Closing the Gap
Communities of Practice District Cohorts
FAQ SHEET
This FAQ Sheet was compiled as a supplemental resource document for the webinar conducted by
AASA and CoSN on October 4, 2011 entitled, “Closing the Gap: Request for Applications.” Districts
interested in applying to serve as a district cohort for the Closing the Gap Communities of Practice
(CoP) are encouraged to read this Fact Sheet along with the full Request for Application
Instruction Package before completing the online application form.
1. Will this webinar presentation be available for review later? Where can we obtain a
copy of the presentation?
The webinar presentation along with an FAQ Sheet comprised of questions answered
during the Q &A section of the webinar will be emailed to all webinar registrants and
posted on AASA’s and CoSN’s websites for future reference. You can access these
resources at the following web addresses:
 AASA website at http://www.aasa.org/ClosingTheGap.aspx
 CoSN’s website at http://www.cosn.org/closingthegap
2. What do LMS and SIS mean?
SIS stands for a Student Information System. An SIS is defined as a software application
that schools and districts use to collect, organize, and manage student data such as
demographic information, schedules, enrollment, attendance, grades, courses, etc.
LMS stands for a Learning Management System. An LMS is a software application that
enables the overall management and delivery of learning content and resources to
students and teachers, such as: e-learning courses and content, instructional materials,
testing/assessment, professional development, communications tools, collaborative
learning tools, and other teacher and student resources. Learning Management Systems
support a variety of instructional resources and settings including virtual, hybrid, online
and/or instructor-led instructional settings.
3. Are there specific LMS or SIS solutions that will be reviewed and/or discussed? Or
will this feedback be used to develop a new LMS or SIS?
No, the district Community of Practice cohorts work is not focused on reviewing specific
SIS and/or LMS solutions. The focus is on determining how the data and information in
the solutions can be used to ultimately strengthen classroom instruction.
4. Would there be a need to purchase an SIS and/or LMS?
No, there will not be a need to purchase an SIS and/or LMS.
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5. There was a SIS/LMS roundtable discussion at the end of the AASA Advocacy
Conference and Governing Board meeting in July. Is this the next step in that
effort?
No. The meeting held in conjunction with the AASA Advocacy Conference and
Governing Board meeting is one of several focus group sessions that AASA and CoSN
are conducting with its membership as part of the preliminary work for the Closing the
Gap grant. The purpose of these focus groups is to gather first-hand information from
members of the education community about the SIS and LMS environment. The data
collected from these focus groups will help to inform various project deliverables for the
Closing the Gap project as we move forward.
6. Does my district have to be a member of AASA/CoSN to participate?
No, there is no requirement to be a member of either AASA or CoSN to serve as a district
cohort.
7. Do we have to have elementary, middle and high schools to apply?
No, you are not required to have elementary, middle and high schools to apply.
8. Is this project designed for individual districts or for LEA.
The project is designed for district and school level leadership.
9. Would regional education service centers be able to participate representing our
special education programs?
While the project is designed for district and school level leadership, the K-12
educational community is invited to participate in the Open Community of Practice
(CoP). The open CoP will allow for collaboration among all school districts and the
general K-12 community on the project-related best practices.
10. When is the application due?
October 21, 2011
11. What is the time commitment in completing the electronic application?
The electronic application form is user-friendly and should take no more than 10 to 15
minutes to finish.
12. How will AASA and CoSN make the decisions as to which districts will be selected
to participate?
The following factors will be considered in the decision-making process:
 Senior Leadership Team & Participating Teachers
 SIS/LMS Experience and/or Future Implementation Plans
 Community of Practice Experience
 Goals expected to achieve by participating in Community of Practice
 Ranking of Community of Practice Choices
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
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District Type
District Socioeconomic Status
District Size
13. Who makes up the selection committee?
AASA and CoSN representatives.
14. How many school districts will be selected for the project?
Pending review of the district responses to the RFP, we are planning for a total of 16
districts comprised of four Communities of Practice.
15. Will you communicate with all districts on whether they are accepted or not?
Yes, all districts submitting an application will be notified of their status by lateNovember.
16. With the grant, are there monetary funds that will be awarded to the selected
districts?
The grant does not provide specific funds to be allocated directly to the district cohorts
other than travel and registration to either the AASA or CoSN 2012 Annual Conference.
17. Will selected teams be automatically scheduled for the AASA or CoSN annual
conference?
Where possible, AASA and CoSN will work with district cohorts to identify the
conference that best meets their Closing the Gap Community of Practice needs.
18. If our district is not selected to participate, will the rich conversation among cohorts
be available to us online, even if we are not selected as a cohort?
Yes, the K-12 educational community is invited to participate in the open Community of
Practice. Lessons learned from the private Community of Practice will be shared in the
open Community of Practice.
19. How will we be matched? Will we be grouped into Communities of Practice by
geography, demographics or both?
When making Community of Practice assignments, AASA and CoSN will first group agencies based upon
their top-ranked CoP choice. (Every effort will be made to assign districts to their No. 1-ranked CoP
choice. In the event that it is not possible to do so, districts will be assigned to their next highest-ranked
CoP choice.)
After assigning districts based upon their top-ranked CoP choice, AASA and CoSN will
review the CoPs to match (where possible) districts with similar demographics. Although
demographics will be taken into consideration, districts may find that the diversity
between different size districts to be of value and add richness to the collaboration.
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20. Our senior leadership team might be different for one Community of Practice than
for another. Does the application allow the articulation of such?
The online application form asks that you provide the names of three leaders of your senior leadership
team. Please include the names of those individuals who would be the district’s representative for your topranked CoP choice. (Every effort will be made to assign districts to their No. 1-ranked CoP choice. In the
event that it is not possible to do so, districts will be assigned to their next highest-ranked CoP choice.)
21. Can I change the senior leadership team from individuals listed on the application
to individuals who actually participate based on which Community of Practice we
are in?
After a district has been selected to participate as a cohort and notified of its Community
of Practice assignment, if needed, AASA and CoSN will work with the district to ensure
that the most appropriate individuals are included on their senior leadership team. Any
changes in the senior leadership team from the initial application must be approved by
AASA and CoSN in advance.
22. We have a district focus team that is a part of our Ohio Improvement Process. This
team is comprised of about 20 representatives (all administrators, some teachers,
board members, etc.) Would a small team from this focus team be an appropriate
"team" or Community of Practice?
Yes, a smaller team comprised of individuals from this larger group would be appropriate
to serve as your senior team leaders. The Community of Practice themes have been
identified. We recommend that you review the themes to determine which would best
meet your districts specific needs.
23. Once teachers are appointed to a team, could others fill in for them, or could there
be a rotation of teachers to bring forth more ideas representative of our district?
The district may add additional teachers as best meets its needs.
24. In New York State we are establishing School Based Data Driven Instruction
Teams. Would we at BOCES recommend this grant to our 56 districts on Long
Island as an important learning community?
Yes. We recommend reviewing the five Community of Practice themes for
appropriateness in support your identified data-driven decision instruction teams. We
also recommend that your districts consider accessing Closing the Gap project reports
through the website and participating in the open Community of Practice.
25. What is the expectation for the time commitment of senior level administrators?
a. Senior leaders will be expected to attend a face-to-face meeting at either the AASA
or CoSN Annual Conference.
b.
District and school level leadership are expected to access and contribute to the
Community of Practice for at least 12 months.
i. District and school level leadership will be expected to regularly participate
in their identified Community of Practice (s) to identify and discuss
challenges and recommended solutions in support of using SIS/LMS data to
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strengthen classroom practice.
ii. In support of their identified Community of Practice, representatives from
each cohort will register to use the private Community of Practice on the
Closing the Gap website.
iii. It is important for district leaders to be active participants and regularly
provide input to include asking the hard questions that support using
SIS/LMS data to strengthen classroom instruction.
c. Much of the interaction will be structured around the reports and resources that are
produced form the Closing the Gap project. Adequate notice will be given to
districts cohorts to allow sufficient time to respond to project deliverables.
26. What will the district leadership team be doing when they go online to work with
another similar cohort or problem?
The district leadership team will respond to the project reports and resources. They will
also share challenges and best practices related to their identified Community of Practice.
For additional questions about the application process,
please contact Vera Turner or Ann Ware.
AASA Members Contact:
Vera Turner, vturner@aasa.org
Phone: 703-875-0710
http://www.aasa.org/ClosingTheGap.aspx
CoSN Members Contact:
Ann Ware at aware@cosn.org
Phone: 770-500-2238
http://www.cosn.org/closingthegap
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