Total Instructional Alignment - An Essential Strategies for Integrating Common Core Standards

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Total Instructional Alignment

From Standards to Success

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What is Total Instructional Alignment?

Middle School Student benefiting from TIA at test time

For over two decades, Lisa Carter has worked to develop and refine a common sense approach to successful classroom implementation of learning standards for increased student achievement. Lisa developed the Total Instructional Alignment™ (TIA) process which has grown into a proven, nationally recognized model for standards implementation. The Total Instructional Alignment process provides a clear, comprehensive and collaborative approach to the alignment of standards, curriculum, assessment and instruction. Currently, Lisa works with educators across the country as they successfully transition to national Common Core standards and assessment through Total Instructional Alignment.

TIA is a proven model for standards-based curriculum, assessment and instructional alignment. The Total Instructional Alignment process will engage teachers in the critical conversations, both at and across grade levels and subject areas, to develop an in-depth understanding of the Common Core State Standards. Teachers work in a collaborative effort to clearly define and sequence what students are expected to know and be able to do in order to meet each learning standard (Task Analysis), develop essential vocabulary for each standard, integrate technology standards to support the learning and develop formative assessments to measure student learning progress. Aligned and appropriate resources are identified to include digital and literary connections that will support instruction.

The initial steps in the TIA process will develop a clear, comprehensive, one-stop instructional guide in digital format that teachers use in planning for instruction. The Total Instructional Alignment will continue to evolve with the collaborative development of meaningful, integrated standards-based units of instruction complete with engaging instructional activities and strategies and the integration of RTI and enrichment strategies. These units become the blueprints for weekly and daily standards-based lesson plans. Clearly, the idea behind Total Instructional Alignment is that the process is as important as the product. However, the TIA work does result in a product; a living, teacher-friendly instructional guide created through teams of excellent teachers engaged in the critical standards-based discussions.

Key components to the Total Instructional Alignment process: - Align the educational system for effective vertical and horizontal articulation and connection of standards, curriculum, assessment and instruction. - Align effective teaming practices through the creation of both vertical and horizontal structures that incorporate flexible grouping and instructional practices. - Align the instructional delivery system within the school and classroom to meet individual learning needs of all students. - Align curriculum with existing standards, benchmarks and assessments. - Align through the creation of excellent assessments designed to frequently measure individual student learning progress. - Align instructional practices in the classroom to be standards-based- incorporate higher-order thinking and to meet the unique learning needs of each and every student.