STRATEGY STUDY PLC Action Research Christoff christofpasco k

STRATEGY STUDY PLC Action Research Christoff christof@pasco. k 12. fl. us Jenny Rinck jrinck@pasco. k 12. fl. us

PLC Strategy Study CANVAS site www. pasco. instructure. com/courses/44315

Past PLC Experience – Pre-Assignment

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. ” -Steve Jobs

Learning Goal: . Participants will be able to engage in a strategy study (action research) PLC by determining focus areas through data analysis, developing SMART goals with targeted strategies, monitoring and reflecting on strategy outcomes in order to improve instructional practices that impacts student performance.

Topics Outcomes Activities 1. Purpose of Strategy Study 1. To understand how !. PLC “Bridge” (Action Research), PLC guiding questions PLC guiding question “Way of Work”, Team are utilized in a strategy “re-write” and anticipation Structures study PLC guide 2. Strategy Study Cycle 2. To understand the process of engaging in action research 2. Preview Scenario 3. • • • 3. To be able to construct SMART goals which drive the PLC process. To be able to determine tools to assess student outcomes 3. Construct SMART goal based on given data, research and develop strategy bank, research data collection methods Plan SMART goals Data Review Target Setting Assessment Strategy Selection 4. Act • Action Planning 4. To be able to carry out 4. Research assessments and monitor the and data collection implementation process methods 5. Observe: • Analyze Results 5. To be able to use data to determine effectiveness of strategy 5. Scenario Analysis

Final Product Option A: • Participants will construct an action plan based on selected data from their school. • The plan will include: üSMART goal üAction plan üSample PLC agenda with timeframes Option B: • Participants will collect 5 artifacts from their PLC work • Artifacts include: üStudent data used to make instructional decisions üPLC meeting minutes üComplete data analysis charts/summaries

Learning Scale 4 In addition to score 3. 0, the participant is able to: • Support peer facilitators • Create strategy study implementation plan 3 Participant will be able to engage in a strategy study PLC (Action Research) by: • Determining target through data analysis • Developing a SMART goal with an action plan • Planning and using assessment and monitoring strategies • Reflecting on outcomes to improve instructional practice and student performance 2 Participant understand: • Purpose and Structure of Action Research • Components of the Strategy Study Cycle • Collective Inquiry • PLC work centers on planning for and responding to learning • PLC function and foundational steps 1 Participants, with support, is able to: • Define and explain the purpose of PLC • Define and explain action research/strategy study cycle • Identify PLC infrastructure at the school

9 Norms for Our Work • If you think it, say it, • • • appropriately Ask questions Take care of your neighbor Take care of yourself What is said here stays here; what is learned here leaves here Be present

Materials • Power. Point • Strategy Study Cycle • Marzano Instructional Framework and Desired Effects • Computer/Ipad • Earbuds

11 PASCO’S INTEGRATED SYSTEM: Why The WHY: Fulfilling the Promise College, Career, and Life Readiness for Each and Every Student Wh y?

Investing in our Future College, Career, Life Readiness Demands • Deep academic knowledge and understanding • 21 st Century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration • Social and emotional competencies to learn how to persevere, have empathy, and be productive citizens

PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE Strategy Study PLC

Strategy Study Collective Inquiry Action Research

Engage in Collective Inquiry • Relentless questioning of the status quo • Seeking new methods and testing them • Reflecting on results • Maintaining a sense of curiosity and an openness to new possibilities • Recognizing that the process of searching for answers is more important than having the answers

Action Research u“Action research is a structured approach to reflecting on and evaluating our own practices” (Mc. Niff, 2003) u. A key point in action research is a team follows up to evaluate the effectiveness of its initiatives, and then acts on the results of that evaluation. u. Often, the greatest challenge for teachers engaged in action research ends up being the personal value they attach to their favorite teaching practices. Teams that are true to themselves and dedicated to identifying effective strategies must set their long-held biases aside and be prepared for the possibility that their best lessons may not survive under scrunity. (Graham & Ferriter)

Action Research Purpose Features • Improve student • Contextualized and Small- performance • Improve teaching practice • Understand a particular aspect of one’s practice • Influence the social conditions of practice scale • Evaluative and reflective • Aims to improve practice • Changes are based on the collection of data which provides impetus for change • Cyclical

What Action Research Is and Is Not

PLCs The “How” to collectively engage in action research

Do we have a Common Understanding? • PLCs are: “An ongoing process, in which educators work collaboratively, in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research, to achieve better results for the students they serve” -Rebecca Du. Four (2013) What is different about your PLC work to that of a standards-based PLC?

Group versus Team Group Team • Part of a department or • Part of a whole that can distinct unit • Coordinate individual efforts • Members have different responsibilities to achieve an outcome • Individual expertise spread across departments or units • Coordinate collective efforts on a shared goal • Members share responsibilities to achieve an outcome • Collective expertise

Collaborative Teams They are: • Share student achievement outcomes • Interdependent • Work toward common academic expectations • Mutually Accountable • Use formative assessments to track progress They are NOT: • Groups which assemble for traditional grade-level and department meetings • Meet together for the act of meeting Are you leading a group or team?

Team Structures • Grade-level • Course and content • Vertical • Interdisciplinary skills • District and regional • Virtual

Critical Issues for Teams What questions What are the exact meanings of key terms? What resources, tools, templates, materials, and examples can you provide to assist in our work? How questions: How do we proceed? How do you propose we do this? Is there a preferred process? When questions: What is the timeline? Guiding questions: Which questions are we attempting to answer? Which questions will help us stay focused on the right work? Quality questions: What criteria will be used to judge the quality of our work? What criteria can we use to assess our own work? Assurance questions: What suggestions can you offer to increase the likelihood of our success What cautions can you alert us to? Where do we turn when we struggle? (Richard and Rebecca Du. Four)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. PLC Guiding Questions: What do we want students to learn? How will we know if and when they have learned it? How we will design learning experiences for our students? How will we respond when some students do not learn? How will we respond when some students have already learned? “Re-write” Activity: • With your processing partner, think about how the PLC Guiding Questions can be revised to meet the needs of your PLC while maintaining the intention of PLC work. • Will any questions remain the same? • Record your revised questions.

Question 1: What essential skill(s) do we want students to learn? Question 2: How will we know when they have improved on the skill? Question 3: How will we design learning experiences for students? Questions 4 and 5 What will we do if they have or have not learned it? Preview Activity: Anticipation Guide With your processing partner, think about what type of potential activities a PLC can engage in with these guiding questions.

Question 1: What essential skill(s) we want students to learn? Developing a agreed upon strategy or skill that students will perform in order to increase a determined skill deficit Question 2: How will we know when they have improved on the skill? Development of a common assessment to assess skill level Development of an assessment with Leveled questioning Development of Learning scale with student tracking strategies Question 3: How will we design learning experiences for students? Develop unit and/or Lesson plans Develop project-based task Questions 4 and 5 What will we do if they have or have not learned it? Differentiation in Lesson Plans

Potential Activities to Support Planning and Learning: Question 1: What essential skills do we want students to learn? 1. Critically Analyze student data of essential skills 2. Determine common trends 3. Prioritize an essential skill to target

Potential Activities to Support PLC Planning and Learning: Question 2: How will we know when they have improved on the skill? 1. The team would focus on creating/refining formative assessments that are aligned with standards and essential skills 2. Team would discuss components of complex assessments 3. Each individual would create/locate/refine their own assessments 4. Team would review assessments created examining rigor and/or complexity of question

Potential Activities to Support PLC Planning and Learning: Question 3: How we will design learning experiences for students? The team would prioritize 1 -2 instructional strategies to include in their own lesson plans 2. The team would gather resources related to those strategies for review 3. Individual team members would create/refine lesson plans for their own content to integrate these strategies into teaching 4. After instruction, the team would reflect on implementation of strategies 1.

Potential Activities to Support PLC Planning and Learning: Question 4 & 5 • Question 4 & 5: What will we do if they have or have not learned it? 1. Team can select 2 or 3 flexible grouping strategies 2. Plan for Independent Projects for students already proficient 3. Intentionally plan for opportunities to provide immediate and specific feedback 4. Incorporate “leveled” resources and materials 5. Decide on strategies to offer extended time or extra practice opportunities

ACTION RESEARCH CYCLE Strategy Study Approach

Action Research Defined: Investigations conducted by and for the people taking the action, on their own action to inform their future actions. - Richard Sagor

Preview Activity Individually, read the scenario As you read, think about: • What process the teachers used to improve student performance? • What techniques were used in the process? • What are the significant components of this scenario for you?

• Reflect • Plan What do the observations of the data tell us? What changes could we try? Is this a strategy we want to continue? Did any new targets emerge? Analyze data to determine target Research and select strategies Determine data collection method Develop SMART goal Create action plan Strategy Study Cycle • Observe Analyze data Examine trends Make observations of data Evaluate implementation Implement Action Plan Collect data • Act

Plan Analyze data to determine target Research and select strategies Determine data collection method Develop SMART goal Create action plan Reflect Action Research Implement Action Plan Collect data Observe Analyze data Examine trends Make observations of data Evaluate implementation Plan Observe Reflect What do the observations of the data tell us? What changes could we try? Is this something we want to continue? Did any new targets emerge? Act

Specific – states the exact level of performance expected Measurable – progress must be observable and measurable Attainable – should be challenging yet achievable Results oriented – needs to pertain directly to the performance or skill Time-bound – maintains realistic timeframe to accomplish performance or skill v. SMART goals are linked to student learning for a results orientation. v. Goal development begins after baseline data is collected analyzed. What drives the process? SMART Goals derived from student data:

Examples? • Students will increase their performance of correctly answering analysis-type questions through the use of formative assessments from 55% to 75% accuracy by the end of first quarter. • Students will be able to answer cause and effect questions correctly. • Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the scientific method. • Students will increase their understanding of new, critical information demonstrated through formative assessments by 50% to 60% after the first DQ 2 cycle of unit 2.

What type of data? (PLAN) Analyze data to determine target With you processing partner: Brainstorm the type of data used to determine the goal target. • Students will increase their performance of correctly answering analysis-type questions through the use of formative assessments from 55% to 75% accuracy by the end of first quarter. • Students will increase their understanding of new, critical information demonstrated through formative assessments by 50% to 60% after the first DQ 2 cycle of unit 2. What do these goals tell you about the baseline data? Are the achievement goals attainable? What questions need to be answered to operationalize the goal?

Plan: Analyze Data to develop SMART goal Specific – To develop a specific goal, you must analyze data to determine areas of need and methods to address the need. Questions to ask: What trends show in the data? What are the areas of need? What do we want to accomplish? What are the benefits to accomplish this goal? What is the timeframe to achieve this goal?

Plan: Analyze Data to Develop SMART goal Measurable – Establish a concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. This criteria must include baseline data. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions like: • How much? • How many? • How will I know when it is accomplished?

Plan – Analyze data to develop SMART Goal Attainable- Goals should be challenging while maintaining realistic criteria that is achievable based on data. Goals should represent a substantial progress in learning. Establishing high, realistic goals promotes a motivational drive with students. Example questions: • Are these steps doable? • Can we find the time? • What resources and supports will make this likely to happen?

Plan- Analyze data to determine SMART goal Results-oriented – Goals should be student-centered and explicitly state the precise increase in student learning. Goals are focused on intended outcomes rather than on the strategies to achieve the outcome. Questions to Consider: • How will we know if our strategies are resulting in gains in student learning? • Can anyone read this goal and state the intended outcome?

Plan- Analyze data to develop SMART goal Time-bound - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. Example questions: • Now that we set a specific criteria for success, what is the target date? • When do we want to evaluate the success of this plan? • What short term progress monitoring dates can we pick? • When do we want to reach our goal?

Data Sources Quantitative Qualitative • FCAT, EOC, DE • Student interest surveys • Early Warning System • Informal observations • Running Records • Journals • Classroom Tests/Quizzes • Informal feedback • Pre/Post tests • Scales • Frequency Charts • Portfolios • Self-Assessments • Informal Formative Assessments • Work Samples • Conferencing • Reflections • Interviews

Data – What questions does it raise? • What does this tell us about what students are thinking? • What does this tell us about students’ understanding of important skills, concepts, and attitudes? • What does it tell us about our teaching or the performance task we asked students to do? • What does it tell us about students’ interests and engagement in the task? • What are the implications of what we see for our next steps? • Are the interventions we are trying in our classrooms helping students build and demonstrate understanding? Helps to narrow the focus

Writing SMART Goals Select targeted area that will enhance student learning: • Describe the current reality • Write a SMART goal to address target area • Brainstorm and prioritize steps you need to take and resources needed to accomplish steps • Identify who can support you in the tasks and when the tasks will be started.

SMART Goal and Action Plan Focus Area: Current Reality/Baseline Data: SMART goal:

SMART Goal Activity: Part 1 PLAN: Analyze Data to Determine Target In school-level groups: • Analyze the data provided in the folder • Identify 3 areas of need • Prioritize one area of need and provide a rationale • Record baseline data

• Plan Reflect Observe PLAN Determine Data Collection Method Determine data collection method Act

Plan – Determine data collection method Data Collection Tools Formative Assessments Tools for teachers to use to give feedback to students and guide their instruction Focus on Results Tools to gather and/or organize data to analyze and interpret results.

Formative Assessments “Formative assessments typically measure a few things frequently and are intended to inform teachers regarding the effectiveness of their practice and students of their next steps on the scaffolding of learning. ” -Du. Four, Eaker, & Many(2010) How do you use formative assessments? What formative assessments do you typically use?

Formative Assessments Questions to Consider: • What is the purpose for the assessment? What are you attempting to discover, and whom will the assessment inform? • What essential skill are you addressing? What specific knowledge lead to proficiency? • How can you plan to gather the information that is most important to you? • How will you choose items and questions? • What must students score to be deemed proficient?

Types of Formative Assessments Mini-Whiteboards Exit Slips Concept Map Quizzes Conferencing Peer Dialogue Summary Frames Question Strategies Quick Write Word Sort

Data Collection Tools Questions to Consider • What did you actually do (action)? Type of Tools • Surveys • Questionnaires • Interviews • What improvement(s) in performance occurred on your targets (change)? • How and in what way did your actions influence the noted changes in performance (relationships)? • Charts • Observations • Checklists

SMART Goal Activity: Part 2 Plan: Determine data collection method Research: Formative Assessments Data Collection Tools Explore resources on Canvas and other sites of your choice SMART goal Determine a data collection method for your given data and complete SMART goal.

• Plan PLAN Research and Select Strategies Reflect Research and select strategies Observe Act

Plan – Research and Select Strategies Options to Consider: • Marzano Instructional Framework components • Differentiated Instruction Strategies • Cooperative Learning Strategies • Level of Questioning Strategies – Taxonomy • Deeper Learning Competencies • Florida Standards Instructional Shifts

Monitoring is Key: • Teachers must plan for monitoring techniques. • Monitoring is specific to the element. • Monitoring students for the desired effect provides the information needed to make adjustments. • Monitoring allows to distinguish between compliant behavior and cognitive behavior. Monitoring for the Desired Effect

Overview of Domain 1“Classroom Strategies and Behaviors” 3 Lesson Segments • Routine Events • Addressing Content • Enacted on the Spot 9 Design Questions • Questions teachers ask themselves as they plan units and lessons 41 Elements • Categories of instructional strategies

Marzano Instructional Framework - Domain 1

Preconditions for Student Learning • Design Questions 6 and 7 • Design Question 5 • Design Questions 8 and 9 Sense of safety and order Acceptance Attention Sense of Efficacy and Success • Design Question 1

Design Question 1 Establishing and Communicating Learning Goals and Scales 1. Providing Clear Learning Goals and Scales 2. Tracking Student Progress 3. Celebrating Success • Students write learning goal in their own words • Students can self assess progress toward the goal • Celebrate progress toward the goal • Check for understanding of learning goal with all students • Students justify where they placed themselves using the scale • Celebrate achieving the goal • Celebrate moving beyond the goal

Design Question 6 Establishing Rules and Procedures 4. Establishing Classroom Routines • Set expectations for behavior as well as academics • Explicitly teach and model rules and procedures • Review and revisit during class meetings 5. Organizing the Physical Layout • Arrangement of furniture is conducive to learning • Ensure students have access to all materials for class • The room décor should reflect student learning

Marzano Instructional Framework - Domain 1

For Each Chunk of Critical Information Practice and Deepen Knowledge Introduce New Knowledge (DQ 2) (DQ 3) Hypothesis Generation (DQ 4)

Design Question 2 Critical Info Drives Daily Instruction Identify Critical Information (6) Organize Students (7) Reflect (13) Preview (8) Record (12) Content Chunk (9) Elaborate (11) Process (10)

Design Question 3 Practicing and Deepening Knowledge Reviewing (14) Organizing (15) Gradual Release Practicing and Deepening Activities (17, 18, 19) Revising Knowledge (20) Homework (16)

Repeat, Repeat for EACH piece of critical information for the unit. The process of having students first: • Process • Elaborate • Record, and • Reflect Reviewin g (14) Organizin g (15) Practicing and Deepening Activities (17, 18, 19) Revising Knowledg e (20) Homework (16) Identify Critical Information (6) Organize Students (7) Preview Reflec t (13) (8) Content Chunk (9) Recor d (12) Elaborate (11) Process (10) Then, having students: • Deepen, and • Revise their thinking

Design Question 4: Hypothesis Generating and Testing Activities • Cognitively complex learning task in which students apply their knowledge, typically in real world situations • Requires students to question and make meaning of learning • Pathway to long-term memory • Can be a long-term or short-term investigation focused on a content chunk, single standard or unit of study

College Readiness Knowledge • Analytical reading and discussion • Persuasive writing • Drawing inferences and conclusions from texts • Analyzing conflicting source documents • Supporting arguments with evidence • Solving complex problems with no obvious answer Strategies and Practices to support critical thinking and rigorous experiences.

Potential Activities to Support PLC Planning and Learning: Question 3 Cont’d Potential Strategies to Prioritize for Question 3 Activities: • ELA CCSS Shifts (Text-Based Discussions, Writing to Sources) • Mathematical Shifts and Practices (Rigor: Fluency, Deep Understanding, and Application) • DQ 2 Element(s) (6) Identifying critical information (7) Organizing students (8) Preview content (9) Chunk Content (10) Process, (11) Elaborate, (12) Record, (13) Reflect • Lesson Planning for Segments Addressing Content (DQ 2 -DQ 3 -DQ 4) • Lesson Planning with Big Ideas/Frameworks (Globalization, Critical Thinking, Skills and Technology etc. )

Strategy Study Activity : Plan: Research and Select Strategies Strategy Research: • Individually or with a partner review resources on CANVAS site • Record strategies on Guiding Question graphic organizer After research is completed: • Join your data group to compare notes and select a strategy for your target area.

ACTION PLANNING WITH SMART GOALS Strategy Study PLC

Act – Action Planning Guides the strategy study process with concrete details and answers: • What specifically do you hope to accomplish? • Specifically, how do you plan to accomplish this? Why? • What is the timeframe? • How will you monitor your progress? • How will you report what you learned?

Action Plan Activity Plan: Create an Action Plan Review action plan templates • Go to the ‘Act’ tab on CANVAS • Select 5 Action Plan templates to review • Record Pros and Cons for the selected templates on the graphic organizer v. Which template will you bring back to your PLC to consider using? v. How will you implement the use of action plans within your PLC?

Reflect Plan Analyze data • Observe OBSERVE Analyze Data Examine trends Make Observations of data Evaluate implementaion Examine trends Make observations of data Evaluate implementation Act

Observe – Analyze Results Examine Student Data • Formative assessments, homework, student products • Protocols to collaboratively examine student work • Use feedback on results to inform • Provide the basis of comparison that translates data into information • Use “apples-to-apples” comparisons

Observe – Analyze Results Activity: Read Western Harnett High School Scenario What types of data was utilized to make instructional decisions? How were results analyzed? What trends were discovered? What actions were taken after results were analyzed?

• Reflect REFLECT What do the observations of the data tell us? Plan Observe Act What do the observations of the data tell us? What changes can we try? Is this a strategy we want to continue? Do any new targets emerge?

Reflect As a result of reflection: • Ideas will usually arise for a revision of the process • Seeks to make sense of data analysis • Takes account of the variety of perspectives possible • Evaluative aspect: decides whether effects were desirable and suggest ways of proceeding • Descriptive aspect: new understanding of the situation and what might now be possible

Reflect Activity: Research reflection protocols Examples: Critical Friends Notice & Wonder Data carousels • Go to the ‘Reflect’ tab on Canvas • Research and Review reflection resources • What protocols and/or resources would you share with your PLC?

PERSONAL APPLICATION Develop SMART goal and action plan

Final Product Option A: • Participants will construct an action plan based on selected data from their school. • The plan will include: üSMART goal üAction plan üSample PLC agenda with timeframes Option B: • Participants will collect 5 artifacts from their PLC work • Artifacts include: üStudent data used to make instructional decisions üPLC meeting minutes üComplete data analysis charts/summaries

REFLECT ON LEARNING How will you bring this back to your PLC?