THE WEEK 8 VISION OF EXCELLENCE
By Week 8 of the school year, we can tell a lot about the cultural health of a school. How the building looks, sounds and feels is typically a clear indicator of the tone and feel for
the remainder of the year. For this reason, we are rallying around a Week 8 Vision of Excellence for establishing foundational school cultures upon which we can build. We’ve
outlined clear Week 8 outcomes and interim benchmarks to ensure all AF schools are on track.
OUTCOMES & BENCHMARKS
Beyond
Week 8
Week 6
Week 4
Week 2
Week 1
TEACHER SKILL
SCHOLAR HABITS
ROUTINES
95%+
100%
95%+
95%+
of students are on task at all times
of teachers are proficient on 6 foundational
taxonomy skills by end of week 8
of students meet the school’s vision of
excellence at all times
of students meet the vision of excellence
outlined in the Common Picture at all times
All
Advanced
Teacher Actions
Teacher Actions
 Teacher cues every student habit + provides
a precise direction
 Teacher narrates multiple students after every
direction
 Teacher provides cue + precise direction
every time
 Teacher narrates multiple students after
every direction
Work towards proficiency with Group 1
techniques:
 Strong Voice
 Precise Directions
 Behavioral Narration
Work towards proficiency with Group 1
techniques:
 Strong Voice
 Precise Directions
 Behavioral Narration
Also work towards proficiency with Group 2
techniques:
 Positive Framing
 100%
 Correction
 Teacher cues every student habit
 Teacher eliminates precise direction
 Teacher narrates some students after every
direction
 Teacher provides cue + precise direction
every time
 Teacher narrates some students after every
direction
Proficient with Group 1 techniques:
 Strong Voice
 Precise Directions
 Behavioral Narration
Proficient with Group 2 techniques:
 Positive Framing
 100%
 Corrections
 Teacher cues every student habit
 Teacher narrates 1-2 students after every
direction
 Teacher provides cue + precise direction
every time
 Teacher narrates 1-2 students after every
direction
Teachers work towards proficiency with
the following techniques:
 Positive Framing
 100%
 Corrections
Also work towards proficiency with Group 3
techniques:
 Break the Plane/Circulate
 Work the Clock
 Choral Response
 Teacher rarely provides cues
 Teacher narrates 1 student after some
directions
 Teacher provides cue
 Teacher eliminates precise direction
 Teacher narrates 1 student after some
directions
Proficient with Group 2 techniques:
 Positive Framing
 100%
 Corrections
Proficient with Group 3 techniques:
 Break the Plane/Circulate
 Work the Clock
 Choral Response
 Teacher rarely provide cue
 Teacher eliminates narration for baseline
habits
 Teacher provides cue
 Teacher eliminates narration
If proficiency hasn’t been reached with one or
more habits, do a reset. Reteach the habit(s) as
if it is Day 1 and follow an expedited Week 1-6
cycle
If proficiency hasn’t been reached with one or
more routines, do a reset. Reteach the
routine(s) as if it is Day 1 and follow an
expedited Week 1-6 cycle
From Week 8-12, focus on 1 culture and 1 instructional technique. If proficiency hasn’t
been reached in Group 3, prioritize these techniques::
 Break the Plane/Circulate
 Work the Clock
 Choral Response
DECLINING TEACHER SCAFFOLDING
Week 1
Meeting Week 8 outcomes and interim benchmarks is dependent on the level of teacher skill and the intentionality with which teachers de-scaffold student
support over time. As shared above, the amount of teacher support via narration will decrease over time as scholar skill increases and actions become habit.
The following table outlines the change that occurs between Week 1 and Week 8. While the decrease in narration is most pronounced, you will notice that
other Taxonomy techniques are also significantly relied on during the first week(s) of school and then scaffolded back over time:
EXAMPLE TEACHER MOVES
Call to Attention +
Challenge
Narration
Cue + Direction
Narration
Do It Again + Challenge
Correction
Call to Attention: Scholars,
find my voice in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Cue: When I say “Writing
clean up, go!”
Jahmir put his notebook in
his desk. His hands are in
SLANT. Chyna is tracking
me. Alissa is tracking. Her
hands are in SLANT.
Do It Again: That looked
good! And we did it in 45
seconds! I noticed though
that some scholars’ pencils
rolled off their desks. We’re
going to practice putting our
pencils in the grooves silently
and carefully so that they
don’t roll. It looks like this.
Alissa, check. Track me.
Narration: Jahmir is tracking
me. Chyna is tracking me.
Alissa is in SLANT and
tracking me.
We are about to put our
writing away and transition
to Math. Yesterday we did
this in 60 seconds. Let’s see if
we can do it in 45 seconds!
MVP Direction:
 Silently put your
notebooks in your desks
and your pencils in the
groove.
 Track me in SLANT when
you’re done.
 Go!
Challenge: I bet we can do
this quieter than the 4th
graders across the hall.
Week 8
Declining Scaffolding
(Repeat Cue + Direction +
Narration)
Week 1:




Teacher teaches I-We-You lesson for cleaning up from Writing.
Teacher provides cue + precise direction consistently
Teacher narrates multiple students after every direction
Teacher frequently uses Positive Framing (Challenge) and Do It Again
Weeks 2-8:

Teacher uses consistent cues

Teacher decreases precise directions and narration according to the benchmarks outlined above

Teacher uses student data to craft precise narration that addresses student precision, uniformity and speed in order to build habits

Teacher decreases amount of Do It Again and Positive Framing as actions become habit
Call to Attention: Scholars,
find my voice in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Cue: “Writing clean up, go!”
10, 9, 8…3, 2, 1.
(thumbs up to class at 0)
Alissa, check. Track me.
NOTE: If data indicates that benchmarks are not being met for on-task behavior/scholar habits/routines, this means student habits are not forming. The teacher
must continue to support the strengthening of student habits via Narration, Positive Framing, Do It Again, etc.