1. Aaron R. Butler, Ph.D Senior TA Consultant Instructional Rounds: High Impact, Cost Effective Professional Development for School Leaders Copyright © 2014 American Institutes for Research. All rights reserved. National Summit for Principal Supervisors May 12, 2016

2. Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., American Institutes for Research (AIR) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally. As one of the largest behavioral and social science research organizations in the world, AIR is committed to empowering communities and institutions with innovative solutions to the most critical challenges in education, health, workforce, and international development. American Institutes for Research 2

3. Partner with states and districts to support school-level leadership through: Evidence-based coaching that advances leadership in turnaround and non- turnaround contexts School leader evaluation system designs that provide useful information for principal supervision Training principal supervisors and coaches Supporting educator growth planning Conducting research on evaluation and professional development effectiveness What We Do: 3

4. Where We Work: Value-added measures Teacher evaluation Leadership coaching Principal evaluation Student learning objectives 4

5. Participants will be able to answer the following:  What exactly are Instructional Rounds?  How will Instructional Rounds make our principals and/or schools better?  How will Instructional Rounds make me a better leader?  How will Instructional Rounds make my life/job easier?  How are Instructional Rounds different from what we are currently doing?  How much will it cost? Objectives 5

6. The Case for Instructional Rounds 6

7. Instructional Rounds:  Connect classroom instruction to a larger school or district improvement strategy.  Foster collaboration among participants (leaders, teachers, etc.)  Calibrate observation and feedback skills of leaders.  Represent best practices in adult learning.  Provide sustainable and budget-friendly professional development! Instructional Rounds: Why? 7

8. Instructional rounds force an explicitly "multifocal perspective," in which the focus is simultaneously on small units of practice and on larger systems that relate to that practice (Riehl, 2007). Rounds help to build and sustain the professional culture by involving practitioners in a fairly formalized, shared practice in which structures and protocols separate the person from the practice and thus permit a deep and critical engagement with the practice and its improvement (Elmore, 2007). Instructional Rounds: Why? 8

9. Observations Improvement Strategies Learning Network The Intersection of Improvement 9 (City et al., 2009)

10.  A model adapted from the medical profession.  A process for systematically translating knowledge into practice.  A systemic learning process focused on strengthening classroom instruction.  A tool used to diagnose problems within a school.  A process to inform future professional development. Instructional Rounds are: 10

11.  A judgment of classroom teaching or building leadership.  A component of an evaluation system.  About showcasing proficiency and expertise. "There is a real difference between rounds and walkthroughs. Rounds is very much meant to be a learning experience for people going through the process.” ~ Elementary Principal Instructional Rounds are NOT: 11

12. Overview of Rounds 12

13. Instructional rounds are comprised of four essential steps: 1.Identify a problem of practice. 2.Observe using descriptive not evaluative terms. 3.Debrief to identify evidence and patterns. 4.Focus on the next level of work. Instructional Rounds: Overview 13

14.  Purpose  Professional Worldview  Content  Pedagogy  Expertise  Voice  Logistics (Roegman and Riehl, 2012) Common Challenges 14

15. Options for Organizing Instructional Rounds 15

16.  Principal cohorts  District leadership cohorts  School leadership teams  Administrators and instructional coaches  Administrators and outside consultants  Department or grade-level cohorts  Other potential combinations to meet your purpose Who Participates? 16

17. The Instructional Core (City, Elmore, Fiarman, & Teitel, 2009) 17

18. The Instructional Core 18 The only way to understand what is happening in the classroom is by examining how teachers and students interact in the presence of content. Task Content Student Teacher

19. Content as it appears in standards, curriculum, and instructional materials Assignments as designed by teachers Tasks as implemented by students Student learning The Instructional Core 19 Learning Task: How Content Unfolds

20. Step 1: Identify a Problem of Practice 20

21.  What is it? A question that encapsulates an unresolved question or dilemma about student learning that if acted upon will result in improved learning outcomes.  Why is it necessary? A problem of practice serves as a focus for observations during instructional rounds. Problem of Practice 21

22. Focused on the Instructional Core Observable in classrooms Centered on actionable practices Connects to a broader school or district improvement strategy Potentially high leverage or high impact Framed as a question Characteristics of An Effective Problem of Practice 22

23. Read each example and rate it – (Good or Poor?) 1.Are teachers implementing the writing process? 2.To what extent and in what ways are students engaged in higher-order thinking? 3.We would like to improve student performance in language arts. What are students saying and doing? What are teachers saying and doing? 4.How well are low-income students responding to differentiated instruction? 5.How do teachers know what students know during the lesson? 6.In what ways and to what extent are school-district level forces impacting cognitive demand in the instructional core and a more active role of the learner? Scenario #1 – Problems of Practice 23

24. Step 2: Conduct Observations 24

25. Skills Needed  Use descriptive language.  Use appropriate grain size.  Focus on what you see.  Take notes! Discipline of Observation 25

26. Description With Observer’s Judgment  Fast-paced  Too much teacher talk and not enough student discussion  Read-aloud was not the appropriate level for class Description Without Judgment  Five or more students were still working on problem when teacher moved to next question.  Ten minutes of the 20-minute observation were spent on giving directions.  Students were unable to correctly answer comprehension questions about read-aloud. Discipline of Observation 26

27. Large-Grain Statements  Broad or general  Contribute to fuzzy, inaccurate understanding of classroom interactions  Make predictions and the “next level of work” difficult to define Examples  The lesson was confusing, and the task was too difficult for students.  The students were really engaged in the activity. Discipline of Observation 27

28. Fine-Grain Statements  Specific  Help to build a common picture of what is happening  Provide helpful and relevant information to inform the next level of work Examples  Two pairs of students were able to complete the long division correctly.  Each time the teacher asked a question, at least 12 students raised their hands.  There was a specific role for each student in a group. Discipline of Observation 28

29. Step 3: Debrief to Identify Evidence and Patterns 29

30.  During classroom visits, take copious notes.  Following the classroom visits, the group convenes to: 1)Individually review notes and identify useful, relevant evidence. 2)Individually transcribe evidence onto self-adhesive notes. 3)Collectively screen evidence and identify patterns. 4)Collectively develop statements articulating patterns. Evidence and Patterns 30

31. Step 4: Making Predictions and Next Level of Work 31

32. 1.Review pattern statements. 2.Respond to the following prompt: – In light of the patterns we have identified, what would you expect students in the school to know and be able to do? 3.Record predictions made by the group. Prediction 32

33.  Purpose Provide the host school with recommendations for addressing the problem of practice. Share ideas for supporting teachers and leaders in moving the work forward in the next week, month, and year.  Process/Protocol Host Principal: Provide a brief summary of school efforts to address the problem of practice (group members listen). Group Members: Engage in discussion about potential actions and recommendations (host principal listens and takes notes). Host Principal: Share what he or she heard and his or her thoughts about next steps. Next Level of Work 33

34.  Resource allocation  Use of time  Accountability mechanisms  Professional Development “[Instructional Rounds] helped us unleash our resources on the right problems.” ~ Former superintendent Common Leverage Points for Next Level of Work 34

35. Theory of Action Taking your work to the next level 35

36. If I lead the implementation of improved instructional practice through pattern analysis, collaborative staff workshops, related professional development on the instructional core, discussions of specified professional readings, and the monitoring and analysis of assessment outcomes and the functioning of professional learning teams, then both staff capacity to improve student performance and student performance itself will improve. Example #1 36

37. We set expectations for objectives. Provide training and PLC time to create objectives. Conduct weekly observations and provide feedback. IF Lesson plans and instruction will be more focused. Students will know what they are expected to learn. Teachers will have better data to drive instruction. Then Positive student engagement Increased student learning Which Leads To Example #2 37

38. Debrief, Reflect, and Next Steps 38

39.  City, E. A., Elmore, R., Fiarman, S., and Teitel, L. (2009) Instructional rounds in education: A network approach to improving teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA. Harvard Education Press.  Elmore, R. F. (2007b). Professional networks and school improvement. School Administrator.  Fowler-Finn, T. (2013). Leading instructional rounds in education. Cambridge, MA. Harvard Education Press.  Riehl, C. (2007). Research on educational leadership: Knowledge we need for the world we live in. Research and educational leadership: Navigating the new National Research Council guidelines. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.  Roegman, R. & Riehl, C. (2012). Playing doctor with education: Considerations in using medical rounds as a model for instructional rounds. Journal of School Leadership. Resources 39

40. 40 Aaron R. Butler, Ph.D Senior TA Consultant (314) 917-6657 abutler@air.org 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW Washington, DC 20007-3835 877-322-8700 www.air.org www.revivingschools.org