School Improvement Strategies and Resources Standards-based Instruction

Essential Questions How do we incorporate standards-based instruction into our instructional practices? What information is available to improve instruction of students? How can we share the information between all the schools on improvement?

Get and Go On your table are your get and go sheets. Write your strategy at the top of the page. When the timer slide comes on – go! Try to see how many spaces you can get filled in in the time alloted (5 minutes).

Save this template as a presentation (.ppt file) on your computer. Using this PowerPoint break timer This PowerPoint slide uses images, custom animation, and timing to provide a countdown timer that you can use in any presentation. When you open the template, you’ll notice that the timer is set at 00:00. However, when you start the slide show, the timer will start at the correct time and count down by 1-minute intervals until it gets to 1 minute. At that point, it will count down in two 30-seconds intervals to 00:00. To insert this slide into your presentation Save this template as a presentation (.ppt file) on your computer. Open the presentation that will contain the timer. On the Slides tab, place your insertion point after the slide that will precede the timer. (Make sure you don't select a slide. Your insertion point should be between the slides.) On the Insert menu, click Slides from Files. In the Slide Finder dialog box, click the Find Presentation tab. Click Browse, locate and select the timer presentation, and then click Open. In the Slides from Files dialog box, select the timer slide. Select the Keep source formatting check box. If you do not select this check box, the copied slide will inherit the design of the slide that precedes it in the presentation. Click Insert. Click Close.

Sharing Ideas Go back to your table and see how many different ideas your team was able to gather. Are there any ideas that were shared that you would like to hear more about?

What Works in School Improvement This workshop began as a workshop on standards-based instruction. The problem with doing workshops for the schools on improvement is that all the schools are at different places in terms of professional development and skill base. So in an attempt to differentiate the instruction – I came up with 12 topics that teachers might want to gain/share information on. Those are the groups I asked you to sign up for yesterday. I made up a webtop page for each group and came up with a plan B if the Internet doesn’t want to cooperate. Let’s begin by quickly going through webtop for those of you who haven’t used it before – I am not going to present all the webtop has to offer – just the google pages. If you are interested in an expanded training we can get someone more qualified to do that. What Works in School Improvement

The first thing is – how do you get to the web top The first thing is – how do you get to the web top. You can get there from the home page. If you look at the web address – it is only slightly different from WVDE. You can replace the “state” part of the address with “k12” and get there.

If you don’t have a webtop account you can register to get one If you don’t have a webtop account you can register to get one. I would recommend that you get one so that you can explore what it has to offer.

If you already have an account then you just click here.

Or you can click on Webtop Tools and go directly to Google Sites since that is where we will be working today – if the Internet cooperates.

Google Site Address https://sites.google.com/a/wvde.k12.wv.us/school-improvement-ta-09-10/

Resources for Standards-based Instruction Let’s gauge how much you use the site – raise your hand if you have looked at it once during this month. Twice? More than 5 times? Ten times or more? Congratulations! What do you primarily use it for? What sections would you recommend to your fellow teachers?

If you’re familiar with the site but don’t have time to look at it

Model Classrooms http://wvde.state.wv.us/professional-development/model-classrooms/

PD Activities Reading Across the Content Areas http://wvde.state.wv.us/professional-development/modules/reading-thinking.html

Group Work Everyone should go to the group they signed up for after the introduction One person in each group should log onto the webtop page at this link: https://sites.google.com/a/wvde.k12.wv.us/school-improvement-ta-09-10/home. The group members will look at the three assignments and come up with a plan to get all three activities completed within the time alloted: reading and discussing articles, exploring Teach 21 and WVDE webpages and adding additional resources. Each group should also determine what other categories/resources need to be added to the page and add them.

Culminating Project Once all three activities have been completed, then the group should develop an infomercial to sell their site to the other groups. The infomercial can take any form (audio, video, graphic, poem, demonstration, sample strategy, etc.) - be creative. The infomercial cannot be more than five minutes.