Unlocking Grade-Level Mastery: Navigating Tier 1 Instruction with the SKS Framework

A study by TNTP reveals a stark reality - out of 180 hours of content-specific learning, students only spend 47 hours on grade-level work. This discrepancy not only impacts individual student outcomes but also contributes to the widening academic achievement gap. The solution lies in focusing on Teaching Simplicity and Teacher Clarity. Hattie's research underscores the importance of teacher clarity, with an effect size of 0.85. This blog explores the challenges educators face in ensuring grade-level learning during Tier 1 instruction and introduces the SKS Framework as a powerful scaffold for success.

Unveiling the Challenges

Curricular Complexities

• Curriculum demands often prioritize quantity over quality, making it challenging for teachers to ensure grade-level focus.

• The complexity of standards and expectations can overwhelm educators, impacting their ability to streamline content for grade-level appropriateness.

Testing Pressures

• Summative assessments, including benchmark and state tests, reveal a concerning reality in Arizona, where only 41% of students demonstrate proficiency in reading and writing, and a mere 34% exhibit proficiency in math. Even more worrisome are the statistics for English language learners. 5% of English learners demonstrated proficiency in reading and only 3% of students demonstrated proficiency in math. 

• These low proficiency rates lead to misconceptions about student skills, prompting teachers to potentially lower expectations or carry the cognitive load for students during lessons, creating a misalignment between instructional goals and genuine student needs.

The SKS Framework as a Scaffold 

Aligning with Standards

• Standards play a pivotal role in determining grade-level expectations. The SKS Framework provides a simple scaffold to align lessons with these standards.

• By understanding the cognitive load associated with different skill levels, educators can use SKS to ensure that learning targets are appropriate for the grade level.

Practical Application of SKS

• SKS helps educators identify clear learning targets aligned with assessments, fostering progress toward mastery.

• The framework can be applied universally, whether evaluating curriculum content, Teachers Pay Teachers activities or lessons generated by AI.

Based on the SKS examples can you determine what content area and what grade-level each one addresses? Join us for the webinar to find out the answers with success criteria for each one.

Actionable Advice or Takeaways:

• Administrators and instructional coaches can lead the way by learning how to use SKS during learning walks or modeling it in professional development.

• Educators can leverage SKS as a scaffold for defining clear learning targets aligned with assessments to demonstrate progress toward grade-level mastery.

In conclusion, the combination of Teaching Simplicity, Teacher Clarity, and the SKS Framework forms a potent strategy to bridge the gap in grade-level learning during Tier 1 instruction. By prioritizing these elements, educators can create a consistent culture of successful Tier 1 instruction, reinforcing equity for all learners. Did you know that increased teaching at grade level increases students learning potential by 7.3 months? As mentioned above, remember that improved teacher clarity has a .85 effect size to improve learning outcomes. Imagine the difference you can make by trying SKS to collectively understand what should be taught in Tier 1 instruction. 

Call-to-Action (CTA):

Sign up for a free Finita 30-minute webinar on how the SKS framework can serve as a scaffold to define grade-level appropriate learning opportunities during Tier 1 instruction. Join us to explore a straightforward approach for evaluating lessons and ensuring a sharp focus on grade-level learning opportunities.

Register here for SKS Framework- Identifying Grade-Level Learning Opportunities

Thank you for investing your time in unlocking the secrets to grade-level mastery. Stay tuned for more valuable content in our next post. Your engagement, comments, questions, and feedback are always welcome!