Instructional Decision Making Session One

Instructional Decision Making

Session One2010-11

Who is here today?

• Presenters• School Introductions

Logistics

• Facilities• Breaks• Parking Lot

– Today will be interactive, ask questions whenever you want

– Use the parking lot to post questions• Contacts

– Wendy Robinson (1-800-362-2720 Ext. 14548)– Shannon Harken (Cell: 641-891-1651)

[email protected]

Outcomes

Participants will be able to: • Paraphrase a definition of

IDM.• State the purpose of a Building

Leadership Team (BLT).• Describe the roles/functions

on the BLT necessary to support systemic change.

• Identify and describe the 3 phases of IDM

Teams will be able to:

• Compare the guiding principles of IDM to building’s current practice.

• Summarize the benefits of IDM.

• Recognize the commitments necessary for IDM.

Warm-Up

• IDM Prior Knowledge Handout• Complete the first column: What do you

know/understand about IDM at this time?

• Columns 2 and 3 will be completed at the end of the day!

One Perspective on HistoryOur education system has grown up

through a process of “Disjointed Incrementalism” (Reynolds, 1988)

The currentEducationSystem’sProgrammaticEvolution

K-12 Education

Gifted

Title 1

SPED

Migrant

ELLAt Risk

Unintended Effects

• Conflicting programs• Conflicting funding streams• Redundancy• Lack of coordination across

programs• Nonsensical rules about

program availability for students

• Extreme complexity in administration and implementation of the programs

In Short: We Need

One Instructional Decision Making System

The Research Behind IDM

• Effective Schools Research– Nationally = Response to Intervention (RTI)

• Same concepts organized into a systemic approach

• Focus on instruction and student outcomes

Definition of Instructional Decision Making (IDM)

A set of systems and strategies designed to increase the capacity of schools to educate all students and increase student achievement and behavioral success.

IDM Content Areas

MathReading

Behavior(PBIS

)

IDMIT’S ALL ABOUT

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT!

Instructional Decision Making…

Is Not IsAn instructional program A framework to implement effective

practicesIntended to encourage placement of students

Matching needs and resources

Possible to implement alone A collaborative effort

The same for every school Uniquely designed for each building

A special education, a general education, a Title 1, a Talented and Gifted initiative

An “Every” Education Initiative

What is the Rationale for Instructional Decision Making?

• We need one process in our schools to make instructional decisions that are:– Efficient– Proactive– Based on early intervention– Used to match resources to needs– Integrated– Focused on student learning

Guiding Principles of IDM

1. ALL students are part of ONE proactive educational system

– Belief that ALL students can learn– Use ALL available resources to teach

ALL students• Proactive approach uses data early to determine student

needs and intervene.• Reactive approach intervenes after students have shown a

history of failure to meet expectations/or when learning “flat lines” due to lack of challenge.


2. Use scientific, research-basedinstruction

• Curriculum and instructional approaches must have a high probability of success for most students.

• Use instructional time efficiently and effectively.


3. Use instructionally relevant assessments• Reliable and valid • Multiple purposes– Screening- Collecting data for the purpose of identifying

low and high performing students at-risk for not having their needs met

– Diagnostic- Gathering information from multiple sources to determine why students are not benefiting from instruction

– Formative- Frequent, ongoing collection of information including both formal and informal data to guide instruction


4. Use a problem-solving method to make decisions based on a continuum of students needs• Provides strong core curriculum, instruction,

assessment (core cycle)• Provides increasing levels of support based on

intensity of student needs.

Continuous

Improvement

Cycle

Needs Assessment

Planning

Implementing

Evaluating

No Fail Model (See handout)

In The Past

GeneralEducation

Title Reading or

Other Reading Support

Special Education

Some “Fell’”Through

Some “Fell’”Through

IDM: Full Continuum of Support

GeneralEducation

Title Reading & Reading Support,

Gifted Ed.

Special Education,Gifted Ed.IIIIIIII

all along the continuum!I =


5. Data are used to guide instructional decisions

• To match curriculum and instruction to assessment data

• To allocate resources • To drive professional development decisions


6. Quality professional development supports effective instruction for all students.• Provide ongoing training and support to

assimilate new knowledge and skills• Anticipate and be willing to meet the newly

emerging needs based on student performance


7. Leadership is vital • Strong administrative support to ensure

commitment and resources• Strong teacher support to share in the common

goal of improving instruction• Building leadership team to build internal

capacity and sustainability over time

Activity 1:Compare IDM Guiding Principles to Current Educational

Philosophy and Practices

• Review the Guiding Principles of IDM

• Individually complete:Compare IDM Guiding Principles to Your Building’s Current Practices sheet

• Share and discuss at your table

The IDM Conceptual Model-The “Big Picture” Viewpoint

IDM CYCLES: Core, Supplemental, Intensive

IDM Cycles• Curriculum• Instruction• Assessments

Core

Supplemental

Intensive

IDM CYCLES

IOWA COREContent

Instruction Assessment

Core Cycle Defined

Iowa Core • intended • taught• assessed

• Strong enough to ensure that at least 80% of the students meet

proficiency with differentiation• Generally received by all students at grade level

• access to general education curriculum• opportunity to demonstrate mastery of it

Iowa Core

Iowa Core– A state-wide effort to improve teaching and

learning to ensure that all Iowa students engage in a rigorous & relevant curriculum

– Provides a comprehensive picture of effective curriculum that addresses:• 1) content 2) instruction and 3) assessment• Essential Skills and Concepts• Technical Assistance

– Can access through Heartland Website

The Water…

IC

A

Focus on “the water”- • Curriculum • Instruction • Assessment

Activity 2

• Discuss at your table:Who from your building, is attending

Iowa Core Leadership Training?What is or will be, your building’s plan to

communicate information between those attending Iowa Core Leadership Team training and IDM professional development?

Differentiation Through IDM

MathReading

Behavior(PBIS

)

IDM Differentiation is a belief and a process.Teachers embrace and engage in differentiation to enhance students’ learning by improving the match between learners’ unique characteristics and components of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and environment.

SupplementalCore

Supplemental

IDM CYCLES

Supplemental Cycle Guidelines

• Must be designed to match identified needs

• Should always be based on student data

• Almost always given in small groups

• On-going data determines need to continue, discontinue, or change curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment

Supplemental Cycle: Guidelines for Students that are Less than Proficient

• Is in addition to and aligns with the district core cycle

• Uses more explicit instruction• Provides more intensity

– Additional modeling and guided feedback

– Immediacy of feedback• Does NOT replace core

Core

S

Established - Benchmark

Emerging - Strategic

Deficit - Intensive

For struggling readers, just making progress isn’t good enough.

Time

Benchmark 1 Benchmark 2 Benchmark 3

Trajectory- “the path a projectile makes under the action of given forces such as thrust, wind and gravity.” --Encarta World English Dictionary

Score

When curriculum, instruction, and assessments are working together…


Score

Time


Supplemental Cycle: Guidelines for Students who are Highly Proficient

• Enriches core instruction/content

• Accelerates core instruction/content

• Accelerate pace of core• Groups within, across

and/or outside the classroom

• Provides greater complexity and abstraction

Core

S

Students who are Highly Proficient

• Grade level expectations can create too low a ceiling

• An “A” can be a barrier, not a reward

Grade Level Expectations

IntensiveCore

Supplemental

Intensive

IDM CYCLES

Intensive Cycle Guidelines

• Must be designed to match identified needs • Should always be based on diagnostic student

data• Provided in small groups or individually• On-going data determines need to continue,

discontinue, or change curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment

Intensive Cycle: Students who are Less than Proficient

• In addition to and aligns with the district core cycle• Uses diagnostic data to more precisely target to

student need • Smaller instructional groups• More instructional time• More detailed modeling and demonstration of skill• More extensive opportunities for guided practice• More opportunities for error correction and feedback

Supplemental vs. Intensive Cycle for Students who are Less than Proficient

• More in-depth diagnostic assessment• Amount of instructional time• Length of time presumed to remediate the student’s

skill problems• Intensity of materials/instruction• Frequency of monitoring • Group size

When curriculum, instruction, and assessments are working together…


Score

Time


Intensive Cycle for Students that are Highly Proficient

• Falls within the Iowa Core

• May be:–advanced levels of curriculum–enrichment–acceleration

Supplemental vs Intensive Cycle: Students who are Highly Proficient

• Higher levels of prior knowledge• More rapid pace of learning• Deeper level of conceptual of

understanding• Greater capacity for complexity and

abstraction• Greater capacity to make connections

within and across disciplines

Cycles in Implementing IDM

IDM instructional groups are flexible and frequently changingbased on the data.

Core

Supplemental

Intensive

Activity 3

Brainstorm possible benefits of IDM with the person next to you.

Benefits Of IDM

IDM will help you to: – Know immediately, “Is what we are doing

working?” – Know which students need more/different– Know what each student needs– Provide structures to deliver what students

need– Raise student achievement

Video of Lynnville Sully

3-2-1 Activity

3 connections between the video and what you heard this morning

2 things you think would work in your context

1 question

How Does it Fit Together?IDM At A Glance

Addl.Diagnostic

AssessmentInstruction Results

Monitoring

IndividualDiagnostic

IndividualizedIntensive

All Students at a grade level

Fall Winter Spring

UniversalScreening

None ContinueWithCore

Instruction

GradesClassroom

AssessmentsYearly ITBS/ITED

GroupDiagnostic

SmallGroupDifferentiatedBy Skill

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

CS

I1-5%

80-90%

5-10%

weekly

2 times/month

“Beyond Islands of Excellence”

Activity 4: IDM Conceptual Model & Benefits

• Take out “Beyond Islands of Excellence” article• Get in groups of Seven• Number off from one to seven• Everyone read pages 1 to 3 of “Beyond Islands

of Excellence”• Each person read corresponding numbered

finding (persons number 1, read finding 1, etc…)• Make notes on the key points from your section

Activity 4: IDM Conceptual Model & Benefits

As a group• Begin with #1, briefly share the major points

each section 1-7• Discussion Question:

Given the findings from this study, what are the similarities/differences between the findings and IDM? Record on Note Sheet

Activity 5: Situational Role Play

After your meeting today, your IDM Leadership team returns to your building.Two teachers, who were not at the IDM training, stop you in the hallway. They are very interested in the “large binders” you are carrying and start asking you the following questions:

1) What is this “IDM” thing?2) What are those circles?3) Why would someone “do IDM?”

As a team, brainstorm some possible responses.Share with a person from another table.

The IDM Operational Model-Moving IDM from Theory to Practice

Three Phases

Three Phases• Consensus Building (Commitment)• Infrastructure Development• Implementation

CONSENSUS

Consensus Building

• Explanation of ‘why’– Provides the foundation for all work– Increases sustainability– Is a combination of vision and support

• Intended benefits– Increases personal investment

• Validation of concerns– Provides information to decrease anxiety and

support change

IDM Consensus Building Phase

• Explanation of ‘why’-– Provides one process in our schools to drive instructional decisions.

• Intended benefits– IDM (Academic) Raise student achievement– PBIS (Behavior Decrease problem behaviors and increase

school safety and academic performance• Validation of concerns

– CHANGE=CONCERNS– Leadership teams will validate and work through concerns, based

on knowledge and data. Everyone will be “learning and working together.”

Consensus Building is Integral

CONSENSUS

Infrastructure Development PhaseMajor structures necessary to support the implementation and sustainability of IDM: -Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in Core, Supplemental, and Intensive Cycles- Leadership Team- Professional Development- Resources (time, people, money)- District/Building policy and procedures- Communication plan- Action plan across all 3 phases

Infrastructure Development

• The infrastructure can be built by answering a series of questions.

• These questions become the framework.

• The questions guide the work.• The process is continuous.

1. Is our core cycle sufficient?2. If the core is not sufficient, why not?3. How will needs identified in core be addressed?4. How will the sufficiency and effectiveness of the core cycle

be monitored over time?5. Have improvements to the core been effective?6. For which students is the core cycle sufficient and not

sufficient, and why?7. What specific supplemental and intensive

instruction/curriculum is needed?8. How will specific supplemental and intensive cycles be

implemented?9. How will the effectiveness of supplemental and intensive

cycles be monitored?10. Which students need to move to a different cycle?

Framework Questions

Action Plan

Action plan addresses all 3 phases of the IDM Operational Model

– Ensures mindful planning for consensus building

– Captures the infrastructure development steps– Is the “Road Map” for Implementation

Implementation Phase

This is where all of the planning pays off!

The process of bringing the action plan to life…

– Revisit the supports designed during the infrastructure phase

– Revisit consensus building

The Process is Ongoing and Long-Term

CONSENSUS

Activity 6:Explaining the Operational Model

Scenario practice – Complete independently– Find a partner

Take turns describing why you chose the answer you did

Commitment for This Year -What Does it Take?

• 6 planned professional development days• Structured work days (optional onsite)• Establish a leadership team• Frequent team meetings (minimum of one time per

month outside of planned professional development)

• Active administrative participation and support• Action Plan development and follow through• IDM outcomes evaluation

Purpose of Outcomes Evaluation (PESA) of IDM

• Primary purpose:– To help schools (and AEA) answer: “Is

what we are doing working?”• Secondary purpose:

– To create a profile of performance and need

We are asking for your cooperation in helping us to evaluate this work.

Outcomes Evaluationof IDM

• Schedule times for site visit• Obtain written consent to collect

student outcome data• Organization system will be

necessary• Results of evaluation will be shared in

a report

Leadership and Learning

Basic Assumptions that Link Leadership and Learning

• The opportunity to lead is inherently self-motivating.• Everyone is capable of developing and exercising

leadership.• Leadership is expressed in a variety of ways. • There are many domains within leadership that can

be exercised.• A school’s culture either supports or diminishes the

ability to develop shared leadership.

National Institute for Urban School Improvement www.urbanschools.org

IDM: Guiding Principle #7

• #7 Leadership is vital– Strong administrative support to ensure

commitment and resources– Strong teacher support to share in the

common goal of improving instruction– Leadership team to build internal capacity

and sustainability over time

The Building Leadership Team (BLT)

The Building Leadership Team is a group of people, representing the larger school community, who collaborate through a structure of shared leadership in order to increase student learning and achievement.


Why Building Leadership Teams?

1. Research shows that schools with strong collaborative leadership are the most successful in supporting student achievement.

2. Experience tells us that those closest to the students are most capable of making the best, most meaningful educational decisions.



3. Shared leadership and decision making enables the school to increase its leadership capacity in order to manage change.

4. Broad involvement helps foster ownership; a commitment to the systems change on the part of the entire school community.



5. Organizing a small group makes it easier to move the process forward in

an efficient fashion.



6. Team structures ensure effective communication in planning for improvement of school programs.

7. Team leadership helps to facilitate rapid and sustained change.


Purpose of the Building Leadership Team in IDM

Purposes:• Participate in planning and contribute to decisions

regarding implementation of IDM• Communicate with other staff and stakeholders

– Staff: minimum of 3 times a year– Stakeholders: minimum of 1 time a year

• Participate in data analysis and decision-making within IDM framework once established

• Adapt core features of IDM to local context• Coordinate efforts school-wide to improve student

learning and achievement

Effective Team Skills to Increase Likelihood of Success

1. Communication

2. Decision-making

3. Conflict management

4. Use of data

5. Cohesiveness The Handbook for Smart School Teams

Teaming Skills - Communication

Four types of communication are Important in teamwork:

1. Sharing

2. Discussion

3. Dialogue

4. Active listening

Sharing Ways to build communication into your team’s everyday work:• Maintain accurate records of meetings• Check in with team members between

meetings• Share information with people not on the

team• Invite feedback as a normal course of

interaction on the team

Discussion

Personal: – express ideas clearly

Team: – techniques to stimulate thinking– techniques to guide discussion in

productive ways.

DialoguePurpose

– to create mutual understanding

Advocacy – making one’s point of view known

Inquiry – asking others to make their thinking or

point of view visible

Active Listening• Purpose

– where you really hear and understand what someone else is saying

• Three strategies for active listening1. Paraphrasing2. Perception checking3. Probing

Establishing a Building Leadership Team

Team is representative of staff. Administrator is active member of team.

• Grade level teams• Principal• Guidance • Specials• Diverse Learner Teacher:

• Title• Special Education• Reading Recovery • Gifted and Talented• English Language Learners

Building Leadership Teams

• Keeping the school staff and parents informed about the decisions and activities of the BLT is critical to maintaining and enhancing a leadership team.

• It is important to develop a communication process that keeps stakeholders informed.


Determine constituents – Each BLT member has a number of people or groups who

are their constituents BLT members

– Communicate the work and decisions of the BLT to constituents.

– Gather input from constituents to inform decisions– Develop culture through small group structured dialogue

and providing differentiated individual support – Provide order through designing predictable routines and

procedures

Activity 7 Determining Constituents

1. Make a list of possible constituents.

2. Determine how communication will occur.

3. Record on constituent sheet.

Roles/Skills

• There are more skills required to do this work than any one person alone can provide.

• As a team you will fill the needed roles/skills.

• It is helpful to talk about them and understand who is going to do what.

• One person may fill multiple roles. • Roles may be filled by multiple people.


Roles• Administrator• Data Coach• Content Coach• Internal Coach - School team member• AEA Support Person

Administrator • Provide instructional leadership• Secure resources and master schedule• Alert external coach of building needs• Identify support needed by leadership

team• Facilitate communication with all staff• Attend all IDM sessions

Data Coach

• Coordinate data management • Work with District or AEA support

person to determine school data needs• Generate visual displays of data to

provide teacher• Attend all sessions where PD around

data collection is conducted

Content Coach• Has in-depth knowledge of content

area to be addressed (reading, math, behavior)

• Knows best practice research• Has good curriculum knowledge• Knows effective instructional

practices.• Facilitate others’ learning of content

Internal Coach• Ensures BLT: – meetings are scheduled – times and place are communicated to others– agendas are created – group remains focused on agenda and necessary tasks• Monitors effectiveness of the IDM process• Contacts AEA support person with building

needs

AEA SUPPORT

• Provides support as needed• Includes:

– PLLCs to provide support with professional development– Content Consultants– Assessment Consultants– For certain cases, School Psychologist & Consultants– Media Support– Technology Support– Etc.

Activity 8: Role Assignments

1. Determine area of strength and interest on the team.

2. Assign role/function.

3. Record on Role Sheet

4. Set monthly BLT meetings and record.

Home Play

• Complete sheet with team role assignments, meeting schedule, and date for overview.

• Conduct an overview of IDM for the building.

• At the next session– Be prepared to share– Turn in ONE copy of sheet

Return to Warm-Up

• IDM Prior Knowledge Handout• Review your answers in the first

column: What do you know/understand about IDM at this time?

• Mark Column 2 OR 3 • Share with your neighbor.

Quote of the Day

Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

Will Rogers

Heartland AEA Contact for IDM - Academic

• Regional - Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant, Partnership Director– NW, Regions 1,2, 4, and 5 -Jenny Sumner, Suzanne,

Holmes-Bunde, and Alicia Pauley – NE, Regions 6, 7, 8, and 14- Mary Jo Brown, Kathy

Scebold, and Stephanie VerHelst– SW, Regions 3, 10, and 11- Tiffanie Almeida, Mary

Montgomery, and Kristin Orton– SE, Regions 9, 12, 14, Sheila Fay and Pam Childers

Agency Wide Contacts

• Agency-wide – Wendy Robinson (1-800-362-2720 Ext. 14548)– Shannon Harken (641-891-1651) Cell

Documents

Instructional Decision Making Session One