“Engaging NC in Transforming 21st
Century Teaching and Learning”
March 3-5, 2014
“Don't lower your expectations to meet your
performance. Raise your level of performance to
meet your expectations. Expect the best of
yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it
a reality.”
Ralph Marston
Warsaw Elementary School is:
Rural
 62% African American
 34% Hispanic
 2% Caucasian
 2% Other
 87% Free Reduced Lunch
 56% At Risk
 34% English Language Learners
 13% Exceptional Children
 1% Academically Gifted
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School Year
Reading Proficiency
Math Proficiency
2009-2010
37.5%
65.5%
2010-2011
48.5%
68.1%
2011-2012
48.2%
72.8%
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The lowest 5% of schools in North Carolina
were deemed “Transformation Schools.”
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118 Schools in Transformation
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Warsaw Elementary fell in the lowest 5%
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Steps of Transformation
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Determine if Principal should be replaced
Implement New Teacher Evaluation System
Identify and reward staff for increasing student outcomes; support or
remove those who are not
Implement strategies to recruit, replace, and retain staff
Select and implement an instructional model based on student needs
Provide job-embedded PD to build capacity and support staff
Ensure continuous use of data to inform and differentiate instruction
Provide increased learning time
Provide an ongoing mechanism for community and family engagement
Partner to provide social-emotional and community-oriented services and
supports
Provide sufficient operating flexibility to implement reform
Ensure ongoing technical assistance
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Principal changed for the 2011-2012 school year.
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New expectations were set for students and staff.
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New school culture was created.
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New teachers were hired.
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90 minute job-embedded PD sessions
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School motto changed from:
“Do it. Do it right. Do it right now.”
To
“Achieving Excellence Together”
School mission and vision was re-written as a staff.
School improvement team was re-visited and
added a representative from each department
within the school.
Staff perception, ideas, and knowledge were
considered and discussed openly.
Our students will think critically, embrace
diversity and become academically
prepared to excel in a globally competitive
society.
Our mission is to encourage, support and actively
engage our students to become lifelong learners.
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We believe that the personal and collaborative
actions of students, parents, community, and
the school system are determining factors in
the success of our students.
We believe that high expectations for everyone
drive success.
We believe that continuous learning occurs best
in a safe, positive, supportive, diverse and
stimulating environment.
We believe that by embracing cultural
diversity, we are enhancing the climate of our
school.
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NC Teacher Evaluation Process
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Standard 6
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Lesson Plan Template
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Common Core Standards
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Essential Standards
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Focus Standards
Supporting Standards
Begin With In The End In Mind = Performance Assessment
Learning Targets
Universal Student Practices for ELA and Math
“I Can” Statements
Formative/Summative Assessments
Common Instructional Framework
Essential Questions
Activating Prior Knowledge/Connections to Previous
Instruction
Resources & Technology
Instructional Delivery
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The focus standards can be one or more
standard that will be assessed in the
performance assessment.
Inter-disciplinary connections can be made.
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Example: Reading strategies can be taught through
Science or Social Studies content.
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Supporting Standards are standards that can be
taught in conjunction with the focus standards,
but may not be directly assessed in the
performance assessment.
Supporting Standards may be introduced and
worked on a few weeks before moving up as a
focus standard and ready for assessment.
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Must Include…..
A Goal
 A Role
 An Audience
 A Situation
 A Product, Performance, or Purpose
 A Criteria for Success
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Learning targets help the teacher quickly
determine two things:
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What Students Will Know/Understand
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What Students Will Be Able To Do
ELA
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Demonstrate independence
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Build strong content knowledge
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Respond to varying demands of
audience, task, purpose, and
discipline
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Comprehend as well as critique
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Value evidence
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Use technology and digital
media strategically and capably
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Come to understand other
perspectives and cultures
Math
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Make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them
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Reason abstractly and
quantitatively
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Construct viable arguments and
critique the reasoning of others
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Model with mathematics
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Use appropriate tools
strategically
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Attend to precision
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Look for and make use of
structure
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Look for and express regularity
in repeated reasoning
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“I Can” Statements must be:
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Student Friendly
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Have Clear Expectations
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Aligned with Standards
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Pre-Assessment aligned with Learning Targets
Anecdotal Records
Students monitor progress to reach target or set goals
Journals/Learning Log
Portfolio
Project
Performance task/event
Running Record
Data from class discussion
Selected and/or Constructed response
Conferences/interviews
Rubrics and/or scoring guides
Essay
Multiple Choice
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Collaborative Groups
Literacy Groups
Writing To Learn
Questioning
Scaffolding
Classroom Talk
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Essential Questions must be:
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Aligned with CCSS or ES
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Student friendly
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Aligned with performance assessment
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Teachers write in their lesson plans how the
focus standards are connected to previously
learned standards.
If the standard is new for the grade level,
teachers refer to the Grade-by-Grade
progression to see when/if the standard
connects to a previous year.
If there is no connection, the teacher then
knows that they have to build a connection for
their students and provide scaffolding.
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Teachers list the resources they will need for
the lesson.
They list any technology that will be needed for
lesson implementation.
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This is where the unit is broken down into
daily instructional lessons.
Teachers refer to the performance assessment
and build their lessons to lead up to the
performance assessment.
Some units may take 7 days to implement.
Other units may take 28 days or more to
implement.
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While creating lessons through the lens of
“Backwards Design,” teachers were able to dig
deep into the state standards.
Critical conversations were held concerning the
standards and how teaching of the standards
should look in the classroom.
The Unpacking Documents were a vital
resource throughout this process.
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Instructional Rounds
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Evidence
Impact
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ELA PLC
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Math PLC
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SST/RTI
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Data Review
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Instructional Rounds allow teachers to observe
a colleague teaching a lesson.
Non-evaluative; Evidence & Impact
They provide feedback on a targeted area.
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Examples of Targeted Areas
 Objectives
 Student Engagement
 Monitoring/Feedback
 Questioning
 Pace/Rigor
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Common Core Standards
Vertical Alignment
Grade-By-Grade Progression
Unpacking Documents
Teacher led PD
Close Reading
 Text Complexity
 Text Dependent Questions
 Vocabulary
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Common Core Standards
Vertical Alignment
Unpacking Documents
Teacher Led PD
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Universal Practices
Concrete Understanding
Representational Understanding
Abstract Understanding
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Meet monthly with district Psychologist
Discuss Student Data
Implement Strategies for RTI
Teacher Professional Development led by
Psychologist on strategies that help with
students with:
Sensory Integration
 Drug Exposure
 Social Skills
 Emotional Behaviors
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Identify Target “BUBBLE” Students
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Bubble Students are:
 Level II’s that can move up to Level III
 Level III’s that can slip back to Level II
What Strategies/Interventions need to be put into place
to help these students?
Report:
School Accountability Growth
School:
Warsaw Elementary School
Year:
2013
District:
Duplin County Schools
2012-2013 School Accountability Growth Estimates
One-Year Estimate
School Accountability Growth Type
Overall
Index
4.91
Level
Exceeds Expected Growth