Principal Practice

Observation Tool

2013-14

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1Instructional shifts refer to those embedded in the CCLS

  • Developed PD plan based on data
  • Use supplemental material to support the gaps in the curriculum
  • Met with teachers during common planning to identify and rectify issues with the new curriculum
  • Attended common planning to take an in depth look at the needs of special ed., ELL and Tier 1 students- used UDL to meet the needs of all learners

Have you encountered any obstacles in orienting your staff to curriculum implementation? How have you strategically addressed those obstacles?

OBSTACLE / ADDRESSED OBSTACLE
Lack of materials (texts/ teacher editions/student editions/ MoSL materials /
  • Downloaded materials from web
  • Borrowed from other schools
  • Used building resources

Time issues within the programs /
  • Debriefed during lunch and learns to see how we can adapt the materials to meet our needs
  • Reviewed vertical alignment of curriculum to see what the children were learning and how we are meeting their needs

Gaps between current student knowledge and expectations with CCLS curriculum /
  • Lesson Study
  • Embedding SS and Science into literacy
  • Reviewed maps to understand concerns of student knowledge and how we can meet the needs of all—Review UDL
  • Use of “Best Practices” to teach instructional level groups

Professional Development Concerns-Who will attend? /
  • Continue use of instructional leads
  • Gave teacher teams time and grade level meetings to turn-key information learned at each session

Teacher frustration level /
  • Admin. continues to meet with teams to ensure they are supporting them through this process
  • Collaborate with all grades to understand their concerns and effectively solve some of the issues within the program

How have you approached curriculum refinements as a learning community?

  • Developed a curriculum team that meets weekly
  • Utilized teacher team meetings for teacher reflection and analysis of what’s working and what is not within each program and grade
  • Constant administrative feedback related to the implementation of CCLS/Technology/Danielson Framework
  • Continually meeting to share best practices
  • Continue to look at student data and student work to analyze how to meet students’ needs and make adjustments to curriculum where needed

How do you assess the rigor of curricula and tasks? Can you give an example?

  • Use of Depth of Knowledge/Hess’s Cognitive Rigor Matrix/Tri-State Rubric to understand how deeply students understand the content to complete the tasks
  • Grade level CC aligned rubrics
  • Use of “HOT”(higher order thinking) questions which are crafted to push students thinking and promote genuine student discussions
  • Analyzing student work using the Looking at Student Work protocol to identify gaps and shift the instruction to embed the Instructional Shifts
  • Degree of differentiation and scaffolding to meet the need of all students

What processes do you have in place to ensure vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment and coherence?

  • Common planning across grades (horizontal)
  • Teacher team meeting/curriculum teams which represent one teacher from each grade/department) (vertical)
  • Created PD plan to meet needs of teachers
  • Instructional leaders turnkey PD to all other constituents on their grade level or department level
  • Teams meet to review/revise/monitor curriculum
  • Inter-visitation within each other’s classrooms to share best practices/routines
  • Inquiry work to assess student data and make adjustments to curriculum to meet student needs

What is your school’s approach to the integration of the instructional shifts and college and career readiness skills?

  • Using a variety of complex texts
  • Continuation of HOT questions to create more genuine discussions
  • Create and identify more text dependent questions so the children can use the text to synthesize their answers
  • Use of variety of fiction and non-fiction texts
  • Increase of student discussions through HOT questions
  • Professional development on understanding what each shift means and how to incorporate it into lessons/unit plans and curriculum maps
  • Use common planning to review curriculum and embed instructional shifts
  • Shift children mindset around “college” and “career”

What structures and resources do you provide to support teachers in appropriately modifying and adapting curricula so that all learners have access?

  • Professional development/webinars/tutorials on new curriculum
  • Weekly common planning
  • Accessing database resources like STARS, SESIS, ARIS and School Net
  • Created a special education inquiry team to share best practices to meet student needs
  • Use Universal Design for Learning to allow all children to access the curriculum
  • Have ATR’s cover teachers to meet and revise curriculum to meet the needs of ELL, SWD gifted and talented
  • Monthly grade level conferences









Principal Practice Observation Tool