Adopting the Iowa Core

1. Adopting the Iowa Core CSL Working Group Nov. 10, 2009

2. School Context • Medium Sized High School • 75% student population receives free and reduced • Little experience with 2nd Order Change • Inclusive Schools, Highly Qualified Teacher • Faculty Attributes • 50% of faculty have been at the school 10+ years • 10% of faculty are eligible for retirement this year • 10% of faculty are in their first year of teaching • 60% of faculty have a Master’s Degree • Existing Structures • Previous leadership teams (from old administration) are being revamped • Recent cuts to block scheduling, co-teaching • Teaching loads increased and reassignment of duties • Other Relevant Factors • Administrator new to district, was not a core content instructor • Administrator has participated in walk through training

3. Leadership Factors and Actions • Administrator will be focus of initial leadership development. • Principal clearly understands the vision of Iowa Core. Principal has studied the research and has buy in. • Principal has lead professional development during opening day activities with the faculty in the area of Iowa Core. • Principal will increase his understanding with his faculty. • Principal will be accessible and visible to the faculty, encouraging and engaging to determine what type of leadership the faculty needs.

4. Development of leadership team to study the Iowa Core Curriculum. • GPAEA support for administrator by engaging in conversations around previous data, the emotional pulse of the faculty in regards to implementing the Iowa Core, faculty buy in. • Administrator using effective communication with the faculty and students, making connections with the Iowa Core.

5. Timeline for Administrator • July: reading “everything” about Iowa Core Curriculum, intellectual stimulation, attends community events, communication, familiarizes self with community, makes connections to SAI mentor and asks questions about developing building leadership teams, reviews what school has done with ICC STUDY • August: individual meetings with faculty, optimizer, invites specific teachers to join leadership team to develop ICC, highly visible at registration, culture, shares key points of his visions, ICC, ideals and beliefs, about schooling, teaching and learning, collects informal data about where the faculty would like to be in 5 years, change agent, review/revise structures, rules and procedures for teachers staff and students, order , sets meeting dates for leadership teamSTUDY- DO-PLAN • September: with leadership team develops survey of quality service for students and parents, flexibility, develop PLCs about effective practices, intellectual stimulation, part of each staff meeting time is dedicated to studying ICC documents, Knowledge of curriculum, instruction, assessment, meeting with GPAEA consultants to review data, develop action plans with leadership team based on data review, purposefully meets with community groups to discuss ICC, visibility in social areas to collect data and connect with students , communication, walk through to collect data, monitor and evaluate DO

6. October: administer the survey at parent teacher conferences, communication, input, organize and analyze data with leadership teams, continue walk-throughs gathering data on current status on ICC and visibility measures, share walk through data related to ICC, ideals and beliefs, survey data and create action plans with the leadership team, set priorities, communication, inputDO-STUDY-PLAN • November: leads first “gap analysis” with essential concepts and skills, PLCs begin to study the 5 CEIs, leadership team studies CEI in depth and begins to develop criteria for own school, principal begins to collect evidence of CEI in walk throughs, monitor and evaluate STUDY • December: continue work on understanding 5 CEIs, administrator hosts the holiday party to celebrate work done this year! optimizer