Chicago Public Schools ILT Development Convey any information not related to the focus of this session to ILT members, review previous action items, and assign the roles of recorder, timekeeper, and process checker to ILT members.

Today’s Outcomes: ILT Development Self-assess the ILT’s effectiveness in performing critical work and functions Determine 1-2 areas for team improvement and the means and measures by which to implement these improvements Go over the intended outcomes of the session.

The Big Picture: How is the Work of the ILT Connected to CPS Initiatives? ILTs systematically use data and the CCSS to set goals, create a Theory of Action and Quarterly Action Plan, and monitor progress to ensure students are achieving measureable results. ILT The “Who” Theory of Action The “How” Sets school goals Identifies strategic levers Describes intended impact on instructional core Identifies metrics to monitor progress Develops school plan for instructional improvement Learns through the analysis of data Supports teacher teams Facilitates two-way communication Engages in regular reflection on team itself CCSS The “What” Explain the focus of the District-wide PD training, recently attended by members of the ILT: Getting familiar with the Common Core Standards, Developing a strategic plan (i.e., a theory of action) to guide school-wide improvements, and Improving the function of the ILT. Explain that this session will work on ILT improvement by reflecting on the work we have done thus far and aligning on the work we will do in the future. Articulates an aligned, district-wide vision for student achievement Aligns with CPS college- and career-ready outcomes Is the mechanism for developing high-quality curriculum, instruction, and assessment

Video: ILT Conditions for Success As you’re observing a short video of McClellan Elementary School’s ILT, consider: What effective practices does McClellan appear to have in place? Which of these practices might be helpful for our own ILT to utilize or improve upon? Slide 4: Explain purpose of the video and review question on slide. Show video (length: 3 minutes and 15 seconds). [Click on hyperlinked text “video” or go to http://www.cpsteachingforlearning.org/video/creating-conditions-team-success-315]. When complete, discuss as a whole ILT or in small groups the slide questions.

Self-Assessment for ILT Improvement Step 1: Reflect Upon ILT Effectiveness Step 2: Set Goals to Improve ILT Effectiveness Update on the activities you engaged in during the PD that the whole team will engage in during today’s session: Reflecting on the critical work and functions of your team, and Identifying areas of improvement that, if implemented, can further enhance the growth of your ILT.

Step 1: What is the critical work that the ILT must lead and do that will lead to improved student outcomes? Are the following criteria strengths or weaknesses of our team? How do we know? Critical Work of the ILT: Develops the school’s plan for instructional improvement and monitors progress on the plan Learns through the analysis of data about what is and isn’t working and makes adjustments to school-wide improvement strategies accordingly Supports and builds capacity of teacher teams Facilitates two-way communication between the ILT and engages all staff in participating in decision-making that advances the school’s strategic focus Engages in regular reflection upon its own team processes and effectiveness and takes actions to improve its functioning Ask team members to review the five “Critical Work” criteria silently (on the slide and handout) and determine whether each one is an area of strength or challenge for the team. Quickly poll each criterion to determine how many people identified it as a strength or challenge. Share the conclusions of the PD participants and discuss apparent divergences. Single out the criteria of which the majority identified as a challenge and/or if there is a large discrepancy between responses. Possible questions: How do the results compare? Where do we agree? Where do we disagree? Based on team consensus, single out criteria that may be areas for improvement.

Step 1: What are the ways in which the ILT functions that supports effectively executing on the critical work? Are the following criteria strengths or weaknesses of our team? How do we know? Conditions for Success for the ILT: Has a clear understanding of the team’s purpose and priorities Meets regularly and frequently (at least twice a month) Assigns clear roles and responsibilities to its members (permanently or on a rotating basis) Knows and follow norms Creates an agenda with clear objectives for each meeting Informs decision making with data and clear evidence Ends meetings with next steps (action items) that have clear owners and due dates Has a systematic way to track action items and consistently monitors both their implementation and success Repeat the same steps as used with the previous slide to single out “Conditions for Success” criteria that may be areas of improvement. As a team, come to consensus on 1-2 areas from both “Critical Work” and “Conditions for Success” to improve upon this fall. Record them in “Step 2” of the ILT Action Tool handout.

Step 2: Commit to Strategies for Success Based on your team’s identified areas for improvement, use the handout to plan 1-3 strategies our team can commit to in order to achieve our ILT goals How will we monitor execution and effectiveness of these strategies? Determine how the team will implement a solution to the agreed-upon areas for improvement. Discuss possible options for the team and reach consensus on an effective and appropriate course of action. Use “Step 3” of the ILT Action Tool handout to record the group’s decision-making, owners, and due dates. Decide how the team will monitor the execution and effectiveness of the chosen strategies. Possible questions: How will we know if/when we have grown in our the area(s) for improvement? What data or information will enable us to monitor our progress? How will we collect this data, and who will be responsible?

Reflecting on the Process What did you like about the way this ILT session was conducted? What challenges surfaced? What changes to our meeting process might the team want to make for future meetings? To what extent did this session reflect the strengths and challenges of our ILT that we identified earlier? What steps can we take to improve on or address these areas?