Highly Effective Teaching: One Classroom at a Time

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Highly Effective TeachingOne Classroom at a Time

• Building Equity Longevityin Huntington County
  Community Schools
• April 2008

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• Never before has the pressure been so high to
  find ways to support successful teaching and
  learning through effective professional
  development.
• Salpeter, 2003

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Current Structure of Professional Development

• Overview of Services
• Two literacy coordinators (working in eight
  buildings with approximately 150 teachers)
  supporting the implementation of the HCCSC
  Literacy Model through grade level meetings,
  one-on-one discussion, and modeling in classrooms
  
• One technology integration specialist serving 8
  buildings and 100 of the teaching population
  through modeling, small group, one-on-one, and
  district-wide in-service opportunities
• Three weeks of voluntary professional development
  coaching from the The Center for Human Brain and
  Human Learning, as well as a weeklong Model
  Teaching Week program during the summer.

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Barriers in Reaching Effective Professional
Development

• Current Barriers
• Modeled strategies by trainers is isolated and
  not connected with classroom curriculum
• Training is requested by teachers and is
  inconsistent district-wide
• Training occurs in short chunks of time does not
  allow for adequate processing and limited
  debriefing with teachers
• Inconsistent application of strategies and
  initiativestransferred into the classroom
  (connected curriculum, technology infused
  lessons, literacy strategies, and best-practices)

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Barriers in Reaching Effective Professional
Development

• There is not a visual model to observe what the
  application of strategies and initiatives look
  like
• Follow-up is limited in setting goals for future
  growth, implementation of strategies, and
  discussion of questions
• Trainers work with students without having a
  relationship established effectiveness of
  modeling is not as cohesive

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Reaching Effective Professional Development

• A Plan for Restructuring
• Establish a primary and an intermediate
  elementary demonstration classroom using current
  resources
• Placement of two trainers in each demonstration
  classroom
• Professional development trainers have
  dual/alternating roles teaching students and
  coaching teachers

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Reaching Effective Professional Development

• Benefits
• The demonstration classrooms will encompass all
  strategies to show how pieces fit together in a
  classroom.
• Strategies modeled in a connected classroom with
  students who have developed relationships with
  the trainers/teachers
• We will host parent meetings for students in the
  class prior to the start of the school year to
  explain the program, the objectives, and the
  benefits. Additional parent meetings will happen
  throughout the year to provide at home support on
  strategies that are being implemented in the
  classroom.

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Reaching Effective Professional Development

• Benefits
• Comprehensive six-week training modules for all
  teachers.
• Modules include setting goals, observing model
  strategies, coaching on strategies, and follow-up
  on how to best implement what is modeled
• Week One Teacher meets with coach to discuss
  previous goal and set new goal. Observation time
  set.
• Week Two Teacher visits demonstration classroom.
  Debrief with coach or teacher from demonstration
  classroom.
• Week Three Implementation plan is created with
  coach in order to reach goal.
• Week Four-Six Teacher works on reaching goal
  ability to revisit demonstration classroom and
  work with coach.

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Reaching Effective Professional Development

• Benefits
• Through module training, teachers will be better
  prepared to implement in their own classroom
• With four trainers, teachers will receive more
  one-on-one instruction and support with less time
  out of the classroom
• Current ratio 175 for literacy 1150 for
  technology integration
• New ratio 138 for all initiatives
• Approximately 50 students receive direction
  instruction utilizing brain-research,
  best-practice strategies on a daily basis the
  number of students receiving this type of
  instruction grows exponentially as teachers
  implement professional development training in
  their classroom

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Reaching Effective Professional Development

• Benefits
• The modeling we provide for teachers will benefit
  students within the classroom because the
  trainers know the needs of their students.
• By utilizing connected curriculum, Being There
  experiences, and guest speakers, students will
  understand the importance of lifelong learning,
  becoming responsible citizens, and the impact
  social action has on our community.
• Administrators have a model to see and observe to
  help guide teachers in reaching all expectations
  set forth through administrative walkthroughs.

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Questions about the Program

• How much will this program cost?

• How will teachers receive constant and effective
  training?

• How will we document growth?

• How will the board be kept involved in this
  process?

• What is the timeline?

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• My power is derived from making other people
  powerful.
• Bill Zander

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Highly Effective TeachingOne Classroom at a
TimeAn Update

• Building Equity Longevityin Huntington County
  Community Schools
• February 2008
• Adam Drummond, Kari George, Janette Moore,
  Jennifer Redner

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Creating Effective Professional Development

• There is a visual model to observe what
  theapplication of strategies and initiatives
  look like.
• Of 130 teachers surveyed, 89.2 agreed that the
  classroom observation provided a visual
  application of additional best practice
  strategies, including environment,
  beyond their
  professional
  goal.

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Creating Effective Professional Development

• Follow-up is allowed in setting goals for
  future growth, implementation of strategies, and
  discussion of questions.
• 100 of teachers surveyed agreed they selected a
  measurable goal that reflects the needs of their
  students, their professional development, and
  supports HCCSC District requirements.
• 98.5 of teachers agreed they knew who to contact
  when they had a question, concern, or comment
  regarding professional development, their
  professional goal, and/or HCCSC District
  instructional requirements.

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Creating Effective Professional Development

• Trainers work with students with an
  established relationship effectiveness of
  modeling is cohesive.
• Grade 1
• After taking the Winter NWEA assessment, students
  in the 1st grade Demonstration Classroom showed
  an average RIT growth of 15 points in reading and
  15 points in math.
• 93 students moved at least one guided reading
  level, and 86 of those students moved two or
  more levels.
• In the September Phoneme Segmentation assessment,
  60 students scored at the benchmark level. In
  the December assessment, 93.3 students scored at
  benchmark.

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Creating Effective Professional Development

• Trainers work with students with an established
  relationship effectiveness of modeling is
  cohesive.
• Grade 4
• After taking the Winter NWEA assessment, students
  in the 4th grade Demonstration Classroom showed
  an average RIT growth of 4.3 points in reading
  and 3 points in math. Points of growth are on
  target for meeting Spring growth.
• 100 of students moved at least two guided
  reading levels based on December 2007 benchmark
• Based on Theme Progress tests from fall to
  winter, the number of students meeting or
  surpassing the criterion score has increased by
  28.

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Creating Effective Professional Development

• Modeled strategies by trainers are connected to
  the curriculum, and include purposeful
  instruction for each student.
• Of 130 teachers surveyed, 96.2 agreed that the
  demonstration classroom provided a visual
  application of best practice strategies related
  to reaching their professional goal.

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Creating Effective Professional Development

• Training has provided consistency within the
  district, and specific professional development
  based on goals.
• 98 of teachers felt that professional
  development has been ongoing.
• 90 of teachers agreed that the professional
  development trainings were consistent across the
  corporation.

It is refreshing to get professional development
from people who know and practice daily, best
practices in the classroomI also think it is
wonderful that everyone in the corporation is
hearing the same things. HCCSC Teacher
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Creating Effective Professional Development

• Training occurs in manageable chunks of time
  allowing for adequate processing and debriefing
  with teachers.
• All teachers completed three modules of
  professional development.
• Included pre-session to discuss potential goals
• Participated in three hour trainings which
  included observations in the classroom
• Follow-up session assisted in the creation of an
  implementation plan to reach goals.

Being a first year teacher, I have found the
observations and the coaching extremely helpful.
It is one thing to hear how it could be done, but
another to see it. Very helpful! HCCSC Teacher
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Creating Effective Professional Development

• The transfer of strategy application and
  initiatives into the classroom has been
  consistent and provides a picture of what it
  could look like in the classroom.
• 98.4 of teachers felt that following coaching
  opportunities and observations, they had a level
  of understanding to begin implementing their
  professional goal.

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Over the last two years I have been
particularly pleased with how the many
initiatives throughout the corporation are being
reviewed and revised, bringing consistency
throughout the 11 schools. I see and
greatly appreciate the leaderships efforts to
bring many initiatives together - weaving the
commonalities and making the fabric of our system
stronger than the loose, dangling threads that we
had seemed to be holding on to. Thank
you for all of your hard work and unseen efforts.
Mr. Shafer and Mr. Grable, thank you for coming
out to the buildings this year to share common
information. While not received well by all, I'm
sure, it is and was appreciated by me. Adam,
Janette, Kari, and Jennifer, you have exhibited
incredible courage, flexibility, and
perseverance! HCCSC Teacher
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Questions?