Common Core Implementation Ambassadors Monday Evening Session November 26, 2012

Tonight’s Objectives 2 Learn about success stories and common challenges from colleagues Develop or refine your individual ambassador plan

Bright Spots Panel

4 Find your bright spots “When it's time to change, we must look for bright spots -- the first signs that things are working, the first precious As and Bs on our report card. We need to ask ourselves a question that sounds simple but is, in fact, deeply unnatural: What's working and how can we do more of it?” - Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Switch

Bright Spots Panelists Kim Crowley, a kindergarten teacher in the East Aurora School District John McKenna, an elementary school principal in the Tonawanda City School District Lori Ann Storey, a fourth grade teacher in the Waterville Central School District 5

August Refresher: Making a Switch To affect change in our colleagues and systems, we have to reach both the rider and the elephant. The emotional side: The ELEPHANT The emotional side: The ELEPHANT Point to the destination Script the critical moves Find the feeling Rally the herd The rational side: The RIDER The rational side: The RIDER

Directing the Rider: Point to the Destination Envision a rich, detailed picture of the destination. Why are we doing all this work? 8

Are we at the destination when all students are engaged and motivated?

When we have a 100% graduation rate?

When all high school graduates go on to college?

Invent the next big thing?

Build great things?

Directing the Rider: Point to the Destination Individually, reflect on why you are doing this work and write down a description of your destination on a sticky note. What does success look like for you? What is happening in your classroom/school that indicates that this work has been successful? Be vivid and specific! Post your sticky note on the flipchart. On your way out tonight, take a look at your colleague’s destinations. 14

Overcoming Obstacles

16 Trap Door Abandon all hope ye who enter here OK, I can do this Reality sets in Starting out with high hopes Neutral Common Core is great and will make a difference in how my students learn! Eh, this isn’t so different from what I was already doing. What was all the fuss about? Uh oh, this changes everything. This is going to be a lot more work for me and my students. This is WAY too hard. I don’t have time for this. I’m already giving everything I have. Wait a minute, this is starting to make sense. I can do this and so can my students! Beware the trap door

This is hard, hard work 17 Implementing the Common Core is challenging, sometimes complicated and can seem overwhelming. → Turn to your neighbor and share your biggest concerns. Have those concerns changed over time?

Refresher: What are Critical Moves? They start with the destination in mind They articulate how people should act They begin with an achievable first step

Examples of Critical Moves 19 1.Place red (cut), yellow (if I have time) and green (must do!) sticky notes on your current curricular resources 2.Take the modules you’ll get here and identify how to replace current units/lessons with materials in the modules. 3.Identify and map out the Common Core standards you will be teaching and when next semester 4.Use released NYS and PARCC assessment items with your students and in your lesson planning 5.Research curriculum mapping that already exists for your curriculum (Everyday Math in NYC, e.g.) 6.Plan a couple PD sessions for your colleagues around the shifts and the modules 7.Review your next two units and determine what you can cut out that isn’t directly aligned to the standards

Sample Ambassador Plan Examples of critical moves and other strategies around the three roles of an ambassador: 1.Implement the shifts in your classroom/school 2.Build the capacity of others to implement the shifts 3.Communicate the importance of the CCSS 20

Sample Ambassador Plan 21 Ambassador Role Due Date Status (red, yellow, green) Teacher Ambassador Strategies Principal Ambassador Strategies Other Players to Involve

Sample Ambassador Plan Example strategies for implementing the shifts in your classroom/school 22 What?Who?When? Identify and map out the standards you will be teaching and when throughout the school year TeachersBefore the next 9 week period Review CCSS resources on and plan a PD session for teachers around building CCSS-aligned lesson plans PrincipalsBy next week

Sample Ambassador Plan Example strategies for building the capacity of others to implement the shifts Teacher ambassador example: Principal ambassador ple: 23 What?Who?When? Lead a professional learning community made up of all teachers within your subject area across all grades or all teachers across all subjects in a single grade to share ideas, best practices, effective lessons, resources, etc. around the CCSS TeachersNext semester Preview in-service days scheduled for the remainder of the year and find ways to incorporate planning sessions on the CCSS PrincipalsBy next week

Sample Ambassador Plan Example strategies for communicating the importance of the CCSS 24 What?Who?When? Lead an effort to identify local businesses to attend a professional learning community meeting or parent workshop and discuss with teachers/parents the skills and characteristics they are looking for in graduates TeachersNext semester Train faculty on using parent/teacher conferences as an opportunity to promote the CCSS and the importance of getting our students college and career ready PrincipalsNext nine weeks

Drafting Your Plans Goal: To draft a plan that includes 2-3 strategies in each of the 3 roles of the ambassador: 1.Implement the shifts in your classroom/school 2.Build the capacity of others to implement the shifts 3.Communicate the importance of the CCSS On your own, use the sample plan to brainstorm your strategies (15 minutes) Share and discuss with your table (15 minutes) 25

Common Themes? Group discussion (15 minutes): What were the biggest challenges in drafting your plan? How did you address those challenges? What new strategies did you build into your plan? What resources will you need to implement your plan? What else will you need? 26

Next Steps Next week: Finalize your plan. Share your plan with your principal/leadership team. Before winter break: Begin implementing your plan. Share your plan with your NT/NTE. Ongoing: Reflect on challenges/issues and refine plan as needed. 27

Thank You.