Welcome
It’s About Time: A Model for
Transformative Professional
Development
Presented by
Ivan Cheng
Collaboration and Student Success Conference
June 20, 2006
Agenda
• Background
• The SITTE model
What we did
 What we found
 How we did it
 What we must do
 Where do we go next?
• The DREAMS Collaborative

Background
Problem
• Algebra success rate in high schools is
low in Los Angeles Unified School
District.
• Failure in algebra “triggers dropouts
more than any single subject”
according to Superintendent Roy
Romer.
• Teachers need time to rethink and
revise their teaching strategies.
Background
What Teachers Need
“To improve their mathematics instruction,
teachers must be able to analyze what
they and their students are doing and
consider how those actions are affecting
students’ learning.”
NCTM Principles
and Standards, p. 18
Background
What Teachers Experience
“The environments in which most
teachers work have been structured in
ways that actually work against the kind
of sustained collaboration that we have
suggested is needed for significant and
steady improvement.”
Stigler and Hiebert,
1999, p. 172
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
•
•
•
•
•
Los Angeles Unified School District
California State University Northridge
Los Angeles Mission College
Project GRAD Los Angeles
Economic Alliance of the San Fernando
Valley
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
• Los Angeles Unified School District
– District 2 serves over 106,000
students
– Provides extensive professional
development for teachers
– Provides paid time for teachers for
teachers to engage in SITTE
– Provides training for math coaches
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
• California State University Northridge
– Engaged in Teachers for a New Era
project sponsored by Carnegie Corp.
– Provides resources through Center
for Teaching and Learning
– Provides personnel and knowledge
for research and evaluation
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
• Los Angeles Mission College
– Provides access to higher education
for local community
– Provides engaging programs such
as culinary arts and robotics
– Provides concurrent enrollment and
college credit for high school
students
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
• Project GRAD Los Angeles
– National non-profit organization to
promote college readiness and
success
– Provides tutoring, summer institutes,
field trips for students
– Provides training and resources for
teachers and parents
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
• Economic Alliance of the San Fernando
Valley
– Networks local businesses to
support education
– Provides internship opportunities for
students
– Hosts education summits and
meetings
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
• “Fix” the teachers to improve student
achievement.
• Focus on student learning to foster
teacher learning.
What We Did
ARCHES Collaborative
• Designed a pilot project based on
research from the Inter-session
Teaching and Training (ITT) project in
2004
• Implemented Student Improvement
Through Teacher Empowerment
(SITTE) pilot project in 2006
What We Found
How did ITT affect what teachers know
about what their students know or don’t
know?
•
•
Teachers increased their awareness of student
thinking:
– Acquaintance with alternative solutions
– Watchfulness of student misconceptions
– Attentiveness to student attitudes
– Responsiveness to student reasoning
– Expectation of trajectories in student thinking
Teachers increased the application of their
knowledge of student thinking:
– Guiding principles for lesson design
What We Found
How did the ITT professional development
experience affect teacher beliefs and
practices?
•
•
•
Teachers increased their flexibility and
resourcefulness
– Departing from the textbook
– Designing lessons based on student learning
needs
Teachers increased in their sense of efficacy and
confidence to find instructional solutions
– Attitudes about students
– Attitudes about self
Teachers increased their interdependence and
teamwork
What We Found
How did the ITT professional development
experience affect student achievement?
•
•
•
Test scores improved
– Significant improvement in MDTP
– Small gains in District Quarterly Assessment
Grades improved
– Pass rate increased (60.4%)
– Perceptions of teachers improved
In-class performance and dispositions improved
– Greater participation and higher engagement
– Increased sense of efficacy and perseverance
What We Found
How did the ITT professional development
experience affect student achievement?
100
• 90Test scores improved
80– Significant improvement in MDTP
70
– Small gains in District Quarterly Assessment
60
• 50Grades improved
40– Pass rate increased (60.4%)
30– Perceptions of teachers improved
• 20In-class performance and dispositions improved
10
0– Greater participation and higher engagement
Fail
D
C
B perseverance
A
– Increased
sense
of efficacy
and
Spring 2004
Inter-session 2003/2004
ITT Algebra 1A
What We Found
How did the ITT professional development
experience affect student achievement?
•
•
•
Test scores improved
Spring 2004
– Significant improvement
in MDTP
25%
– Small gains in District Quarterly Assessment
Grades improved
– Pass rate increased (60.4%)
– Perceptions of teachers improved
75%
In-class
performance and dispositions improved
Fail and
Pass
– Greater participation
higher engagement
– Increased sense of efficacy and perseverance
What We Found
How did the ITT professional development
experience affect student achievement?
•
•
•
Test scores improved
Inter-session
– Significant
improvement '03/'04
in MDTP
– Small gains in District Quarterly Assessment
39%
Grades improved
– Pass rate increased (60.4%)
– Perceptions of teachers improved
61%performance and dispositions improved
In-class
Fail and
Pass
– Greater participation
higher engagement
– Increased sense of efficacy and perseverance
What We Found
How did the ITT professional development
experience affect student achievement?
•
•
•
Test scores improved
Algebrain1A
– SignificantITT
improvement
MDTP
– Small gains in District Quarterly Assessment
40%
Grades improved
– Pass rate increased (60.4%)
– Perceptions of teachers improved 60%
In-class performance and dispositions improved
Fail and
Pass
– Greater participation
higher engagement
– Increased sense of efficacy and perseverance
What We Found
How did the ITT professional development
experience affect student achievement?
•
Test scores
improvedof
Comparison
ofPass
Pass Rates
Rates
Comparison
– Significant improvement in MDTP
– Small gains in District Quarterly Assessment
• ITTGrades
improved
Algebra 1A
– Pass rate increased (60.4%)
Inter-session
– Perceptions of teachers improved
'03/'04
• In-class
performance and dispositions improved
–SpringGreater
participation and higher engagement
2004
– Increased sense of efficacy and perseverance
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
What We Found
•
How did the SITTE professional
development experience affect student
achievement?
Comparison of Pass/Fail Rates
Test scores improved
– Significant improvement in MDTP
– 2006
Small gains in District Quarterly
PassAssessment
SITTE
• Grades
Inter-session
2005 improved
– Pass rate increased (60.4%)
– 2006
Perceptions of teachers improved
SITTE
Inter-session
2005 performance and dispositions improved
• In-class
Fail
– Greater participation and higher engagement
– Increased sense of efficacy and perseverance
How We Did It
Discussion
• What are some ways that schools can
foster teacher learning?
Ways to Foster Teacher Learning

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Going to workshops--come back to share
Anchor teachers to mentor colleagues
Intensive training in Math Matters
Formalizing professional development in teacher training in
technology
Website available, EdGate
Alternative assignments
Summer algebra flagship institute
Professional learning communities, master schedule with common
preps
Sponsor teacher to go into industry
How We Did It
PD
Deficit “Empty Vessel” Model
How We Did It
Student
Learning
Focus on student learning to foster teacher
learning
How We Did It
Professional Development as a Lever
How We Did It
Method
• Professional development aligned with
district instructional guidance systems
• Professional development situated in
the context of actual classroom
teaching
• Daily collaborative lesson planning
• Reflecting and refining lessons based
on ongoing recognition of student
thinking
How We Did It
Activity
• “Scrambled Numbers”
• Cover-Up Equations
• Fraction Boxes
How We Did It
Cover-Up Equations
2x + 1
10 –
=7
3
What We Must Do
1. Understand local context and teacher needs
2. Use teacher knowledge to build new
knowledge
3. Focus on student improvement rather than
teacher development
4. Provide tools and resources
5. Focus on what works, but ask tough
questions
6. Create the environment that promotes
Where Do We Go Next?
Discussion
• What elements of this model did you
like?
• What elements have we not
considered?
• What would it take to make this work in
your setting?
What Elements Did You Like?






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Identify the problem and come up with solutions
“It’s the student’s fault”
Focus on what teachers already know
Teacher dialogue
Sharing strategies
Focused on structuring information rather than clinging to book
Attention to patterns and student understanding
What Have We Not Considered?




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What about kids who don’t come prepared
Who decides the curriculum? Or structure at the start?
Future tracking of student achievement
Intervention for support class during class?
Survey students at the end of the course
Return on investment based on numbers of students and cost savings
Where Do We Go Next?
The Challenge
Leadership needs to shift “from one of
bureaucratic authority, where change is
led by telling and selling, to a leadership
style of protecting commitment to shared
values determined by teachers engaged
in a collaborative and co-creative
process.”
Dr. Timothy Kanold
NCSM President
Where Do We Go Next?
A New Vision
•
•
•
•
•
Developing Resources and
Empowering Activities to Motivate
Students (DREAMS)
Scale up effort for SITTE
Technology support for collaboration
Robotics pipeline for students
Internship opportunities with RWCs
DREAMS Summit to create new
solutions
The DREAMS Collaborative
A New Vision
• Based on SITTE process of
•
•
•
•
•
•
empowerment
Focused on student achievement
Aimed at changing systems
Structured to provide room to grow
Energized by innovation and creativity
Designed to benefit all stakeholders
Sustained by ongoing collaboration
Thank You
It’s About Time: A Model for
Transformative Professional
Development
Ivan Cheng icheng@csun.edu
www.csun.edu/~icheng
Joe Morgan joemorgan@earthlink.net
Collaboration and Student Success Conference
June 20, 2006
What Would It Take to Work?
 Start here