2. Blazing Spirits
“In everyone’s life, at
some time, our inner
fire goes out. It is then
burst into flame by an
encounter with another
human being. We
should all be thankful
for those people who
rekindle the inner
spirit.”
~A. Schweitzer
3. Key Objectives
• Revisit our emerging norms
• Review the component parts
of the SIP (and PD) planning
process
• Explore processes for
analyzing student achievement
data
• Discuss processes for the self-
assessments for learning,
collaboration, and results
• Establish protocols for vertical
collaborative team sharing
• Discuss framework and
expectations for district PD
days
4. Trial and Error…
“The growth of any craft depends on shared
practices and honest dialogue among the
people who do it. We grow by private trial
and error, to be sure…but our willingness to
try, and fail, as individuals is severely limited
when we are not supported by a community
that encourages such risks.”
From The Courage to Teach, P. Palmer
5. Constructivist Listening Dyad
• Join a colleague from a
different vertical
collaborative team and
from a different level
(where possible).
• Use the constructivist
listening dyad protocol to
discuss the focus of the
passage.
• Discuss the concepts of
trial and error, risk, and
community.
7. Revisiting Norms
• Consider the learning that we have
Step 1 shared with one another.
• As you do, individually review the
Step 2 emerging norms that were generated in
August.
• As a vertical team, discuss what norms
Step 3 are the most important and if any are
missing. Be prepared to share.
8. The School Improvement Plan Framework
Current Reality (Needs Assessment)
Student Achievement Goals
Core System of Culture and Community
Instruction Interventions Climate Engagement
Action Plan Action Plan Action Plan Action Plan
Systems of Culture and Community
Core Instruction
Interventions Climate Engagement
PD Plan
PD Plan PD Plan PD Plan
9. Timelines for SIP/PD Plans
Review Data
Complete Self- Bring Data from
(continuous Share Current Reality
Assessments on Self-Assessments; Share Current Reality Share Current Reality improvement (4 data sources); Share
Learning, Develop SMART (at least 2 data (at least 2 data cycle) and Learning, Progress, and
Collaboration, Goals; Focus on sources); Share Data sources); Share Plans Develop 2012- Data at DLT; Share
Results; Develop Action and PD and Narratives or for Exploring Data 2013 Plans 2012-2013 Plans (draft)
Current Reality Plans Visuals about SIP Sources, SIP Progress
September October November December January/February March April/May June
Analyze Student Share Additional Share Emerging Share Emerging
Data Analysis for Explore Processes for Results from Action Results from Action
Achievement Data; ;
Current Reality; Demographic and Plans; Share Summary Plans; Share Summary
Explore Other School
Share Emerging Perception Data; of Professional of Professional
Process Data
Action Plans; Discuss Explore Learning Learning; Focus on Learning; Focus on
Sources; Learn about
Creating Narratives, Connected to Action Continuous Continuous
Data Collection on
Visuals for SIP Data Plans (i.e., core Improvement Cycle Improvement Cycle
Staff Learning
instruction, system of
interventions)
10. Protocols Common to All Meetings
1. Focusing our work on learning, collaboration, and
results
2. Sharing protocols that promote reflection on learning,
collaboration, and results
3. Sharing learning from sites—discussing the data of
doing and developing
4. Learning about and/or reinforcing instructional
coaching skills
5. Reinforcing the continuous improvement cycle
6. Celebrating learning (sharing protocols to promote
celebration)
11. Got Questions?
• As your vertical team
reviews the timeline for
developing, implementing,
and monitoring the work
of your SIP and PD plans,
what questions emerge?
• Generate each question on
a separate post-it note.
12. Protocol for On-Site Vertical CT Sharing
• Principal and DLT
members/teachers
present some of the
following:
– Findings and narrative
statements from data
analysis
– Emerging current reality
– Emerging action plans
– Emerging PD plans
– Emerging results (narrative
about collective learning)
13. The Do’s and Don’ts
What do we What don’t we
want the on-site want the on-site
vertical team vertical team
sharing to be? sharing to be?
15. On Professional Learning…
“An empowered teacher is a
reflective decision maker
who finds joy in learning
and in investigating the
teaching/learning process—
one who views learning as
construction and teaching
as a facilitating process to
enhance and enrich
development.”
—Fosnot
16. Focus of Learning
What structures and/or processes do you have in
place to differentiate professional development
meetings from collaborative team time?
PD focus on adult learning
CT focus on student learning
17. Focus on Learning
• Individually record what you
have done to differentiate
the purpose of the
meetings.
• Individually read the excerpt
from Learning by Doing and
highlight processes to
support collaborative team
time.
• As a vertical collaborative
team, generate a combined
list of processes or strategies
used to differentiate and/or
reinforce the purpose of the
meetings.
18. Deepening Our Understanding
• Go the Ning site for ISD 191 Ning for ISD 191 Admin
administrators and access the • http://isd191.ning.com/?show
following blog post: AddContent=1&xg_source=ms
• Bringing the Updated g_wel_network
Standards for Professional
Learning from Learn Forward
(NSDC) to Life
• As you review the blog post Learning Forward (NSDC)
and access the more detailed • http://www.learningforward.o
version of the standards on rg/standards/standards.cfm
Learning Forward’s website,
add a comment about how the
standards will guide your
decision-making about PD at
your building.
19. District PD Days
• ½ days focused on first question: what do we
want students to know, understand, and do?
• Intended to introduce or support concepts that
are part of district curriculum development
process
• TLT will develop a structured agenda & processes
• Principals, supervisors, and TLT will lead sessions
• Training sessions available October 11 from 9:00
a.m. to 11:00 a.m. or October 12 from 3:30 p.m.
to 5:30 p.m.
20. Data Dig: Student Achievement Data
• Review and discuss 3
different data sets related
to student achievement gap
• Write narrative statements
based on each set.
1. The gap between white students and students of color is sometimes
up to 25 points.
2. In 2010, the gap is beginning to close at the elementary level.
21.
22. 5 Whys: The What and the How
What is it: How to use it:
The 5 Whys is a question asking • Write down the specific problem.
method used to explore the Writing the issue helps you to
cause/effect relationships underlying formalize the problem and describe it
a particular problem. Ultimately, the completely. It also helps a team focus
goal of applying the 5 Whys method on the same problem.
is to determine a root cause of a • Ask "Why" the problem happens and
defect or problem. By repeatedly write the answer down below the
asking the question "Why" (five is a problem.
good rule of thumb), you can peel • If the answer you just provided
away the layers of symptoms which doesn't identify the root cause of the
can lead to the root cause of a problem that you wrote down in step
problem. Very often the underlying 1, ask “Why” again and write that
reason for a problem will lead you to answer down.
another question. Although this
technique is called "5 Whys," you • Loop back to step 3 until the team is
may find that you will need to ask the in agreement that the problem's root
question more or less than five times cause is identified. Again, this may
before you find the root cause of the take more or less than five “Whys”.
problem.
23. Stop and Think
• In what ways might the
data dig, the narrative
statements, and the 5
Whys process help
clarify the goal writing
process?
• Find a colleague from a
different vertical
collaborative team and
share your thinking.
24. Learning For All Mission
• According to the • If ISD 191 were to focus
Effective Schools its efforts on a learning
research, schools need for all mission, what
to operate with a would that require?
“learning for all • What policies, practices,
mission” not just in and procedures would
words, but in actions. need to be examined,
tweaked, and/or
changed?
25. Next Steps in Data Dig
• At September 22 meeting,
use Cognos and MDE to
explore student
achievement data related
to…
– Proficiency
– Trend
– Growth
– Racial Disparity
– Bubble Kids
• Write narrative statements
to deepen development of
current reality
26. Getting to Goals
• Develop narrative
statements about your
data.
• Think about how the
narrative statements form
your current reality.
• Use your narrative
statements and a 5 Whys
process to frame the
development of goals for
your site—either quick
wins or long-term goals.
27. Reflection on Learning
• What did you learn today
that will guide your work?
• Individually document what
you learned on the 4-2-1
reflection sheet.
– What 4 things did you learn
about
– What 2 things do you plan
to do
– What 1 thing do you want to
learn more about
28. Purpose & Power of Collaborative Teams
“What distinguishes professional learning
communities from support groups where
teachers mainly share ideas and offer
encouragement is their critical stance and
commitment to inquiry…Teachers ask probing
questions, invite colleagues to observe and
review their teaching and their students’
learning, and hold out ideas for discussion and
debate.”
–J. Saphier
29. Announcements & Updates
• Communications from
TLT
• BEA Executive Board
Vote
• PLCs for Math and
Reading Interventionists
(system of
interventions)
