Teaching and Learning Elementary

1. Teaching and LearningElementary 10.15.13 Dean Ave. Conference Room

2. Today’s Agenda • Welcome & Outcomes for our Work • School Improvement Plans: Process for Monitoring Data Teams • Close Reading Task Force • Supporting Science & Social Studies Instruction • District PLC Session • Updates

3. Restructuring

4. DMPS Collective Commitments, 2012-13 • We will function as a professional learning community • We will develop leadership capacity • We will be data driving in our decision-making • We will establish clear expectations and regularly monitor progress • We will provide support and resources to sustain school improvement • We will share and celebrate success

5. Objectives for the Central Office Reorganization, 2013-14 • Dramatically accelerate and improve student achievement district-wide • Redesign the district central office to support, scale, and sustain school improvement efforts • Create greater coherence in alignment in and among departments within the district central office • Increase central office collaboration and customer service, ensuring that all activities are student-centered and results-oriented • Establish shared accountability for student and school success by clearly articulating the roles and functions of each department • Strategically reallocate resources in an effort to maximize the return on investment and realize cost savings

6. Creating Coherence Across Departments, 2013-14 Office of Schools and CIA Elementary and Secondary Foci • Instructional Effectiveness • Data Driven Decision Making • Collaborative Systems • Access and Equity

7. We believe that we have the right people, the right ideas, and are in the process of building the right tools

8. Multi-Tiered System of Support • Redesigned School Improvement Plan template and planning process • Systemic coaching structure for new principals and teachers • School visits by Office of Schools • Metric which identifies schools within a structure of intervention levels: Universal, Watch, Targeted, and Intensive • Application of school-level standard treatment protocol at the Targeted and Intensive levels • District-level data team process to analyze student achievement and culture/climate data in order to monitor and adjust school-level standard treatment protocol interventions and support to schools

9. Multi-Tiered System of Support School-level Standard Treatment Protocols are identified by Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment and the Office of Schools and will focus on: • effective instructional practices • data-driven decision-making • collaborative structures • equity and access • culture and climate.

10. District-Level Data Team Purpose: To build collective capacity to problem-solve and to monitor and adjust interventions (standard treatment protocol) Description: Will meet a minimum of three times each year to analyze academic and culture/climate data for all DMPS schools Membership: District administrators from the Office of Schools; Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (CIA); Student and Family Services; Learning Services Format:Analysis of data elements, identifying trends, inferring of strengths and needs, and inferring root cause

11. Multi-Tiered System of Support This meets DE requirements for SINA 4+ schools related to Restructuring

12. Title I Schools: C-Plan • AYP letters – by October 25 • C-Plan Word document will be emailed • Copy and paste responses to C-Plan questions from the Word document • Certify the SINA C-Plan before Monday, October 28 • Email Wilma if you need help

13. School Improvement Planning

14. SIP UNDERSTANDINGS • Working document for schools – an action plan and a guide for schools to monitor their implementation of the plan • Includes information needed by schools and the district to plan, act, and monitor for school improvement • Data should engage all staff in the school improvement work

15. SIP Progress Monitoring The new SIP template is designed to support a focus on progress monitoring New elements to the SIP • Quick Win Indicators • Long Term Indicators

16. SIP Action Plan: Quick Win Indicators Describes what schools monitor periodically during the year (approximately every 6 weeks) toward meeting Long Term Indicators and SMART GOALS • Every initiative must have a Quick Win Indicator for at least one adult action (implementation data) and one student action (student performance data) • monitoring tool • metric (level of proficiency) • frequency of monitoring • Does not need to be stated as a SMART goal

17. SIP Action Plan: Long Term Indicators Describes what schools monitor periodically during the year (once or twice each year) towards meeting the SMART goals • Every initiative must have a Quick Win Indicator for at least one adult action (implementation data) and one student action (student performance data) • monitoring tool • metric (level of proficiency) • frequency of monitoring • Must be stated as a SMART goal

18. Data Teams 85% of schools formally identified Data Teams as one of their SIP initiatives

19. Data Analysis TODAY: Provide support related to your work on progress monitoring your SIP – Data Teams process • Data analysis is required • Progress monitoring of your SIP is required • A specific process is NOT required

20. Data Teams

21. What we have learned so far… • The work done last spring and summer allowed many teams to start this process during Unit 1! • Data Team Form Templates are available on the website – these are meant to be modified to meet your school needs. • Largest area of concern continues to be the creation of Common Formative Assessments – We are continuing to add passages to our website to support this process.

22. Step #1: Focusing our Instruction

23. Goal for Step #1: Focusing our Instruction Promote teacher conversation & understanding of the grade-level standards: • What does the standard expect of students? • How do the different standards fit together? • What does this standard look like at previous or future grade levels? Great resource to promote this conversation:

24. Step #2: Create the Pre/Post Common Formative Assessment

25. Goals for Step 2: Create the Pre/Post Common Formative Assessment • Assessment items directly aligned to prioritized I Can Statements. • Assessment items are designed to highlight the strengths and needs of students. • Assessment passages are grade level text. • Assessment length is reasonable. Resources to Support: • Journeys passages (practice book, projectable, unit assessments) • Read Works Website • District provided options (available on the elementary literacy website)

26. Step #3: Set the SMART Goal The percentage of students scoring proficient or higher on our prioritized I Can Statements will increase from ________% to ________% measured by the posttest administered on ___________________________.

27. Step #4: Identify Strengths and Needs

28. Goals for Step #4: Identify Strengths and Needs • The group analyzes the pre-assessment data to determine student strengths and areas of need, in reference to the team “I Can” statements. • Direct analysis of student work is necessary to complete this step.

29. Step #5: Planning for Instruction

30. Goals for Step #5: Planning for Instruction • The group determines implications for whole group and small group instruction based on the team “I Can” statements and the pre-assessment student data. • Specific materials for use, teacher actions and student actions are articulated. • The group reviews the available materials within Journeys and determines what modifications to instruction and teacher language are necessary to accomplish our team “I Can” statements. Resources to Support: • JOURNEYS • The Common Core Book

31. Monitoring our Implementation of Data Teams

32. The Monitoring Tool – Page1

33. The Monitoring Tool – Page 2

34. Expectations for Implementation • Timeframe: October 28th – November 22nd • Minimum Number of Observations: 2 per grade level team (literacy and/or math) = 12 total • Participants in the Study: • School Principal • Instructional Coach (*optional) • Released Deans (*optional) • Elementary Directors ** Email Carlyn with 3 dates & times for an Elementary Director to provide an onsite observation.

35. How will this data be used? • At School Level: School Improvement Plan Monitoring • What areas of the Data Teams process are working • What additional supports may be necessary for individual teams • What teams are ready for a “gradual release” • At the District Level: • Determine areas of need for Teaching & Learning meetings • Identify specific supports that can be provided by the Elementary Directors during site visits

36. Action Planning • Self-Assessment: What is our current reality? What teams or subject area do we want to focus on? • Planning: When will we complete these observations? Who will participate? • Email Carlyn: 3 dates & times for an Elementary Director onsite observation.

37. Close Reading PD Modules

38. Building our Capacity • Purpose of Close Reading is to provide a teaching framework for teachers to support complex text, as required by Common Core.

39. Using the Modules • Designed to be facilitated at the school level. • Whole Staff Professional Development • Grade Level Team Meetings / PLCs • Teacher-Led

40. Close Reading PD Modules • PowerPoint format housed on Sharepoint • Accessed by facilitator through www.elementaryliteracy.dmschools.org; Click PD tab:

41. Format of a Typical Module… • 30 minute sessions • Supported by theory and rationale • Include practical application examples, • including video demonstrations • structure for implementation • sharing artifacts • Include related article excerpts • All articles, videos, and other resources needed will be embedded into the PowerPoint to make facilitating the sessions very simple.

42. Module Overview • Module 1: What is Close Reading? (Tentative Outline) • Module 2: Choosing the Text • Module 3: Pre-Reading • Module 4-5: Text Dependent Questions • Module 6: Managing the Learning Environment during Close Reading • Modules 7-9: Scaffolded Reading Instruction • Module 10: Demonstrating Understanding and Assessing Performance

43. Launching the Modules November Teaching & Learning: • We will engage in Module 1 together • We will further discuss implementation of the Modules • Modules 1-5 will be available for school use

44. Supporting Science Implementation

45. What we’ve learned so far… • Focus should be on science skills within the context of the content • Important skills include claims/evidence writing, summarizing, data collection and interpretation, measurement and critical thinking/questioning • The content is a vehicle to teach these skills. Teachers should let the student’s questions guide the learning within the unit • The “I can” statements guide the teacher in the ending knowledge and skills for that unit • Teacher collaboration is key

46. Next Generation Science Standards • The NGSS has not yet been adopted by Iowa • So far 8 states have adopted, many are considering • Iowa has assembled a task force which is currently evaluating the NGSS and the current Iowa Core • Adoption or rejection should be announced by January • We will have a 2-3 year implementation plan in Iowa if the standards are adopted • You can view the standards at: http://nextgenscience.org

48. Going Forward Things to consider: • Keep all Foss Kits in your building. We may need them in the future. • There will be full scale PD for elementary teachers in science this summer. • Please use your science budget to fill Foss Kits first before using it for other science related expenses. • If you would like assistance in working with your staff during PD or collaboration opportunities, do not hesitate to contact Kim O’Donnell or Rob Kleinow.

49. Supporting Social Studies Implementation

50. Current Reality • We are required to have implementation of the Iowa Core • Iowa Core in the Social Studies is grade-banded: K-2 and 3-5 • Standards are divided into the following categories: behavioral sciences,economics,geography, history and political science • Since 2006-2007, curriculum guides have been tied to the adopted materials • Materials from that adoption exist – to varying degrees in our schools. In some cases, there are no materials. • We needed a way to help teachers with resources until the next adoption