1. First Steps in Using A Systems Approach
to Improve Learning Results
IM SHIPLEY & ASSOCIATE J S
Integrated Systems Solutions
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

2. Thank you for bringing your laptop
Thank you for bringing your laptop! We won’t need it till the end of our time together! You can put it away for now! Thanks! 

3. Objective for today:
To learn what it takes to implement the initial components of a systems approach to continuous improvement as the most efficient and effective way to improve classroom learning results.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

4. Most Importantly:
We want everyone to have an overview of how the systems approach to learning will affect our classrooms and our campus during the school year!

5. Next year will bring the PDSA systems approach to our classrooms!
The Systems Approach
For the last two years we have used the systems approach with our department goals!
Next year will bring the PDSA systems approach to our classrooms!
Plan Do
Study
Act

6. Establish the Baseline…
Continuous Improvement:
Using PDSA to Improve Support Process Results
Using a
Consensogram
Using your red dot indicate the level of knowledge you have in how to utilize a Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle to improve school and/or classroom processes. Take a moment to share with your table members where you put your dot and why. 1
Don’t even
know what it is! 2
Know what it stands for but don’t know why I should use it 3
Know what and why, but don’t know how 4
Ready to implement PDSA
Establish the Baseline…
Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc.
Copyright January 2008

7. Four Questions to Consider…
How do you know what your students need to know and be able to do next week?
How will you know when they’ve learned it?
What will you do if they haven’t learned it?
What will you do if they already know and/or can do it?
Adapted from the work of DuFour, DuFour, Eaker and Karhanek, 2004
Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don’t Learn
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

8. First, what is a system? A functionally related group of elements.
A group of interacting, interrelated, and/or interdependent elements forming a complex whole.
A functionally related group of elements.
A condition of harmonious, orderly interaction.
An organized and coordinated method; a procedure.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

9. So . . .
A systems approach to continuous improvement is a way or method of helping us pay attention not only to the parts, but also to how well the parts work together as we try to get better and better results.
In the case of a classroom, a systems approach to continuous improvement helps us pay attention to the right parts (standards, instruction, assessment, etc) and how all those parts work together to produce learning. Some teachers think of it as a blueprint for making sure we get good results on purpose, not by accident.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

10. When we put all the pieces together, we see the classroom as a learning system…

11. One of the first steps is to identify our critical learning requirements . . . .
We all have state or national standards that we are held accountable to!

12. Each standard in a particular content or program area can have multiple indicators, and each indicator can have one or more objectives...
STANDARD
INDICATOR
Objective
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

13. Unpacking the standards allows teachers to…
Unpacking the standards is a way to get to the critical learning requirements and clearly define what students need to know, be able to, and/or care about.
Unpacking the standards allows teachers to…
Manage the standards.
Link assessments to the standards.
Plan for aligned instruction.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

14. Knowing what my students need to know and be able to do...
Nice to Know/Do
Important
Critical
Learning
Requirements
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

15. For most of us, we have already unpacked our standards OR we are still exploring our new Common Core standards!
If you are still working with new standards, it would be important to go through the unpacking process with your level or department members!

16. (We are more familiar with the phrase “unwrapping the standards” and
unwrapping is EXACTLY the same as unpacking!)

17. Unpacking the Standards...
[When you unpack a standard you want to . . .]
Pick one standard and one indicator for your class, course,
or program OR use the following:
Math Standard: Number, Number Sense and Operations
Grade 7 Indicator 1: Demonstrate an understanding of place value using powers of 10 and write large numbers in scientific notation.
What’s in the standard? What’s in the indicator?
Does this indicator focus on declarative knowledge (what) or procedural knowledge (how)?
How could students show they know or can do what is required?
What will students need to do to be ready for the assessment?
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

18. The Requirements for Teachers and Their Students
Our job as teachers is to create the kind of learning system in which all of our students learn and demonstrate proficiency in all content and program areas – not just those tested annually by the state.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

19. So, how often should we check to see if our process for developing learning is working…
Once a year?
State assessment?
Four times
a year?
District benchmark
assessment?
Every week?
Classroom
assessment?
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

20. Today we are looking at just the first step!
In order to use a systems approach to improve learning results, the teacher must take the lead with two important steps...
SET AND COMMUNICATE
DIRECTION FOR CLASS AND FOR STUDENTS.
ENGAGE STUDENTS IN REGULAR AND FREQUENT EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF CLASSROOM LEARNING PROCESSES.
Today we are looking at just the first step!
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

21. SET AND COMMUNICATE CLASSROOM LEARNING PRIORITIES.
Step 1: How to clarify and communicate the learning requirements to students and their families.
Step 2: How to publish and post a learning goal for a specific class/content area.
Step 3: How to chart and analyze learning results for the class.
Step 4: How to write and use a class, course, or program mission statement.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

22. The getting started steps of continuous classroom improvement are intended to improve learning results!
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

23. This year? This semester? This grading period? This unit? This week?
The action steps that we are going to focus on today will provide you with field-tested ways to ensure that you can answer these questions:
What do my students need to know and be able to do as a result of being in my class?
This year? This semester? This grading period? This unit? This week?
How will I know they’ve learned it?
How often do I check? How will I ensure that they know, too?
How many students demonstrated proficiency with the learning target from the previous cycle of learning?
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

24. What do I do when they haven’t learned it?
More Questions…
What do I do when they haven’t learned it?
What high-yield strategies and interventions can I use?
How will I engage my students in helping me answer this question?
What do I when they already know and/or can do it?
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc DRAFT July 2010

25. Step 1: Clarify and Communicate the Learning Requirements
Be clear about the learning requirements your class, course, or program. Determine how you will communicate these standards to ensure that your students and their families understand the learning requirements of your class, course, or program.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

26. Middle School
Visual Arts Standards

27. High school learning requirements for statistics

28. What does this mean for Mountain Ridge?
We will be visually and verbally sharing our learning standards in our classroom.
We will be unpacking the standards for our most important learning objectives.

29. Step 2: Publish and post a class learning goal.
Publish and post one learning goal that aligns to the learning requirements for your class, course or program.
Class, course, or program learning goals describe how students will meet or exceed the requirements for student learning and include how performance will be measured... 
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

30. For example…
 By the end of the school year, 100% of students will meet or exceed proficiency for grade 5 writing standards as measured by district benchmark assessments and the state standards-based assessment. OR
GOAL
Measure(s)
By the end of the school year, 100% of students will meet or exceed proficiency for grade 5 writing standards .
As Measured By:
·  District Benchmark Assessment
·  State Standards-Based
Assessment
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

31. By the end of the school year, 100% of 8th grade math students will meet or exceed the 8th grade math standards as measured by a score of 75% or better on the math Benchmarks Test that we will take at the end of each grading period and the State Assessment that we will take in May.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

32. Learning requirements for elementary special education classroom

33. Elementary learning goal

34. Music learning goal

35. What does this mean for Mountain Ridge?
We will publish and post one learning goal per quarter.
The goal will be posted in our classroom.
We will do this with just one class period!

36. Step 3: Chart and analyze class learning results.
Create a graph for charting results showing where the class is starting compared to where it needs to be. This is called establishing the baseline.
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

37. Step 3: Chart and analyze class learning results.
Charting and analyzing learning results over time allows us to monitor progress toward class goals.
Your Turn!
© Jim Shipley & Associates, Inc July 2010

38. Special education class
learning results

39. Physical education goal

40. Vocabulary goals in a high school special education classroom for intellectually challenged students and students with autism.

41. High school
culinary arts goals
and learning results

42. What does this mean for Mountain Ridge?
We will display our data charts in our classroom to monitor progress.

43. Step 4: Write and use a class, course, or program mission statement.
Work with students to develop a class/course/program mission statement that aligns to learning requirements and reflects a commitment to closing the achievement gap.

44. middle school science class
Mission for
middle school science class

45. Mission for
music class

46. Mission for high school U.S. history class
More examples on page 26.
Mission for high school U.S. history class

47. physical education class
Mission for
physical education class

48. Mission for grade 2-3 specific learning disabilities class

49. Mission for high school honors world history class

50. Class mission in a high school special education classroom for intellectually challenged students and students with autism.

51. Jackson, WY

53. Mission for high school U.S. history class53

55. What does this mean for Mountain Ridge?
We will create department mission statements with input from students. This process will take place during an AcaPrep period!
If a teacher would like to create a class mission statement with the class working through the PDSA cycle, s/he can.

56. As we move through the PDSA cycle with our class period next year we will display the cycle in our classroom The next few slides include some examples of how these look at some of our sister schools and other schools across the nation taking part in a systems approach to learning

57. The process we will display in our classroom . . .
PLAN DO
ACT
STUDY

58. QUARTERLY

59. Notice how this teacher posts the strategy bank (right of the PDSA) for students to select from when working on their PDSA cycle.

60. Learning cycle documentation in a middle school science classroom60

61. Prineville Elementary
Prineville, OR

62. Learning cycle documentation in a middle school science classroom62

63. High Desert MS
Bend, OR

64. Learning cycle documentation in a primary classroom64

65. Middle school art goal and learning cycles
First period
Third period
Fourth period 65

66. 66

67. Today we provided an overview of the first four steps of a systems approach to improve learning
Step 1: How to clarify and communicate the learning requirements to students and their families.
Step 2: How to publish and post a learning goal for a specific class/content area.
Step 3: How to chart and analyze learning results for the class.
Step 4: How to write and use a class, course, or program mission statement.
In the fall we will return to these steps,
and explore the remaining four steps!

68. What are our next steps as a campus?
 August 2012 – Our systems trainer will be providing specific training on the systems approach to the entire Mountain Ridge staff. (Our JSA trainer will also be back to work with us in October, November, and February!)
Fall Semester 2012 (1st Quarter) – Review steps 1-4, as well as create department mission statements.
Fall Semester 2012 (2nd Quarter) – We will complete 1 PDSA cycle with one class period.
Spring Semester 2013 – We will complete 2 PDSA cycles with one class period.

69. Additional Resources . . .
Want to know more about the systems approach? We have a training manual that we will use next school year. If you would like to check out the manual to review over the summer, just see Annette and she will check one out to you!
There are incredible resources on Blackboard! We will eventually ask everyone to join the Systems Support Team (SST) class on Blackboard! You can do this at any time. On the Blackboard site you will find high school examples of the PDSA process in classrooms, additional resources, and tools! We will send you directions for how to join this class via !
CONTINUOUS
CLASSROOM IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS
CLASSROOM IMPROVEMENT
CONTINUOUS
CLASSROOM IMPROVEMENT

70. Systems Support Team on Blackboard

71. What this all comes down to is involving students in their learning process! So, let’s take a few minutes and hear from students how they bring the systems process to life in their classrooms!

72. Student Led Overview of Steps 1-4

73. Do you have any general questions or concerns about how we will be implementing the systems approach next year?

74. You will receive an that includes the directions for how to sign up for the Systems Blackboard class, as well as how to check out one of the systems books from Annette!

75. Your ticket out the door:

76. Open Enrollment Insurance & Contracts

77. Go to: portal.dvusd.org
and log in.

78. Select Ivisions

79. Select Contracts to Approve Your Contract
Select Your Elected Benefits to Complete Your Benefit Information

80. Please leave your plus/delta handout on your way out! 
Have a great day!
Please leave your plus/delta handout on your way out! 