An Effective Elementary School and the Instructional Decision-Making Process

1. An Effective Elementary School and the Instructional Decision-Making Process 2 hour presentation

2. Purpose Know • What an effective elementary school looks like/sounds like • Become familiar with a process that can help organize and align resources to improve student achievement Understand • That all students are part of the general education system • Quality professional development is required to support implementation of a systemic effort to ensure that teachers have adequate tools and strategies Be Able To • Share a vision of an effective elementary school • Share a process that can help organize and align resources within a school system in order to improve student achievement

3. What does an effective elementary school look like and sound like?

4. Activity, Step 1 • Each person takes several post-it notes. • List characteristics (one per post-it) present in an effective elementary school. Write one characteristic per post-it note. • Keep these to share.

5. Activity, Step 2 • Watch the DVD of an effective elementary school. • As you watch the DVD, think about characteristics that are present in this particular effective school.

6. Activity, Step 3 • Following the video, take a few minutes to skim the script of the Effective School. • Add to your post-it note collection additional characteristics of an effective school.

7. Activity, Step 4 • As a table group, put “like” characteristics together. • Write a title (category) for each list you create.

8. Activity, Step 5 • As a table group, pick two categories and discuss to what degree you believe each is implemented at your school. What evidence (if any) do you have that affirms this? • Not started • Just beginning • Half-way there • Almost realized • Let us showcase to others • Be ready to share with the whole group.

9. Hold Those Thoughts 3 characteristics of an effective elementary school What is the Instructional Decision-Making Model? I D M How are these connected?

10. Instructional Decision-Making (IDM) Process

11. Agenda for presentation • What is IDM? • How will IDM impact me? • Now what?

12. What is IDM?

13. IDM in a nutshell… The Instructional Decision Making (IDM) process focuses on instruction by using data regarding students’ responses to instruction to guide future educational decisions. ALL students!

14. IDM in a nutshell… All students require curriculumthat is guaranteed, viable, rigorous, and relevant.

15. IDM in a nutshell… To meet the needs of all students, instructional practices within the general education setting should include differentiation, appropriate resources, supplemental and intensive instruction, and changing the pace.

16. IDM in a nutshell… Accurate reliable assessmentdata is required to make good instructional decisions.

17. TIER I: Core TIER 1 is comprised of three elements: • Core (reading) program • Benchmark testing of students to determine instructional needs at least three times a year • Ongoing professional development TIER 1

18. TIER II: Supplemental • Tier II is small-group supplemental instruction in addition to the time allotted for core (reading) instruction. • Tier II includes programs, strategies, and procedures designed and employed to supplement, enhance, and support Tier I. TIER II

19. TIER III: Intensive • TIER III is intensive, strategic, supplemental instruction specifically designed and customized small-group or 1:1 (reading) instruction that is extended beyond the time allocated for Tier I and Tier II. TIER III

20. Academic Systems Behavioral Systems PBIS structure • Intensive, Individual Interventions • Individual Students • Assessment-based • High Intensity • Intensive, Individual Interventions • Individual Students • Assessment-based • Intense, durable procedures 1-5% 1-5% 5-10% 5-10% • Targeted Group Interventions • Some students (at-risk) • High efficiency • Rapid response • Targeted Group Interventions • Some students (at-risk) • High efficiency • Rapid response 80-90% 80-90% • Universal Interventions • All students • Preventive, proactive • Universal Interventions • All settings, all students • Preventive, proactive

21. Instructional Decision Making ALL SOME FEW

22. Accelerated students Struggling students BELL CURVE Side view of IDM Grade level expectation

23. Read and Discuss • What is the essence of IDM? • Is it only for the struggling learners? • What particular “Guiding Principles” stand out to you?

24. Main Elements • Curriculum • Instruction • Assessment • System

25. Curriculum “The IDM process begins with each student having access to, as well as the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of, a guaranteed and viable curriculum which demonstrates rigor and relevance.”

26. Curriculum Quality Indicators • Guaranteed • Viable • Implemented with rigor and relevance • Evidence based • Sufficiently differentiated • Reviewed regularly

27. Instruction “Students move from one cycle of instruction to another as indicated by the data as performance is monitored. In this fluid and flexible process, each student receives instruction to address his/her unique learning needs.”

28. Instruction Quality Indicators • Core • Supplemental • Intensive

29. Rigorous Core Viable Relevant Core cycle • The district adopted comprehensive curriculum • Provided for all students • Ongoing data collection and analysis of data - Screening, diagnostic and formative evaluations occur • Research based/evidence based strategies and a positive learning environment

30. Supplemental cycle • Instruction that is available for highly proficient or struggling learners. • Provided to smaller groups of students with similar needs • Research based/evidence based strategies and a positive learning environment • Targeted instruction that extends the core and provides more intensity, immediacy of feedback, and consistency of support in identified area • Continuous data analysis Supplemental

31. Intensive Intensive cycle • Instruction that is available for very highly proficient or struggling learners • Provided to individuals or small groups of students with similar needs • Research based/evidence based strategies and a positive learning environment • Provides more time, intensity, practice and immediacy of feedback than within the supplemental cycle • Continual analysis of data

32. Read and Discuss • What are key elements you see that distinguish core, supplemental, and intensive? • What instructional pieces do you currently have in place in your school?

33. Assessment “Assessment data are gathered on a regular basis and each student’s response to instruction and curriculum is evaluated in order to make informed instructional and curricular decisions. “

34. Assessment Quality Indicators • Screening • Formative • Diagnostic

35. Screening • Screening: Includes a method of collecting data for the purpose of identifying low and high-performing students at risk for not having their needs met. • How is each student responding to instruction? • Is the instruction effective? • Which students may need additional assessments?

36. Fourth Grade Math

37. Fourth Grade Math

38. Diagnostic Assessment • Diagnostic: Involves gathering information from multiple sources to determine why the students are not benefiting from core due to advanced or deficit learning needs • What are the specific concerns? • What targeted instruction does the student need?

39. Formative Assessments • Is the student making progress compared to self, peers and/or standard ? • What instructional adjustments are needed? Formative: Frequent, ongoing data that guides instruction

40. Read and Discuss • What are key elements you see that distinguish screening, diagnostic, and formative? • What assessments do you regularly use within your classroom? Within your school?

41. System “All teaching and learning occurs within a system. Characteristics of that system can either enhance or detract from the overall success of any educational effort.”

42. System Quality Indicators • Administrator support and involvement • Distributed leadership • Professional Development • Technical Assistance • Parental Involvement • Evaluation

43. How will IDM impact me? Don’t I have enough to do already?

44. Prof. Development “The fundamental tenet of the professional development model is that student need will drive decision making, and student learning will form the basis on which professional development is judged.” The Iowa Professional Development Model 2002

45. What do data tell us about our student learning needs? What do/will we do to meet student learning needs?  How do/will we know student learning has changed?  How will we evaluate our programs and services to ensure improved student learning? CSIP Constant Conversation Questions

46. “When the audit and diagnosis phase is completed and recognizes the need of the building/district, the IDM model becomes an important part of the design, implementation and evaluation.” -- Lou Howell DE SINA Lead SINA

47. Iowa Teaching Standards #1 Enhance academic performance #2 Content knowledge #3 Planning and preparation #4 Deliver instruction for multiple learning needs #5 Monitor student learning #6 Classroom management #7 Professional development #8 District requirements

48. “The components of continuous staff development, continuous assessment of student performance and implementation, and focus on instruction provide the foundation for school improvement. Without these three components in place, the likelihood of making significant, positive, sustainable changes in student achievement is lessened.” -- ECR document Reading First/Every Child Reads (ECR)

49. Differentiated Instruction • Quality curriculum impacts the quality of instruction • On-going assessment and adjustment is vital Carol Ann Tomlinson

50. Use of Data to Make Instructional Decisions • Occurs at many levels: • Individual • Classroom • Building • District