Professional Development Resources – FAQs
Does DRC offer professional development to help teachers understand the data collected during the identification process?
Yes! DRC has developed a suite of robust Professional Development modules designed to empower teachers, both EL/ML certified and content area teachers, by connecting the data collected during LAS Links testing with classroom strategies to help teachers and students reach their targets and goals.
By engaging in the academic language and item level data provided by LAS Links interim assessments, educators can provide evidence-based instruction and in-turn select High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) that meet students at their current level and accelerate growth across all four language domains.
Delivered either online or onsite, modules include:
MODULE 1
LAS Links 101: Navigating the Data and Reports
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Better understand “what the data means”, i.e. “what is a scale score?”
- Analyze and interpret students’ results to uncover trends.
- Fully understand the data in order to connect to appropriate classroom strategies.
- Easily navigate the LAS Links Interactive Reporting System to generate, download and print reports.
MODULE 2
Implementing Data Driven Strategies to Achieve Growth Targets
Description: This module supports the use of the growth study developed by DRC, helping districts to set and meet their growth targets.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Set correct growth targets based on “baseline” LAS Links scale scores and the DRC growth targets.
- Develop instructional strategies specific to domain and composite growth target needs (by student/by cohort) as determined by the district.
- Investigate trends and outcomes from previous administrations (met/missed growth targets).
MODULE 3
Connecting the Data to the Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
Description: This module guides participants on how to dig into the LAS Links Strand Scores to determine for each of the strands if students need Tier 1, Tier 2, and/or Tier 3 interventions.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Develop the LAS Links Strands Roster report in order to determine the MTSS tiers for each strand/student.
- Link the students’ results to data driven instructional strategies based on their indicated “tiered” need.
- Gain a better understanding of how the LAS Links data can allow teachers to differentiate needs within their classroom.
- Develop strategies when inevitably student data will indicate the need for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions across a single class/group of students.
MODULE 4
LAS Links Item Analysis – Focus on Subskills and Objectives
Description: This module reviews student performance on each item on the LAS Links assessment allowing teachers to cross reference to the subskills and objectives measured by each item.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Understand how to interpret their students’ performance on each item of the assessment while gaining a better understanding of what is being measured.
- Develop an understanding of the rubrics used to score the Speaking and Writing subtests of the assessment.
- Create and implement specific lessons focused on introducing and practicing each subskill that the LAS Links results indicated is a needed focus either by student or group. This is not to teach to the test but rather to develop strategies focus on the subskills and objectives being measured.
MODULE 5
Connecting Language and Achievement Data: A Holistic Approach
Description: This module provides guidance regarding the difference between language and achievement but emphasizes the critical impact of both on educational outcomes.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Better understand the difference between language and achievement in both the context of education and assessment.
- Use both language and achievement data to develop a holistic view/understanding of a student’s profile.
- Using both language and achievement data, pinpoint where language strategies to develop core content language may/can directly impact achievement growth.
MODULE 6
LAS Links and Parent Engagement
Description: This module provides district personnel with tips and tools they can use to engage parents in their student’s language journey through the lens of LAS Links performance data.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Enhance parent engagement both in parent/teacher meeting settings as well as larger community type settings by providing information parent’s find meaningful. For example:
- Why are you testing my student?
- What are you using to test my student?
- What do the test results mean?
- What do you do with the test results?
MODULE 7
Student Engagement: “Leveling Up!”
Description: This module provides strategies to engage students in their own language journey.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Motivate EL/ML students to put forth their best effort not only on test day but all along their language journey.
Intended Outcomes:
- Students will have a better understanding of their own LAS Links data and therefore a better understanding of their own “grows” and “glows”.
- Leverage students’ understanding of their language strengths so they are aware of their own language use and knowledge.
- Engaging students in seeing/setting/monitoring their own growth targets makes students not just part of the process but empowers students in their own language journey. This leads to more engagement and effort.
- Increase students’ language proficiency, Title III, daily core content and achievement performance.
MODULE 8
Understanding Oracy’s Role in Literacy and Biliteracy
Description: This module focuses on connecting the LAS Link Oral/Oracy score to the LAS Links Literacy score to allow teachers to strategically plan their instruction so that it supports each student’s individual path to literacy.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Better understand the role Oracy plays in a students Literacy development
- Crosswalk student LAS Links performance on Speaking/Listening and Reading/Writing Subskills and Objectives to determine specific strategies
- Uncover trends to leverage skills in dominant areas to grow other areas of language and literacy development
- Implement specific cooperative learning strategies that will leverage a student’s oracy and/or literacy skills while helping to build the oracy and/or literacy skills of their partner(s).
MODULE 9
LAS Links Español: Strengthening Bilingualism and Biliteracy
Description: This module has two main points of emphasis: 1) using LAS Links Espanol data to monitor the progress of Spanish language development in a Spanish Dual Language Programs and 2) comparing students’ English and Spanish language proficiency to determine language dominance.
Purpose: To engage stakeholders to:
- Analyze and interpret students’ LAS Links Español results to uncover trends.
- Fully understand the data in order to connect to appropriate classroom strategies.
- Develop a full linguistic profile (Relative Language Proficiency, RLP) of each student and group of students.
- Turnkey the students’ RLP results into data driven instructional strategies.
- Draw meaningful conclusions regarding where students are on their path to biliteracy and how to tailor instruction (both language and core content, English and Spanish) to support student language growth.
How much do the Professional Development Modules cost?
Please see the order forms for pricing.