Implementing the CCSS and the Revised ELD ... - Pivot Learning

Implementing the CCSS and the Revised ELD Standards: An Initial Readiness Inventory About this Tool Full implementation of the Common Core Standards is a comprehensive system change effort that will certainly stretch over several years. Added to this large-scale change is the recent adoption of revised ELD standards that add to the complexity of implementation while providing the opportunity for fundamental changes in teaching and learning for all students. The new vision of teaching and learning embodied in the core includes curriculum, instruction, assessment and teacher professional development, but getting there will require dramatic change in the role of principals and district leaders, in the functionality of district data systems and in the relationship between schools and communities. Approaching this multi-faceted change can be daunting, especially as leaders shift gears from a resource-strapped environment to one in which districts will receive one-time implementation funds. Practical district leaders need to think carefully about where and how to start. Specifically, after the awareness training, then what? In the language of the Pivot Learning Partners’ Leadership Cycle, districts will need to develop a vision, goals, strategy and tactics. Another word for this that is familiar to some districts is “theory of action.” The first step in developing a district strategy for the CCSS and the revised ELD standards is to assess the context. What foundation is in place to build on? What problems or gaps exist that need to be solved or filled? What resources (money, time, tools, talent and enthusiasm) are available? What other initiatives are underway and how does CCSS/ELD standards fit in? The goals of this inventory are simple: first, to help districts understand their own context and begin to identify a promising strategy for their district to begin work on CCSS/ELD standards; and, second, help Pivot Learning better understand, and respond to, our Partner Districts’ needs. Often, needs assessments produce only an overwhelmingly long “to do” list. This is NOT the intended goal of the Pivot initial Readiness Inventory. Instead, the Pivot Readiness Inventory is intended to help district leaders to choose a strategy, a place to start on the task of moving their system from its current state to full implementation of the Common Core. In recommending this approach, we are following the advice of Chip and Dan Heath in their book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, which is a book we highly recommend. The Heath brothers remind us that leaders of successful change efforts often must “shrink the change.” This doesn’t mean pretending that difficult things will be easy or that complicated things are simple, but it does mean giving people a clear and powerful starting place and making both the goal but also the path forward very, very clear. This tool is intended to help district leaders do just that.

Readiness Inventory for CCSS/ELD Implementation ©2013 Pivot Learning Partners. All rights reserved. Rev_05.01.13

Page 1

The Pivot initial Readiness Inventory is intended to be used to guide a structured discussion, interview, or focus group that includes both a Pivot Project Lead and district leaders. (Depending on the district context, school leaders may be involved as well.) It is intended to be administered in one session which might last approximately two hours. Each section is structured around a major question or set of questions that are followed by an optional set of prompts that Pivot Project Leads will use at their discretion. A larger system might opt for a more extensive needs assessment process including more focus groups and interviews and/or an online survey of teachers. Pricing for this would of course depend on what services were requested. Inquiry 1: Vision and Goals – Why are leaders in this district interested in moving forward on Common Core at this time? 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Question What is the problem CCSS might solve? Prompts: Is this a problem about student achievement? (e.g., achievement gains leveling off) About instruction? (e.g., concerns about “rigor”) About adults? (e.g., teacher morale?) From another perspective, what is the opportunity CCSS might represent? Prompt: Does anything about this look different when framed in this way? What opportunities exist in taking on implementation of the ELD standards at the same time as the CCSS? What additional complexity will come from this, and how will the district manage this complexity? Results: If this initiative were wildly successful, what would look different in the district? Prompt: How would the experience of students, teachers, parents change? Conclusions: Did this discussion produce a clear picture? If so, who else needs to share it? This is a possible place to start work on the Common Core/ELD Standards. If no clear picture of the vision and goals emerged, then keep this in mind. Either way, further work on the CCSS/ELD Standards is likely to mean revisiting Vision and Goals.

Readiness Inventory for CCSS/ELD Implementation ©2013 Pivot Learning Partners. All rights reserved. Rev_05.01.13

Input/Suggestions

Page 2

Inquiry Two: Context: How much can we take on? Question 1. Priorities: What other initiatives, programs, etc. are planned or underway in the district? Where do the CCSS/Revised ELD standards fit in?

Input/Suggestions

2. What resources (time, money, people) are, or could be, available for implementation of the CCSS/ELD Standards? Who controls these? How are they being used now? What would it take to reallocate these resources?1 Does the district have an early plan for how one-time implementation funds will be allocated? Will these resources be invested in a way that builds capacity that will remain after funds expire? 3. Politics: What groups or individuals will be energized by and advocate for some or all of the changes that will be required? What is appetite/motivation of the district (teachers in particular) for something big and new? What elements of this change might teachers find scary or difficult? What about administrators? What is the tolerance of the district (board, parents, community) for the possibility of an “implementation dip” in CST scores? What might get people excited about CCSS/Revised ELD Standards? What are the expectations of different constituencies in terms of how new implementation funds should be used? 4. Policy and contractual issues: What policies or contractual agreements will shape the work of CCSS implementation? Of the ELD Standards? 5. Conclusions: Compare the scale of your resources with the conclusions from the first three sections. Do you have the resources to do everything that seemed important or will you need to choose?

Note: The following publication may be useful for districts trying to estimate what implementation will cost: http:// edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2012/20120530-Putting-A-Price-Tag-on-the-Common-Core/20120530-Puttinga-Price-Tag-on-the-Common-Core-FINAL.pdf. Pages 21-25. 1

Readiness Inventory for CCSS/ELD Implementation ©2013 Pivot Learning Partners. All rights reserved. Rev_05.01.13

Page 3

Inquiry Three: Foundations to Build On -- What foundation exists that the district can build on? Are there places where the foundation needs strengthening? Question 1. Knowledge about the CCSS/ELD standards: How much do teachers and principals know already? Are they ready to move past awareness training and start to take some action? If there is more Awareness work to be done, what is it? 2. Knowledge, Skills and Tools: a. Curriculum -- Is there a guaranteed and viable curriculum in place? At what grade levels, subjects? What about the ELD curriculum? Are there gaps you’re aware of? What is the “next level of work” for this district on curriculum? b. Materials – When was the last adoption? Are there materials that must be replaced soon? Does the district have a plan to purchase “bridge” materials soon? Could the district wait until the next state adoption? Do teachers have the skills to find, adapt, or create “bridge” materials? c. Instruction -- Does the district have a consistent approach to instruction? Are there clear strengths that need to be preserved? Gaps you’re aware of? How does ELD instruction fit into the district’s instructional approach? Do schools in the district have an “Effective School-wide Language Pedagogy”? d. Assessment -- What does the district’s system of formative or benchmark assessments consist of? Are there clear strengths that need to be preserved? Gaps you’re aware of? What is the next level of work for this district on assessment? e. Skills—Does you district have a clear vision for the types of skills they want students to acquire for every grade level/subject level? Is this approach of interest to your district? If so, do you have agreement on what instructional strategies teachers will need to teach these skills? Do you have a picture of how these might be assessed?

Input/Suggestions

3. Conclusions: Did these sections suggest a promising strategy (or at least a starting point) for the district? Strategy needs to be a match with vision and goals; it needs to be doable in the context; and it could reflect either pressing gaps that need to be filled or an obvious “next level of work” for this organization. Test one: Will the work that leaders are starting to outline make sense to people? (speak to the head) Will it feel right? (speak to the emotions) Is the path forward clear? If things are looking good, then go to Test two: Will the work you’ve outlined seem doable to people in your system in the current context? Will it generate some early wins you can use to build enthusiasm? What will these be? If nothing is clear yet, then the next step for this district is to continue to investigate the issues.

Readiness Inventory for CCSS/ELD Implementation ©2013 Pivot Learning Partners. All rights reserved. Rev_05.01.13

Page 4

Inquiry Four: Leadership and Change Management – What is the capacity of the organization to carry out the strategy that is emerging?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Question Leadership skills: How much do school and district leaders know about how to design, lead, and manage a curriculum-focused whole system change effort? Prompt: Do administrators know what they will need to about both content and instruction to support, supervise and evaluate teachers? Infrastructure: What structures, processes, roles, tools, and agreements are in place to design, lead, manage and implement a major curriculum reform effort? Prompts: Is there a pre-existing structure at the district level that could be re-purposed to lead this effort or will a new one need to be created? Are there teacher PLCs in place? Is there a cadre of teacher leaders or instructional coaches? Is there a walkthrough or classroom visitation process? What infrastructure investments would be possible as a result of the one-time implementation funding? Technology: How well is the current data system working? Will it need to be upgrading to support CCSS implementation? Do teachers have computers and access to the internet? Do they have access to an online collaboration space? If teachers were charged with creating new standards-aligned units, is there a platform for these to be accessible to other teachers? What technology infrastructure investments would be possible as a result of the one-time implementation funding? Conclusions: Did this discussion produce a clear picture of organizational capacity? What new capacities will need to be built (in either people or the organization or both?)

Readiness Inventory for CCSS/ELD Implementation ©2013 Pivot Learning Partners. All rights reserved. Rev_05.01.13

Input/Suggestions

Page 5

Inquiry Five: Developing Tactics, or Now What? The discussion has probably surfaced a number of possible “to dos.” These are the beginning of a set of tactics, which are simply activities that are necessary to implement the strategy. Developing a workplan for implementation of CCSS and the revised ELD standards is beyond the scope of this initial Readiness Inventory, but some of the raw materials have probably been identified. The mental model for managing change that Pivot Learning Partners teaches and uses is called the Leadership Cycle. This is the model that provided the structure for this Readiness Inventory. One possible next step is for Pivot to provide a combination training/working session for the Leadership Team to go deeper on the Leadership Cycle model and use it to develop a CCSS/ELD standards workplan. Inquiry Six: Reflection

Was this a useful process? How or why? What could have been different?

Readiness Inventory for CCSS/ELD Implementation ©2013 Pivot Learning Partners. All rights reserved. Rev_05.01.13

Page 6