1. Vertical Collaborative Teams
November 10, 2011

2. Welcome,
Colleagues!
Thank you to our colleagues from…
Gideon Pond
MW Savage
William Byrne
…for your preparation and
participation

3. Key Objectives
1. Engage in collegial sharing and dialoguing about school
improvement plans
2. Review focus of district curriculum development and
professional development related to core instruction
3. Collaboratively clarify expectations for district
professional development sessions (January 23 and
February 20)
4. Process expectations for core instruction action plans
5. Engage in reflection on learning that can be applied to
site-based PD (data collection)

4. An African Folktale
• With your vertical
collaborative team,
discuss how the folktale
relates to our
expectations for being a
highly functioning
collaborative team
• Be prepared to share

5. An African Folktale
But when the People gathered once again around the
fire telling the story of all that had happened, something
new came to mind.
“We have overcome the strength of the
Elephant,” they said, “and our fear of the
Shark and the Hawk. We have done this
by sitting by the fire and telling stories of
what has happened to us and learning
from them. Only we, among all the
creatures, have the gift of the story and
the wisdom it brings. We do not need to
be masters of the earth. We can share
because it is wise to do so.”
From this day on, the People held their heads high,
never forgetting to sit by the fire and tell their stories.
Never forgetting that in the stories could be found
wisdom and in wisdom, strength.

6. SIP Sharing
• Teams from Gideon Pond Elementary (Central Cluster),
William Byrne Elementary (East Cluster), and M. W.
Savage Elementary (West Cluster) will share how their
sites have been developing, implementing, and
monitoring their school improvement plans

7. Processing Sharing
• During today’s sharing,
– I learned…
• As a result of today’s sharing,
– I want to know more about…
– I plan to do…

8. Feedback from Teams
• For our colleagues from
Gideon Pond, MW Savage,
and WM Byrne…
– Share what insights you
discovered as you prepared
for today
– Discuss what insights you
gained as a result of your
sharing today

9. Triad Sharing Learning
• Form a triad by joining
two colleagues from
different clusters.
• Share insights you
gained about
developing,
implementing, and/or
monitoring your SIP’s
work.

10. Who’s Up in December?
• As a collaborative team,
decide which site will
be sharing at our
December 8 meeting.
• Please let Chris know
prior to or after break.

11. Be back to
Sugar cubes, not continue our
collaborative
marshmallows!
learning and
sharing in 10
minutes

12. Something to Consider…
“when you have
completed 95
percent of your
journey, you are
only halfway
there.”
~Japanese proverb

13. Aligning Our Efforts
Professional
Development

14. High Quality Professional Development
Focus on Learning and Improving Student Achievement
a. Must be collaborative—people have to learn with one another
b. Must be sustained—multiple opportunities for learning have to be
provided
c. Must be coherent—has to align with the work of a district, building,
and teacher
d. Must deepen pedagogical content knowledge—has to deepen
teachers’ understanding of what they teach and how to teach,
deliver, and assess the content
e. Must be results oriented—has to impact learning and actions—for
the adults and students

15. PD: Aligned and Personalized
District PD is about Building PD provides Personalized PD
Aligned—District
Personalized
Aligned—Building
designing and learning to support invites and challenges
delivering PD that is the goals of the us to find relevance in
ALIGNED with our building. the focus of the PD
DISTRICT’s vision and The PD that is that is provided and
mission. implemented tightly become active
It’s about dedicating aligns with and inquirers—what do I
time and resources to supports the focus of need to know to
support our district’s the school improve my practice?
efforts in a common, improvement plan.
collaborative, and
intentional way.

16. October 17 District PD:
Looking Back to Move Forward
• Collaboratively focus on clarifying question 1:
– What do students need to know, understand, and
do?
• Deepen teachers’ engagement with our
district’s curriculum writing process
• Prepare our teachers for engaging in our
district’s curriculum writing process
• Support the implementation of core
instruction action plans

17. Where Did We Get? Where Are We Going?
• Examined practice—began • Deepen collaborative
surfacing the “sometimes conversations about what is
automatic” essential for student learning
• Encouraged a shift from • Name what is instinctive about
textbook approach to our teaching—promoting
curriculum to conversation metacognition and reflective
about “big ideas” teaching
• Examined standards and • Articulate essential learning
benchmarks outcomes, units of instruction
• Began identifying essential • Become clearer about the role
learning outcomes and units of standards and benchmarks
of instruction • Document and communicate
• Initiated what’s essential for grade
intentional, sustainable level, course
collaborative learning • Prepare for vertical planning

18. Aligning Our Efforts
Professional Curriculum
Development Development

19. Perspectives on Curriculum
Definitions of Application of
Curriculum Definition
• What is common • In what ways could
and/or not part of we use the
the definitions of definitions to guide
curriculum from and inform
Rigorous Curriculum collaboration and
Design by Larry instructional
Ainsworth? planning?

20. Standards Instructional
Materials

21. Standards Instructional
Materials
Everyday Math Something
Else

22. 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014
Mathematics Science English LA
•Curriculum Design •Curriculum Design
•Curriculum
Design •Instructional •Instructional
Materials Decisions Materials Decisions
•Instructional •Publisher •Publisher
Materials Informational Informational
Decisions Sessions Sessions
•Math Content •Science Content
•Publisher Professional Professional
Informational Development Development
Sessions
•Refinement of •Refinement of
Units of Units of
Instruction Instruction

23. Stop, Think, and Share
• What did you hear about
the curriculum
development process in
our district that impacts
your understanding of our
work on Question 1?
• What is the relationship
between the professional
development sessions
and the curriculum work
sessions being facilitated
by Kathy and Rachel?

24. Aligning Our Efforts
Think about our collaborative efforts
to deepen our teachers’ engagement
Curriculum with and understanding of Question 1.
1. Curriculum will continue to
Development facilitate the development of
units of instruction based on
standards and best practice.
2. PD will structure district PD
meetings to structure
collaborative meetings and
Core
Professional sustain teachers’ engagement
Instruction with question 1.
Development
Action Plan 3. Buildings will develop their
action plan on core instruction to
sustain and deepen teachers’
work on question 1.

25. Required Component: Action Plan
(Initially Shared August 11, 2011)
• Create an action plan that • The specific learning that your
details how the learning for site will engage in
adults will be implemented • The timeline for when the
and monitored. learning will occur
• The timeline for monitoring
the learning (getting at impact
• Include the components in and results)
the bulleted list to the right
in your action plan: • The processes you will use for
monitoring learning (i.e.,
reflections on learning,
reflections for action, student
learning, etc.)
• The resources required to
support your PD
• The person(s) responsible

26. Common Expectations for Question 1
• Given what learning and
collaboration have occurred
during curriculum and
professional development and
at your site with your core
instruction action plan, what
would be necessary and
reasonable for teachers to know,
understand, and be able to do
with regard to Question 1?
• Simply, what are our common
expectations for Question 1?

27. Implementation Analysis:
Core Instruction Action Plan
Aside from the facilitation of curriculum writing and
collaborative learning during district professional
development, what has been and/or will be happening at
your building with your core instruction action plan?
1. Document what steps have been implemented
through district work and at the building level.
2. Document what steps you will take to deepen your
teachers’ engagement with core instruction.
3. Document how your collaborative teams and your
building leadership team are monitoring the
development of your core instruction action plan.

28. Next Steps (for November 17):
Core Instruction Action Plan
2. Document what your site has
1. Review self-assessment data
done to support the development
about focus on learning,
and/or implementation of your
collaboration, and results;
core instruction action plan,
consider the rankings of high
including how your teams and
need, high impact, and low
site have monitored the plan’s
resistance to frame SMART goals
implementation
3. Determine and document what 4. Bring a copy of your core
your site will do to support the instruction action plan to our
implementation of your core November 17 meeting
instruction action plan, including
your plans for monitoring the
plan’s implementation

29. Reflection on Learning
• What did I learn about
aligning efforts—
district curriculum and
PD and my site’s core
instruction action plan?
• What more do I want
and/or need to know?
• What actions will I take
as a result of my
learning?

30. Reflecting on Reflecting
• In what ways can I use
a similar process at my
site to promote
intentional
metacognition and
reflection on learning
(and for action) and
collect data to
document our efforts
(SIP, PD)?

31. Key Messages
Focus Questions Process Expectations
• What are the Key Messages • Use a separate post-it note
from our discussion about for each key message that
aligning our efforts—district you generate.
PD, district curriculum • When prompted, share at
development, and core your table and generate a
instruction action plans? common list to share with
• Any other key messages? the other collaborative
teams.

32. Looking Ahead: November 17
• Process Core Instruction
Action Plans
• Provide feedback about
MCA IIIs testing
• Provide feedback about
the District AYP plan
• Engage in reflection
protocol regarding work
of TLT

33. Something to Consider…
“when you have
completed 95
percent of your
journey, you are
only halfway
there.”
~Japanese proverb