Institute for Public School Initiatives Partnership Opportunities
The Institute for Public School Initiatives (IPSI) in the College of Education at The University of
Texas at Austin serves our common goal of helping all students, early childhood through high
school, achieve their academic potential through two primary types of initiatives: those that
directly support students and those that equip and empower educators and leaders with the
knowledge and tools needed to thrive in today’s classroom. Through partnerships with the
Texas Education Agency (TEA), education service centers (ESCs), school districts, public charter
schools, and other institutions of higher education, we serve many of the educational and
professional development (PD) needs for the state of Texas.
With the overall goal of improving the quality of school district and/or charter school
instruction, IPSI has capacity to support partnering districts by (1) delivering in-service PD
opportunities aimed at aligning instruction with state standards, (2) supporting lesson planning
and use of data to guide instruction, (3) modeling instructional strategies in classrooms, and (4)
observing and providing feedback on instructional delivery. Additionally, IPSI can provide
support and guidance on designing or refining existing systems to foster, increase, and
strengthen parent, family, community, and school partnerships.
IPSI offers three support-package options that include basic, intermediate, and intensive
partnership levels. Districts may select a partnership level that best meets their needs for the
2016-2017 school year. Contracts should be in place prior to the start of the school year to
ensure that dates for support are secured on the calendar. When making a partnership contract
with IPSI, districts should identify a point of contact for program support and for contractual
support.
If your district would like to customize a support package to meet the specific needs of a grant
or initiative that the district is focused on, a request can be made at support@ipsi.utexas.edu.
Otherwise, a brief description of what each partnership-level package includes follows this
notice of support opportunities.
1
Basic Level Partnership
1. Comprehensive needs assessment (district or site-/campus-based)
Partner completes a survey assessment to outline specific needs and collaborates via
conference call with IPSI staff to clarify information for needs-based planning.
2. Professional development for school staff (workshop/professional learning support)
a. Early Childhood (5 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) components of
early language and literacy development/improvement of language and literacy skills;
alignment of workstations with literacy goals; small group instruction; Infant, Toddler,
and Early Learning Guidelines; or Prekindergarten (PK) Guidelines.
b. Elementary (5 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) reading and writing
components, Tier 1 and intervention instruction alignment, instructional routines,
differentiated instruction, PK Guidelines, or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
(TEKS).
c. Secondary (5 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) reading and writing
components, Tier 1 and intervention instruction alignment, cross-curricular reading
and writing instruction, integration of state-vetted resources, TEKS, or strategic
support with College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS).
3. Technical assistance (plan, observe, and provide feedback)
a. Early Childhood (4 onsite visits – once per quarter): Assist with planning and aligning
instruction (to include conversations with the site coordinator and instructional staff),
observe lesson delivery, analyze student performance, determine next steps, and
provide feedback after observations.
b. Elementary (4 onsite visits – once per quarter): Assist with planning and aligning
regular day and out-of-school instruction, observe lesson delivery, analyze student
performance, determine next steps, and provide feedback after observations.
c. Secondary (4 onsite visits – once per quarter): Assist with planning and aligning
regular day and out-of-school instruction, observe lesson delivery, analyze student
performance, determine next steps, and provide feedback after observations.
2
Intermediate Level Partnership
1. Comprehensive needs assessment (district or site-/campus-based)
Partner completes a survey assessment to outline specific needs and collaborates via
conference call with IPSI staff to clarify information for needs-based planning.
2. Professional development for school staff (workshop/professional learning support)
a. Early Childhood (10 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) components of
literacy development/improvement of language and literacy skills; alignment of
workstations with literacy goals; small group instruction; Infant, Toddler, and Early
Learning Guidelines; or PK Guidelines.
b. Elementary (10 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) reading and writing
components, Tier 1 and intervention instruction alignment, instructional routines,
differentiated instruction, PK Guidelines, or TEKS.
c. Secondary (10 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) reading and writing
components, Tier 1 and intervention instruction alignment, integration of statevetted resources, TEKS, or strategic support with CCRS.
3. Technical assistance (plan, observe, and provide feedback)
a. Early Childhood (12 onsite visits – 3 times per quarter): Assist with planning and
aligning instruction (to include conversations with the site coordinator and regular
staff), observe lesson delivery, analyze student performance, determine next steps,
and provide feedback after observations.
b. Elementary (12 onsite visits – 3 times per quarter): Assist with planning and aligning
regular day and out-of-school instruction, observe lesson delivery, analyze student
performance, determine next steps, and provide feedback after observations.
c. Secondary (12 onsite visits – 3 times per quarter): Assist with planning and aligning
regular day and out-of-school instruction, observe lesson delivery, analyze student
performance, determine next steps, and provide feedback after observations.
3
Intensive Level Partnership
1. Comprehensive needs assessment (district or site-/campus-based)
Partner completes a survey assessment to outline specific needs and collaborates via
conference call with IPSI staff to clarify information for needs-based planning.
2. Professional development for district/school staff (workshop/online learning
component)
a. Early Childhood (15 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) components of
literacy development/improvement of language and literacy skills; alignment of
workstations with literacy goals; small group instruction; Infant, Toddler, and Early
Learning Guidelines; or PK Guidelines.
b. Elementary (15 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) reading and writing
components, Tier 1 and intervention instruction alignment, differentiated instruction,
PK Guidelines, or TEKS.
c. Secondary (15 days): Topics may include (but are not limited to) reading and writing
components, Tier 1 and intervention instruction alignment, integration of statevetted resources, TEKS, or strategic support with CCRS.
3. Technical assistance (plan, observe, and provide feedback)
a. Early Childhood (24 onsite visits – 6 times per quarter): Assist with planning and
aligning instruction (to include conversations with the site coordinator and regular
staff), observe lesson delivery, model lessons, analyze student performance,
determine next steps, and provide feedback after observations.
b. Elementary (24 onsite visits – 6 times per quarter): Assist with planning and aligning
regular day and out of school instruction, observe lesson delivery, model lessons,
analyze student performance, determine next steps, and provide feedback after
observations.
c. Secondary (24 onsite visits – 6 times per quarter): Assist with planning and aligning
regular day and out of school instruction, observe lesson delivery, model lessons,
analyze student performance, determine next steps, and provide feedback after
observations.
4
Additional Support Services
•
Instructional coaching (onsite or remote)
•
Peer coaching
•
Instructional leadership
•
Learning communities
•
Standards-based planning
•
Blended learning
•
Culturally responsive teaching
•
Classroom management
•
Family and community engagement
•
Differentiated instruction
•
Response to intervention (RTI)
•
Content development (face-to-face and online platform)
•
Literacy and English language learners
•
Alternative certified mentoring
•
Meeting or conference planning
•
Curriculum auditing
•
Campus or instructional needs assessment
•
Learning management system consulting
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