Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/437000
WNTER 2014 | wyoea.org 21 What has 3 parts, takes a school year or semester to complete, and measures student growth? A Student Learning Objective. WEA is part of a larger consortium of state NEA affiliates working on SLOs and has sent a number of members and staff to trainings in Minneapolis, MN, and Alexandria, SD, to learn more about them. Now the training has begun in Wyoming: 11 educators from the southeast Wyoming area and 4 WEA staff members participated in an intense 3-day training in Cheyenne November 16-18. The trainer, Dr. Jeri Thompson, works for the Center for Assessment, a nationally-recognized non-profit based in New Hampshire Why should we be interested in SLOs? Student Learning Objectives are a possible answer to the student achievement portion of the teacher evaluation requirements in the newest accountability bill. The legislature has already determined that 20% of teacher evaluation will be based on student achievement; SLOs would be a way for a teacher to select what data is used for that purpose. This is important to all teachers, but especially to teachers in non-tested subjects and grades. An SLO consists of 3 parts: student learning goal, assessment, and target. The student learning goal should be something that spans a number of units, be based on a "big idea," and be an important part of a student's learning. The assessment should include multiple measures and sources. It could include a state or district test, anecdotal data such as a survey, student attendance, or teacher- created assessments. The target should be a representative sample of students, such as a single class of the four sections of the same subject or grade level taught. SLOs can be individual, group or school-wide, depending on the student learning goal that is selected. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these approaches, and some subjects lend themselves to individual rather than group SLOs. Once the SLO is developed, it is approved by a group of teachers or the administrator, and then implementation begins. There are check-ins along the way, and there is an opportunity for a mid- term correction if something changes dramatically, such as students moving away, a goal that is too high or too low, or some catastrophic event occurring. Student results are used to inform instruction and work toward the goal. WEA Leads the Way On Student Learning Objectives Judy Trohkimoinen WEA Central/Northeast UniServ Director jtrohkimoinen@wyoea.org How different are SLOs than what teachers already do? This is only a more formalized process. Good teaching includes all of these elements, including looking at student data to inform instruction. Even if the legislature goes a different direction than SLOs for the student achievement part of accountability, this is still a valuable tool. This first cadre will work on fine-tuning their SLO skills throughout this year and will then assist Jeri to train a new group. Applications for the next SLO training cohort will be open to all members across the state, but final selection will be limited to approximately 50 participants. The training will take place June 11-13 in Jackson. Watch for more information soon!