Instructional Rounds As A System Approach to Achieve Instructional Rigor in Every Classroom & Every School August 9, 2013 Presented by Manolo C. Garcia, Principal Edwin Markham Elementary School Vacaville Unified School District

“What distinguishes professional learning communities from support groups where teachers mainly share ideas and offer encouragement is their critical stance and commitment to inquiry…teachers ask probing questions, invite colleagues to observe and review their teaching and their students’ learning, and hold out ideas for discussion and debate.” – Jonathon Saphier

RIGOR “[38 High School Principals] tried to analyze these [classroom demo] videos together, they rarely agreed on what they thought instruction should look like – in particular, they disagreed on what teachers and students actually do in rigorous classrooms…one of their typical activities was to rate the rigor in a classroom, on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) after watching each video. In nearly every case, there were as many principals who would rate a classroom as 1 as who would rate the same classroom a 5.” Source: John E. Roberts, Instructional Rounds in Action (Harvard Education Press, 2012)

What is RIGOR? Hard/Difficult More Challenging Higher Levels of Blooms (Depth of Knowledge, DOK) Rigor is much more… “Rigor is a quality of instruction that requires students to construct meaning for themselves, impose structure on information, integrate individual skills into processes, operate within but at the outer edge of their abilities, and apply what they learn in more than one context and to unpredictable situations.” Source:

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels

Smarter Balanced Depth of Knowledge Goals for Items MathematicsELA/Literacy DOK3DOK4DOK3DOK4 Current Assessments (CST) < 2%0%20%2% New SBAC Assessments 49%21%43%25% Source: Yuan & Le (2012); Herman & Linn (2013), from Linda Darling-Hammond Assembly Testimony,

Our school’s journey… 2007/ / / / /2012 Universal Access BoardMath Data Analysis to Collaboratively Analyze and Improve First Good Teaching Learning Walks Lesson Study Pt. 1 Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) & Excellence for Every Learner (ExcEL) 2012/2013 Data Teams Coaching thru Lesson Scripting Lesson Study Pt. 2 Instructional Rounds

What is Instructional Rounds? A Collaborative Process Observe. Take notes on what you see and hear related to the host school’s problem of practice. Describe. In teams, describe what you saw, using specific, nonjudgmental language. Analyze. Look for patterns across classrooms, giving names to categories and patterns. Predict. In light of your group’s evidence, predict what students are learning. Next level of work. What should the school do or learn next? What should the observers do or learn next? A Collaborative Process Observe. Take notes on what you see and hear related to the host school’s problem of practice. Describe. In teams, describe what you saw, using specific, nonjudgmental language. Analyze. Look for patterns across classrooms, giving names to categories and patterns. Predict. In light of your group’s evidence, predict what students are learning. Next level of work. What should the school do or learn next? What should the observers do or learn next? Source: John E. Roberts, Instructional Rounds in Action (Harvard Education Press, 2012)

What Instructional Rounds is NOT NOT “Walkthroughs,” “Learning Walks,” or “Drive-bys” – Rounds is descriptive, analytic, inferential NOT A Teacher Evaluation Tool – No assessment of individual teachers – Separate the person from the practice; focus on the practice NOT An Implementation Check – Rounds focuses on patterns of practice, not compliance with directives NOT Training for Supervision – Rounds focuses on collective learning, rather than individual supervisory practice NOT A Program or Project – Rounds is a practice, designed to support an existing improvement strategy at the school or system level Source: John E. Roberts, Instructional Rounds in Action (Harvard Education Press, 2012)

Markham Elementary’s Rounds Overview Purpose Participants Parameters Observer Function/Responsibility Debriefing Rounds Summarizing the Experience

Challenges to Implementing Rounds The Problem of Frequency The Problem of Symmetry The Problem of Reciprocity The Problem of (Not) Talking About Race “[Instructional Rounds]…disrupt the typical patterns of interaction between adults in the schools. Disrupting these patterns activates organizational problems that few school systems have any experience in solving – problems that ultimately have to be solved if they are to improve.” Source: John E. Roberts, Instructional Rounds in Action (Harvard Education Press, 2012)

References & Resources Elizabeth A. City, Richard F. Elmore, Sarah E. Fiarman, and Lee Teitel, Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning, (Harvard Education Press, 2009) John E. Roberts, Instructional Rounds in Action (Harvard Education Press, 2012) Richard DuFour & Robert J. Marzano, Leaders of Learning: How District, School, and Classroom Leaders Improve Student Achievement (Solution Tree Press, 2011) Networking Opportunity: Manolo C. Garcia, Principal Edwin Markham Elementary School 101 Markham Ave. Vacaville, CA (707) Ext. 106