Dedicated to Learning

A professional learning community at work

Principals need to focus on Principals need to focus on creating…creating…

• an environment in which people are an environment in which people are working toward a shared vision and working toward a shared vision and honoring collective commitments, an honoring collective commitments, an environment in which the structures environment in which the structures and supports foster collaborative efforts and supports foster collaborative efforts and continuous professional growth, an and continuous professional growth, an environment in which each teacher has environment in which each teacher has someone to turn to and talk to when someone to turn to and talk to when confronted with challenges. confronted with challenges.

Principals need to…Principals need to…

• become students of the teaching-become students of the teaching-learning process. PLC’s require learning process. PLC’s require shared vision and collective shared vision and collective commitments. Principals need to commitments. Principals need to prioritize and focus on continuous prioritize and focus on continuous improvement. improvement.

• encourage the hearts of those with encourage the hearts of those with who they work. They need to who they work. They need to participate in servant leadership. participate in servant leadership.

““Deep reform will Deep reform will requirerequire supportsupport andand

pressurepressure””

Learning by DoingLearning by Doing, , Dufour, Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, Many (2006)Dufour, Eaker, Many (2006)

Implementation DipImplementation Dip

Practice over time

Awkward

Consciously skilled

Beginning Awareness G

row

th

Fullan, (2001)

How do you build a How do you build a collaborative culture?collaborative culture?

• Unlock potential by empowering othersUnlock potential by empowering others• Encourage experimentation and create Encourage experimentation and create

the opportunities for teachers to leadthe opportunities for teachers to lead• Develop established norms and Develop established norms and

practices and defend those normspractices and defend those norms• Expect bumpiness and difficulties as Expect bumpiness and difficulties as

people learnpeople learn• Create opportunities for and celebrate Create opportunities for and celebrate

small successes (Quick Wins)!small successes (Quick Wins)!

Collaboration is KeyCollaboration is Key• Provide time for collaboration in the school Provide time for collaboration in the school

day and the school year.day and the school year.• Identify critical questions to guide the work Identify critical questions to guide the work

of collaborative teams.of collaborative teams.• Ask teams to create products as a result of Ask teams to create products as a result of

their collaboration. (TLL)their collaboration. (TLL)• Insist that teams identify and pursue specific Insist that teams identify and pursue specific

achievement goals.achievement goals.• Provide teams with relevant data and Provide teams with relevant data and

information.information.

How did we get there?How did we get there?• Teachers need to know the intended Teachers need to know the intended

outcomesoutcomes

• Common planning in disciplinesCommon planning in disciplines

• Use of rubrics to assist our learnersUse of rubrics to assist our learners

• Provide descriptive feedback to studentsProvide descriptive feedback to students

• Focused professional developmentFocused professional development

Olympic View’s Evolution Olympic View’s Evolution To Becoming A PLCTo Becoming A PLC

Learning By DoingLearning By Doing““I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and

I understand.”I understand.”

Year One• Empower your Empower your

teacher leadersteacher leaders

• Build relationships… Build relationships… How do you continue How do you continue to motivate staff? to motivate staff?

• Create common Create common visionvision

• Book studyBook study

• Start a traditionStart a tradition

• Honor previous Honor previous workwork

• Set up Set up expectationsexpectations

• Take a midyear Take a midyear pulsepulse

• Assessment Assessment Training InstituteTraining Institute

Questions that drive our Questions that drive our instructioninstruction

• What is it we want students to learn?What is it we want students to learn?

• How will we know when they’ve How will we know when they’ve learned it?learned it?

• How will we respond when they don’t?How will we respond when they don’t?

• What if they already know it?What if they already know it?

Professional Professional DevelopmentDevelopment

• Teachers attended the Teachers attended the Assessment Training Institute Assessment Training Institute (ATI)(ATI)

~ Staff development needs to ~ Staff development needs to provide teachers with research-based provide teachers with research-based instructional strategies that assist our instructional strategies that assist our students. It needs to prepare teachers students. It needs to prepare teachers to use various types of classroom to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately.assessments appropriately.

Year Two• Interdisciplinary teamsInterdisciplinary teams

• Developed common summative Developed common summative assessments/assessment buffetassessments/assessment buffet

• Professional Development: Raise the barProfessional Development: Raise the bar

• Team building: ROPESTeam building: ROPES

• Continue with a traditionContinue with a tradition

• Begin to address instructional issuesBegin to address instructional issues

• Assessment Training Institute (new group Assessment Training Institute (new group of teachers)of teachers)

Assessment FOR LearningAssessment FOR Learning“Formative Assessment”“Formative Assessment”

Your experiencesYour experiences

What impact did the experience have on What impact did the experience have on you?you?

What affect does this What affect does this have on your have on your subsequent work?subsequent work?

What did the assessor do to make it What did the assessor do to make it counterproductive?counterproductive?

Think about a poor assessment experience.Think about a poor assessment experience.

Stiggins, (2004)

Think about a positive Think about a positive experience with assessment.experience with assessment.

• Specifically, what did the Specifically, what did the assessor do to make it positive?assessor do to make it positive?

• What impact did this have on What impact did this have on you?you?

Creating hope: Creating hope: Assessment Assessment FOR Learning FOR Learning (Stiggins 2005)(Stiggins 2005)

Expected BenefitsExpected Benefits

• PROFOUND ACHIEVEMENT GAINS FOR ALL

• LARGEST GAINS FOR LOW ACHIEVERS

• SOLID FOUNDATION FOR LIFE-LONG LEARNING

• EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED

Assessment FOR LearningAssessment FOR Learning

OF vs. FOROF vs. FORResearch: Largest effects for lowest achievers. Wiliam & Black

Summative Formative

5 Keys to Quality 5 Keys to Quality AssessmentsAssessments

1. Clear Purpose

2. Clear Target

3. Sound Design

4. Effective Communicati

on

5. Student Involvement

Accurate assessment

Effectively Used

Stiggins, (2004)

Assessment BuffetAssessment Buffet

• Begin with teacher leaders/department chairsBegin with teacher leaders/department chairs

• Look at student work and criteria with rubricsLook at student work and criteria with rubricsQuestioning, descriptive feedback, peer and Questioning, descriptive feedback, peer and

self-assessmentself-assessment

• Discuss four driving questions:Discuss four driving questions:-What is it we expect students to learn?-What is it we expect students to learn?-How will we know when they’ve learned it?-How will we know when they’ve learned it?-How will we respond when they don’t -How will we respond when they don’t

learn?learn?-What if they already know it?-What if they already know it?

Assessment buffet Assessment buffet

• Teachers sharing examples of Teachers sharing examples of student work with corresponding student work with corresponding rubrics.rubrics.

• Students presentingStudents presenting

Assessment Buffet

May 2, 2007

7:30-8:00 AM

Rubric DevelopmentRubric Development

• Teachers were unsure as the Teachers were unsure as the difference between a rubric and difference between a rubric and a scoring guide.a scoring guide.

• Mini lesson created using Mini lesson created using leadership capacity within the leadership capacity within the school.school.

Rubrics can help you

Grade objectively and consistentlyClarify your instructional goalsImprove student performanceAssist in peer and self-assessmentsTool to inform instructionEliminate questions regarding

grades

Refrigerator

4 Entire refrigerator is sparkling and smells clean. All items are fresh, in proper containers (original or Tupperware, with lids), and organized into categories.

3 Refrigerator is generally wiped clean. All items are relatively fresh, in some type of container (some Tupperware lids are missing or don’t fit) and are sitting upright.

Marzano, (2003)

2 Some of the shelves are wiped clean, although there are some crusty spots. There are some suspicious smells. Items are in containers, but there seems to be some green stuff growing in some of the Tupperware

1 Items stick to the shelves when they are picked up. The smells linger long after the refrigerator door is closed. Several items need to be thrown out—Tupperware and all

Rubrics for PLC’sRubrics for PLC’s

• As teachers work in disciplines, As teachers work in disciplines, have them identify where they are have them identify where they are on a PLC continuum.on a PLC continuum.

• Enclosed rubrics for teamsEnclosed rubrics for teams

Year Three• Common plan for content teams/team norms/Common plan for content teams/team norms/

feedback from teams/expectations (packet)feedback from teams/expectations (packet)

• Fine tune common assessments with corresponding Fine tune common assessments with corresponding rubricsrubrics

• Implementation of Team Learning LogImplementation of Team Learning Log

• Focus on resultsFocus on results

• Continue with ATI (Sending 3Continue with ATI (Sending 3rdrd group) group)

• Assessment BuffetAssessment Buffet

• Grading (SBR)Grading (SBR)

• Get the right people on the bus and in the right seatGet the right people on the bus and in the right seat

Year Three Continued…Year Three Continued…

• Book StudiesBook Studies

~ ~ How to Grade for LearningHow to Grade for Learning

Ken O’ConnorKen O’Connor

~ ~ Learning by DoingLearning by Doing

Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, & Many& Many

~ ~ Assessment for LeadersAssessment for Leaders

Rick StigginsRick Stiggins

Identify relevant content standards

Determine acceptable evidence and criteria

Determine learning experiences that will enable students to learn what they need to know and to do

Teach and collect evidence of student learning

Assess student work to inform instruction or use data to provide feedback

Evaluate student work and make judgment on learning results and communicate findings

Reteach, or repeat the process with the next set of relevant standards

Teacher collab

oration throughout the process.

Student involvem

ent throughout the process.

Adapted from WestEd’s Learning from Assessment

PlanningPlanning

• Use data to inform your instruction. Use data to inform your instruction.

• Team Learning Log: Team Learning Log: Focused/intentional collaboration with Focused/intentional collaboration with content teamscontent teams

Second Order Second Order ChangeChange

Can create discourse

Can question leadership

Change is uncomfortable for some

“Deep reform will require both support and pressure” (Dufour,

Dufour, Eaker, Many)

Push on…Push on…

Be persistent…Be persistent…

Stay the course…Stay the course…

Questions?