Strategic Plan Objectives: Improve performance and raise achievement for ALL students Eliminate the predictability and disproportionality of students who are in the highest and lowest achieving groups (racial, socio-economic, gender and disability). Provide opportunity/access for all students by examining and eliminating barriers that impact participation.

District 113 Equity Belief Statements: In terms of equity, we believe that… All students must have access to resources, opportunities and rigorous curriculum that ensure their success. Relationships form the foundation of an equitable school district. School does not have to look the same for each and every student and employee and, outcomes can still be high. We must work together to eliminate racial, socio-economic and gender predictability within our system. A world class education requires racial consciousness, cross- cultural & disability awareness and gender equity. We must measure our progress toward making these beliefs a reality to ensure that “all means all”.

Strengthen Relationships Increase Capacity Strengthen and Enrich Curriculum Strategies to Achieve Equity and Improve Achievement for All Students Among students staff, teachers, parents and community Knowledge, skills and examples around equity, race, cross-cultural, gender, socio-economic and disability issues Taking into account pedagogy, classroom strategies, content, feedback, and assessment Sexual Harassment Bullying Restorative Justice Attendance Data Analysis Intervention Strategies Race/Equity Instructional Technology Targets Homework Feedback Formative & Summative Grading Strengthen and Enrich Curriculum Strengthen Relationships Increase Capacity

Strategy 1: Strengthen Relationships Guiding Principle 1: We develop and sustain healthy relationships to create caring communities. Goals: 1.1All students, regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender and/or disability feel that their teachers care about them and recognize them as individuals. 1.2Underrepresented families are active and engaged. 1.3Students of all racial and economic backgrounds are actively engaged with each other. 1.4All Staff, regardless of race, gender and job classification, feel valued and heard.

Strategy 2: Increase Capacity Guiding Principle 2: We seek new information and use our discoveries to change understanding. Goals: 2.1Educators will build their capacity in their knowledge of equity, race, socio-economic, gender and disability disparities, and cross-cultural competence. 2.2Educators will be able to develop cross-culturally competent instructional approaches in learning targets, curriculum development, pedagogy, instructional strategies, classroom management, and relationships. 2.3Educators will implement Response to Intervention.

Guiding Principles 1 & 2: Strategy 1 to Strengthen Relationships is based on Guiding Principle 1: We develop and sustain healthy relationships to create caring communities. Strategy 2 to Increase Capacity is based on Guiding Principle 2: We seek new information and use our discoveries to change understanding.

Strategy 3: Strengthen and Enrich Curriculum Characteristics of Effective District 113 Educators Goals: 3.1Teachers will develop core learning targets (including content, process, and skills). 3.2 Teachers will develop and implement common assessments to measure core learning targets. 3.3Teachers will provide relevant, timely, and meaningful feedback that increases motivation and achievement of all students regardless of race, gender, disability and socio-economic status. 3.4Eliminate systemic barriers and provide the needed support to students to achieve their highest potential. 3.5 Classroom practices will change as a result of implementing the Equity Action Plan

Characteristics of an Effective D113 Educator: Strategy 3 to Strengthen and Enrich Curriculum is based on the Characteristics of Effective District 113 Educators: Develop and demonstrate an expansive repertoire of strategies to adjust instruction based on an understanding of the students. Develop a sense of ownership with the curriculum. Ask questions and revise curriculum and instructional strategies. Align assessment with the outcomes of the course to ensure measurement of student growth and learning. Develop and model collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills.

The Collective Commitments of our Work: “The Genius of And”… School culture can be simultaneously loose and tight. Tight when addressing critical issues and certain tasks to ensure consistency with principles and practices Loose day-to-day implementation How we all must act in order to achieve our Goals… All Teachers will Work to answer the Five Guiding Questions All Educators will be Course Teams participants A Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum promotes a higher level of Equity for All Students

Five Guiding Questions for our Course Team Work: The constant collective inquiry into the 5 Guiding Questions is a professional responsibility for every educator. What do we want our students to know and be able to do? (GQ1) Teacher Focus: Each Course Team will establish Core Student Learning Targets which provide the foundation for content, skills and process. (Phase One Workshop) Student Focus: We will work to ensure that our students fully understand and monitor their own learning targets.

Five Guiding Questions for our Course Team Work: (con’t) How do we know if our students are successful? (GQ2) Teacher Focus: Each Course Team will establish common indicators for success and Common Formative Assessment practices/ instruments to authentically determine student achievement. (Phase Two Workshop) Student Focus: We will work to ensure that our students engage in assessments that clearly inform their level of performance.

Five Guiding Questions for our Course Team Work: (con’t) How do we help students grow in their own learning? (GQ3) Teacher Focus: Each teacher will offer Timely and Meaningful Feedback to each student. Each Course Team will share effective feedback strategies and practices. (Phase Three & Four Workshops) Student Focus: We will work to ensure that our students fully understand their current level of achievement and expected steps for improvement.

Five Guiding Questions for our Course Team Work: (con’t) How do we respond when students are not successful? (GQ4) Teacher Focus: Each Course Team will Analyze Student Work in order to make adjustments to daily instruction (Classroom Interventions) leading to improved student achievement. (Precision Teaching) (Phase Five Workshops) Student Focus: We will work to ensure that our students fully understand how to re-learn, re-study or re-work to improve their level of achievement. (Learning Adjustments)

Five Guiding Questions for our Course Team Work: (con’t) How do we create effective learning environments for all our students? (GQ5) Teacher Focus: Each teacher will utilize Proven Instructional Strategies to create culturally relevant learning experiences, rigorous student work and strong personal relationships. Each Course Team will share effective instructional strategies and practices. Student Focus: We will work to ensure that our students are challenged with appropriately rigorous work in an environment that supports their individual learning needs.

Course Teams as the Vehicle for our Work: Working together to build shared knowledge on the best way to achieve goals and meet the needs of clients is exactly what professionals in any field are expected to do… whether it be to cure a patient, win a lawsuit or help all students to learn. The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and a commitment to the learning of each student. A course team is a collaborative group of educators who work interdependently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of learning for all students. Learning by Doing

Continuous Improvement by Course Teams: Course Team must maintain a commitment to continuous improvement: Clarify exactly what students should learn Gather evidence of current student learning Monitor each student’s learning on a timely basis Develop and implement strategies/interventions to build on strengths and address student weaknesses Analyze the effectiveness Apply the new knowledge to future curriculum and instruction

Results Orientated Course Teams: “The rationale for any strategy for building a learning organization revolves around the premise that such organizations will produce dramatically improved results.” Senge “To truly reform American education we must abandon the long-standing assumption that the central activity is teaching and reorient all policy making and activities around the new benchmark: student learning.” Fiske

The Focus of our Course Team Work: What do we want our students to know and be able to do? (GQ1) Teacher Focus: Each Course Team will establish Core Student Learning Targets which provide the foundation for content, skills and process. (Phase One Workshop) Student Focus: We will work to ensure that our students fully understand and monitor their own learning targets. How do we know if our students are successful? (GQ2) Teacher Focus: Each Course Team will establish common indicators for success and Common Formative Assessment practices/ instruments to authentically determine student achievement. (Phase Two Workshop) Student Focus: We will work to ensure that our students engage in assessments that clearly inform their level of performance.

Common Learning Targets: Type: Content (Knowledge) Skill Process Level: Course Unit Choice/Enrichment: Additional Unit with additional Content Targets Additional Enrichment Content Targets within a Common Unit Student Ownership of Targets: Student-Friendly Language A clear understanding of the Targets’ purpose by all students

Quality Learning Targets: Does it have endurance? Do we expect our students to retain the knowledge and/or skill over time as opposed to merely for a test? Does it have leverage? Will mastery of this target help the student in other areas of the curriculum (other disciplines)? Does it develop readiness for the next level of learning? It is essential for success in the next unit, course or grade level?

Creation of Learning Targets by Course Teams: The Benefits of Collaboratively Creating Learning Targets… Promotes Clarity Promotes Consistent Priorities Is crucial for the common pacing required for Formative Assessments Creates a viable curriculum Creates greater ownership of the curriculum

Assessments… Summative Like an Autopsy; explains why the student failed but the information comes too late Assessment of Learning Measure many things infrequently Formative Like a Physical Exam; provides timely information to help a struggling learner or enrich a successful learner Assessment for Learning Measures few things frequently

Common Formative Assessments: “One of the most powerful, high-leverage strategies for improving student learning available to schools is the creation of frequent, common, high-quality formative assessments by teachers who are working collaboratively to help a group of students develop agreed-upon knowledge and skills.” (Fullan, Reeves, Schmoker, Stiggins)

Creation of Common Assessments by Course Teams: Common Assessments: (Benefits) Are more efficient than those created by individual teachers Are more equitable for students Access to the same curriculum and targets Common pacing Can determine if a guaranteed curriculum is being learned Informs the practice of individual teachers Can seek assistance from teammates Builds a team’s ability to improve overall program Facilitates a collective timely response for struggling learners (interventions)

Protocol for Common Formative Assessments: Create a minimum number Common Formative Assessments Align each assessment to Learning Targets Specify the proficiency standard for each Learning Target Administer the assessment consistently Assess a few key concepts frequently rather than many concepts infrequently

Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum and Assessments: Guaranteed Students have access to the same essential learning regardless of who is teaching the course Viable Learning Targets can be effectively taught in the time allotted This practice promotes a higher level of Equity for all Learning Experiences. Can we create a “Stop Doing List”? What current content can be eliminated because it is not essential? When and where can this be implemented?

A Shift is Taking Place… “Every person associated with student learning may need to re-define his or her role… those comfortable working in isolation will need to work collaboratively… those accustom to hording authority will need to share it… and people who have operated under certain assumption may be asked to change them.” Learning by Doing Course Teams, Learning Targets and Common Assessments are not just programs to implement, but instead, are a part of an ongoing process to bring about significant continuous improvement to our teaching and learning.

A Shift in Fundamental Purpose: From a focus on Teaching… To a focus on Learning From an emphasis on what is taught… To a fixation on what students have learned From the coverage of content… To a demonstration of proficiency From individual teacher establishing curriculum documents… To engaging with collaborative teams to build essential learning targets

A Shift in the Work of Teachers: From isolation… To collaboration From only co-planning… To also co-assessing From “collaboration lite” on matters unrelated to student achievement… To collaboration explicitly focused on issues that directly impact student achievement From each teacher assigning priority to curriculum… To collaborative teams establishing priority of learning targets From each teacher determining their own pacing… To collaborative teams agreeing on common pacing From privatization of practice… To open sharing of practice From an assumption that these are “my kids, and those are your kids”… To an assumption that these are “our kids”

A Shift in Use of Assessment: From infrequent summative assessments… To frequent common formative assessments From assessments to determine which students failed to learn by the deadline… To assessments to identify students in need of additional time and support From assessments used to reward and punish students… To assessments use to inform and motivate students From assessing many things infrequently… To assessing a few things frequently

A Shift in Use of Assessment: (con’t) From individual teacher assessments… To assessments developed jointly by teams From each teacher determining the criteria used in assessing student work… To teams clarifying the criteria and ensuring consistency when assessing student work From an over-reliance on one kind of assessment… To a balanced use of assessments From focusing on average scores… To monitoring each student’s proficiency in every essential learning target Learning by Doing

So, the Organization of our Work is a follows… Our Mission is to Create an Equitable School that Improves Achievement for All Students Our Strategy is to Strengthen and Enrich our Curriculum Our Goals is to establish a Guaranteed and Viable Learning Experience for All Students Our ongoing Work is answering the Five Guiding Questions Our Professional Development is offered through Course Team Phase Workshops Our current Focus is on Common Learning Targets and Common Formative Assessments Our Vehicle for Action is the Course Team…

It Just Makes Sense… It just makes sense that a school committed to helping All Students Learn… Would focus on Learning rather than Teaching… Would ensure students have access to the same curriculum… Would assess each student on a timely basis Would create systematic interventions providing additional time and support Would accomplish more working collaboratively rather than in isolation Would assess our effectiveness on the basis of student results Learning by Doing

Course Teams as the Vehicles for Action: The question before us is not… “What do we need to know in order to improve?” but rather it is… “Will we turn what we already know into action?”