PEER REVIEW

“Quality teaching is not an individual accomplishment, it is the result of a collaborative culture that empowers teachers to team up to improve student learning beyond what any one of them can achieve alone.” - Carroll, “The Next Generation of Learning Teams” -Phi Delta Kappan (2009). P. 13 “The most powerful form of learning, the most sophisticated form of staff development, comes not from listening to the good works of others but from sharing what we know with others… By reflecting on what we know with others…By reflecting on what we do, by giving it coherence, and by sharing and articulating our craft knowledge, we make meaning, we learn.” – Roland Barth

PEER REVIEW Part of Education Reform Legislation Iowa Code 284.6(8) and 284.8(1) Collaborative process to support professional growth Already doing with Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) – now a structured action plan and time to collaborate Extension of PLC work with intent being conversations and reflection focused on continuous improvement Non evaluative annual review of every teacher, every year, conducted by other teachers. Not tied to summative evaluation.

PEER REVIEW TEAM All certified teachers 3-5 professional colleagues Common grade level, content or certification Administrator helps identify team if needed Team Teachers choose their own area of growth aligned with SIP and IA Teaching Standards Goals Multiple authentic sources of data such as classroom visits, videotaped lessons, review of course materials and reflective conversations Collaborate

COLLABORATION LANGUAGE I’m curious to know more about… What would it look like if… How did you decide… How do you think the lesson went and why? I’ve noticed when you… the students… What did you do to make the lesson so successful?

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION S tudent Centered Classrooms T eaching For Understanding A ssessment For Learning R igorous and Relevant Curriculum T eaching for Learner Differences

RESEARCH BASED If practitioners collaborate in a constructive and meaningful way by: Focusing on improving teaching and student learning; Meeting regularly with thoughtfully planned agendas, minutes, and concise follow-up actions; Planning lessons, practicing lessons, debriefing lessons; organizing, analyzing, and summarizing data to plan instruction; solving problems related to student learning, reading, reflecting, and sharing articles that support learning goals; And School leaders monitor, support, and participate in the collaborative process to ensure that efforts are focused on student learning and on district and building goals; Then teaching and student learning will improve. Source: Iowa Department of Education

RESEARCH BASED Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Harvard Graduate School of Education (n.d). A User’s Guide to Peer Assistance and Review. Cambridge, MA: Author. Goldstein, J. (2004). Making Sense of Distributed Leadership: The Case of Peer Assistance and Review. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(2), (ERIC Journal Number EJ737147)

The intent of Peer Review is not to add one more thing but to embed professional development into what we are already doing. Working in PLC’s we will continue to refine and reflect in a more formal manner with supports in place. As a district, Cedar Rapids continually strives to be leaders in doing what we know is best practice and keeping the focus on impacting student learning.