1. VT School Improvement Coaches Meeting: Monitoring the Impact of Reform Initiatives Developing Accountability January 19, 2012 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Please log on to the WebEx site first, then follow the onscreen instructions to dial in by phone. For additional help, dial Joe Trunk: 617 899-7925.

2. January 19, 2012222 WebEx Pointers  Confirm you can mute your own microphone/ phone – to enable discussion during today’s meeting without undue background noise, take a minute to locate the mute control on your computer/ telephone.  If using your computer for the audio portion of our meeting, PLEASE use a headset or dial in using a speakerphone.  You will be muted during the session unless otherwise indicated. If you have a question or a request, type it into the CHAT box in the lower right hand corner of your screen.  If you encounter a problem, call Joe Trunk at (617 899-7925) to talk with someone who may be able to help get you reconnected.

3. January 19, 20123 Meeting Objectives  Share an observation about sustaining effort  Learn about state plans for an ESEA waiver  Consider options for monitoring the impact of school improvement efforts  Review the draft rubric for School Coaching Standard #4: Developing Accountability

4. January 19, 20124 Meeting Agenda 3:00 – 3:20 Welcome and Introductions 3:20 – 3:35 VT DOE Updates 3:35 – 3:50 Strategies for monitoring the impact of improvement initiatives 3:50 -- 4:20 Coaching Standard 4: Developing Accountability – Draft Rubric 4:20 – 4:30 Homework, Next Meeting

5. January 19, 20125 Welcome and Introductions Organizers: VT School Improvement Coordinators: Ken Remsen, Lisa Mazzitelli, Carol Duley, Debi Price Host: Joe Trunk, New England Comprehensive Center Facilitator: Karen Laba Participants: Please introduce yourself, tell your role and your school/ SU/ District affiliation, and complete the sentence “ An approach I’ve used to help sustain energy to implement a change initiatives is...” “Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.” Tom Landry

6. January 19, 20126 The Federal ESEA Waiver At yesterday’s meeting, the State Board gave its approval to the ESEA Flexibility Waiver, giving us the go ahead to move forward with its continued development. The motion allowed the Commissioner to negotiate the Waiver with the US Department of Education in the coming months. The draft plan was sent to CCSSO late yesterday afternoon in preparation for a technical assistance session with them next week.

7. January 19, 20127 VT DOE Updates (cont’d) Coach and School Checks: Ken: Jen, Susie, Fran, Lisa, Peter, Casey Lisa: Lynn, Mary Ann, Tina, Carolyn, Otho Debi: Wendy, David C., Dana, Maura, Janna Carol: Linda, David, Herb, Victor, Karen, Elaine

8. January 19, 20128 Q & A for VT DOE “Raise your hand” or write your question in the chat window.

9. What’s working? What’s not? -- A Role for Coaches Project/ Initiative/ Reform Effort design: What needs do (our staff/ our students) have? What can we do to address these needs? Who will do what? What will it look like? How will we know whether it is having the desired impact? January 19, 20129

10. 10 Monitoring the Impact of Education Initiatives – Some Options Goal/ OutcomePossible Measures Increase the percentage of students scoring proficient in mathematics NECAP; NWEA; AIMSweb; local formative; unit tests; report card grades Teachers will make effective use of diagnostic data to individualize instruction [TYPE your suggestion in the CHAT window ] Instructional Teams use student learning data to assess strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum and instructional strategies [TYPE your suggestion in the CHAT window]

11. January 19, 201211 Criteria for Measures of Impact 1. Useful – by the educator to make adjustments, inform instructional decisions 2. Trustworthy – accurate within the context of the use of the data 3. Timely – see ‘useful’; within the real time context of classroom activities

12. January 19, 201212 A Collaborative Approach to Measuring Impact of Change Efforts Consider this principle of change: Those responsible for change should be intimately involved in defining the nature and direction of that change. Consider this Strategy: Invite the school team to describe what full (and effective) implementation of the activity will look like in their school – Who will be doing what? For Example: Goal of an Initiative: Teachers individualize instruction based on pre-test results to provide support for some students and enhanced learning opportunities for others.

13. What will it look like? January 19, 201213 What will teachers be doing? -- Teachers will have a binder of assessment items for each GLE and unit of instruction, including NECAP released items and curriculum assessments from our math program. -- Teachers will meet in grade level teams to share the results of the current unit with their colleagues. -- Teacher teams will sort the students for placement in the reteach and enrich block to be started in November of next year. -- Teachers will assign themselves to the various student groups for the 3 week reteach and enrich sequence. -- Teachers will re-assess students on the targeted GLEs covered and review plans for the subsequent 3 week reteach and enrich block.

14. January 19, 201214 Q & A on Strategies for Monitoring Impact Pose questions, Offer suggestions, Or offer comments in the Chat box or “raise your hand”

15. January 19, 201215 Coaching Standards The Assignment: Describe behaviors that represent attainment of the coaching standard across a continuum from “approaches” to “meets” to “exceeds” Goal: To compile a comprehensive continuum that can be used to assess coaching. Design Team for Coaching Standard 4: David Leo Nyquist, Peter Mello, Susie Girardin, Otho Thompson Presenter: Peter Mello

16. January 19, 201216 Coaching Standard #4: STANDARD 4—Developing Accountability: A School Performance Coach promotes improved school performance by advancing shared accountability through the engagement of all members of a school community in collaborative assessment, data analysis, and action to ensure the success of every student. Encouraging skillful use of data to inform decision making Sharing best practices in student assessment Providing faculty with data-based feedback on their instructional effectiveness Promoting a culture of distributed accountability

17. January 19, 201217 Three Domains of the Standard Peer Observation Sharing best practices using protocols Shifting faculty culture toward shared responsibility & “horizontal accountability”

18. January 19, 201218 Peer Observation Continuum Domain related to Developing Accountability Approaching the Standard Meeting the Standard Exceeding the Standard Peer Observation Interested teachers pair up & commit to visiting each other’s classrooms. They become familiar with at least 2 protocol structures for PO and complete at least one round of observations.[School Coach helps with these arrangements.] PO partners use one or more protocols as a format for classroom observations, and complete a pre- observation and debriefing conversation for each observation. Participating teachers complete two rounds of POs. [SC participates in pre- observation & debriefing conversations when invited and regularly checks in with PO partners.] Teachers complete three or more rounds of PO with a partner, following an agreed-upon structure, and share their experience with other teachers interested in PO. Additional trust is built with each classroom visit. [SC facilitates school-wide conversation that makes PO visible to all; supports put in place to continue & expand PO opportunities.}

19. January 19, 201219 Sharing Best Practices Continuum Domain related to Developing Accountability Approaching the Standard Meeting the Standard Exceeding the Standard Sharing best practices using protocols 3 or more teachers receive CFG training to build their capacity for using protocols to scaffold teacher conversations. In small groups all teachers use a Success Analysis protocol to share a successful lesson. [SC promotes the importance of structure, safety, and facilitative leadership for these conversations.] In small groups with trained facilitators, all teachers examine student work using a Tuning Protocol, which includes a preconference & a debriefing. [SC provides support & scaffolding for this whole-faculty activity] In small groups, teachers regularly examine student work using appropriate protocols with a facilitator. As additional teachers volunteer as presenters, trust is built and teachers see themselves as supporting each other’s learning. [SC provides support & scaffolding for this ongoing faculty work.]

20. January 19, 201220 Shared responsibility & “horizontal accountability” Continuum Domain related to Developing Accountability Approaching the Standard Meeting the Standard Exceeding the Standard Shifting faculty culture toward shared responsibility & “horizontal accountability” Faculty begins a conversation about shared responsibility for student learning and a shift from “my students” to “our students,” asking What would this look like in our school? Time is built into the weekly schedule for collaborative conversations to happen. The faculty asks, What do we know about PLCs? [SC provides PLC resources to the principal and leadership team, which might include sending leadership team to a PLC training and/or doing PLC readings together.] Faculty meets regularly in PLCs to create SMART goals and common assessments that anchor their collective work. Conversations focused on student learning & student work happen routinely. [SC provides ongoing support & resources for PLC work.] Faculty understands PLC work as a powerful form of PD, and as an infrastructure for PD, not an “add-on.” Shift from monitoring of teacher small-group work to supporting teacher collaboration. [SC facilitates school-wide conversation about PLC work to date & implications for the future. Teacher-leaders emerge to take on responsibility for growing the PLC work. SC in a capacity- building role.]

21. January 19, 201221 Discussion of the Continuum for Coaching Standard #4 1.Do the three domains provide a useful context for assessing whether a coach has been effective in “developing accountability”? 2.Do the statements in the Peer Observation continuum accurately describe coaching behaviors that ‘approach,’ ‘meet,’ or ‘exceed’ the standard? 3.Do the statements in the Sharing Best Practices continuum accurately describe coaching behaviors that ‘approach,’ ‘meet,’ or ‘exceed’ the standard? 4.Do the statements in the Shifting Faculty Culture continuum meet your understanding of the coaching behaviors that fit Standard #4? 5.What would make this a useful tool for assessing coaching practice?

22. January 19, 201222 Q & A on Coaching Standard #4 Pose questions, Offer suggestions, Or offer comments in the Chat box or “raise your hand”

23. Input Request for Next Meeting NEXT MEETING: THURSDAY, February 16, 2012, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Title: How do school systems support the instructional shifts required by the Common Core state standards? Presenters: Gail Taylor, Pat Fitzsimmons January 19, 201223 Proposed topics: overview of Common Core; primary instructional shifts; roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders Questions: 1.Does this frame seem useful to your role as a school coach? 2.What questions would you like to have addressed in the session?

24. January 19, 201224 Homework & Today’s Materials Homework: Coaching Standard 5 – Team (Herb Perez, Mary Ann B, David C) prepare draft for discussion on Feb 16 ; everyone go to Wiki and offer suggestions Feedback: Please provide your feedback on the usefulness of today’s meeting and suggestions for future sessions on the Jan 19 page of the wiki. Meeting Materials: Presentation and links mentioned today will be posted on the VT SI wiki as well as on the Dept. website. A link to the recording of today’s session will be sent to all via email and posted as soon as it is available.

25. Invitation to Present Learning Forward Annual Conference Boston, MA December 1-5, 2012 Proposals Due: January 31, 2012 Online Submission at: http://proposals.learningforward.org http://proposals.learningforward.org Also, seeking volunteers to Score Proposals – In person -- Malden HS, Feb. 3, 2012 Remote scoring – your location, Feb 3 +/- Send email to Karen at karenlaba@comcast.net January 19, 201225

26. January 19, 201226 Thanks for your participation Thanks to NECC and Joe Trunk for web services and support