As the year winds down, it’s a perfect time to set yourself up for success in the year ahead.
I have prepared a list of reflection questions to help you think about which practices you want to maintain in the upcoming year and where you might have room for more learning, refinement, or a new approach in the year to come.
Planning & Pacing
- How was pacing in the tier 3 setting this year? Did you feel like students were moved ahead before they had mastered content? Did you feel like you got “stuck in the weeds” on some skills for longer than you would have liked? Or did you feel like you found that “just right” space between supporting students and maintaining a forward focus?
- How was the overall flow of units across the year? Did you feel like you were able to address foundational skills before they showed up in tier 1 instruction? Did you have a good sense of where your students were and where they were going throughout the year?
Supporting blog posts:
- How Do I Support Tier 1 in Math Intervention?
- Math Intervention Planning: Dos and Don’ts
- Math Intervention Schedule: Why Dedicated Time Matters
Assessment & Decision Making
- How did your assessment systems support instruction this year? Did you feel like you had meaningful evidence of student learning?
- Did you have the information you needed to make thoughtful day-to-day instructional decisions?
- Did you feel confident making unit-to-unit decisions?
- Did you have the information needed to advocate for additional support when necessary?
- Did your assessment systems help you make thoughtful decisions about which students should receive tier 3 services?
Supporting blog posts:
- Math Intervention Assessment: How Do I Know if My Student Is On Track?
- Math Intervention Data: Dos and Don’ts
- Simplifying Math Intervention Data
- Organizing Your Fact Fluency Materials
Instructional Practices
- Did your lessons support students through a concrete, representational, abstract progression?
- Did your lessons provide opportunities for students to talk about math and use mathematical vocabulary?
- Did your lessons provide opportunities for productive struggle?
- Did your lessons provide opportunities for number sense development and problem-solving work?
- Did your students gain fluency with math facts across the course of the year?
Supporting blog posts:
- A Better Way to Teach Math Fact Fluency Through Number Relationships
- Why Students Struggle with Word Problems Part 1: Comprehension
- What is The CRA Math Model?
- What Is the 5 Day Focus Math Intervention Program?
Student Independence & Transfer
- Did your lessons give students opportunities to practice skills independently?
- Did the skills students practiced in intervention transfer into independent work and the tier 1 setting?
- Were students becoming more independent and confident across the course of the year?
Supporting blog posts:
This is the time to celebrate what went well, identify practices you want to continue, and think carefully about the practices you would like to strengthen in the year ahead.
