THE CENTER FOR STRENGTHENING THE TEACHING PROFESSION
"Data can help shine a light on problems, but data alone won't solve them."
Elizabeth City, ASCD; April, 2013
"Data can help shine a light on problems, but data alone won't solve them."
Elizabeth City, ASCD; April, 2013
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Rosemary Fryer
Teaches grades 11-12
School / District: Heritage High School / Evergreen Public Schools
Email Address: mrsfryer@gmail.com
My Professional Learning Community has worked effectively to construct common formative assessments. Since our PLC spans grades 9-11, it uses these formative assessments to differentiate instruction that will help our students gain the skills they need at the developmentally appropriate level, which prepares our students for rigorous and challenging curriculum.
For example, one common formative assessment showed us the gaps we needed to address for kids to be successful on the AP language arts test. We found that certain students needed a better understanding about the importance of thesis statements while others needed to provide evidence for their argument. So, together, we prepared lessons for ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders to address the writing and thinking gaps we discovered from this formative assessment, with each member supplying ideas, protocols, and strategies.
This exchange of student work and thoughtful, reflective discussion continued throughout the year. We built multiple choice tests and more writing prompts. We examined the data and planned how to meet the challenges we found. We also avoided repetitious instruction by identifying what students already knew and built from there. The more we worked as a team, the more we grew in instructional confidence. Often we would give ourselves homework outside of the regular meeting time to glean more data and information to be shared at our next PLC meeting. Our students benefited from this collaboration, and our teacher-team benefited as we pooled our strengths to truly incorporate best practices into our teaching.
Ann Morgan
Teaches grades 9 - 12
School / District: Cascade High School / Everett Public Schools
Email Address: amorgan@everettsd.org
One example of great teacher support at Cascade High School is the academic intervention systems we now have in place for our kids. In the last two years we have been given teacher tutors in the core subjects, and daily time within the school day schedule for them to work with kids. Those students who are falling behind, or just need more support to get credit in their classes, now have that support. I am an art teacher, so many of these interventions only relate indirectly to the work we do in my classroom; however, more academic support provides us with kids who are more confident of their abilities overall. Our dropout rate is declining significantly, and kids are more engaged in learning and in the school community as a whole. This approach has made a difference for our teachers, our school and for the kids who attend here.
Katie Taylor
Classroom Coach
School / District: Clover Park High School / Clover Park School District
Email Address: - kltaylor@cloverpark.k12.wa.us
As a "Second Stage Teacher Leader" the challenges of affecting a change in teacher practice and student achievement are huge. Leaving the classroom can be a very lonely and isolating experience, as well as having a huge learning curve in moving from focusing on student learning to adult learning. Thankfully, support in my district for teacher leaders is systemic and effective. As a school-based coach, I am part of a district-wide cadre of Instructional Facilitators from elementary, middle and high schools. We meet once a month to receive training, support and space for reflecting on our practice as teacher-leaders. We collaboratively plan the professional development sessions we facilitate with our staff, read current literature on best instructional practices, practice the instructional practices, and receive tools and training in using data effectively with teachers. The end result is that the teachers in my building look to me for support on unit assessment and lesson design. The Instructional Facilitators are the first person teachers think of when they are having instructional dilemmas, and we are able to share research and data with our teachers to help build their capacity to affect a positive change in student achievement.
Mark Gardner
Teaches grades 9 - 10, English
School / District: Camas High School / Camas School District
Email Address: mdeweyg@gmail.com
My first year of teaching I was on a one-year Leave of Absence replacement contract at Lakota Junior High School in the Federal Way Public Schools. I was fortunate enough to have a tremendous new teacher mentor who used her mentorship to guide, encourage, and support me. Now in my seventh year of teaching, I still recall the power of her efforts to problem-solve with me, coach me, and help me reflect upon and think critically about my practice. Her kind and constructive support helped me through a challenging first year. Since then, I have served as a formal mentor as well as an informal mentor to peers in my building, and strive to model the non-judgment critical support which my mentor offered to me in that pivotal first year. Though my professional path led me away from Lakota, I credit her and the new teacher program with helping me to recognize and cultivate habits of good teaching within my own practice. I have been lucky to earn awards, recognition and National Board Certification, and whatever impact my teaching has had on student learning can find its roots in the guidance and support provided to me by my first mentor.
Darlene Wilgus
Teaches grades K - 4, Math
School / District: River HomeLink / Battle Ground School District
Email Address: dwilgus@gencomnw.com
My principal is the ultimate learning leader. With his forward thinking, during the 07-08 school year, ten teachers out of a staff of twenty pursued National Board certification resulting in eight of the ten certifying the first year. He not only invited the River HomeLink staff to consider this process highly effective job embedded professional development that would increase our capacity to engage our student's learning, but he also found funding to cover expenses including our participation in the WSU cohort. Additionally he carved two collaborative work sessions from 8:00-10:30 a.m. monthly. He listened, encouraged, and bragged on us as we wrestled with our standards. His continual inquiry was "Tell me what you are learning". On score release day, he checked in with each of us and trumpeted the results to our district. Battle Ground School District had gone from two NBCTs to twelve. His foresight into improving instructional impact for students was the catalyst to our learning journey. Two of our team hope to certify in their second year and two more candidates are beginning the process for the 09-10 school year.
Dustin Metzger
Teaches 5th grade
School / District: Tukwila / Tukwila
My principals provide incredible support on a daily basis to help kids. It is an honor to work for people whose driving motivation is "what's best for kids." When I ask for resources for my classroom, they respond, "How is it best for kids?" If they are satisfied with my answer, they work to find money and time to make it happen. When I need behavior support, it is almost always the same day, if not at the immediate time; the ensuing conversations between the child and the principal revolve around what's best for that child. When I want to try a new idea outside of the curriculum, their first thought is: "is it best for kids?" If it is, they support me 100%. They give me the freedom to provide what's best for kids and the accountability to prove my results. In a field that is increasingly aware of state and federal regulations, it is very powerful to work in a building where the kids' needs (be they academic, social, or other) are the basis for decision-making. I don't always agree with the final decision, but I know the measuring stick was the children's success.
Joan Bright
Teaches grades 9 - 12, special education
School / District: Mariner High School, Mukilteo School District
Email: brightjm@mukilteo.wednet.edu
Our principal encourages and supports teachers doing National Board Certification. He believes in any type of staff development that will make us better teachers. He has a video camera, VCR, and television dedicated to National Board use. He allows us to use the building for monthly meetings. He also allows us to use building equipment to make copies of requirements and entries. He offers encouragement as we work through portfolios and videotaping. His sense of humor brings much-needed stress relief in the final days before entries are due. Due to his strong support, and firm belief that he has the best staff, many teachers on our campus attempt National Boards each year. It's important to have an administrator who believes in his staff because actions speak louder than words.
Mark Gardner
Teaches grades 9 - 10, English
School / District: Camas High School / Camas School District
Email Address: mdeweyg@gmail.com
Six years ago, my Associate Principal approached me with a problem: a disproportionate number of 9th graders in my building were failing to earn credits necessary to move toward on-time graduation. She had ideas about a support system called the "Success Academy" which would facilitate provide 9th graders with the tools they needed for a strong high school foundation. Rather than mandate a model, she empowered me and a colleague to design, and implement the program based upon what we determined were the needs of our kids. Instead of content remediation, we opted to create a core team-taught model targeting mathematics, literacy and "high school survival skills." Because of her trust, support, and confidence in our judgment, we were able to develop a cross-curricular program that is now finishing its fifth year. That trust in us as teacher-leaders was crucial not only to our program's start, but has subsequently allowed ours to become a successful model of teacher-driven, teacher-designed, and teacher-implemented programming which has had an impact on over 400 students and their families who otherwise would not have been served by any specific support programs.
Sheila Gaquin
School District: formerly of Shaw School District
Email Address: sheilakg@mac.com
During my first year of teaching I was one of several new teachers in my school. Every Friday our principal handed all the first year teachers a half sheet of paper he called the "Something Report." Each week the paper had the same four writing prompts:
1. Something you learned this week:
2. Something you need to learn more about:
3. Something wonderful that happened this week:
4. Something I can do to help you next week:
Every Monday he collected our responses. During that busy first year I sometimes resented the time it took to write about the "somethings," but responding to the prompts did help me reflect on my growth as a teacher, articulate my need for professional development, stay positive, and ask for help when I really needed it. It was only later that I realized my principal was doing more than communicating with his first year teachers, he was also helping us establish the career-long practice of self reflection.
Dustin Metzger
Teaches 5th Grade
School / District: Tukwila / Tukwila
The reading specialist in our building works to train both teachers and paraeducators to help support our reading model. During reading, students work in flexible groups based on assessment data. The paraeducators provide support and instruction to students in a variety of groups. Each Friday one hour is dedicated to the reading specialist meeting and planning with the paraeducators. She provides training on how to use the reading curriculum and serves as another means of support for both the teacher and the paraeducators. She also meets regularly with the classroom teachers and specialists (SPED, ELL, gifted) to provide support and ideas based on the needs of students, review assessment data and evaluate group changes, and plan team teaching sessions. This all results in a unified system of flexible groups where students are taught at their own instructional level by a trained staff member who is working with all other staff members to implement the reading curriculum to meet the needs of the students. The training and planning with paraeducators is huge when it comes to them feeling confident and a valuable part of the learning process.