Regional BLT Training

1. Regional BLT Training

2. Welcome Field Team Roxann Bighorn Lacey Bleess Colby Christensen Jeanne Cowan Lisa Hafer Marilyn Hofer

3. Vision The education community, learning and working collaboratively, establishes goals and improves professional practice leading to increased student achievement and school improvement.

4. Outcomes Participants will: • build collegiality among the members of the Building Leadership Team (BLT) in each school • understand the purpose of working in professional learning communities • have a shared understanding of the process for establishing, implementing or expanding Building Leadership Teams (BLT) • prepare for their building-level trainings

6. Spaces and Logs

7. Establishing Norms During our time together, we need a safe and open climate in which we can: • think deeply about important learning and teaching ideas • work and talk together to build shared understanding

8. Group Norms Honor private “think time.” Own the responsibility of putting ideas on the table. Share “air time.”

9. Activity • Get up and find two people you don’t know. • Introduce yourself and describe one specific action that will help move us toward our goal. What does that look like—what would we see, hear, feel? • Return to table; generate a list of specific actions that will keep us on track and on time. • Narrow that list to the two most important and put on the word strips. Post the word strips beneath one of the categories: • Honor private think time • Own the responsibility of putting ideas on the table • Share air time

10. The Big Arrow Aim of the District District Goals & Measures Random Acts of Improvement

11. The Better Big Arrow Aim of the District District Goals & Measures Aligned Acts of Improvement

12. Professional Learning Communities • What is a professional learning community? • What are the implications for our work?

13. PLCs by Richard DuFour Directions: • The article is divided into three sections. Number off at your table by three’s. • Everyone reads the introduction and conclusion and his/her assigned section. • As you are reading, record important information on the graphic organizer. • You will have 15 minutes to complete the reading.

14. PLC Graphic Organizer • Choose a recorder and reporter. • Discuss your section with your group. • Determine ONE key idea from the article and post on the left side of T-Chart. • Determine how you would achieve the key idea back at your building(s) and post on the right side of T-Chart. • The reporter will explain the T-Chart to the large group. • You will have 15 minutes to complete this assignment.

15. Learning Communities Staff development that improves the learning for all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district.

16. Data-Driven Staff development that improves the learning for all students uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.

17. Research-Based Staff development that improves learning for all students prepares educators to apply research to decision-making.

18. School Assessment Review the Desired Outcomes for LearningCommunities. For each Desired Outcome, individually decide at which level you would place your school as a whole. Discuss your answers with your team and reach consensus on your school’s “starting level” for each Desired Outcome. Think about how you might move along the continuum of levels. What action steps would be required? Repeat the same process for the other two standards—Data-Driven and Research-Based.

19. Lunch - 12:00-12:40 The downfall of low-performing schools is not their lack of effort and motivation; rather, it is poor decisions regarding what to work on. So the problem in low-performing schools is not getting people to work, it is getting people to do the “right work. --Richard Elmore

20. Refocusing Activity • You will see the answer to a question. • Each person on your team will have two minutes to write one question that could be the question for this answer. • Share your questions with others at your table. • Select one question to share with the whole group.

21. And the answer is… The Speed of Light

22. BLTTraining

23. BLT is a research-based professional development model designed to transform professional learning in schools. • The BLT process is based on three of the twelve standards developed by the National Staff Development Council. (http://www.nsdc.org) • The BLT process weaves these three standards into an on-going learning process that is designed to engage all educators in a school and district in a collaborative, data-driven, reflection experience aimed at improving classroom practice and student learning.

24. Step into the BLT Process The vision of this leadership team process is to meet the individual needs of schools. • The team attends BLT Leadership Trainings prior to each scheduled in-service. • At each BLT training session, presenters share information and model strategies based on district-wide goals. • The BLT takes the information learned at each training session, plans and organizes the best way to introduce the information to their staff - building specific.

25. Step into the BLT Process • Planning time is given during the BLT training. • The BLT trains their entire staff during each of the district’s in-service days. • The BLT process IS research-based and correlates with effective professional development models proven to enhance student achievement. It promotes on-going learning, collaborative dialogue, shared work and deep reflection. • The BLT process IS long-term, embedded and systemic. • The BLT process IS NOT one-shot professional development.

28. Advantages of Teachers Working in Teams • Develop more creative solutions to complex problems • Reduce isolation among teachers • Build commitment and support for new ideas • Foster collective responsibility for students’ success • Successfully implement complex plans • Allow those closest to the work to collectively improve teaching and learning • Provide possibilities for empowerment that are not available for individuals

29. Structures for Collaborative Work Groups (CWGs) • Horizontal groups by grade level • Vertical teams by subject area • Interdisciplinary groups • Personal interest in working on a particular goal or topic • Groups with common planning times • Groups formed around the needs of students • Others

30. Collaborative Work Groups

31. Learning Community Questionnaire • Complete the questionnaire individually. • Reach group consensus on each scale to represent the degree to which you feel your school has developed. • If time allows, use the three questions to guide further discussion.

32. Team Planning • Complete Meeting Planner • Finalize formation of CWGs • Built-in Break

33. Share Building Planning/ Wrap Up Choose a reporter to share your team’s plans and the agenda you developed for your building-level training. • Please take two minutes to share your building’s plan with the large group. • Please send an electronic copy of your agenda to your field team representative. • Remember to use the wiki to access all handouts and the Power Point presentation. http://sdiplus.tie2.wikispaces.net

34. Evaluation Please complete the evaluation and leave it on your table. • I understand the purpose of working in professional learning communities. • I understand the BLT process. • Our team is prepared for the training in our building. Thanks for stacking your chairs before leaving!