What CLS Is and Isnt

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What CLS Is and Isnt

• Dispelling myths and motivating change!

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CLS

• IS
• Planning
• CLS is best done with strategy! Have a clear idea
  of your goals, processes, and measurement of
  progress toward your goals to make effective and
  efficient change.

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CLS

• IS
• Adapting Instruction
• Absolutely! Collecting data from your kids is
  important but it topped only by the adjustments
  you make to meet their needs!

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CLS

• IS
• Worthwhile
• Anything you do to increase motivation for
  learning, shared leadership, and increased
  student achievement is worth the time, the
  effort, and commitment.

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CLS

• IS
• Student ownership
• When you give students a voice, they are more
  likely to take part in your plans. Have them
  decide the rules, define success, and take the
  time to ask for their opinion.

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CLS

• IS
• Assessment for Learning
• Tools can allow you to get an idea about what the
  kids already know and identify opportunities for
  improvement.

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CLS

• IS
• Assessment of Learning
• Goal-setting and data collection can help to
  define progress toward goals.

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CLS

• IS
• Cost Effective
• It does not take money to empower children. Data
  binders and data collection tools can be simple,
  meeting the needs of your kids with little
  expense.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• Teacher Centered
• In a CLS classroom, the students are the focus.
  Everything is planned with their needs in mind.
  They help to set the rules, create goals, and
  teach the teacher how to meet their own needs.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• Behavior Management
• CLS should not be used to fix behaviors. It
  should be used to fix those processes that lead
  to behavioral interruptions. It is also meant to
  increase student participation, motivation, and
  shared accountability.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• A Quick Fix
• CLS is not a curriculum, a kit. It looks
  different in every classroom. Educators decide
  the pace of implementation, depending on their
  commitment to change and adherence to the core
  values.

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CLS

• IS
• Empowering
• Definitely! Students appreciate educators that
  make changes to fit their needs, buy-into
  classroom processes when put in charge, and learn
  that they are important in the classroom.

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CLS

• IS
• Esteem Building
• For any level, for any grade, for any
  individualCLS recognizes the individual efforts
  of children and celebrates their success.

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CLS

• IS
• Seeing Connections
• CLS helps educators to place their mission and
  goals in alignment with the county and state. It
  helps educators to tap into resources that will
  help their
• students.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• Just for Kids
• Everyone can share leadership, empower others and
  make change founded in data.

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CLS

• IS
• Focused
• Extremely. If the mindset is there, one will not
  move on with a change that is not defined by
  stakeholders, in alignment with the greater
  cause, and will not be done without keeping the
• students in mind.

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CLS

• IS
• Responsibility
• CLS increases shared responsibility, creating
  learners that are leaders.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• Restrictive
• CLS can be used with any student, at any age. It
  is useful in staff development, leadership, and
  personal issues. Educators can tailor it to
  their needs/ their students needs.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• Always Easy
• It takes time to learn the process, teach the
  children how to use it effectively, and doesnt
  always elicit perfect results the first time.
  Just like anything else, there needs to be a
  consistent and positive re-assurance that change
  is good.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• Something, New
• All good teachers know that student-centered
  education is more effective, that empowering
  children brings rapid results, and that decision
  must be driven by data. CLS helps you to take
  all of the great things you already do well and
  use them more intentionally.

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CLS

• IS NOT
• Curriculum
• CLS helps you to use curriculum more effectively,
  but is not a perscription.

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CLS

• IS
• Problem-solving
• Through collecting data, analyzing causes and
  effects, working collaboratively, and ensuring
  open and honest communication.

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CLS

• IS
• Multi-Faceted
• CLS can help with a multitude of problems and
  make all processes, even those that appear
  perfect, better.

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CLS

• IS
• Child-Centered
• When students are viewed as valuable contributors
  of the school, they know that educators care
  about their learning.

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CLS

• IS
• Accountability
• Responsibilities and data are shared in the
  classroom, increasing a shared accountability.

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CLS

• IS
• Data Analysis
• You cant go somewhere without knowing where you
  are and how to get there!!!

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CLS

• IS
• School Improvement
• Student by student, team by teamthe use of a
  process that creates continuous improvement will
  improve the school as a whole.

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CLS

• IS
• Research-Based
• Longitudinal research shows that children succeed
  at greater levels, attend school more often, and
  become informed leaders when exposed to CLS.

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CLS

• IS
• Multi-Aged Appropriate
• Even the youngest child can tell you what they
  want. Through non-verbal communication, we
  respond to the needs of a human from day 1. If
  we maintain interest and caring, they will ask
  for help.

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CLS

• IS
• Collaborative
• Stakeholder and teachers partnerships get
  stronger, cross grade articulation becomes more
  of a priority, and teams run more smoothly with a
  CLS focus.

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CLS

• IS
• Reflective
• Through self-reflection, CLS helps everyone to
  identify their strengths and opportunities for
  improvement.

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CLS

• IS
• A Community of Learners
• CLS recognizes both individuals and the strength
  of groups. Class meetings, data collection, and
  shared leadership create a culture for caring.

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• What does CLS mean to you and your students?