4.+Hypotheses

= **Brainstorm: What might explain the existence of the challenge?** =
 * First, these are things that do we NOT control and therefore should not be hypotheses:**
 * The kids who come to us
 * IQ
 * Breakfast and sleep [MIGHT be able to provide breakfast]
 * Medication
 * Attendance
 * Test - rigor in our state
 * Vacation schedules
 * Parental support
 * Home life
 * Emotional issues
 * Time to teach
 * Curriculum framework
 * Parents' viewpoints about tests (either not caring or creating undue anxiety)
 * Babysitters
 * Testing Dates
 * CPI formulas and state expectations (faulty logic about 2014)
 * Contract (to a degree- we have influence but not ultimate control)
 * Class size and staffing (to a degree - we have influence but not ultimate control)
 * Transitions every two years between schools

=**Hypotheses in areas we can control:**=

**ELA**

 * Our curriculum
 * Instructional materials - class and supplementary
 * Teaching methods
 * Structure of the day for time on learning
 * Consistency between teachers (G&V)
 * Writing program or lack of it
 * Use of acceptable modifications
 * MCAS practice (Do or not do?)
 * District Priorities - re what we value (could be at expense of something else)
 * Professional development in those areas in which we're challenged
 * Use of time (contractual obligations)
 * Lack of time to share professionally about what works for their students
 * Our expectations for how teachers use the data we have available to inform instruction
 * Not knowing how to respond to an OR item
 * Intervention program approaches

**Math**

 * Our curriculum
 * Instructional materials - class and supplementary
 * Teaching methods
 * Structure of the day for time on learning
 * Consistency between teachers (G&V)
 * Not knowing how to respond to an OR item
 * Use of acceptable modifications
 * MCAS practice (Do or not do?)
 * District Priorities - re what we value (could be at expense of something else)
 * Professional development in those areas in which we're challenged
 * Use of time (contractual obligations)
 * Lack of time to share professionally about what works for their students
 * Our expectations for how teachers use the data we have available to inform instruction
 * Intervention program approaches