1. Step 6 Module: Develop an Action Plan
Continuing our Journey toward Becoming Data Wise
The facilitator will introduce him/herself and begin by introducing step 6 of Data Wise which is focused on Examining Instruction.
Welcome to the 6th module on the Data Wise Improvement Process. This session is designed to help us to understand that the focus of action planning is different than how we are accustomed to looking at action planning. Typically, we create action plans to “fix” students. In the DWIP we create action plans to improve our practice-the thing we can and are most responsible for changing.

2. By the end of the session participants will…
Session Objectives
By the end of the session participants will…
know what it means to act by developing an action plan
Let’s quickly review the objectives for the day’s session.
Facilitator should review the slide verbatim

3. Revisiting our Norms Take an inquiry stance Assume positive intentions
Ground statements in evidence
Stick to protocol and ensure all voices are heard
Be here now
Start and end on time
As always we want to ensure that we revisit our norms to set the stage for our collaborative work so that everyone is clear on the rules for engagement. Let’s take a moment to quickly review the norms. These should be familiar to everyone by now...can everyone commit to these norms today? (allow wait time for affirmative responses) Great! I also want to encourage you to hold both us, as facilitators, as well as one another, accountable to these norms throughout the session. Before we move on, we would like to ask...are there any norms that you’d like to add in order to enhance our collaborative work time? (allow wait time and add any agreed upon norms)

4. Check-In: Revisiting ACE
Shared Commitment to:
ACTION, ASSESSMENT and ADJUSTMENT
Intentional Collaboration
Having a Relentless Focus on Evidence
What experience have you had with the ACE Habits of Mind while engaging in the work of improvement?
You’ll remember from our earlier learning that ACE is an acronym linked to a shared commitment to ACT, ASSESS and ADJUST, a focus on Intentional COLLABORATION, and lastly the E is about having a relentless focus on evidence.
For our Check in today: Share with your tablemates (click): (Read verbatim the question in the thought bubble on the slide)

5. Revisiting where we have been (lately)
Process Step Name
Process Step Outcome
Example Process Step Outcome
Step 3
Create a Data Overview
Data Sources:
Aggregate, Historical State/District Data
Step 4
Dig Into Student Data
Data Sources:
Student work, item analysis reports, student perception survey
We are now ready to embark upon the work of Step 6 in the Data Wise Improvement Process. As always, before we move forward it is critically important that we check to make sure that we are aware of the work that we have done in order to ensure that we are making appropriate connections as we move forward.
Each table should be given a copy of the Revisiting our work in the Inquire Phase document. Participants should be given approximately 7 minutes to complete the task.
Step 5
Examine Instruction
Data Sources:
Classroom instruction, lesson plans, teacher perception survey

6. plan to assess progress
Step 6:Develop an Action
Plan
focus area
□ Relates to instruction. □ Narrows scope of inquiry while remaining broad enough to be relevant to many/most staff members.
priority question
□ Arises from a collaborative process. □ Relates to instruction. □ Further narrows scope of inquiry. □ Is actionable. □ Is genuinely intriguing to staff.
learner-centered problem
□ Is directly related to Priority Question. □ Is based on multiple data sources. □ Is within our control. □ Is a statement, not a question. □ Is specific and small.
problem of practice
□ Is directly related to Priority Question. □ Is based on multiple data sources. □ Is within our control. □ Is a statement, not a question. □ Is specific and small.
action plan
□ States specifically what teachers will do to address the problem of practice. □ Contains one or more research-based, evidence –based, high-leverage instructional strategies. □ Assigns responsibility to specific people. □ Is time-bound.
plan to assess progress
□ Clarifies evidence that would show whether action plan is addressed the learner-centered problem. □ Includes short-term, medium-term, and long-term data sources. □ Includes specific and measurable student learning goals.
As we prepare for the work of step 6 it is important review the outcomes.
Facilitator is to read what is highlighted in green on the slide. i.e. States specifically what teachers will do to address the problem of practice…
It is also important to highlight that the traditional action plan for most of us focuses heavily on interventions for students. This action plan is focused on impacting the problem of practice which is about the teacher.

7. Step 6: Develop an Action Plan
Key Tasks
6.1 Decide on instructional strategies
6.2 Agree on what the plan will look like in classrooms
6.3 Put the plan in writing
Action Plan
There are 3 key tasks in this step of the Data Wise Improvement Process and each of them, you will find is equally important. Before we delve deeply into them, let’s take some time to explore just why action planning is so important. .

8. Step 6: Develop an Action Plan
commitment (verbal and written) to a strategy for instructional improvement
increase the clarity and transparency of the work
create a process through which team members can raise and address different understandings
translate what is learned through analyzing a broad set of data into concrete strategies for improving what is happening in classrooms
So what are some reasons you think that Action planning is important as a part of the work of improvement?
Facilitator should use wait time and afford participants to share and at the conclusion of sharing (CLICK) read verbatim what is on the slide.

9. Moving through the work of Step 6
Engage Teachers in Conversation About the Problem
Seek Guidance from Outside Sources if Possible
Make Use of In-House Expertise
Though there are 3 key tasks in Step 6. It is easiest to consider how to move the process in a more fluent way vs. an isolated way. In order to make this an effective and implementable action plan, it is important for us to consider what and who we need in order to make this action plan a success.
The first thing we need is (click) Teachers who are both committed and engaged to developing a plan and who are willing to acknowledge that the plan is designed to impact them.
(click) Next we need to have a commitment to leveraging the talent that may exist within the school to impact the problem of practice we have identified. (click) Thirdly, we have to have a willingness to seek out help if we determine it is needed. If the focus is on improving practice and we are willing to exercise each of these steps, the outcome can only be positive.
The shift here, however, is that it is not a problem of practice that the teachers should be seeking to resolve on their own. Teachers should expect that they can look to and expect their administrators to support the development of this action plan as well as support for effective implementation.
Teachers Should Collaborate to Create Potential Solutions That are Larger and More Powerful Than Anything That Could Be Done Individually

10. Creating Clarity about the Scope of the Plan
Content Area PoP
Grade Level PoP
Group PoP
Content Solution
Grade Level Solution
Content Area Solution
Smaller Units of Improvement MUST Fit Within the Context of Your School wide Focus/Strategy for Improvement
Unit of Improvement
Many people will want to know, who is this plan for?When data indicates the problem of practice is particular to a content area, grade level, or group of students and teachers, a more directed solution will be appropriate.
If the unit of improvement is smaller than the whole school, the action plan must fit within the context of the school wide strategy or focus for improvement .

11. Step 6: Develop An Action Plan
Key Task 6.1: Decide on Instructional Strategies
Do team members believe the selected strategy will lead students to become more independent and successful?
Will the strategy increase students’ confidence and make them more willing to try the strategy and end goal?
Will the strategy make students cognitively responsible in comparison to just following process steps?
Can the strategy be used to support student learning from class to class and year to year, allowing the strategy to become second nature?
What are the unintended negative consequences (if any)?
Once the plan is developed it is important to include some specific and strategic questions about the developed plan. Read the questions verbatim from the slide, one by one. Facilitator should allow time for the questions “Why do you think this question is an important consideration?” .

12. Step 6: Develop An Action Plan
Key Task 6.2: Agree on what the plan will look like in classrooms
Evidence collection when monitoring will be accurate
6.1 Represents the meat of the work of this step. However, this does not imply that 6.2 and 6.3 are not significant. When we consider key task 6.2 Agree on what the plan will look like in classrooms, why is this so important? Allow time for responses. After responses from participants, click
There are lots of reasons that plan developers and implementers need to be clear about what implementation of any identified strategies look like. Some of the one’s that you have shared are accurate- more specifically (1-CLICK) when teachers are clear then it creates an opportunity for them to experience success because we know they are doing their best. (2-CLICK) We won’t just develop a plan for the sake of developing it, it should be monitored for fidelity of implementation. We will discuss the monitoring as we move into step 7. Multiple can only monitor if there is a shared understand about what “good” looks like. Lastly, (CLICK) when we know what it should look like, we know when it doesn’t look “quite right” and can appropriately consider what can be done about it- which we will talk more about in our step 8 work.
Opportunities for teachers to experience success
The evidence collected when monitoring can be leveraged to make appropriate adjustments .

13. Step 6: Develop An Action Plan
Key Task 6.2: Agree on what the plan will look like in classrooms
IMPLEMENTATION INDICATORS
( reference p. 142 of Data Wise)
When implementing [insert instructional strategy], we will see the following in classrooms:
In the Data Wise Resource that you are using, you will find a sample tool for capturing what it looks like in classrooms. Let’s take a closer look at it together.
Facilitator should click on the link in the slide to open the tool and review the components of the tool. Remind the participants that the tool is used to support getting clear on the key components that define what effective implementation looks like. Allow participants time to make sense of the tool and ask any questions they may have about the tool before moving on. .

14. Step 6: Develop An Action Plan
Key Task 6.3: Put the plan in Writing!
Action Plan
Problem of Practice: As teachers we give too many instructions too many times, we do not give students opportunities to figure out on their own
Instructional Strategies
Task
Who
When
In 6.3 we are asked to put the plan in writing. This may seem like an obvious step. But let’s discuss why?
What would be beneficial to a team in writing a plan?
Let’s take a look at a sample action plan template. Facilitator should share the document linked here with an outlined PoP and allow participants to work in table groups for about 10 minutes to consider specific tasks. Participants should be ready to share who might be responsible for each task and a proposed timeline for completion. About 5 minutes should be dedicated to group sharing. Participants should be reminded the action plan should respond to the problem of practice as well as the learner centered problem. It is also recommended that the Action Plan be two pages. One with instructional strategies that support the elimination of the problem of practice and one that addresses the learner centered problem. The distinction between these two helps the team to be more focused on the strategies and implementation.
Ok I want to give you a moment to consider any ahas you have or any questions or wonderings you may have linked to our work focused on action planning. Talk at your tables for about 3 minutes with someone about this. Facilitators should afford participants the full three minutes and ask for individuals to share. Take no more than 2-3 min to do this. .

15. Common Challenges associated with Step 6
Not connecting the action plan to the problem of practice
Use the funnel graphic organizer to ensure you maintain a through line
Biting off too much
Pick one or two strategies and work to implement them well
Determining an instructional strategy
Teachers need support in selecting a strategy “if they knew the strategy, they would be doing it”
While there are only three key tasks associated with the work of Step 6- it is quite intensive and time consuming work. The action plan and its implementation makes all the difference for our potential improvement efforts. It is critically important that we don't ignore the potential pitfalls to our work in this step. A few of them are listed here.
Bullet one (the dark one) is linked to the pitfall and the open circle reflects a suggestion or solution to eliminate the pitfall.
Are there any potential challenges that we have not considered that anyone wants to share? Facilitator should allow a moment for any ideas to be put into the space. At the conclusion of the sharing say:
Thank you to each of you for sharing. I am hopeful that you gained some insight to enhance your action planning work within your respective schools. As we prepare to wrap up, as always we want your feedback on our collaborative work. .

16. Plus /Delta Protocol
What helped me to learn/interact with today’s meeting objectives?
What changes are needed to help me to better learn/interact with future meeting objectives?
Now that we are at the conclusion of our session, as always it is important for us to be reflective about successes in our professional learning experiences as well as opportunities for growth. Please share your pluses and deltas with us so that we can use them to improve our future work with you.