This page contains all of the necessary information to facilitate the School Improvement Grant Overview session.

• Step 1 - Click here to download the facilitator's guide
• Step 2 - Download the presentation slides
  • Version with one slide per page
  • Version with three slides per page
• Step 3 - Hold the session
• Step 4 - Email session activity feedback to the School Improvement Grant office.

This page contains all of the necessary information to participate in the small group self-guided discussion regarding School Leadership Frameworks.

This session and the steps below must be completed by March 18, 2011.

• Step 1 - Click here to download and print the session materials
• Step 2 - Hold your session with three to five people.  (Note - we estimate that the session will last 90 minutes)
• Step 3 - Click here to record session participants and session notes.  (Note - there will be multiple activities like this where one member of the team is to record the notes on the web-form.  We suggest rotating responsibility for this).

UPDATE: The survey is now closed.  However, there are enough hours from the other activities for you to get to 50.

Because we are past the May 1st extension date, I will not receive an updated participant list as often as I used to (a separate participant list must be generated in order to protect the anonymity of the responses).  If you would like your SIG hours updated immediately after taking the survey, please forward me the confirmation receipt and I will log your hours in the Google spreadsheet. 

LAUSD Stakeholder Survey – School leadership Framework

March 2011

LAUSD is developing a School Leadership Framework to provide a common language regarding the elements of effective school leadership. The School Leadership Framework will serve as the foundation of our efforts to support and develop school administrators, and for multiple measure performance reviews of our administrators. In addition, this framework will be aligned to the goals and accountabilities of the Teaching and Learning Framework.

A multi-stakeholder working group has informed this work to date, and will meet again to review your input and the input gathered through several focus groups.

The items and components discussed in the survey correspond with and align to the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (hereafter, CPSELs). The standards alignment is reflected in each component.

There are six components and a total of 45 questions. Each component contains a definition followed by several questions; the survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. Your feedback will be used to inform the development of LAUSD's School Leadership Framework.

To take the survey, please click here: School Leadership Framework Survey

OBJECTIVES
• Build an understanding of the Teaching & Learning Framework
• Understand the nature of learning for students and teachers
• Understand how a common language for Teaching & Learning promotes professional conversation and a culture of learning
• Establish some initial processes to apply the Teaching & Learning Framework in practice
• Collaborate with colleagues

AGENDA
• Wisdom of practice
• Exploring levels of performance (Domains 2 – Classroom Environment and 3 – Instructional Delivery)
• Role of evidence in non-observable domains
• Application
• Preparing for next steps
 

SIGN-UP
Please sign up.
Rosters will be available as soon as everyone signs up for the workshop. 
 

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can we have the workshop at our school site?

A: The workshops will be conducted at the 9 SIG schools.  However, because each school will host only 1 or 2 sessions of the workshops, you may or may not attend the workshop at your school site.  For those people who have a top preference for weekend sessions, I will prioritize the date/time over the location.  For those people who have a top preference for weekday sessions, I will try to schedule them at their worksite.  But as mentioned, it really depends on which days your school site has selected for hosting the sessions.

Q: Will there be a break or breaks on the all-day workshops? I doubt teachers can go all day without at least a one hour or even half an hour lunch. If there is a break will that count for the 6 hours?

A: Yes, there will be breaks and a 1-hour lunch break during the all-day workshops.  However, food will not be provided this year so please plan accordingly.

Q: If an emergency comes up, will there be alternative dates?

A:  If there is an emergency, please let me know.  As of now, we don't have alternative dates scheduled so make-up sessions are not guaranteed. 

If you have any questions please contact the SIG office (213)241-0357.

This activity introduces LAUSD's new Academic Growth over Time (AGT) measurement of student academic gains.  The training modules will help participants understand how to read AGT school level reports, and get them thinking about how to use AGT to inform school curriculum, instruction, and policies. 

There are 2 parts to the activity: the AGT Online Primer and the School Report Reflection.  For each of the parts, you can complete it as a whole staff or in small groups.  Administrators, chapter chairs, and SIG coordinators, please review the steps and materials before making a decision.  Teachers and staff, please check with your school leaders about which method will be used to complete each part of this activity.  The suggested due date is April 29; this activity accounts for 5 hours of the SIG requirement.

OPTION 1: WHOLE GROUP

• Step 1 - Download the activity guide.  Review the directions in the right-hand column.
   
• Step 2 - Skim through the training modules to get a sense of how they are structured.  There are four chapters with prompts and reflection questions throughout the presentations.  Think about how you would like the participants to engage the prompts: whole group discussion, Think-Pair-Share, small group discussions, etc.
   
• Step 3 - Print out the AGT School Level Report for your school; participants can probably share.  
   
• Step 4 - Make copies of the School Report Reflection Guide worksheet.
   
• Step 5 - Prepare chart paper or some other method of recording the whole group's main points.
   
• Step 6 - Conduct the whole group session.  The training modules will take a total of 1.5 hours and the small group will take 3.5 hours. 
   
• Step 7 - Scan or fax sign-in sheets to Paul Hsu.  Also email the most salient comments, questions, and suggestions from the discussion.

OPTION 2: SMALL GROUP

• Step 1 - Download the activity guide. Review the directions in the middle column.
   
• Step 2 - Form your small groups and decide on a facilitator, recorder, and a date/time to meet.
   
• Step 3 - The facilitator should skim through the training modules to get a sense of how they are structured. There are four chapters with prompts and reflection questions throughout the presentations.
   
• Step 4 - Get the AGT School Report.
   
• Step 5 - Facilitator should make copies of the School Report Reflection Guide worksheet.
   
• Step 6 - Conduct your small group meeting according to the activity guide.  An LCD projector or large monitor should be available so everyone can view the training modules together.
   
• Step 7 - Submit the group's response to one or both parts of the activity.

While the first workshop provided an overview of the Teaching and Learning Framework, the second workshop focuses on the application of the framework to lesson design and self review. 

AGENDA

1. Review Activity 1: Identifying the Standards and Components
2. Learning Activity 2: Reflection on Practice and Self-Review
3. Learning Activity 3: Watching a Video; Participating in a Professional Community
4. Learning Activity 4: Wisdom of Practice for Lesson Planning
5. Learning Activity 5: Unpacking the Lesson Design Template
6. Learning Activity 6:  Applying the lesson design template to your grade level/subject
7. Learning Activity 7: Watching a Short Video with attached lesson plan and/or teacher reflection
8. Reflective Activity 8: Feedback on the self-review, lesson design, rubrics, and today’s process

Download a draft of Workshop 2 activities with brief descriptions.  This outline is subject to change.

SIGN-UP
Please sign up here: Workshop 2 Preference Form
Rosters for each session will be forwarded to your SIG coordinator as soon as everyone signs up for the workshop.

Please Note: Jefferson and Maywood teachers will have their workshop 1 and 2 sessions on June 9 and 10, respectively.  Please sign up with your SIG coordinator.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What if I missed the first workshop?

A:  If you missed the first workshop, you can still sign up for the second one but will have to catch up quickly in the beginning.  We do have a make-up session scheduled for June 11, 9AM - 3PM, at Markham Middle School.  

Q: Why can't I have the workshop at our school site on the day that I want?

A: The schools choose 1 or 2 sessions that they can host, so it might not be on the day that you want.

Q: Are we going to get breakfast or coffee on the weekend workshops and real food on the weekday workshops?

A: Unfortunately, no.  There is currently a freeze on refreshments at the district and state levels, but they have given us a minimal allowance for a light lunch on weekends and snacks on the weekday sessions.  However, a teacher has suggested that we could have potlucks if people are willing to contribute.  It'd be a great way to share and build community.  If you are interested in doing this, please contact me (see below). 

WORKSHOP 1 FEEDBACK

We received 495 responses in total.

Feedback on Structure:

1. Overall, over 90% of the participants Agreed or Strongly Agreed that

a. The sessions were well organized
b. Activities were well-paced and appropriately varied
c. Presenters had strong knowledge
d. They learned useful information about the TLF
e. Colleagues were interested in the content
f. They themselves were interested in the content

        2. Overall, 75-77% of participants  Agreed or Strongly Agreed that

a. They have a clear understanding of how the session relates to their SIG work back at school
b. They understand the next steps related to the SIG work

Feedback on Content

1. Overall, wisdom of Practice and Memorable Moment were the most engaging for the teachers (79-80% selecting highly engaging or engaging)
2. Give One-Get One, Evidence for Standards 4&5, and Reflective Writing were the least engaging (respectively, 60%, 54%, and 55% selecting highly engaging or engaging)
3. A larger percent (+9% to +16%) of teachers were “Not Sure” when rating Give One-Get One, Evidence for Standards 4&5, and Reflective Writing.

Checking for Understanding

1. As a whole, participants had a clearer understanding of “Establishing a Culture for Learning” (Q18), the difference between Developing and Effective (Q19), and Cognitive Engagement (Q21).
2. Less than 50% of participants selected the same answer for “Ineffective Practice” (Q20) and 21st Century Skills (Q22).

Comments

1. About 20% of the surveys had comments
2. Participants were most confused about applying the framework to their teaching, understanding the purpose of the framework, implementing the framework at the classroom, schools, and district level given the complexity, and the next steps in the SIG process
3. Participants thought it would be most helpful to review and study the content on their own or with peers, see real-life examples of the framework being used in the classroom, and receiving more PD like this one.

Participant Make-Up

1. Over half were middle school teachers, 15% were elementary teachers, and 19% were high school teachers.
2. 2% were principals
3. Compared to the High School teachers, Elementary teachers had a more favorable opinion about the workshop structure (on average +8% response rate for agree and strongly agree) and content (on average +13% response rate for engaging and highly engaging).
4. High school teachers and middle school teachers had similar ratings of the workshop
5. Compared to the Elementary school teachers, principals had a more favorable opinion about the structure but a less favorable opinion about the content.

Click here to see the feedback form data.

Click here to see the feedback form.

In the past, many of us have had classes where the teachers weight different assignments in order to come up with the final grade.  As teachers, many of us do the same thing, giving more weight, for example, to tests and essays rather than homework and quizzes.  The weighting reflects the importance and value we place on different measures of student performance. 

Similarly, because we are considering multiple measures of educator effectiveness, we need to think about the weighting we give to the different measures: observation of practice, stakeholder feedback, contributions to student outcomes, and contributions to the community.  This activity leads participants through an exploration of these ideas using a guided reading of articles and a task that involves testing your own hypotheses about the most appropriate weighting system.  The suggested due date is June 17 so you can focus on the book study group first.  This activity is worth 4 hours of SIG time.

ACTIVITY SUMMARY

• Step 1 - Download the activity guide.
   
• Step 2 - Form your small groups and decide on a group leader, recorder, and a date/time to meet.
   
• Step 3 - Follow the directions in the activity guide.  The following files will need to be downloaded:
  • “A Continuous Improvement Model for Teacher Development and Evaluation” (AFT, 2010)
  • “Teacher Evaluation 2.0” (The New Teacher Project, 2010)
  • Excel spreadsheet containing Total Effectiveness Matrix
     
• Step 4 - Group leader comes back here to enter the results of the Task into the feedback form.

This activity is very similar to Total Effectiveness Results--Teacher Results.  Please follow the steps below to complete the activity.  The suggested due date is June 17 and this activity is also worth 4 hours of SIG time.

ACTIVITY SUMMARY

• Step 1 - Download the activity guide.
   
• Step 2 - Form your small groups and decide on a group leader, recorder, and a date/time to meet.
   
• Step 3 - Follow the directions in the activity guide.  The following files will need to be downloaded:
  • Article: “Evaluating Principals: Balancing accountability with professional growth” (New Leaders for New Schools, 2010)
  • Vide “One Potential Approach: The Principal Scorecard” (CECR & Milanowsk 2009)
  • Excel spreadsheet containing Total Effectiveness Matrix
     
• Step 4 - Group leader comes back here to enter the results of the Task into the feedback form.

The School Improvement Grant requires grantees to reward educators based on multiple measures of educator effectiveness.  In this 4-hour activity, participants will consider the various factors related to creating a fair and effective differentiated compensation and reward system.

ACTIVITY SUMMARY

• Step 1 - Download the activity guide.
   
• Step 2 - Form your small groups and decide on a group leader, recorder, and a date/time to meet.
   
• Step 3 - Follow the directions in the activity guide.  Here's the list of resources you can choose from:
  • Alternative Teacher Compensation: A Primer
  • Teacher Pay for Performance: Experimental Evidence from the Project on Incentives in Teaching
  • District Awards for Teacher Excellence Program: Final Evaluation Report
  • Merit Pay Misfires
• Step 4 - Group leader comes back here to enter the results of Tasks 1 and 2.

Note: All of the SIG schools have administered these surveys, so the hours have already been counted.  The small group activity mentioned below is a different activity than this one.

The federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) involves developing improved data on the many factors that affect learning and creating more comprehensive systems for evaluating schools, school leadership, and teaching.   As part of this grant, a series of new surveys of classroom and school environments is being developed and piloted at the nine SIG schools.  Parent, student, and staff surveys will measure practices and conditions that are not currently incorporated in the School Experience Surveys. 

The purpose of this year's implementation is to get feedback on the survey instrument and administration process.  No stakes will be attached.  Feedback has been and will be gathered from participants, stakeholders (such as UTLA, AALA, central office, and CBOs), and non-SIG school educators.  Researchers will use this year's pilot to determine whether these surveys have the level of specificity to inform teacher and school leader practices.  As such, teachers will received individualized reports, principals will receive school level reports, and the district will receive an aggregate report of all SIG schools combined.  Precautions will be taken to ensure confidentiality.  Only teachers will see their individualized teacher reports.  If a subject is taught by only one teacher, that data will be excluded from the school level report.  All data collected from the surveys will be stored at a third-party vendor who will destroy the data after the reports are generated. 

You will have two options for giving feedback on the surveys.  One way is to complete the Stakeholder Input: Small Group Activity (Activity 13a), which is worth 2 hours.  The alternative is to participate in an in-person focus group facilitated by the researchers who developed the surveys (Activity 13b), which is worth 3 hours.  Either way, you will receive SIG time for providing feedback on the surveys.  The researchers are looking for twenty people to give more directed feedback.  

This small group activity is the second stage in the Stakeholder Survey’s development, feedback, and revision process.  The first stage involved getting feedback from representatives of UTLA, AALA, Central Office, and Community-Based Organizations, as well as teachers nominated by UTLA and teachers from schools characteristically different from SIG schools.  In this second stage of development, we are asking survey participants to give feedback not only on the type, format, and content of the questions, but also on the survey experience itself.  The information that we collect will help hone the survey instrument for the 2011-2012 school year, when we have 2 cohorts of SIG schools.

You will have two options for giving feedback on the surveys.  One way is to complete the Stakeholder Input: Small Group Activity outlined below (2 SIG hours).  The alternative is to participate in an in-person focus group facilitated by the researchers who developed the surveys (3 SIG hours).  Either way, you will receive SIG time for providing feedback on the surveys.   The researchers are looking for twenty people to give more directed feedback. 

If you have chosen to complete the small group activity, please follow these steps:

• Step 1 - Download the activity guide.
• Step 2 - Download the surveys
  • Secondary Student Surveys (only if you're a secondary school teacher)
    • English and School Climate
    • Math
    • Science
    • History
  • Elementary Student Survey (only if you're a elementary school teacher)
  • Staff Survey
• Step 3 - Follow the activity guide
• Step 4 - Group leader comes back here to enter feedback.