CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

Current Reality and GAPSS

Megan Endicott

PL & Technology Innovation

Kennesaw State University

Version: Spring 2016

CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

Vision

The focus at Dolvin Elementary School is to effectively roll out the Fulton County

Personalized Learning plan that aligns with the school vision and mission set forth and agreed

upon by the staff, students and stakeholders. Technology is a key piece in creating a solid

personalized learning environment. The end goal at Dolvin is that teachers seamlessly integrate

technology as an enhancement to promote student creation and demonstrate student learning

verses a replacement for skill and drill procedures. Dolvins strategic plan includes three areas

of focus, building student character, leadership, and confidence, critical thinking across all

content areas, and increasing student ownership of learning. To ensure that the staff is properly

prepared, the professional learning plan supports data driven processes to ensure that teachers

and students needs are identified and addressed.

Needs Assessment

Needs are assessed through TKES observations and surveys to support the strategic

plan. This includes our personalized learning goals with additional reflection from teacher

interest based on needs and skills. This data is analyzed to identify areas of strength and

weakness. In addition, Dolvins Personalized Learning Team and the district consulting firm Ed

Elements, conduct learning walks and surveys to gather and analyze additional data. This

research will be used to aid in revising our personalized learning plan as needed.

Professional Learning

Our school is fortunate to be able to offer a variety of professional learning to support

the staff. At Dolvin Elementary, our plan includes peer observations with administration to

point out key strategies or best practices, book studies with small teams, new teacher mentors

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

and coaches for all teachers. We have a wonderful setup in Fulton and at Dolvin through the

inclusion of district Vanguard members and a branch of the Vanguard we call the Vanchise. The

Vanchise members are selected by grade level and serve as coaches to aid in implementing

technology and personalized learning best practices in the classroom. They observe, conduct

TIM observations, and help teachers in the building. In addition, the Curriculum Support

Teacher also coaches teachers in the building as needed. These support systems are offered

both as individual or collaborative basis based on need.

Within the last year, Dolvin has brought in specialists, such as Tony Vincent, to connect

technology and project-based learning in the classroom. Dolvin Elementary also hosts monthly

teacher-led afterschool professional development sessions called, Get & Go, Stay & Play

focusing on tech tools and best practices based on data collected. Like last year, the school has

approved RFF days to add to specific professional development goals. Teachers both participate

and facilitate outside professional developments with others in the district. This year, our

school Vanchise members led and facilitated the EdCamp Fulton session in the fall and spring.

Following these rich activities, teachers meet and discuss the professional learning during their

grade level sessions. The minutes from the meetings are collected, shared, and stored over

Google docs. In addition administration views content integration through observations.

Alignment

At Dolvin, the school improvement plan includes focus on critical thinking through our

project-based learning program, technology integration goals based on the personalized

learning plan, and a powerful character-education program, the 7 Mindsets Academy. All

professional development is carefully selected or crafted to enhance and promote the above

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

programs through the leadership team decisions and opportunities. Teachers are encouraged

to participate because they understand that the increased knowledge will improve their scores

on their evaluations. Creating teacher buy-in and ownership for their own profession is

important. We start this by offering casual day passes and prizes to show we value their time.

Funding & Incentives

Funding estimates at around $5000 annually from the district Cost Center under the

school budget for professional development. This money is often used to bring in professionals

to train the faculty, such as Tony Vincent. Our school focuses on identifying leaders in the

building and offer opportunities for different staff members to host or lead professional

learning sessions to increase their TKES score. In addition, our technology coach and curriculum

specialist run a friendly competition each year for teacher rewards. This year, we are working

on a badging system where teachers are working toward earning sticker badges to hang outside

the classroom for various technology skills, instructional strategies, or risk taking, all

documented through the Twitter handle #GameOnDolvin. The principal also supports the effort

through the purchase of technology tools and resources for teachers or groups that complete

tasks. Last year in our #DolvinTweets challenge, our principal distributed items such as Osmos,

lightning to VGA adapters, and apps.

Diversity

Dolvin offers training on special education students as needed. The IST meets with

special education teachers monthly for in-depth student specific meetings and data talks. In

addition, the special education teachers also attend required county meetings to collect data.

Our ESOL teacher assists students with cultural linguistic backgrounds and the faculty that serve

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

them as well. The ESOL teachers host a school-wide professional development portion annually

as an overview on their students and host a detailed session for new teachers each year.

Collaboration

The school has created school-wide professional learning teams that relate to the school

improvement plan and the focus on personalized learning, project-based learning, and our 7

mindset academy. These teams meet as collaborative groups in teams such as weekly grade

level meetings, vertical team meetings, STEM, Vanguard, Humanities, Culture/Climate, and the

SIP committees. All of the committees meet once a month to collaborate, learn from each

other, and redeliver information to their grade level.

Evaluation

To ensure the professional learning plan is working at the highest possible level, the

administration tracks and measures teacher and student growth through data. These data

points include TKES, including informal walkthroughs, interest surveys, STAR, DRA, GA

Milestones, RightScore, ITBS, monthly data talks, RTI, and analyzing report cards for student

improvement. In addition, focusing on creating and maintaining a consistency in grading

students across the grade level, across content, so that an A looks the same in all classes as

been a focus.

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
The means by which teachers, administrators, and other staff acquire, enhance, and refine the
knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions necessary to create and support high levels of
learning for all students

Professional Learning Standard 1: Aligns professional learning with needs identified

through analysis of a variety of data

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Professional learning Professional learning Professional learning Professional learning

needs are identified needs are identified needs are identified needs are identified
and differentiated through a using limited sources using little or no
through a collaborative analysis of data. data.
collaborative analysis process using a
process using a variety of data (e.g.,
variety of data (e.g., student achievement
student achievement data, examination of
data, examination of student work, process
student work, process data, teacher and
data, teacher and leader effectiveness
leader effectiveness data, action research
data, action research data, perception data
data, perception data from students, staff,
from students, staff, and families).
and families).
Ongoing support is
provided through
differentiated
professional learning.

EVIDENCE: In the space below, provide detailed evidence supporting your rating above

RECOMMENDATIONS: Professional Learning needs are met through a variety of data collection
tools including student work (through school Seesaw Account), grade level minutes that are
collected and collaboratively shared through Google Docs, Surveys, Teacher observations and
walk throughs, peers observations with administration, monthly data talk meetings to name a
few. Professional Learning is differentiated based on need and interest. A variety of options are
offered throughout the year for teachers based on the data collected. Opportunities involving the
students in their teachers professional development is also considered through Tech Talk
student-led professional development offered during the day for teachers and at night for
parents.

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

Professional Learning Standard 2: Establishes a culture of collaboration among

administrators and staff to enhance individual and collective performance

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Administrators and Administrators and Administrators and Administrators and

staff, as a staff routinely staff routinely staff routinely
foundational practice, collaborate to collaborate to collaborate to
consistently improve individual improve individual improve individual
collaborate to support and collective and collective and collective
leadership and performance (e.g., performance (e.g., performance (e.g.,
personal construct knowledge, construct knowledge, construct knowledge,
accountability and to acquire skills, refine acquire skills, refine acquire skills, refine
enhance individual practice, provide practice, provide practice, provide
and collective feedback). feedback). feedback).
performance (e.g.,
construct knowledge,
acquire skills, refine
practice, provide
feedback).
Teachers conduct
action research and
assume ownership of
professional learning
processes.

EVIDENCE: In the space below, provide detailed evidence supporting your rating above

RECOMMENDATIONS: Our school has implemented a variety of tools for collecting data to
provide support for the staff. Our staff works as a collaborative force to work toward improving
individual and collective performance. However, I feel that we are still working toward teachers
conduct action research and assume ownership of professional learning processes. The
ownership is happening more and more each year, which I feel it is contributed to our
collaborative support for one another through peer coaching; however, we are not all in a
consistent place yet. I would love to revisit this portion after my Vanchise team has fully
implemented the coaching plan put in place.

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

Professional Learning Standard 3: Defines expectations for implementing professional

learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Administrators, Administrators, Administrators, Administrators,

teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or
both consistently both regularly define both occasionally both rarely, if ever,
define expectations expectations for the define expectations define expectations
for the implementation of for the for the
implementation of professional learning. implementation of implementation of
professional learning, professional learning. professional learning.
including details
regarding the stages
of implementation
and how monitoring
will occur as
implementation
progresses.

EVIDENCE: In the space below, provide detailed evidence supporting your rating above

RECOMMENDATIONS: The administration and Vanguard members assisting with professional

learning set schedules at the beginning of the year for RFF days, Get & Go, Stay & Play sessions,
committee meetings, grade level meetings, faculty meetings, workshops, and any district
professional development so all teachers understand when professional development occurs. All
faculty members are aware of the expectation for implementation and the data collection
through walk throughs as well as a collaborative way to offer feedback for all involved.

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

Professional Learning Standard 4: Uses multiple professional learning designs to support

the various learning needs of the staff

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Staff members Staff members Some staff members Staff members

actively participate in actively participate in are engaged in receive single, stand-
job-embedded professional learning, professional learning alone professional
professional learning most of which is job- that makes use of learning events that
that engages embedded, which more than one are informational and
collaborative teams in includes multiple learning design to mostly large-group
a variety of designs (e.g., address their presentation designs.
appropriate learning collaborative lesson identified needs.
designs (e.g., study, analysis of
collaborative lesson student work,
study, analysis of problem-solving
student work, sessions, curriculum
problem solving development,
sessions, curriculum coursework, action
development, research, classroom
coursework, action observations, online
research, classroom networks) to support
observations, online their various learning
networks). needs. Professional
Professional learning learning includes
includes extensive follow-up with
follow-up with feedback and
descriptive feedback coaching.
and coaching.

EVIDENCE: In the space below, provide detailed evidence supporting your rating above

RECOMMENDATIONS: At our school we are fortunate to begin a new process of peer coaching in
the building through our Vanchise Vanguard team who are trained on how to coach and are also
coached themselves. In addition, our school offers a wide variety of options and opportunities for
staff development that is both required and suggested through various modalities. Teachers
work collaboratively as a team to focus on analysis of student work and aid in problem-solving.
Feedback and coaching for grade levels have the support of their grade level chair.

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

Professional Learning Standard 5: Allocates resources and establishes systems to support

and sustain effective professional learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Extensive resources Adequate resources Some resources and Few, if any,

(e.g., substitute (e.g., substitute systems are allocated resources and
teachers, materials, teachers, materials, to support and systems are provided
handouts, tools, handouts, tools, sustain professional to support and
stipends, facilitators, stipends, facilitators, learning. sustain professional
technology) and technology) and learning.
systems (e.g., systems (e.g.,
conducive schedules, conducive schedules,
adequate adequate
collaborative time, collaborative time,
model classrooms) model classrooms)
are allocated to are in place to
support and sustain support and sustain
effective professional professional learning.
learning.
Opportunities to
practice skills, receive
follow-up, feedback,
and coaching are
provided to support
the effectiveness of
professional learning.

EVIDENCE: In the space below, provide detailed evidence supporting your rating above

RECOMMENDATIONS: Dolvin Elementary provides adequate resources through materials,

handouts, tools, stipends, and especially technology to name a few. We in fact have access more
so to materials than others due to the Foundation donations to the school; however, we are still
working on providing the time to model, co-teach, and the conducive scheduling pieces to name
a few. We are working on finding ways to provide these opportunities with taking time to
combine classes for opportunities to model, bringing in professionals in the field, reaching
outside the classroom through Skype, and now providing each teacher with a coach to
brainstorm or bounce off ideas.

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

Professional Learning Standard 6: Monitors and evaluates the impact of professional

learning on staff practices and student learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and

evaluating the impact evaluating the impact evaluating the impact evaluating the impact
of professional of professional of professional of professional
learning on staff learning on staff learning on staff learning on staff
practices and practices and student practices occurs practices occurs
increases in student learning occurs sporadically. rarely, if ever.
learning occurs routinely.
extensively.
Evaluation results are
used to identify and
implement processes
to extend student
learning.

EVIDENCE: In the space below, provide detailed evidence supporting your rating above

RECOMMENDATIONS: A set expectation is in place for teachers to report the impact of the
professional learning with weekly collaborative grade level meetings. Monthly data talks are held
with the Data Team and the Curriculum Support Teacher to ensure that student growth is
occurring in regard to professional development and proper staff implementation. Surveys are
taken and evaluated for effectiveness.

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CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

KSU ITEC Professional Learning Standard: Professional learning reinforces educators

understanding and use of strategies for promoting equity and high expectations for all
students, application of research-based teaching strategies and assessment processes, and
involvement of families and other stakeholders in promoting student learning.

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Classroom practices Classroom practices of Classroom practices of Classroom practices

(e.g., considering most teachers reflect some reflect little or no
interests, backgrounds, evidence of teachers
skill in communicating teachers reflect
strengths, and
high expectations for evidence of teachers training in
preferences to provide
meaningful, relevant each student and training in understanding the
lessons and assess adjusting classroom understanding the impact that attitudes
student progress, activities to meet impact that attitudes regarding race,
differentiating student needs. regarding race, disabilities,
instruction, and Respect for students disabilities, background, culture,
nurturing student high expectations,
cultures and life background, culture,
capacity for self-
experiences is evident high expectations, and and social class of
management) of all
teachers reflect an through the social class of both both students and
emotionally and emotionally and students and teachers teachers have on the
physically safe physically safe learning have on the teaching teaching and learning
environment where environment where and learning process. process.
respect and students of diverse
appreciation for a
backgrounds and
diverse population is
evident. There are high experiences are taught
achievement the school code of
expectations for all conduct (customs) to
students and teachers. help them be
The principal and other successful in the
leaders provide school context.
professional learning for
teachers lacking
understanding of the
impact that attitudes
regarding race,
disabilities, background,
culture, high
expectations, and social
class of both students
and teachers have on
the teaching and
learning process.

EVIDENCE: In the space below, provide detailed evidence supporting your rating above

Version: Spring 2016

CURRENT REALITY AND GAPSS

RECOMMENDATIONS: Our school promotes a positive, safe environment where students of

different cultures and life experiences are accepted by all. Differentiated instruction through
personalized learning and flexible groups has played a key role. Offering choice boards to
promote embedded voice and a structured choice allows students the opportunities to select
options that are right for them. While this type of environment is created through best practices,
we are still working on ensuring a successful school-wide model is in place.

Version: Spring 2016