Leadership for Standards-Based Education Saturday, June 26, 2010

Objectives Understand how Backward Design can help you plan for using the standards effectively Review Dan Pink and CRISPA Discuss methods for evaluating schools and classrooms Review the format of the new Colorado Academic Standards Understand how 21st Century Skills are embedded in the new Academic Standards

Backwards Design Created by Wiggins and McTighe in 1998 It is a way of thinking more carefully about curriculum and goals

Backward Design Process Three Stages: 1. Desired Results – start with the end in mind. Think about the essential learnings. 2. Assessment Evidence – how are you going to ensure that the desired outcomes are met? 3. Learning Plan – what is your action plan for getting to your desired outcomes?

Stage One: What do we want our staff to understand, to really “own”? What essential questions do staff members have to confront and work through if the goal is to be achieved? What new knowledge and skills are required to effectively enact desired outcomes?

Stage Two: Think like “assessors” – think carefully about the evidence we need to show that we have achieved the desired result. How will we know if we have achieved the desired results? What will we see if we are successful? What will we accept as evidence of staff understanding and proficiency? What data for we need from the start to set a baseline in relationship to our goals – to measure the gap between goal and reality? How will we track our progress along the way? By what feedback system will we make timely adjustments to our plans to achieve our goals?

Stage Three: What Professional Development activities support and equip staff with the needed knowledge and skills to perform effectively and achieve desired results? Who is responsible for the various actions? What time schedule will we follow? What resources are needed to accomplish the goals? Is the overall plan coherent?

Dan Pink Three A’s: Abundance, Asia, & Automation Aptitudes: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, & Meaning New work on motivation:

Bridge to CRISPA: Connections Risk-taking Imagination Sensory Experience Active Engagement

New Ways to Evaluate: In order to encourage teachers to change, we need to change the way we evaluate Focus should be on what the students are learning rather than what the teacher is doing Following are two methods for teacher evaluation: 1. PPR from Eagle County Schools 2. Walk-throughs/Instructional Rounds

Example of a Protocol Have handouts prepared with samples

Example of a Protocol Have handouts prepared with samples

Example of a Protocol Have handouts prepared with samples

Example of a Protocol: CLASS Have handouts prepared with samples

Example of a Protocol: QUC The Intercultural Developmental Inventory Issue… Have handouts prepared with samples

Have handouts prepared with samples

Professional Practices Rubric Eagle County created the PPR to help in the Pay Per Performance System that it adopted. The PPR has four sections: Domain of Planning Instruction and Assessment, Domain of Instruction, Domain of Learning Environment, and Responsibilities

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

PPR – Domain of Instruction

What is a walkthrough? A look at classroom instruction in a focused, systematic, purposeful, and collective way From Instructional Rounds: “Describe what they observed in class Analyze any patterns that emerge Predict the kind of learning they might expect from the teaching they observed Recommend the next level of work that could help the school better achieve their desired goal”

WHY WALKTHROUGHS? Another tool to monitor your school Can use for monitoring: Impact of Professional Development Student Achievement Teaching Strategies Behavior Program Implementation Formative Assessment

Common Characteristics of Walkthroughs Identify and Communicate Purpose (Why?) Develop Protocol for the Process (Who? When? Where?) Create/identify Clear Criteria for Look fors (teacher and student) Plan for feedback (who?, how?) Establish trust (communicating purpose: (difference among evaluation/observation and walkthroughs) Plan of action based on what seen

Identify Purpose What does the data say? What is your purpose? Will walkthroughs support your purpose? (If not, what other tools can you use?) How will you communicate the purpose to all parties involved (consider all stakeholders)?

Develop Protocol Who will conduct the walkthrough? When will the walkthroughs occur? In which classrooms will the walkthroughs occur? How much time will you spend in each classroom? How will you interact in the classroom? Will you and how do you provide feedback? When will you meet to debrief? Is confidentiality a consideration in reporting evidence and/or findings? Do you interact with students? Who will see the results?

Create Clear Criteria What are your look fors? How will you record your data? Is there an existing guide to use to meet your purpose? Is the criteria manageable? (Do you have too many look fors?) Are your looks fors aligned to the Professional Practices Rubric? Do your look fors give you the evidence you need to meet your purpose? Should we call criteria or look fors? Record data – could be tally, anecdotal records, checklists, likert scale, notice/wonder,

Plan for Feedback Who will get the feedback (consider all stakeholders)? How will you distribute it? When will you provide feedback? What will the feedback be used for?

Determine Plan of Action Did the evidence from your walkthroughs meet your purpose? If not, how will you modify the looks fors to get the data you need? If so, based on evidence/findings from walkthroughs, what will you do now? What professional development do you need to meet your goal(s)?

Continuous Cycle Evaluate process and data – did the process give you the information you needed? If so, use data to refine or move forward with School Performance goals

Establish Trust How would you establish a school culture that embraces walkthroughs? Have you assured confidentiality? Have you clearly communicated purpose and intent? Have you created a learning environment? (difference among evaluation/observation and walkthroughs) Lessons learned from Mitch

Examples District Level (Superintendent, Directors, Board Members, Coaches, Consultants, etc.) Building Level (Building Leadership, Coaches, and Classroom Teachers) Teachers learning from each other (Building Leadership, Coaches, and Classroom Teachers) PLCs learning from each other (Building Leadership and Coaches)

Case Study 1: Engagement School A is concerned that engagement is a issue in its classrooms. They know that some classrooms are stronger than others, but do not know which classrooms are engaging and which ones are not. They know that they need to collect data to improve the levels of engagement and to plan for PD. In August the leadership team meets to make a plan. They determine that they will use walkthroughs as the source of data collection. To start, they will do building level walkthroughs. This data will then shape the continued walkthroughs. Example: Background: School A is concerned that engagement is a issue in its classrooms. They know that some classrooms are stronger than others, but do not know which classrooms are engaging and which ones are not. They know that they need to collect data to improve the levels of engagement and to plan for PD. In August the leadership team meets to make a plan. They determine that they will use walkthroughs as the source of data collection. To start, they will do building level walkthroughs. Protocol: Admin and ILT will spend approximately 10 minutes in each classroom to gauge engagement levels. All classrooms walkthroughs will be done by the end of September so the data can be used to inform future work.

Building Level Communicated Purpose: School A wants to get an overview of levels of engagement in their classrooms Protocol for the Process: WHO: Building Principal and leaership members WHEN: Walkthroughs will be completed by Sept. 30th Clear Criteria Plan for Feedback Determine Plan of Action Example: Background: School A is concerned that engagement is a issue in its classrooms. They know that some classrooms are stronger than others, but do not know which classrooms are engaging and which ones are not. They know that they need to collect data to improve the levels of engagement and to plan for PD. In August the leadership team meets to make a plan. They determine that they will use walkthroughs as the source of data collection. To start, they will do building level walkthroughs. Protocol: Admin and ILT will spend approximately 10 minutes in each classroom to gauge engagement levels. All classrooms walkthroughs will be done by the end of September so the data can be used to inform future work.

Small Group Level Communicated Purpose: School A wants to see if engagement strategies are being implemented Protocol for the Process: WHO: WHEN: Clear Criteria Plan for Feedback Determine Plan of Action Based on data from Building Level Walkthroughs PD was designed to help teachers implement engagement strategies In order to see if the strategies are being implemented School A decides to send out teams to gather data about implementation

Individual Level Communicated Purpose: Teacher A needs engagement strategies Protocol for the Process: WHO: WHEN: Clear Criteria Plan for Feedback Determine Plan of Action New teacher starts and was not given the PD opportunities that the other building members did. In order to have her learn about engagement strategies, School A decides to have her, with a master teacher, do walkthroughs in the classrooms where student engagement is strong

Colorado Academic Standards The following slides come from CDEs work on new standards

21st Century Skills Critical Thinking and Reasoning Information Literacy Collaboration Self-Direction Invention Carousel activity that was done at CDE presentation

Reflection How are the 21st century skills reflected in the new Colorado Academic Standards? How will the changes positively influence student achievement? As a school, what are you going to do differently in light of these changes? (inquiry questions, relevance and application, & nature of the discipline)

Reflection Time and How to Take Back to Schools Differentiate our time with the more “needy” schools. Questions to ask: What are your goals? What data do you need? What criteria will get at this data?