School: Parkland Magnet Middle School
Math Action Plan
Date: September 2015
SIP goal: By 2016, Parkland Middle School students will increase the percentage of students in targeted groups (Hispanic, African American,
SPED, LEP) that complete Algebra with a C or better through implementing classroom practices that reflect a deeper understanding of Equity
Literacy, that promote critical thinking, and that engage the full diversity of the Parkland Middle School’s student population
Action / Timeline
Plan and implement professional
development sessions in that focus on
critical thinking in the classroom in
order to support teachers to identify
what critical thinking looks like so
they can apply strategies in their
instruction. Sessions will include:

Rationale for incorporating
critical thinking into lessons

Incorporating student
discourse/academic
conversations into lessons

Writing, using, and
implementing higher order
questions with students

Standards of Mathematical
Practice
Persons Responsible
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Chad Beswick, Content
Specialist PE/Arts
Jessica Brause, Content
Specilaist World
Languages
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist Math
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Specialist
Resources Needed
Scholarly Articles,
Videos, Texts related to
critical thinking in the
classroom
Critical Thinking Look
Fors (Part of PMS
Observation Tool)
Monitoring Tools or
Data Points
(Formative and
Summative)
Training plan for PD
sessions
Teacher feedback on
Google forms
Training Plans and
Flipcharts
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Chad Beswick,
Content Specialist
PE/Arts
Jessica Brause,
Content Specilaist
World Languages
Critical Thinking
Sentence Frames
UDL Strategies
Monitoring:
Date/By Whom
Informal and formal
observation feedback for
teachers
Critical Thinking Look for
Sheet/Peer Visit
Reflections
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist
Math
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Results / Next Steps
(include evaluation of
processes for
effectiveness and
efficiency)
Specialist
(See Department
Action Plans for
Timelines)
Plan opportunities in professional
development sessions for teacher to
engage I collaborative planning that
results in students developing critical
thinking skills
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Chad Beswick, Content
Specialist PE/Arts
Planning For Powerful
Instruction
Quarterly Assessment
Plan Calendar for each
Course and Grade level
MCPS Curriculum and
Common Tasks
Chad Beswick,
Content Specialist
PE/Arts
Blooming Orange
Jessica Brause, Content
Specilaist World
Languages
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist Math
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Specialist
Analyze student work and
assessments to look for evidence of
critical thinking and identify and
implement necessary supports
Critical Thinking
Question Frames
Weekly Collaborative
Planning Summaries
(Department Developed)
Peer Visit/Observation
Reflection Sheets
Common Tasks are
aligned and shared
Tuning protocol teacher
feedback
Student Work Samples
Chad Beswick, Content
Specialist PE/Arts
Tuning Protocol
Informal/formal
observations
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Structured Data Chat
Protocol
Student Assessment Data
Rubrics/Criteria for
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist
Math
Gradebook
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Jessica Brause,
Content Specilaist
World Languages
Share lessons aligned with
PD
Informal Observation
Feedback Form
Training Plans and
Flipcharts
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Grade book: student
grades
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Specialist
(See Department
Action Plans for
Timelines)
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Chad Beswick,
Content Specialist
PE/Arts
Jessica Brause, Content
Specilaist World
Languages
Success
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Assessment rubrics
Jessica Brause,
Content Specilaist
World Languages
Teacher reflection sheets
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist Math
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist
Math
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Specialist
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Specialist
All Teachers
Analyze student data to identify
students who are prepared for higher
level Math classes and implement
supports for those students to be
ready for higher level Math classes
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist Math
All Math Teachers
Student Achievement
Data (Assessment Data,
Report Card Data,
Centrally Collected
Formative Assessment)
Data points (grades,
centrally collected
formative data, Map-M)
(See Department
Action Plans for
Timelines)
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist,
Math
All Math Teachers,
November/January/
March
MAP-M Data
Engage teachers in collegial
discussions about Universal Design
for Learning (UDL) strategies and
how they support critical thinking in
the classroom
Pauline Pham, UDL
IRA Chair
Training Plans and
Flipcharts
UDL IRA Committee
Members
UDL Training Resources
Training Plans
Teacher Reflection Sheet
All Teachers
Pauline Pham, UDL
IRA Chair
Staff Meeting
Training Plans and
Teacher Reflection
Sheets, Once a
quarter
UDL IRA
Committee Members
Department Level
Share Out, Once a
Month (Dec, Jan,
Mar, Apr)
Develop and monitor department
level Student Learning Objectives
(SLOs) focused on critical thinking
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Student Learning
Objective
Documentation
Chad Beswick, Content
Specialist PE/Arts
Critical Thinking
Strategies
Jessica Brause, Content
Specilaist World
Languages
Training Plans and
Flipcharts for Staff
Meeting sessions
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Reflective Conversation
Protocol
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist Math
Leading Student
Achievement Data
Student Learning
Objective Documentation
Student Achievement
Data
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher
Staff Meeting
Training Plans and
Flipcharts, Once a
Month
Arlene Barte-Lowe,
Content Specialist
English
Assessment rubrics
Chad Beswick,
Content Specialist
PE/Arts
Teacher reflection sheets
Jessica Brause,
Content Specilaist
World Languages
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Yael Astor, Content
Specilaist Social
Studies
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Specialist
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist
Math
All Teachers
Jennifer Wingate,
Content Specilaist
STEM
Tessa Floyd, Staff
Development
Teacher/Reading
Specialist
Create a sixth grade peer mentoring
Math program
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist Math
Leanne Hood, 6th Grade
Team Leaders
All Math Teachers
(See Department
Action Plans for
Timelines)
Leanne Hood, 6th
Grade Team Leader
Map-M Data
Map-M data
Formative Data
Formative data
Grades Data
Grades
Trish Thompson,
Content Specialist
Student Attendance
September (identify
Reports in Group
students)
December (monitor
program)