NSDGINSTRUCTION

UPDATES
(3/29/06)
See the LEFT-SIDE for some CURRENT THINKING around INSTRUCTION.

(3/14/06)
Consider:
"If I Was A Team Unto Myself..."
See the link to the left.
Consider how you might respond to the prompts (knowing many have been deeply considered already) and begin drafting a vision handbook that outlines your thoughts in these areas.
This thinking will be VITAL as you engage with your Instructional Program.

(3/8/06)
"Key Questions" for Instructional Services to support design teams:

ELA/ELD
1. How can a more heterogeneous grouping best be supported to meet the unique ELD needs of students?
2. What diagnostics and assessments of reading and writing can best provide criterion-based results to formatively assess students?
Math
1. How can current math adoption be supplemented by programs like CMP or CPM to develop skills and provide more engaging application of those skills?
2. How can the OUSD Math Benchmark assessments best be used to inform instruction and support differentiation?
Across Content
1. What efforts exist that have identified the key, high leverage standards to be taught in ELA/ELD and Math at the middle grades?
2. What local resources and/or support providers exist to support developing school-wide portfolios as a tool for assessment?
3. How can instruction best target grade level standards, while supporting the lowest 50% of the class to achieve mastery of those standards?

(3/1/06)
NOTICE:
PLEASE see the UPA Instruction Plan to the right if you have not already. There will be a great deal to work to be done towards developing a similar plan. Though the NSDG Incubator version may be different, these items will be no less important to your schools upon opening. This can be where the challenges of how the design team integrates with your planning become more apparent. DO NOT wait for the team to get up to speed to begin planning here. Begin to outline the approaches and best practices you are entertaining, while gearing up for the authentic involvement of your team. As well, consider ways in which you can enlist individual team member support right away (many of you have) to move this planning forward.

For those new to instructional leadership and with less than four decades under their belts, we tend to find the role daunting. It is compounded as a design team leader by not only leading intruction, but defining the entire program!!! There will be much assistance along the way, but leadership will begin where your beliefs and value come into play. Begin to craft what you know, so the gaps are more defined, and so you can appreciate when you can confidently say, "I believe this works best for kids!"

Considerations:
A) The specific assessments you may wish to use OR what you want to learn from an assessment, even if you aren't sure which tool will work best.

B) The curriculum choices you will make and what materials these include (Instructional Services will also help in this area). Not only the core program, but also over-all Vocabulary development, Advisory, Daily Oral Language, Technology, etc.

C) The instructional strategies you see as consistent practices throughout the school. Build a menu NOW and insert research or literature that supports it (coaching can help there) so that you can begin to vet it with your design team. This may look like Lesson Plan components, Daily classroom agenda items, methods of involving student voice and choice, grouping strategies, methods for a checking for understanding toolbox, Classroom wall space and consistent sections across the school, and of course, assessment strategies. *If you can think of more topics that may fall into the "consistent practices" category please add to this list for others!

D) Summer professional development. This is vital. So many, if not all, successful small schools have historically brought their staff together in the summer. UPA and MetWest have had 8-10 days each summer of staff PD, not including end of the year Reflection Days. Consider what you would gain from this practice. Before deciding not to do it, consider how you would use it and then determine how those things would happen otherwise, if you don't engage in summer PD. Sample agendas will soon be posted on this page.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING???

Everything listed in the Considerations above.

(2/27/06)
The information provided to the Instructional Services Department in preparation for their support in Strand 10 will be as follows:

We have feedback ranging from 2-5 on the (1-5) scale of comfort with OUSD adopted Math and ELA/ ELD curriculum. (Therefore, likely a general overview for all.)

We have interest in thinking about:
- quality coring approaches for humanities
- ways of assessing the benefits and trade-offs of a math/science core
- math programs that can integrate project based learning
- resources and instructional materials that prioritize cultural relevance
- strategies in a multi-grade context for core content
- performance-based assessments
- strategies to develop self-knowledge (metacognition)
- resources to integrate technology

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING???

Define what it means to be a "Great Urban Teacher"

Define what it means to be a "Great Urban Student"

Define "Best Practices" as they relate to your Theories of Action