If you are located in North Carolina, we charge an additional 7.75% for taxes.

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Learning-Focused and Learning Disabilities While it would be ideal for a student with a learning disability, such as dyslexia, to be in a regular classroom with a teacher specifically trained how to best instruct the student based on his/her disability, a Learning-Focused classroom will offer many advantages to students with learning disabilities. In Learning-Focused classrooms, teachers put much more emphasis on:

• Connecting prior knowledge of students to the content

• Activating student thinking (helping them focus)

• Learning vocabulary (knowing and gaining vocabulary is THE KEY to learning) through exemplary vocabulary strategies (not spelling books, vocabulary books, or reading/writing definitions)

• Organizing and storing information using advance and graphic organizers (and then using them to recall information for a purpose)

• Working with partners to create understanding

• Distributing instruction and practice (instead of teaching a long time followed up with a long period of practice and homework)

• Using writing to learn, instead of learning to write (much less emphasis on grammar, spelling, etc. and more on enjoyment of learning through writing)

• Allowing students strengths to guide higher level thinking activities

• Students summarizing their learning in many diverse ways

• Preparing at-risk students in advance (learning skills/strategies in advance) of the classroom instruction so that they are successful at the time of intended learning (reduces remediation by 65%)

• Scaffolding grade level expected work so at-risk students can be successful with grade level requirements

This is not an exhaustive list, but is an example of what a Learning-Focused trained teacher will be doing in their classroom. Again, these are practices we find happening consistently and pervasively in the top 5% of schools in America. Typical schools will be doing a few of these practices, but not most of the time, nor by most of the teachers. Learning-Focused schools strive to become one of the top 5% exemplary schools using these practices and more, all of which are proven to help at-risk students (including students with learning disabilities) be successful.

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Grading System Suggestions

There is a very good publication on McRel's website (http://www.mcrel.org) about implementing standards-based grading systems. Robert Marzano conducted a 4 year study on standards-based grading, how to do it, why do it, and includes lots of examples. We have had experience with this system in New Hartford Schools, NY. The teachers and parents really liked it once the initial shock of how different it was wore off.

While Marzano's Standard-Based Grading and Doug Reeve's work on assessment are both good references, one of the best summary of principles of effective grading is in Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design (ASCD) by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe. In their chapter on grading and reporting they answer the question: What grading and reporting practices support learning and encourage learners? They recommend six key principles:

1. Grades are based on clear learning goals and performance standards.
2. Evidence used for grading should be valid. (measures what we intend to measure)
3. Grading should be based on established criteria, not arbitrary.
4. Not everything should be included in grades.
5. Avoid grading based on averages and
6. Factors such as effort, participation, attendance, homework, etc. should be addressed separately.

If all of these recommendations are followed, grading would in fact be both fair and encouraging.

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Learning-Focused Solutions, Inc. will accept returns of products within 30 days of receipt of shipment for a refund. Learning-Focused Solutions, Inc. will accept returns of products within 45 days of receipt of shipment for an exchange or store credit.

All products must be unopened, unused, and still in their plastic wrap.

Call 866-95-LEARN to arrange the return for a refund or exchange.

Shipping and Handling charges are not refundable.

Products purchased that are made to order (Coaches Binders, Monitoring Binders, Redelivery Notes) will not be accepted for exchange or refund.

Defective products will be exchanged for the same product only.

If you have any questions about this refund and exchange policy, the practices of this site or the companies, or your dealings with this Web site, you can contact:

Learning-Focused Solutions, Inc.
PO Box 2112
Boone, NC 28607
866-95-LEARN
866-77-LEARN (Fax)

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Do you have questions about Learning-Focused, such as:

* does Learning-Focused work?
* what does Learning-Focused prepare students for?
* does Learning-Focused force teaching to the test?
* and many more questions.

Click here to find your answers

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The following websites contain resources and information supporting the Learning-Focused Schools Model

Units, Lesson Plans, and Teaching Strategies:
http://www.title3.org
http://www.teach-nology.com (mega-search engine for lesson plans)
http://www.mcrel.org/resources/links/math/mathlessons.asp
http://www.mcrel.org/resources/links/science/sciencelessons.asp
http://www.mcrel.org/resources/links/lang/langlessons.asp
http://www.mcrel.org/resources/links/history/historylessons.asp
http://www.mcrel.org/resources/links/health/healthlessons.asp
http://www.mcrel.org/resources/links/geography/geographylessons.asp
http://www.mcrel.org/resources/links/tech/techlessons.asp
http://www.capeweb.org (arts)
http://www.guilford.k12.ct.us (Excellent site for links to resources for AP Biology)

Rubrics:
http://rubistar.4teachers.org

Performance Assessments:
http://www.exemplars.com
http://www.pals.sri.com
http://www.ctcurriculum.org
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise/cl1/

Links to Content Standards:
http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks (A searchable database of 225 content standards and 3,968 benchmarks in all 14 subject areas)
http://www.nc.uk.net (British National Curriculum: content standards and rubrics in all disciplines)

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We are working on some new project data.

We have long term data here about achievement gains when schools implemented the Learning-Focused Schools Model.

You can also look at our Presidential Preferred Schools Data

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At this time, other than what is in Toolbox, we do not have example units to share. Currently we do not have a method for teachers to share their units with us in order to share them with you. We are working on a search/sharing tool in Toolbox that will allow this that we hope to have available this year.

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At Learning-Focused we do not specifically deal with scheduling. That being said, "Block Scheduling: A Catalyst for Change in High Schools" by Robert Canady and Michael Rettig is the "bible" of block scheduling. This is what anyone considering a variation of the block schedule should read first. A number of articles from Michael Rettig are also readily available online.

Doing a quick Google search will produce thousands of sites with suggestions for schedules.

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Learning-Focused is not a program, we are a model. Most of the feedback from performance-based educators usually has to do with how they have been teaching this way for years and it connects very well with their instructional styles. So, of course Learning-Focused is for performance-based classes as well as regular education.

It is as much the responsibility of performance-based educators as the regular education teacher to ensure that students can read, write, perform computations, use comprehension strategies to understand, and most importantly think.

All performance-based coursed have concepts that can be instructed using exemplary practices very well. Each of those courses has standards, objectives, or curriculum guides to help. Consider this -

1. Based on the standards and objectives, what do you want students to know or do by the end of the lesson? Those objectives can be asked as one or more questions at the beginning of the instructional period. These would be your essential questions.
2. In order to perform or produce something, students must have some background knowledge or skills that need to be activated OR background knowledge or skills that need to be provided. This would include several things in every lesson, most notably vocabulary words, previous performance steps learned, and graphic organizers that help students sequence events, organize steps in a process or organize different/related concepts. This is activating thinking and is only 10% of the time of a lesson. If I were a swimming teacher and I was going to do a lesson on a specific stroke or turn or dive, I might activate thinking by previewing the name of the action and previewing a sequencing graphic organizer with them on a familiar concept. I might even show them videos of famous swimmers performing the same action. Or, I might do a KWL to find out what students already know about the skill.
3. In each of your performance-based classes, students must learn something in order to perform it. The important thing here is, WHY are you having students do this performance? Is it just additional practice that will help make them more fluent with the skill? While that does happen and is necessary it would not be a lesson. Practice comes after students have learned new skills or information. Once you have the "Why", the rest is easy. The why, by the way, is usually determined by the standards or course objectives and is asked as a question at the beginning of the lesson as an essential question. At this point in the lesson, however, it is time to provide activities and instruction so students will learn. They must first learn something before they can perform. In performance based classes this is usually the history of the skill/concept, a sequence of steps, how it relates to what has already been learned, etc... It is important as teachers that you decide what students must learn in order to be able to answer the essential question. This provides you with your lesson benchmarks - points in the lesson that students should master before moving on. Things to remember during this teaching part of the lesson:
1. Learning is first social so have students (best in pairs) discuss skills/knowledge throughout the lesson.
2. Writing is important in ALL courses, so be sure to have students complete organizers and write from them. For example, if the organizer was on the steps in the process of painting a portrait, students would then use the completed organizer to paint what the different steps looked like on a cartoon strip like diagram and write a caption in their own words that describes what they painted in each step and why.
3. Distributed practice/summarizing is critical to ensure students are learning at the appropriate lesson benchmarks. In the example we just gave, students would not complete the graphic organizer all at once. After each step in the process, they would practice or summarize their learning.
4. Important vocabulary words must be taught in context again (after they were previewed at the beginning) during the teaching part of the lesson.
4. This is perhaps the easiest part of the lesson. Have students answer the essential question. In performance based classes the realm of possibilities is wide open. Students should write at some point, but there is usually some kind of performance or product that demonstrates mastery of the lesson standard(s).

That is it for an acquisition lesson! EATS - Four simple parts. Remember, a lesson isn't determined by time (such as a day). A lesson is as long as it takes for students to learn and be able to answer the essential question.

Of course, another great thing about performance-based classes is that it is so much fun to also teach extending thinking strategies and have students use the extending thinking strategies with the class content. Again, the possibilities are endless for comparing/contrasting, analyzing perspectives, error analysis, inductive/deductive reasoning, classifying/categorizing, and more. Performances and products lend themselves to extending thinking. So, not only is "hands on" time abundant in acquisition lessons, but it is even more so in extending thinking lessons/activities for the most essential course concepts.

To ensure that students not only know how to do something, but know why, just make sure that you activate their thinking, preview vocabulary, have them organize what they learn in organizers, talk to each other about what they are learning/doing in pairs, getting practice or summarizing throughout the learning process, teach them vocabulary in context, have them write what they have learned or are doing down in fun ways (stories, brochures, research papers, comics, etc...) and that they can answer the essential question both in writing and with a product or performance.

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It has been established for several years that one critical factor in kindergarten writing is that it supports a writing-to-read process in children. Whereas much attention has been directed to early intervention in beginning reading, instructional goals for writing in kindergarten classrooms have also been established for quite some time (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). However, due to wide-spread misunderstanding of the concept and term of developmentally appropriate, the standards have not been routinely established in many parts of the US. Developmentally Appropriate is HOW you teach, not WHAT you teach. With this in mind, along with the research base in understanding the writing-to-read kindergarten goals and process, the following standards, issued by the National Research Council (1999, revised 2003) illustrate the writing accomplishments that students should meet by the end of kindergarten:

1. Independently writes many uppercase and lowercase letters.
2. Uses phonemic awareness and letter knowledge to spell independently (invented or creative).
3. Writes (unconventionally) to express own meaning.
4. Builds a repertoire of some conventionally spelled words.
5. Shows awareness of distinction between "kid writing" and conventional orthography.
6. Can construct 6-8 writing-to-inform sentences on a single topic, using creative and/or conventionally spelled words.
7. Can construct 2-4 creative writing sentences on a single topic, using creative and/or conventionally spelled words.

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Learning-Focused Reading Model describes, models and gives suggestions for implementing the five components of any good balanced literacy program. Students should experience these components everyday and the teachers need to ensure that the model is balanced to meet the needs of the students. It is important for students to work with grade level text (Teacher Directed) as well as with their instructional level (Flexible Grouping). There should be an explicit phonics program which teaches students how words work (Word Work). A time for students to read independently on their instructional reading level to build stamina and initiate the love of reading is also important (Self-selected). All of these components are extended and refined into the writing component. It is important for students to write everyday (Writing). Learning Concepts' Balanced Literacy consists of these five components and sets the structure for building a "tool box" for strategic instruction.

Accelerated Reader is a personalized instructional program. It meets the needs of the students on their appropriate reading level. It ensures success, initiates time on task and monitors the student's progress. Self confidence and motivation is built through assessments and adjusted instruction.

Learning-Focused reading model and Accelerated Reader are interconnected in various ways. They both focus on the appropriate reading level of the students which promotes growth and confidence to ensure success. This instructional framework allows teachers to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students. The Learning-Focused Balanced Literacy reading model extends this framework to grade level instruction. This component monitors progress and directs instruction to prepare students for the end of the year test. Students have to be exposed to grade level text as well as text on their instructional level. The Learning-Focused model does both.

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Parent Involvement is central for successfully implementing the Learning-Focused model. The major focus of the Learning-Focused model is increased student achievement through higher student performance. Student performance is increased by consistently and pervasively implementing proven exemplary practices and through increased accountability - for students, teachers, administrators and parents.

During the Leadership phase of implementing the Learning-Focused model, superintendents, school board members, principals, and teacher leaders learn about exemplary practices and their potential for increasing student achievement. Part of the implementation plan is for the administrators to involve the community (parents) in the change process. This includes communication about the changes in the classroom, expectations for students, and the accountability plan for students.

During the Learning-Focused Strategies phase (training and implementation of the instructional strategies by classroom teachers), and the other instructional strategies phases (Reading Comprehension, Differentiated Assignments, and Catching Kids Up to name a few) teachers acquire the skills and knowledge to implement the Learning-Focused Strategies. Many of the strategies include components that involve parents. Some examples are student-led conferencing, conference logs, communicating with parents about individual student learning styles, accountability plans, reading logs, reading strategies for parents, rubric assessments, and acceleration strategies for parents.

Including parents in the implementation planning process, communicating about accountability, and conducting parent trainings for many of the strategies (especially Learning-Focused Reading Comprehension and vocabulary strategies from Catching Kids Up) are suggested practices when implementing the Learning-Focused model from Learning Concepts, Inc. Involving parents in these key areas has a profound impact on student performance not only because they use exemplary practices but also because students will begin to get the same strategies and learning vocabulary both at school and at home. Parents who understand some basics of the model and/or key strategies can hold their children more accountable for increasing performance.

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Alignment of Learning-Focused Strategies Model and Danielson’s Framework for Teaching:

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Many schools are implementing instructional frameworks using units and curriculum mapping. Schools
that have been through the Learning-Focused Strategies workshops have teachers that are trained to
plan using exemplary instruction through a standards driven unit design. The strength of mapping
curriculum through units allows for efficient, connected instructional planning tied directly to state and/or
national objectives. During LFS training, teachers are provided with the tools, knowledge, and support
necessary to deliver instruction through a unit framework.

How are the two models, Learning-Focused Strategies (LFS) and Understanding By Design (UBD),
alike and different?

Both LFS and UBD are backward-design planning models. Teachers' planning for student learning is
essential for both models to succeed. While UBD is tied to student understanding, it does not explicitly
address instructional strategies or higher level thinking. LFS is a model that is tied specifically to raising
achievement and embedding research-based strategies and evidence-based practices into lessons and
units. UBD does not include the instructional support necessary for teachers to successfully create
exemplary lesson plans for learning. UBD is very specific on using state objectives and content when
planning, making unit goals the strongest component of UBD, which adequately compares to the LFS
Model of K-U-D Organizers and Student Learning Maps. Both models have quality Performance
Task/Assessment components.

How can schools that have UBD units use Learning-Focused?

Schools that have been implementing UBD will find that instead of replacing UBD with LFS, they can
adapt the UBD developed maps to the strengths of the LFS Model to reach the achievement goals
desired. As shown in the comparison diagram on the next page, at the very least, the weak instructional
component of UBD should be supported by the extensive instructional component (Acquisition Lessons
and Extending Thinking Lessons) of LFS.

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