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Sunday, June 11, 2023

Exposing the Gap Between Alignment Claims and Objective: Repeating Patterns

An Eyebrow-Raising Experience

Several years ago, a group of first-grade teachers, including myself, attended a presentation by a math textbook company vying for the textbook adoption contract in our school district. The presenter proudly emphasized that a first-grade teacher created the curriculum. The following day, I found myself in another meeting with the same presenter, this time for the kindergarten textbook adoption. Unbeknownst to her, I had been present at the previous day's presentation. Assuming all attendees were kindergarten teachers, she made a similar pitch asserting that a kindergarten teacher developed the curriculum. If only she had been consistent! She would have maintained her credibility. It's not that I want to be skeptical, but when it comes to educational products, it's crucial to approach them with discernment. Companies trying to make a sale may only sometimes be forthcoming about their products. I have realized the importance of carefully examining any educational resource, and I will raise my eyebrows if the claimed alignment with an objective doesn't align with the provided activities.

Buyer Beware!

In the vast world of educational resources, there is a barrage of claims of alignment to specific standards. Textbooks, online learning websites, and countless printable worksheets all boast about their alignment with the standards we must teach. With such a wealth of options at our disposal, it is crucial that we carefully analyze each resource and determine for ourselves whether they truly support our desired objectives. 

The Learning Objective

Let us take a moment to examine the objective at hand: K.13 - The student will identify, describe, extend, create, and transfer repeating patterns. While this objective may seem straightforward, it is essential to delve deeper and explore the additional insights offered by the Virginia Department of Education Curriculum Framework. Observe these details, as they provide valuable guidance in our instructional decision-making.

"Fully Aligned"???

Image we stumble upon an online learning program that claims complete alignment with our objective. We envision using it as a math center to reinforce the standard. The program advertises various patterning activities that align with our goal, presenting subsets focused on colors, sizes and shapes. The activities instruct students to copy the pattern shown by choosing a shape, color, or size and dragging it into the appropriate space on the screen.

First Set of Activities and Its Insufficiency

Pause and reflect on the objective again: K.13 - The student will identify, describe, extend, create, and transfer repeating patterns. Copying a pattern does not fulfill these requirements. It does not involve identifying, describing, extending, creating, or transferring a pattern. Merely replicating a given pattern does not encompass the objective we strive to teach. The photo of the activity shown below does not have the students extend the pattern. They merely copy the pattern shown above their work space.

Example of copying a repeating pattern.

Furthermore, we find some significant gaps when we assess the activities provided by this online program. The images used are shapes of varying sizes and colors, neglecting the inclusion of sound or movement. The repeating patterns used are limited to AB, ABC, and ABB, omitting the practice of AABB or AAB patterns. Additionally, there is no progression or leveling between the three patterns used (AB, ABC, and AAB) jumping from one problem to another without allowing focused practice on a specific pattern. This misalignment contradicts the examples cited VDOE Curriculum Framework for kindergarten. Upon closer examination, we also realize that there are statements in bold print to indicate alignment with the curriculum framework. Such as, this statement: "Identify and describe the core (the part of the sequence that repeats) found in repeating patterns of common objects, sounds, movements, and pictures." But the activity does not have students identify or describe the core.

Another Set of Activities - Not Enough to Fulfill the Objective

The next set of activities has a statement that says, "Extend a repeating pattern by adding at least two complete repetitions of the core to the pattern." However, upon closer examination, we discover that the activities do not require THE STUDENTS to add two full repeats of the core.

Extend repeating pattern one repetition

This misalignment further highlights the disconnect between the claimed alignment and the actual practice. The activity in the photo shown above allows the student to complete one repetition of the core - not two repetitions of the core.

The End-Users are Children

Educational websites that assert alignment to specific standards are misrepresenting their products. Their clients, often school systems with limited budgets, invest in division-wide subscriptions for access. However, it is the children who are the end-users. Kindergarten children are not sophisticated enough to understand the substandard quality of the educational materials delivered to them. As responsible adults, we must speak up on our students' behalf and voice our concerns. Let companies know that their deceptive claims of alignment are fooling no one. It is important to note that just because a website displays the Virginia flag does not necessarily mean the Virginia Department of Education approves it. View the VDOE website for vetted materials and carefully evaluate products you find that they do not endorse.  

Need for Legislation

While we await potential legislation to prevent such false claims, educators must remain vigilant when selecting educational resources. Let us advocate for the best interests of our students and strive for accurate alignment with the standards we teach. Together, we can ensure that our students receive the quality products they deserve and avoid doing business with companies who attempt to deceive us.

Future Blog Post

In my next blog post, I will showcase products that authentically teach the standard, providing indisputable evidence of their alignment with the objective.

Past Blog Posts About Repeating Patterns for Kindergarten

View more about repeating patterns from my past posts and grab a free rubric! Here are the links:

Repeating Patterns in Kindergarten: The Many Layers of a Learning Objective

Kindergarten Repeating Patterns Objective: Unveiling the Five Components

The Magic of Patterns: How Young Children Express Repeating Patterns with Objects, Pictures, Sounds, and Movement

YouTube Video

Watch me demonstrate the activities mentioned in this post on my YouTube channel.  Watch it here: Repeating Patterns in Kindergarten: Activities That Miss the Mark

Get notifications when I post new content on YouTube. Subscribe to my channel here: Lessons by Molly @ YouTube

© 2023 Molly McMahon, Lessons by Molly

(References: 1.  Virginia Department of Education, Standards of Learning, 2016.)



 

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