussions or peer review of writing samples. In these settings, students collaborate through structured discussions to gain new insights and ideas from each other. Teachers would have the role of creating question prompts aligned to lesson objectives or standards to provide students with focus for dialogue. Additionally, teachers can assign or determine roles for students when structured dialogue techniques are used that are based on students' strengths or needs.

The Constructivism Learning Theory emphasizes the importance of active student engagement, collaborative learning, and open dialogue for students to construct their own knowledge. Structured dialogue and constructivism share the key points of social interactions, student-centered learning, and building on prior knowledge. Research supports that the middle school learner more effectively engages with and builds knowledge when there are opportunities to socially interact and collaborate with peers on learning tasks. This theory fosters curiosity in learning, a sense of belonging, and the reflection of views and values, which are characteristics of how middle school students approach life and learning.

Information from the artifacts supports why elements of this theory should be implemented with greater intention to support learning for all students at Caledonia Street Middle. Based on the instructional approaches listed in Document D, very few of the approaches align to what is supported by Constructivism. "Give Time for Students to Collaborate to Develop Solutions to Problems" is an instructional approach used by the teachers who responded to the questionnaire, yet percentages are not as high as they could be in the "Always Use" or "Often Use" columns. Document E doesn't provide evidence that the school's action plan drives professional development to apply Constructivism Learning Theory into their instruction. Devoting professional development seminar topics that will help teachers implement the ideas of this theory with greater frequency may be what is needed to move learners from beginning and developing to proficient or distinguished for Grade 7 mathematics.

Interactive videos and simulations are instructional resources that would promote students' progress toward grade 7 math learning standards. Document D provides evidence that teachers at Caledonia Street Middle School are using "Review Videos" as one of the instructional materials/approaches listed. While review videos have importance, teachers should also consider the use of interactive videos and/or simulations to teach the grade 7 math standards. Resources like this encourage students to be engaged throughout the video or simulation by either manipulating what is on the screen or interacting with content presented. For Standard 7.GSR.5, in particular, this resource can be very effective by displaying images of three-dimensional shapes like cubes, cylinders, and prisms. Learners could click to rotate or change the shape in ways that support deeper conceptual knowledge pertaining to volume or area. Integrating increased use of these instructional resources into the math curriculum corroborates with some of the comments shared by teachers in Document D. For example, a teacher comments that worksheets included with the curriculum materials are confusing or difficult for students. Interactive instructional videos or simulations can be an effective supplementary resource to use throughout the curriculum that would likely provide a clearer presentation of information and make learning more accessible for students.

Often instructional resources like this can be assessed for their effectiveness based on assessment and measurement features that already exist within the video or simulation. The software may already have questions generated that students must respond to in real-time as they interact with graphs or algebraic computations. Individualized reports that capture learner responses can be retrieved and analyzed to determine instructional effectiveness. Reports may show that further instruction is required to address learning gaps or misconceptions so that the videos and/or simulations better support students' growth toward the learning standard being addressed. Data gathered could inform how best to differentiate. For example, if only a select number of students need reinforcement of skills or knowledge, re-teaching of skills or knowledge can be provided to small groups as opposed to whole class instruction or intervention. Additionally, there may be options in using the interactive videos or simulations that can be tailored to a variety of students' interests and preferences.

An approach for monitoring teachers' implementation of differentiation strategies in grade 7 mathematics could occur through more targeted quarterly professional development seminars. Document D indicates no change by teachers surveyed from 3 years ago to last year in the approach titled "Differentiate Instruction to Meet Students' Needs." For both times the questionnaire was distributed, only 40% percent  of teacher respondents stated they "Always" differentiate to meet students' needs. Document E details that when teachers were meeting/participating in professional development over the course of Year 1 of the new math curriculum, differentiated instruction topics were emphasized in every quarter. By Year 3 of the curriculum, calling attention to differentiation, specifically, had dropped from the professional-development seminar topics. Future seminar topics should deliver on extending teachers' understanding of differentiated instruction. Formal teacher observations would be an additional way to monitor and provide feedback regarding teachers' use of differentiation in their instruction. This would be key to fostering professional instructional growth to meet the school improvement goal for grade 7 mathematics.