1. Team Planning Time: Bringing It All Together 2015–16 CAASPP Institutes
2 minutes Running Time + 2 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: To introduce the team planning time and the goals for the planning time.
Presenter says:
We are now at the point where you have an opportunity to think broadly across all of the content you’ve learned over the past day and a half, to decide where best to focus the work at your LEA this year, and to identify specific action steps.
For the rest of the afternoon you will be working in your teams to further develop the action steps that you identified during the planning time after the summative, interim, and formative sections of this Institute.
To assist you in this work, we have developed a Planning Template that you will find on your table. It’s an 11x17 document that you can use with your team as you talk through the next steps for your school or district.
Let’s take a look at it now.

2. Final Planning Template
3 minutes Running Time + 5 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to explain how participants will use the Final Planning Template. The intent is that we will show the participants each of the slides that follow, stating briefly what each section is used for, and then to loop back to the “Review System Readiness and Planning Templates” slide to allow the teams to process each section more slowly.
Presenter says:
The Final Planning template uses research-based components of effective implementation practice as a base and is intended to structure and guide your conversations to reach the best possible outcome.
Our expectation is that you will select your most important priority, and use this template to think through making that idea a reality. The most important priority is unique to your school or district. While some of you might choose to focus on the same general area, you will all have specific and unique circumstances at your school or district that will further guide your discussions and the timeframe for implementation.
We are going to spend a few minutes going through the completion of one template, but the hope is that your team will be able to complete up to three of these planning templates within the time we have allocated today – ideally one focused on the summative assessment, one focused on interim assessments, and one focused on formative assessment practices and/or the Digital Library.
Let’s quickly walk through the sections of the template so that you get a sense of the structure and the process.
Please keep in mind that although we will walk through this tool sequentially, it is likely to be a bit of an iterative process. You may find that as you complete one of the sections, it will cause you to think about something that needs to be written in a different section. You’ll see!
Let’s take a look at the first section.

3. Review System Readiness Rubric and Planning Templates
Goal:
Identify three to five most important goals to accomplish in 2015–16
1 minute Running Time + 6 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their first task will be to review the System Readiness and Planning Templates from each section, with the goal of identifying 3 to 5 priority ideas.
Presenter says:
The first task for your team will be to review your System Readiness and Planning Templates from each section.
Knowing what you know now, what do you feel is the most important action for your school or district to take? What do you think is the second most important action? Third?
The goal of this work is to have your team identify 3 to 5 priority ideas.
After we review the rest of the template, we will loop back to this slide and give your team 10 minutes to come up with your priorities.

4. Record One Idea and Describe the Vision
Goal: Get clarity on the outcome for this idea
1 minute Running Time + 7 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their second task will be to select one priority from the list, and to then describe what the people in the system will be doing once that priority idea is in place and working successfully.
Presenter says:
The first task once you have reviewed the System Readiness Rubric and the planning templates for each CAASPP Institute section will be to identify one of your team’s priority areas and then focus on full implementation of the idea.
When the idea is in place, describe what these different stakeholders will be doing.
Feel free to add other stakeholder groups that are important to your school or district. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Now let’s look at the next box on the planning template.

5. Identify Critical Stakeholders
Goal: Think about who needs to be involved, and the implications.
1 minute Running Time + 8 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their third task is to identify all of the people who need to be aware of this implementation work, and to think through what their concerns and likely reactions to this idea might be.
Presenter says:
This part of the activity focuses on the stakeholder groups.
Who needs to be involved?
How is each stakeholder group likely to react?
What are likely concerns of each stakeholder group?

6. Address Potential Challenges
Goal: Think through obstacles to the work
1 minute Running Time + 9 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their fourth task is to think through and describe anything that might prove to be an obstacle to implementing the idea.
Presenter says:
Every idea, no matter its size, has challenges to its full implementation.
This section of the planning tool asks your team to consider the potential challenges of the idea that you have identified.
What kind of challenges exist? Operational? Systematic? Allocation of resources?
What other training needs or commitments must be considered in order for this idea to reach full implementation?

7. Think About Leadership
Goal: Identify formal and informal leaders
1 minute Running Time + 10 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their fifth task is to think through what kinds of expertise is needed, and who the leaders are that can help support the implementation of the team’s idea. Include both formal and informal leaders, think about what skills are needed, and also think about who might become a formal or informal leader.
Presenter says:
The fifth part of this planning template is to think through the kind of expertise that is needed to help implement the idea and the leaders in your school or district who need to be involved for this idea to be successful.
In thinking about this, think about both formal and informal leaders. Formal leaders are those in leadership positions at your school or district like assistant superintendents or the superintendent. Informal leaders might include teacher leaders, influential/model teachers, etc.
The idea here is to identify the people who you need to inform and gain support and a commitment from in order for this idea to be successfully implemented at your school or district.

8. Goal: Identify opportunities for communication; think about messaging
Communicate
Goal: Identify opportunities for communication; think about messaging
1 minute Running Time + 11 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their sixth task is to think about how they might use the existing communication structure to keep stakeholders informed and committed to the effort. Use the stakeholder section as you think this one through, and evaluate whether the existing structures allow and support two way feedback.
Presenter says:
The next task is to think carefully about the communication plan for the idea.
Focus first on existing communication structures that could be used to inform stakeholders.
As you focus on this section of the template, you are going to want to also review the stakeholder section thinking about how existing communication structures can be used to communicate to each critical stakeholder group, particularly whether the existing structures allow and support two-way feedback.
Now let’s look at the bottom part of the template.

9. Map Out Activities
Goal: Identify necessary action steps, with a timeline and person(s) responsible
1 minute Running Time + 12 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their final task to complete the template is to identify all of the action steps, place them on a timeline, and identify a person responsible for each step. Note that some teams will elect to map out activities as they are processing the other sections of the template, and that’s fine.
Presenter says:
This final step is to identify as many action steps associated with your team’s big idea as you can and place them on a timeline.
Next to the action step on the timeline, you will also want to list the name or position of the person who will be responsible for making the action step happen.
Now let’s loop back to the beginning like I promised.

10. Review System Readiness Rubric and Planning Templates
Goal:
Identify three to five most important things to accomplish in 2015–16
20 minutes Running Time + 32 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their first task will be to review the System Readiness and Planning Templates from each section, with the goal of identifying 3 to 5 priority ideas.
Presenter says:
Now your team is going to have 20 minutes to go back and review the responses to the System Readiness Rubric in all three areas, and review your notes on each Planning Template.
Those notes and ideas will help you identify between three and five priorities that you’d like to accomplish at your school or district this school year.
Ideally your team will identify at least one priority in the area of summative assessment, one in the area of interim assessment, and another in the area of formative assessment and/or the Digital Library.
(Teams will likely work at their own pace and may finish with this section in less than 20 minutes. Be conscious of the group and ask periodically about how teams are doing on this step. Move to the next slide/step when most teams are ready.)

11. Record One Idea and Describe the Vision
Goal: Get clarity on the outcome for this idea
10 minutes Running Time + 42 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their second task will be select one priority from the list, and to then describe what the people in the system will be doing once that priority idea is in place and working successfully.
Presenter says:
Now you’ll move to the next step.
Here you are going to take one of the priorities that your team just identified and you are going to work with that priority across all the boxes on this planning template.
Your team will have approximately 10 minutes to go through this next section that envisions what these different groups of stakeholders are doing once the priority is implemented at your school or district.
(Check the pulse of the group after about 6-7 minutes and make a decision about whether to go the entire 10 minutes or move to the next step.)

12. Afternoon Break 10 minutes
10 minutes Running Time + 52 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: To introduce a break.
Presenter says:
Let’s take a 10 minute break and then we’ll come back and continue working our way through the planning template.

13. Identify Critical Stakeholders
Goal: Think about who needs to be involved, and the implications.
10 minutes Running Time + 62 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their third task is to identify all of the people who need to be aware of this implementation work, and to think through what their concerns and likely reactions to this idea might be.
Presenter says:
Identifying critical stakeholders is the next task in front of you.
Focus now on identifying the stakeholder groups that need to be involved in the effort in order for it to be successful.
Are these stakeholder groups already on board with the idea? Will there be resistance from some groups?
Those are the questions that you’ll tackle over the next 10 minutes.
(Check the pulse of the group after about 6-7 minutes and make a decision about whether to go the entire 10 minutes or move to the next step.)

14. Address Potential Challenges
Goal: Think through obstacles to the work
10 minutes Running Time + 72 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their fourth task is to think through and describe anything that might prove to be an obstacle to implementing the idea.
Presenter says:
We all know that challenges arise with every priority, idea, or activity. The key is to do our best to identify potential challenges up front and include in our planning efforts ways to address those potential challenges.
Take the next 10 minutes to talk about potential challenges that might arise in the implementation of your priority.
(Check the pulse of the group after about 6-7 minutes and make a decision about whether to go the entire 10 minutes or move to the next step.)

15. Think About Leadership
Goal: Identify formal and informal leaders
10 minutes Running Time + 82 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their fifth task is to think through what kinds of expertise is needed, and who the leaders are that can help support the implementation of the team’s idea. Include both formal and informal leaders, think about what skills are needed, and also think about who might become a formal or information leader.
Presenter says:
Now, think about leadership in your school or district.
What kind of expertise is needed to help implement the idea and who the leaders are in your school or district who need to be involved for this idea to be successful.
As we talked about earlier, think about both formal and informal leaders and their role in this process.
(Check the pulse of the group after about 6-7 minutes and make a decision about whether to go the entire 10 minutes or move to the next step.)

16. Goal: Identify opportunities for communication; think about messaging
Communicate
Goal: Identify opportunities for communication; think about messaging
10 minutes Running Time + 92 minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their sixth task is to think about how they might use the existing communication structure to keep stakeholders informed and committed to the effort. Use the stakeholder section as you think this one through, and evaluate whether the existing structures allow and support two way feedback.
Presenter says:
The next task is to think carefully about the communication plan for the idea.
Focus first on existing communication structures that could be used to inform stakeholders about the effort.
As you focus on this section of the template, you are going to want to also focus on the stakeholder section thinking about how existing communication structures can be used to communicate to each critical stakeholder group, particularly whether the existing structures allow and support two-way feedback.
Now let’s look at the bottom part of the template.

17. Map Out Activities
Goal: Identify necessary action steps, with a timeline and person(s) responsible
10 minutes Running Time minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to tell the participants that their final task for this first template is to identify all of the action steps they can and to begin to place them on a timeline with the name of a person who could be responsible for the step. Note that some teams will elect to map out activities as they are processing the other sections of the template, and that’s fine.
Presenter says:
The final step now is to identify specific and measurable action steps associated with your team’s big idea and place them on a timeline.
Next to the action step on the timeline, you will also want to list the name or position of the person who will be responsible for making the action step happen.
This is such an important step in the process because it tells you when things need to happen.
Let’s say for example that you want to use the practice test with all students about a month prior to the summative assessment. You might want to include the summative assessment testing window on this timeline. You might also want to do a technology check, prior to the student logging in, and you will need to check with schools about other events, etc. The priority is to have all your students complete a practice test prior to the summative assessment, now what are all the steps that need to happen in order to make that priority a reality in your school or district.
(Check the pulse of the group after about 6-7 minutes and make a decision about whether to go the entire 10 minutes or move to the next step.)

18. Sharing of Team Priorities
By team, be prepared to briefly share what your team selected as a top priority. Make sure one of the facilitators has taken a picture of the team’s completed planning templates.
5 minutes Running Time minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to share the top priority identified by teams in the room.
Presenter says:
Let’s go ahead and now share out by team. Please share your team’s top priority.
(After the first team has shared their top priority, ask the group by a show of hands if other teams also selected that priority. Then move to other groups that have a different priority area to share.)

19. Closing Remarks, Resources, and Looking Ahead
3 minutes Running Time minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to summarize and congratulate the teams on their work over the past two days.
Presenter says:
Wow! Those were some impressive plans for further implementation of the CAASPP System in your schools and school districts.
Give yourselves a round of applause for all your hard work and for being here and being so engaged over the past two days.
This work is so important toward California’s overall goal of utilizing the CAASPP System for improved teaching and learning for all our students, including our students with disabilities and our English learners.
There are many parts and pieces to the CAASPP System, as you have learned over the past two days.
What we know for sure is that all schools and school districts are in different places in system implementation.
What you have gone through over the last two days is a reflection about where your school or school district is in implementing the various parts and pieces of the CAASPP System, from the summative assessment, to interim assessments, to formative assessment practices and the Digital Library.
But more importantly, you have charted a course for the rest of the school year and into the future about where you want to be in terms of implementation.
There are additional copies of the Planning Template on your tables. I’d encourage you to take several with you and continue your work locally on the other priorities that you identified during the planning time this afternoon.

20. Resources for Implementation Support
County Offices of Education
Job-alike colleagues from the CAASPP Institute
Senior Assessment Fellows
California Department of Education Web site (
3 minutes Running Time minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to remind participants of the resources that are available to them in terms of support once they return to their school or district and start the work to implement their priorities.
Presenter says:
Let’s take just a few minutes to remind you of the wealth of resources available to you as you return to your schools and school districts with these great implementation plans.
First off, remember your local county office of education. They often provide services that may help you implement some of your plans.
You spent time over the last two days with job alike colleagues from other schools and districts in the region. I hope you exchanged business cards or contact information with them! By attending and participating in this CAASPP Institute, everyone in the room shares a common goal – to further their implementation of the CAASPP System. I would encourage you to reach out and use your colleagues as sounding boards for new ideas, or to talk through challenges that you might run into during implementation at your school or district.
The Assessment Fellows are another great resource for you. The Assessment Fellows are available for follow-up presentations and trainings. They work most often through the county offices of education, but depending on the location, the audience, and the topic, they may also be able to provide you some additional support. And they have committed to following up with each team lead between now and February to check in with you all on your implementation efforts.
And finally, the CDE Web site is updated regularly with new and important information.

21. Looking Ahead to CAASPP Institute, Session 2
Between now and February, implement priorities identified by teams in CAASPP Institute.
Seek out resources for additional support as needed.
Be prepared to share implementation process, successes, and challenges in February.
3 minutes Running Time minutes
Slide(s) Intent: The purpose of this slide is to remind participants about their commitment to return in February and share their experiences in implementing the priorities they identified during the fall CAASPP Institute.
Presenter says:
As you return to your schools and school districts tomorrow, keep in mind the commitment you have made by participating in this CAASPP Institute.
You have made a commitment to work with others at your school or district to implement your priorities that will move you further along the implementation continuum.
Between now and February, continue the good work that you started here today.
When you return in February, we will ask you to share your experiences with others.
We will also have additional information and updates to share with you to help your implementation efforts.
Thank you again for your participation over the last two days and travel home safely.