Instructional Transformation

Domain 3

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Diagnose Student Learning Needs

The Pupil Support Team (PST) helps students succeed academically and thrive in the school environment by addressing their individual needs and providing appropriate interventions in a timely manner.

The PST collaborates with parents or guardians to involve them in the support process. Parental input is valuable in understanding a student's challenges and strengths and helps ensure a consistent approach between school and home.

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Effective Instructional Interventions

Creatively use fluid instructional groupings rather than year-long student placements that may not meet students’ (and teachers’) needs. For example, when students struggle with a certain concept, they could be assigned temporarily to a teacher whose data demonstrate that he or she teaches it well or differently from the student’s current teacher(s), placed in a small group for reteaching, or given individualized instruction.

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Frequent Assessment and Instructional Adjustments

Teachers gather information about a student's strengths, weaknesses, and needs through assessments, teacher observations, and input from parents or guardians. This data helps in developing appropriate support strategies.

Teachers are given time within the school day to conduct such analysis and develop plans to address identified needs. Teachers are also held accountable for doing so and for carrying out the plans they develop for students.

Additional Supports for Practice 3A

Questions to consider...

How will teachers diagnose each individual student’s learning needs? What tools, systems, and structures need to be established?
How could a fluid grouping of students be implemented and supported?
How will alignment of instruction with standards be facilitated?
Identify possible barriers to student learning and how each system level can work to remove those academic and non-academic barriers in turnaround schools.
How will teachers guide and track the progress of each student? What tools, systems, and structures need to be established? Who will establish these tools, systems, and structures?
What learning benchmarks will teachers use to guide and track the progress of students?
What types of early warning systems will identify students falling behind? Who will be held accountable for establishing those early warning systems?
What interventions are used to help students who are falling behind? How might those be adjusted or changed? Who will be included in the team to adjust or change those interventions?

Goal/Action Plan initiative ideas:

Provide professional learning on developing quality formative assessments, small group instruction, and data analysis.

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Guarantee Access

A guaranteed and viable curriculum is foundational for curriculum development, student assessment, and overall educational effectiveness.

Schools and/or districts should conduct a curriculum analysis and map lesson plans against standards to ensure the plans adequately represent the standards.

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Job-Embedded Coaching

In each instructional mode utilized — whether whole class, small group, independent work, technology-based, or homework — teachers routinely utilize the best instructional practices, and school leaders support their development of those practices by providing job-embedded coaching.

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Bridge the Gaps

Conduct a thorough analysis of assessment data, student performance, and feedback from teachers and stakeholders to identify specific gaps in the curriculum or instructional delivery. Determine which learning objectives or essential standards are not being adequately met.

Additional Supports for Practice 3B

Questions to consider...

Has a guaranteed and viable curriculum been developed? Which standards have been determined to be essential?
What process will be used to determine the utilization of instructional coaches? Who will be held accountable for ensuring coaching is happening?
Identify how the curriculum will be evaluated for gaps.

Goal/Action Plan initiative ideas:

Employee instructional coaches
Provide professional learning on developing a guaranteed and viable curriculum.
Provide professional learning on effective instructional coaching practices.

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Identify Barriers

Track student progress and help students regain lost ground through academic supports (e.g., tutoring, co-curricular activities, tiered interventions), extended learning opportunities (e.g., summer bridge programs, after-school and supplemental educational services, Saturday academies, enrichment programs), credit-recovery programs, and virtual courses.

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Extensions

Providing students who demonstrate sufficient prior mastery with access to higher-level assignments and courses is a learner-centered approach that recognizes and supports individual differences and strengths. It enhances student engagement, fosters intellectual growth, and contributes to a positive and inclusive learning environment.

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Partnerships

Network with nearby organizations in the community to identify available support — or to generate new support — for students. Consider having medical and dental services available on-site regularly. Provide on-site laundry service for families in need. Provide food for students during extended learning sessions and other periods when they are at school outside of regular school hours.

Additional Supports for Practice 3C

Questions to consider...

How can your schools leverage funds to provide additional academic support, extended learning opportunities, credit recovery programs, and virtual courses? Are there stakeholders who would be willing to support these programs financially?
How do teachers challenge students that are exceeding their current level of schooling? What types of programs do your schools offer?
What types of higher-level assessments and courses have your schools offered in the past and have they worked well to challenge gifted or advanced students? What can schools do differently to challenge gifted or advanced students?
How do teachers give students authentic experiences in order to connect their interests with real-world applications?
How do your schools involve community members and stakeholders in offering internships, career exploration, and service learning opportunities? Who will be held accountable for helping make these connections for your students?

Goal/Action Plan initiative ideas:

Learning Supports

Home visitation - Engagement Specialist
Whole Child Coaches - Attendance, Behavior, Wrap around services
Parental engagement- parent training, communication, activities after hours
Attendance Supports & Incentives
Accessibility - Add entrances for SPED students and handicapped parents.
Hire translators
Parent Academies
Publish “Read at Home” plans to be sent home for parents
Improve classroom libraries
Author visits
Pay for volunteers

Extended Learning Opportunities

Summer Learning (including increasing the daily rate of pay for teachers to recruit the most accomplished teachers)
Twilight School for High School Students
Alternative Grade Retentions (pre1st, 3.5, etc.) (provide the teacher unit)
Tutoring in the communities (library, church, rec fields, etc.) in the evening and on weekends is allowable as long as the funds are spent on tutors, materials, and space rental.
Field Trips
College Visits
Post-secondary transitions
Incentives to encourage attendance at summer reading/math camps
Summer Parent Programs
Summer Kindergarten Academies