In an era of educational transformation that challenges school districts to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners, this session highlights the key factors in moving from defining rigorous standards and performance indicators to the implementation of high-impact instructional strategies. MSAD 6 Assistant Superintendent, Mick Roy and District Assessment for Learning Coach, Kirsten Gould share their experience developing systems across five elementary schools, middle school and high school, with an enrollment of 3,800 students.
Participants will engage in meaningful dialogue about how a process of strategic planning, allocation of district resources, and guidelines for establishing a culture of growth can improve student motivation and achievement. Using video clips, strategic action plans, and other resources, attendees will experience the critical components of a proficiency-based, student-centered, empowering learning community.
Participants will: —Explore the process of targeting instructional practices in a proficiency-based system; —Explore how district resources can be used to implement, refine, and support professional growth across the district; —Identify key factors in establishing a culture of growth for students and educators; —Analyze a strategic action plan to determine how it is useful in monitoring progress toward accomplishing school goals.
As the K-12 coach in assessment for learning, I provide resources, coaching, and professional development related to formative assessment and high-impact instructional strategies.
Are you sick and tired of low turnouts at the family and community events your school hosts? Are you frustrated by constant pushback from parents, students, and community members on your major initiatives? Well, it’s time to disrupt business-as-usual approaches to involvement and try a more sustainable and powerful approach: engagement. By drawing on lessons learned from Great Schools Partnership’s multi-year community engagement initiative, participants will explore the integral relationship between equity and engagement and a point-by-point rationale for centering engagement in school. Participants will also reflect on and calibrate their engagement-related beliefs and practices to ensure equity for all.
Would you like to better meet the needs of special education students in the general education classroom? How can you bring the expertise of the classroom teacher and the special education teacher together to develop unit plans that engage students?
In this session, participants will identify best practices in both special education and general education, and apply new ideas to practice, planning, and system design. This session is open to classroom teachers from all backgrounds, with the goal of supporting students on IEP’s and 504 plans within the general education classroom.
Would you like to better meet the needs of special education students in the general education classroom? How can you bring the expertise of the classroom teacher and the special education teacher together to develop unit plans that engage students?
In this session, participants will identify best practices in both special education and general education, and apply new ideas to practice, planning, and system design. This session is open to classroom teachers from all backgrounds, with the goal of supporting students on IEP’s and 504 plans within the general education classroom.
High School Programs of Study (Course Catalogs) should be examined analytically and read for meaning. These documents reveal more nuanced windows into schools’ educational practices and beliefs than their letterhead and mission statements can provide. Participants will review sample artifacts, practice multiple analytical approaches, and leave with the beginnings of action steps. We encourage you to bring several copies of your own Program of Studies. It's not about making a prettier catalog; it's about uncovering issues of equity, access, and uneven expectations.
I am a Sr. Associate at Great Schools Partnership (greatschoolspartnership.org), a non-profit based in Portland, Maine. My coaching partnerships are located in coastal and northern Maine, and in Colorado. Background includes MS science teaching, school administration, and field-based... Read More →
Core principles of community engagement such as relationship building and power sharing are essential tools for leading change in schools and districts. In this interactive session, participants will explore how to utilize these principles to create policies and practices that increase access and opportunity for all stakeholders.
How do I set up my gradebook? It’s the end of the quarter; what do I put on the report card? What about missing work? Retakes? Shifting to a proficiency-based system requires rethinking our methods of tracking students’ progress. In this session, participants will explore the purpose of grading, clarify distinctions between grading and reporting, and share practices that support proficiency-based learning. Participants will review best practices for reporting grades, explore topics of interest related to specific gradebook systems, and discuss challenging questions teachers face in the shift to reporting within a proficiency-based system.