CCSSO 2011 National Conference on Student Assessment | Peabody, Orlando, Florida Using Technology to Enhance Professional Development for Teachers Presenters:

CCSSO 2011 National Conference on Student Assessment | Peabody, Orlando, Florida

Using Technology to Enhance Professional Development for Teachers

Presenters:Brian Field – Beresford School District, South DakotaTrinell Bowman – Maryland State Department of EducationTraci Dami – Collier County, FloridaLisa Lepic – Pearson (moderator)

June 20, 2011

CCSSO 2011 – National Conference on Student Assessment

CCSSO 2011 National Conference on Student Assessment | Peabody, Orlando, Florida 2

“My teacher is the only reason i started liking social studies because she spends a lot of time explaining each section and giving us activities on it to help us understand it. I have never understood social studies before but now after she made it clear to me, i started to get interested in it…”

--Sally’s blog on http://cnnstudentnews.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/27/coming-up-teacher-appreciation-week/


Professional Development Objectives

• Train highly effective teachers• Provide teachers with resources and tools for the

classroom • Increase communication with teachers, students,

and parents• Diagnose student needs and engage them in the

classroom• Increase student achievement

Technology can help achieve the above goals


Using Technology to Provide Teacher Evaluations and Feedback

Brian Field, SuperintendentBeresford School District, South Dakota


Beresford School District

• Rural school district located in southeastern South Dakota

• K-12 student enrollment of 650 students– 3 schools—K-5, 6-8, 9-12

• Student make-up– 95% white– 26% free and reduced– 12% special education– 10% Title I


Our Challenges

• No consistency in conducting teacher observations and evaluations across district from classroom to classroom or school to school.– Our three principals each did their own thing in

their own way.


Our Challenges

• No uniform system to track observation data on teacher performance over time to see what teaching and student learning patterns and trends existed in our district– Individual teacher– Grade level– Curriculum-wide– School-wide– District-wide


Our Challenges

• No program that would allow us to improve feedback and personalize professional development for individual teachers or set priorities for district professional development.


What we needed?

• Develop consistency in the collection of teacher performance data through observations.

• Improve the feedback process so that feedback was immediate, specific, on-going and growth-oriented for our teachers.– Principals to make the best use of their time

by cutting down on the amount of time it took them to provide quality feedback and evaluations to our teaching staff.

• Provide our teachers quality coaching linked to personalized professional development.


Our Solution

• Find a product that would help us improve the quality and quantity of teacher observations and evaluations in our district.

• Develop customizable, online observation and evaluation rubrics for our district.

• Provide quality coaching and personalized professional development in our district.

Our solution was Teacher Compass.


• Is a customizable, online tool for collecting and analyzing teacher observation data with accuracy, ease, and efficiency.

• Makes it easy for supervisors to provide targeted feedback and personalized professional development plans that increase teacher effectiveness.


Rubric 1

• District Adopted Teacher Evaluation Instrument with our nine standards, supporting performance indicators, and performance rating scale.– Formative observations—identify individual teacher

strengths and target areas for improvement Ongoing, objective feedback, coaching, and

opportunities for growth– Informal drop-in, walkthrough, and look for observations– Summative evaluations—teacher competence in relation

to our performance standards and indicators


Rubric 1 Standards

• Demonstrates effective planning skills

• Implements the lesson

• Uses appropriate instructional strategies with students

• Employs appropriate student assessment techniques and provides students with feedback

• Organizes students for effective instruction

• Ensures student time on task through appropriate classroom management

• Accommodates the needs of students

• Demonstrates effective interpersonal relationships with others

• Fulfills professional responsibilities




Rubric 2Formative Observation

• Effective Instruction Vocabulary and Feedback to Teachers– Knowledge– Motivation– Transfer– Practice– Reinforcement– Retention– Attribution– Lesson Design




Rubric 3—21st Century Teaching and Learning Practices

• Instruction—Student-centered learning

• Stimulation—Multi-sensory

• Progression—Multi-path

• Media—Multimedia/technology utilization and integration

• Work—Collaborative

• Delivery—Information Exchange


Rubric 3—21st Century Teaching and Learning Practices

• Learning—Active/exploratory/inquiry-based learning

• Questioning/Thinking Skills—Higher-order

• Response—Proactive/planned action

• Context—Authentic/real-world context

• 4 C’s—critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation


Rubric 4—Differentiated InstructionBased on the Work of Carol Tomlinson

• Guidelines for Teachers– Clarify key concepts and generalizations– Use assessment as a teaching tool to extend instruction– Emphasize critical and creative thinking– Engaging all learners is essential– Provide a balance between teacher-assigned and

student-selected tasks



• Components and Features– Content

Several elements and materials are used to support content

Align tasks and objectives to learning goals Instruction is concept-focused and principle-driven

– Process Flexible grouping is consistently used Classroom management benefits students and

teachers



• Components and Features– Products

Initial and on-going assessment of student readiness and growth are essential

Students are active and responsible explorers Vary expectations and requirements for student

responses


Our Implementation

• Consistency– We now have an all-in-one tool used by all three of our

principals so we have consistency across our schools and district. Formative observations Informal classroom drop-ins/walkthroughs/look fors Summative evaluations


Our Implementation

• Time Savings– We now have an easy to access online system to track

our observation and evaluation data, including suggested comments for feedback aligned to our performance indicators and effective instruction vocabulary.

– Evaluations are much easier to create and more accurate as we have on-demand access to current and past observations.


Our Implementation

• Improved Feedback on Teacher Performance– Our principals are better able to provide world-class

feedback and coaching to individual teachers that is geared to improving their overall effectiveness through the use of our effective instruction vocabulary. Immediate Specific Consistent Growth-oriented


Our Implementation

• Create Observation and Evaluation Reports– We can generate observation and evaluation reports with

accurate and organized performance data based on formative observations, drop-ins, walkthroughs, and summative evaluations, including recommendations for professional development to improve teaching and learning.


Our Implementation

• Analyze and Report Trend Data– We now have immediate access to current and past

observations, making it much easier to create customizable and usable reports.

– We have the ability to identify, review, and understand individual teacher, grade level, curriculum-wide, school-wide, and district-wide patterns, trends and performance over time—identifying strengths, progress and areas for growth.


Our Implementation

• Personalized Coaching and Professional Development– We now have the ability to customize professional

development to our individual teacher needs.– Plans are differentiated based on individual teacher

strengths and areas for growth.– Personalized professional development has a much

greater likelihood of increasing teacher effectiveness.


Professional DevelopmentTeacher Compass

• Assessment

• Classroom Climate

• Classroom Management

• Content Knowledge

• Instructional Delivery

• Instructional Planning

• Professionalism

• On-line library of PD can be filtered by category

• Video clips of educators sharing and modeling effective practices and strategies

• Learning log questions for reflection

• Makes learning more effective, convenient, and sustainable




Instructional Strategies that Motivate and Engage

• Segment 1—Instructional strategies and classroom management

• Segment 2—Active engagement and relevant instruction• Segment 3—Differentiation strategies that enhance

motivation and engagement• Segment 4—Cooperative group strategies that enhance

motivation and engagement


Cooperative Group Strategies that Enhance Motivation and Engagement


Brian FieldSuperintendentBeresford School [email protected] 605-763-4293

Contact Information


Using Technology to Deliver Professional Development

Trinell Bowman, Program ManagerMaryland State Department of Education



State of Maryland Demographics

• There are approximately 850,000 k-12 students enrolled in Maryland Public Schools

• Each year 4,700 to 4,900 students take the 1% assessment, the Alternate Maryland School Assessment (Alt-MSA)

• There are about 700 teachers who administer the Alt-MSA each year.


Our Challenges

• Lack of resources available to local school district staff due to budget cuts

• Lack of understanding of content knowledge

• Disconnect between instruction, assessment and IEP


Our Solution

• Use technology to create a consistent message for all teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals throughout the State.

• Online modules are designed to do more than outline steps for alternate assessment.

• Online modules delve into the thought processes used by successful teachers.


Priorities of Online Modules and Implementation

• Maximize efficiency in classroom

• Access grade-level content

• Understand content and State standards

• Select Mastery Objectives (test items)

• Create artifacts that align to Mastery Objectives

• Provide links to websites and resources


Overview Module

• Overview Module provides theory behind standards-based instruction and assessment.

• Introduction

• Preparation for Alt-MSA

• Planning Efficient Classroom Instruction

• Planning for Assessment

• Summary


Content Modules

• Content Modules takes a Test Examiner through the process of completing the following tasks: – Selecting the Mastery Objective (MO)– Gaining Content Knowledge– Developing Artifacts and Adjusting the Level of Difficulty – Using Prompting – Planning Classroom Instruction – Completing a Lesson Plan– Connecting Functional Life Skills


Content Modules

• There are many resources and take-a-ways throughout the Content Modules such as: – Sample Lesson Plans – Sample Artifacts– Artifact Checklists– Content Glossary of Terms– Questions to Consider on Various Topics– Helpful Websites– Helpful Hints When Teaching Certain Concepts


Preparation and Technology Considerations

• Generally it takes a teacher one hour to complete each module.

• Some school districts have made the Online Modules mandatory for teachers who administer the Alt-MSA.

• The following browsers are supported for the Online Modules:– Safari 2.0 and higher (Mac)– Firefox and higher (Mac and Windows)– Internet Explorer 7.0 and higher (Windows)















Trinell BowmanProgram ManagerDivision of Accountability & AssessmentMaryland State Department of [email protected]

Contact Information


Using Technology to Apply Professional Development in the Classroom

Traci Dami, Director of Staff Development

Collier County Public Schools, Florida


Collier County Public Schools

• 48 public schools and 2 charter schools– Elementary Schools: 30– Middle Schools: 11– High Schools: 8– Technical High School: 1– K-12 School: 1– Post secondary schools: 2– Alternative School programs– Charter Schools: 2


Student Population - 43,157


Exceptional Student Education


Free and Reduced-Price Lunch


English Language Learners


District Issues

DEBT SERVICE


District Issues

• Leadership Turnover– 5 Superintendents in 12 years


Our Challenge

• Technology and STEM– Lack of science knowledge and links to the real world– Lack of technology knowledge in the use of 21st century

devices– Ability to link technology to curriculum and student

achievement


Our Challenge

• Technology and STEM– Cultural resistance to students using mobile devices– Increasing student engagement with academic content– Helping teachers with differentiated instruction


Our Solution

• Professional Development (academic content and technology skill acquisition)

– Train the trainer sessions After school Summer

– Webinars Live and Recorded

– Blended


Our Solution

• Use of Instructional Improvement/Learning Management– Lesson plan collaboration– Best practices blogging– Resource sharing


Our Solution

• Podcasting– Teacher reflections– Student presentations

• Use of iPod Touch– Formative and summative assessment


MathematicsState Assessment Results

E2T2 Group

• Grade 3 – 63%• Grade 8 – 58%• Grade 10 – 82%

District Title I Schools

• Grade 3 – 58%• Grade 8 – 53%• Grade 10 – 59%


ScienceState Assessment Results

E2T2 Group

• Grade 8 – 24%• Grade 11 – 28%

District Title I Schools

• Grade 8 – 21%• Grade 11 – 24%


Implementation

• District funds– 5 instructional technology specialists

• Enhancing Education Through Technology (E2T2) grant– Mobile devices– Training funds


Implementation

• Communication– Discussion of feeder pattern science results – Initial conversation with principals on the direction of the

E2T2 grant– Collaboration with school-based administrators, science

coordinator, operational technology Timeline

– Presentations at Consolidated Planning


Examples

iPod Touch project


Examples• 5th Grade Science/Health iTouch Lesson

• Lesson Plan: Nutrition

• Date: May 12 – May 20, 2011

• Standards: HE.5C.2.3, HE.5B.1.4, HE.5B.3.5 and HE.5B.4.2

• iTouch Application: Lose It!

• Essential Question: How do factors such as diet and exercise contribute to my overall health?

• Key Vocabulary: Nutrition, Fiber, Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats, Minerals, Vitamins


Sample App list

• Mirror World • 500 AP Biology Questions 5

Steps to a 5 • AP Biology Review • Human Body Advanced

Encyclopedia 3D Anatomy • Revision Nerd Biology

Chem Pro • Interactive Periodic Table • iScience • Real Science for Kids • vClicker

• Building Atoms, Ions, and Isotopes

• AP Environmental Science Review

• Volcano Information Britannica Kids: Volcanoes

• Volcano and Quake 4D • Gems and Minerals by Hue • iDigger • Rock hound • Rocks and Gems• Easy Frog Diss


Contact Information

Traci DamiDirector of Staff Development, Instructional

Technology & Media ServicesCollier County Public [email protected]


In Summary

In a time of budget constraints and increased accountability, there is a growing pressure to improve student performance.

Technology can help meet these challenges and provide teachers with the means to connect with their students and increase student performance.

Questions?


Additional Contact Information

Lisa LepicProgram [email protected]

CCSSO 2011 National Conference on Student Assessment | Peabody, Orlando, Florida Using Technology to Enhance Professional Development for Teachers Presenters:

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