Instructional Rounds

School District of Osceola

Osceola? Is that the place with the pie?

Demographics

District Enrollment: 1844 Free and Reduced: 28% Seven Municipalities Special tuition agreement with the state of Minnesota District Value: $728,943,879.00 Fund 10 Operational Budget: $17,690,622.00

Staff – 127 teachers

OES

Faculty: 34

Aides: 15

OIS

Faculty: 27

Aides: 7

OMS

Faculty: 30

Aides: 11

OHS

Faculty: 36

Aides: 18

School Campus

Osceola Elementary School Osceola Intermediate School

Osceola Middle School Osceola High School

Cascade Falls – Downtown Osceola

Meet and Greet

John

Six Secrets of Change

1. Love Your Employees

2. Connect Peers with Purpose

3. Capacity Building Prevails

4. Learning is the Work

5. Transparency Rules

6. Systems Learn

Summer 2009 - ARRA Dollars

The best way to improve schools is to develop the people within them.

Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker

A focus on Professional development

District Goals

Professional Learning Communities

Disciplinary Literacy

Response to Intervention

Why Literacy?

―About 70% of high school students need some form of remediation; the most common problem is that students cannot comprehend the words they read—not that they cannot read them.‖

(Biancarosa & Snow, 2004)

Why Literacy?

CCSS Shift to 50-50 Fiction/Nonfiction

Smarter Balanced Expectations

We needed Content area teachers to apprentice students to become readers of their content:

Text

Vocabulary

Students need to ―learn the language‖ of the content - Vocabulary is Essential

Literacy Coaching

A recent study of 17 schools along the East coast suggests that putting literacy coaches in schools can help boost students’ reading skills by as much as 32% over three years.

What is a Literacy Coach?

A literacy coach is one who helps teachers to recognize what they know and can do, assists teachers as they strengthen their ability to make more effective use of what they know and do, and supports teachers as they learn more and do more.

Year 1

Trained 14 Staff in Literacy Coaching model at CESA 11

Clearly fit with our District Goals

Jim Knight

Coaching: Approaches and Perspectives

Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction

Marilyn – District Mentorship 40 Day Contract with CESA 11

Practice Group

Year 2 - Instructional Coaching

Trained 10 more teachers at CESA 11; included math, social studies, and science teachers

Involved 2 Responsive Classroom coaches

Transitioned to Instructional Coaching

Asked for volunteer classrooms

Purpose: to build a collaborative environment; connect to our PLC efforts

Side by Side Coaching with Marilyn

The Coaching Cycle

Pre-conference

Peer Visit

-Modeling

-Side by Side

-Teacher Practice

Reflection

Feedback Casey, K. (2006). Literacy coaching: the essentials. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

OSD Instructional Coaching 23

Changes in Year 3

New Superintendent

Few available dollars

No Marilyn – local sustainability

Coaches paid a small stipend

Year 3: OSD Coaching Cycle for 2011-2012 1. Coaches will each work with two people

2. Three classroom visits: fall, winter, and spring

3. Pre-conference to determine a focus question

4. Pre-conference notes

5. Visit the classroom and script what the teacher and students are doing (3 column chart – what the teacher is doing, what the students are doing, impact on learning)

6. Keep the focus question at the center of the visit.

OSD Instructional Coaching 25

OSD Coaching Cycle, cont.

7. Meet for a post-conference and review the visit.

8. The discussion should be centered on the focus question.

9. Record notes from the post-conference.

10. Make copies of the pre-conference, scripting, and post-conference forms for both of you.

11. Encourage the next visit to be connected to the discussion during the feedback conversation.

12. Coaching will be most effective if it sustained over time.

OSD Instructional Coaching 26

Summer 2012

Professional Development and Reflection Opportunity for Coaches

How do we build a sustainable system for instructional coaching in our district?

Our Reasons for Coaching 1

Avenue to talk about getting better together

Building a common language

Continue to look inward: Why am I doing what I am doing?

Opportunity to engage others in discussions about literacy

Reasons for Coaching 2

Opportunity to build knowledge in reading strategies and other best practices

Collaboration model – embedded professional development

Open doors for each other

Constructive feedback

Reasons for Coaching 3

A push to be better

Another set of eyes

Promotes conversation between buildings

Learning for all involved

Reasons for Coaching 4

Focused on specific areas for improvement

Directly connected to student learning and achievement

Tool for communication

Ties to the PDP process – Reflection and Collaboration

Reasons for Coaching 5

Cross grade/different content discussions

At grade/same content discussion

Ongoing process

Learn from others

Energy from others

Reasons for Coaching 6

Improve instruction

Grow as a professional

Non-judgmental

Reinforce beliefs

Empowering

Gain new ideas

Reasons for Coaching 7

See others ideas and styles

Builds continuity and consistency in expectations and practices

Identifies what good teaching looks like and sounds like

Learning community opportunities – working with peers, observing each other, professional conversations

Reasons for Coaching 8

Classroom management ideas

Increasing trust in and comfort with peer visits

Community building among staff

Curriculum continuity – see what skills/content are taught in different grades and courses

Meaningful conversations

Why do we need a coaching cycle?

fosters collaboration between teachers in order to impact student learning

allows teachers to transform knowledge into skill

helps teachers practice and refine the use of effective strategies

embeds professional development in our daily practice

OSD Instructional Coaching 37

Professional Learning Communities

There is abundant research linking higher levels of student achievement to educators who work in the collaborative culture of a professional learning community.

Rick Dufour, 2010

And this is where we got stuck…

Observation

1. An act or instance of noticing or perceiving

2. An act or instance of regarding attentively or watching

3. The action or process of observing something or someone carefully in order to gain information

4. The ability to notice significant details

5. A judgment on or inference from what one has observed

OSD Instructional Coaching 40

LEAD 21 Visitors

Visits vs Observations

Peer visits are collaborative, not evaluative

It is a ―peers helping peers‖ process

Peer Visits

Peer visits, in which small groups of

practitioners observe one another’s work,

take notes, and discuss with each other

what they learned, is a useful way to gather

information about the instructional practices

in the school, reflect on it, and use it to

improve teaching and learning.

OSD Instructional Coaching 43

Spotlighting/Highlighting

When coaching, our people identified these 3 questions:

What are we seeing?

What is going well?

What might others want to see?

We needed more people involved…

Harvard article

Why Rounds? 1

Based on the idea of medical rounds

Harvard Educational Research

A set of protocols and processes for observing, analyzing, discussing and understanding instructional practices that can be used to improve student learning

Why Rounds? 2

Everyone involved is working on their practice

Everyone is obliged to be knowledgeable about the common task of instructional improvement

Everyone’s practice should be subject to observation and reflection

Why Rounds? 3

Rounds as a culture building process will assist us in developing common language and common definitions about high quality instruction

Rounds will encourage us to engage in language that focuses on the outcomes of our behaviors

Why Rounds? 4

• Rounds connect to PLCs – a group of professionals who collaboratively assist one another in the process of improving their individual and collective practice

• Rounds can be a vehicle for PLC work, when the focus is on gathering evidence about a commonly-identified component of our practice, with the goal of enhancing our overall effectiveness

We Needed to Shift the Culture…

Collaborating on Matters Related to Learning

• District Goal: To Expand Instructional Coaching opportunities using Instructional Rounds

• Build a Culture of Trust

• Groups of 4 • All faculty, all buildings • Begin with Instructional Coaches classrooms • Welcome other classrooms • 2 x this year

– I noticed… – I wonder… – What if… – How might…

Team Structure

Teams of 4 facilitated by a coach

Half day

2 teams per day for a total of 4 full day subs

Coach created schedule

Started with coaches classrooms

Start day with a team meeting

Create focus points with team members

Everyone takes notes

Share notes/reflections/questions at the end

Possible Focus Areas

student engagement

reflection, inquiry

questioning

student work

directions

transitions

routines

teacher language

student language

classroom community

classroom climate

lesson structure

whole group, small group, individual instruction

differentiated opportunities

assessment

classroom management

scripting

Your Needs…

Be an active listener

Stay focused; have a clear purpose for the visit

Model and provide meaningful reflection

Keep discussions respectful, collegial, and productive

Keep student performance and achievement at the center of every peer visit

A Coach’s Role During Instructional Rounds

Financial Support

26 Coaching Stipends at $350 = $9100

8 hours of Summer PD at $20/hour for ea. coach = $4160

32 Teams (some coach more than one team)

16 Days of Rounds x 2 opportunities (fall and spring)

16 days x 4 subs per day = 64 Subs days

64 sub days x $100 = $6400

Total: $19660

Title 1, Title 2A, Special Ed.

Becky

OHS – Not enough participation

Use Email to Your Advantage…

Rather than ―Who is willing to open their room…‖ Amanda wrote, ―Let me know if your room isn’t open.‖

School Board Meeting Share Out

• 2nd opportunity during second semester

• OMS tying IR to their personal goals that were set using the Charlotte Danielson Model

• OES and OIS will be seeing the opposite time of the day (morning last time and afternoon second time)

• Pride Cards – Sharing positives

• Sharing at staff meetings

• ALL OHS classrooms were visited

• Approved the opportunity to do IR in a different building

Stephanie F.

Focus Questions 1

How are spelling, vocabulary, and meaning reinforced in our classrooms?

How do teachers build reading stamina with students?

What is the big idea/objective/essential learning outcome for today’s lesson?

Focus Questions, 2

What is student engagement like in our classrooms today? How was it maximized?

What are the best practices happening in our classrooms? How are they impacting student learning?

How do teachers check for understanding in their lessons?

Focus Questions 3

What can we noticed about lesson design?

What do we notice about teacher talk and student talk in our classrooms?

What can be done to eliminate student confusion?

To what extent is the activity in the classroom focused on learning as opposed to management or discipline?

OSD Instructional Coaching 65

Focus Questions 4

How is inquiry used to engage students in learning and extend their thinking?

How do we use academic choice to engage students in learning?

How can we facilitate effective student collaboration?

ARI Secondary Team 2009 66

Focus Questions 5

How do we evaluate student learning through formative assessment?

How does our use of questioning impact student learning?

How is technology used to extend student learning? How can it impact motivation and engagement?

Focus Questions 6

What routines have been established that support classroom community and student learning?

How can established procedures facilitate student collaboration?

How do teacher interactions with students impact learning in our classrooms?

OSD Instructional Coaching

68

OMS Instructional Rounds

A tool for mentoring:

• A great way to connect new teachers with experienced teachers in the same content area.

• Connecting mentees with opportunities to see specific engagement routines being modeled in other classrooms.

Stephanie C.

www.teachingchannel.org

Jim Knight: The Big Four http://www.instructionalcoach.org/big4/

Activity: The Big Four

I can identify classroom practices according to The Big Four

Other connections: The Danielson Framework, Strong’s Performance Standards, Wisconsin Teacher Standards, InTASC Standards

Scripting the classroom with Three Column Notes

Jim Knight

Rounds Discussion

What did you see the teacher doing?

What did you see the students doing?

How was student learning impacted?

What questions did you have about what you saw?

More possibilities:

– I noticed…

– I wonder…

– What if…

– How might…

Summer 2012 Why do we want to have Rounds?

Improves instruction

Opens discussion

Professional development for self/reciprocal

Improves student achievement

District goal…PLC

Common path for common assessment

Tech growth

Supports new people

Highlights what is going well

What is working?

Everyone is learning

Vertical alignment/understanding (current lesson planning) grade above and below

Builds PLC/grade level

Positive teachers

Clear expectations – pre/post conference guidelines

Shared vision – backwards planning

Reflection (depth)

LEAD21 – visitors/experiences/conversations have challenged us

What are the challenges?

Time (a lot on plate)

Reading – schedules all at same time – coverage

Not everyone onboard; fully participating

Someone watching me vs. someone noticing

Convincing everyone that they need the opportunity

Not enough time between visits/reflection

Accountability? Trust level

Still concern about administration connection/evaluation

No staff development hours/carrot

That it’s about best practices and not content

Possible Modifications

How might we use prep time rather than subs?

Can we visit other districts as well as other buildings in our district?

Can there be financial incentive?

How can we become comfortable using video and then working with a coach?

Can we genuinely create a culture of classrooms with an ―open invitation‖ to visitors?

Joe

We Will Continue…

To purposefully share out and celebrate the good things we are seeing

To connect focus questions to personal and team goals

To communicate a clear vision – common understanding

To acknowledge the positives and expertise

We Will Also Continue…

To challenge our teachers to notice and name best practices regardless of content area

To support professional development on best practices

To grow the use of reflective sentence stems, positive collegial conversations, and coaching language

Feedback from the Instructional Rounds Survey – 65 responses

Three Main Purposes for Instructional Rounds

Promote collegial conversations that become part of our school’s professional learning culture.

Increase school-wide reflection on best practices to increase student achievement.

Identify strategies that you would like to incorporate into your own practice.

Three Main Focus Points

Instructional best practices

Student engagement

Assessment techniques

Rounds Structure

Instructional Rounds should be announced in advanced.

Twelve to 15 minutes should be spent in each classroom.

Team members may speak to students as long as the instructional flow is not interrupted.

Notes may be taken in the classroom.

Teams are interested in knowing the learning target for the class period.

Teams may decide to have group or individual focus points for their rounds.

Additions Provide flexibility to address the needs of

the staff

-specific classrooms

-specific content

-different buildings

-different districts

-by goal or focus

Expect an ―open door‖ culture on coaching days

Norms for Teams on Rounds

Be prompt

Stay entire time

Have an open and positive attitude

Be engaged/present (no cell phones, email, or side conversations)

Be respectful and reflective

Be helpful and encouraging

Keep Rounds’ conversations confidential

Amy

Here is an example of what instructional rounds can do for our students when we implement the best practices we are seeing.

Fourth grade was using a power point for vocabulary in LEAD 21; Michon had shared this at a workshop a while back. Then, I went to James’ room for instructional rounds and saw that he added pictures to go with the words. I used pictures with the vocabulary words for the first time in Unit 5, and had phenomenal results on vocabulary test results WITHOUT the worksheets of students writing down the definitions. We also discuss the words each day, and they drew pictures for some of the words, but that was it! Only 8 students missed one word, and the rest got 100%. Jo also shared that she adds movement where possible to the vocab. words, and I think that is a great practice I’d like to adopt also.

Instructional rounds are “on the job” staff development.

Notice and Name, Say Thanks

MAP Over Time Grades 3 & 5

Implementing CCSS MAP Gr. 6

Kindergarten Over Time

Tested at Grade K

SP10 F/P

GRL

(D)

SP11 F/P

GRL

(D)

SP12 F/P

GRL

(D)

SP13 F/P

GRL

(D)

Total Tested 112 135 114 123

Above Benchmark 41 56 38 53

At Benchmark 22 33 43 44

Below Benchmark 49 46 33 26

% Above Benchmark 36.6% 41.5% 33.3% 43.1%

% At Benchmark 19.6% 24.4% 37.7% 35.8%

% Below Benchmark 43.8% 34.1% 28.9% 21.1%

Kindergarten F&P C vs. D

Current Grade K

SP13 F/P

GRL

(D)

SP13 F/P

GRL

(C)

123 123

53 99

44 14

26 10

43.1% 80.5%

35.8% 11.4%

21.1% 8.1%

Grade 4 Over Time

Tested at Grade 4

SP10 F/P

GRL

(S)

SP11 F/P

GRL

(S)

SP12 F/P

GRL

(S)

SP13 F/P

GRL

(T)

137 134 125 111

87 103 93 89

11 18 7 9

39 13 25 13

63.5% 76.9% 74.4% 80.2%

8.0% 13.4% 5.6% 8.1%

28.5% 9.7% 20.0% 11.7%

Connections

Professional Learning Communities

Mentors/New to System Teachers

Educator Effectiveness Goals

SLOs

PDP

A way to create evidence and artifacts of things that are working

Jim Knight

High Impact Instruction

Unmistakable Impact

Leading Instructional Rounds in Education – Thomas Fowler-Finn

School-Based Instructional Rounds – Lee Teitel

School Administrator Magazine

January 2014 Issue

http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=31242

Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs Kachur, Stout, Edwards

Source for survey Questions

#educoach on Twitter Wednesday Nights – 9pm

Educational Leadership – Summer 2013 – Digital Issue http://www.educationalleadership-digital.com/educationalleadership/201306#pg1

Twitter @curriculumgirl

Renee

Anyone too busy to reflect on one’s practice is also too busy to improve. -Robert Garmston