Improving Teaching and Learning: One District

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Improving Teaching and Learning One Districts
Journey
Chula Vista Elementary School District

• Curriculum and Instruction Leadership Symposium
• February 18-20, 2009 ? Pacific Grove, CA

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Todays Objective/Norms

• Objective
• Learn how one district is improving achievement
  by improving the qualityof instruction

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Chula Vista District Characteristics

• 44 K-6 Schools
• 27,370 Students
• 9,938 English Learners
• 6 Charter Schools
• 18 Title I Schools
• 3.84 Administrative Cost

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Demographics
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Adequate Yearly ProgressPercent Proficient ELA
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Adequate Yearly ProgressPercent Proficient Math
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Achievement Data (AYP-Filtered)ELA, 2002-2008
Target Population Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced
Target Population 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
LEA-wide 29.6 36.6 36.5 42.3 47.4 49.3 53.9
African-American/Black 27.8 35.8 32.7 37.6 44.1 46.5 51.4
Asian 53.0 57.2 60.9 68.8 70.0 70.0 71.4
Filipino 52.9 61.0 59.3 64.0 70.0 71.3 74.1
Hispanic/Latino 20.6 27.0 27.3 33.4 38.8 40.9 46.6
Pacific Islander 36.2 43.9 45.4 45.6 45.8 52.7 51.2
White 47.1 53.8 54.6 59.5 63.6 65.3 68.6
SED 15.8 22.0 22.1 27.2 31.7 33.1 39.7
English Learner 14.9 19.8 19.7 25.0 28.5 29.6 36.8
Students w/Disabilities 13.5 19.8 12.6 14.9 17.1 17.4 28.6
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Achievement Data (AYP-Filtered)Mathematics,
2002-2008
Target Population Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced Percent of Students at Proficient or Advanced
Target Population 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
LEA-wide 37.4 42.8 44.3 52.6 56.8 57.8 61.7
African-American/Black 30.2 35.7 36.6 45.4 51.0 48.5 56.5
Asian 70.7 73.7 78.9 80.6 82.6 85.0 84.9
Filipino 60.2 63.5 67.5 74.6 76.3 78.4 81.0
Hispanic/Latino 28.9 34.8 35.6 44.7 49.7 50.8 55.1
Pacific Islander 43.6 46.2 51.7 56.3 52.7 64.9 65.1
White 53.1 56.8 60.1 66.4 69.2 70.3 73.2
SED 24.4 30.0 30.2 38.8 42.7 43.9 49.5
English Learner 25.9 30.5 30.9 40.2 42.4 42.4 48.4
Students w/Disabilities 19.4 22.0 17.1 19.7 23.5 23.2 34.3
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Academic Performance Index2002-2008
Target Population 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
LEA-wide 689 722 722 745 769 791 811
African-American/Black 681 719 702 729 749 778 799
Asian 823 833 857 877 866 892 899
Filipino 816 845 836 857 873 883 897
Hispanic/Latino 639 676 677 702 730 755 779
Pacific Islander 743 763 774 774 785 815 821
White 783 803 806 824 835 855 870
SED 612 648 649 668 694 723 749
English Learner NA NA NA 672 686 716 742
Students w/Disabilities NA NA NA 527 529 590 639
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District-Level Efforts

• Principal as CEO
• Financial Resources at the Site
• Principal Standards related to 6 focus areas
  Data Dashboard
• Availability of Data
• Instructional Services and Support Reorganization
• After-School Interventions (i.e., educational
  software)

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District-wide Efforts

• Required Focus on 6 Areas
• Develop Shared Leadership to Build A Culture of
  Collaboration to Sustain Instructional
  Improvement Availability of Data
• Target Area of Instructional Program to Improve
  Learning for All Students
• Examine Student Evidence and Data to Guide
  Instructional Practice and PD

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District-wide Efforts

• Build Instructional Expertise Through Targeted PD
  in the Use of a Few Powerful Research Based
  Practices Hold Staff Accountable
• Align Resources to Support Instructional
  Practices and Improve Student Learning for All
  Students
• Partner with Families and Community to Sustain
  Learning for All Students

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Site-Level Efforts

• Ongoing Professional Development (PD)
• Teachers held accountable for
  implementation
• Horizontal/Vertical Collaboration
• Benchmark/Formative Assessments
• After-School Intervention Support
• Teachers Held Accountable for Student Achievement

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One Common Factor

• Participation in Systemic School Improvement
  Training
• Finding Results-Oriented Solutions to the
  Challenges of Educating All Students at High
  Levels
• Develop Site-Based Leadership and Focus on
  Teaching and Learning

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Context for PowerfulProfessional Learning
Build Collaboration
Align Resources to Support PL Plan
Examine Data
Select Instructional Target
Plan, Provide, Monitor Cycles of PL
Review, Select Powerful Practices
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1. Develop Shared Leadership to Build a Culture
of Collaboration to Sustain Instructional
Improvement

• Provide opportunities for all staff to assume
  leadership roles Instructional Leadership Team
  (ILT)
• Form teacher collaboration teams for all staff
  that focus on instruction and learning
• Engage all staff in taking responsibility for the
  schools instructional decisions
• School leaders use concrete strategies to share
  leadership with other staff and make it safe
  for everyone to discuss their practice

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Evidence What you Should See and Hear

• In Classrooms
• School administrators are in classrooms every
  day, talking with students about what they are
  learning and conferring with teachers about their
  informal observations and decisions on next steps
• Teachers teach each other, and some teach courses
  for colleagues

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Evidence What you Should See and Hear

• In Classrooms (Continued)
• Teachers describe their colleagues and school
  leaders as resources for helping them improve
  instruction and meet their goals
• Teachers demonstrate lessons for colleagues

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Evidence What you Should See and Hear

• Around the School
• Teachers lead looking at student work sessions,
  data team meetings, inquiry groups, ILT meetings,
  and ad hoc committees
• Agenda for ILT meetings is set by the principal
  and ILT members
• Teachers and other members of the ILT take part
  in walkthroughs in their own and other schools

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Expectations for Central Administrators

• Cabinet
• Aligns evaluation tools with expectations for
  instructional improvement and the goals of
  proficiency for all students
• Executive Directors
• Are peer coaches for principals, modeling best
  leadership practices in instruction

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2. Target an Area of the Instructional Program to
Improve Learning for All Students

• Analyze data, including student work, to identify
  a high-impact area of academic need
• Ensure the targeted area engages the whole
  school all classrooms, all students, all staff
• Be vigilant about keeping the targeted area at
  the forefront of the schools work

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Evidence What you Should See and Hear

• In Classrooms
• Students can explain what they are learning and
  why and how it connects to what they have already
  learned they are able to talk about the quality
  of their own work and what they must do to
  improve it
• Teacher and students engage in a high level of
  discourse that goes beyond right/wrong and yes/no
  answers to an emphasis on evidence

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Evidence What you Should See and Hear

• In Classrooms (Continued)
• Teachers give prompt and specific feedback to
  students on their work, based on standards in
  conferences, both the teacher and students talk
  about the work
• Teachers use the Gradual Release of
  Responsibility instructional model in reading,
  writing, math, science, social studies, and other
  subjects

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3. Examine Student Work and Data to Guide
Instructional Practices and PD

• Implement structured protocols to review student
  work and data to
• Plan instruction on each students progress
• Ensure student work reflects standards and
  assessments
• Identify needed PD
• Hold each other accountable for each students
  achievement
• Use student work and data to develop plans to
  meet challenging goals

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Evidence What you Should See and Hear

• Around the School
• Principal and other administrators participate in
  site-level professional learning
• Principal develops a schedule that allows all
  teachers to participate in professional learning
  over time
• PD plan and schedule are posted and shared with
  staff, families, school partners, and visitors

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Evidence What you Should See and Hear

• Around the School
• ILT uses data to identify school-wide PD needs
  in content or pedagogy
• Data is posted publicly and in a timely manner

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Expectations for Central Administrators

• Superintendent
• Uses expectations for schools when observing
  classrooms and evaluating principals

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Expectations for Central Administrators

• Cabinet
• Uses data to examine the effectiveness of major
  initiatives and to make decisions

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Contact Information

• John M. Nelson, Ed.D.Executive Director,
  Instruction and Assessment(619) 425-9600,
  x1501John.Nelson_at_cvesd.org
• Amalia Cudeiro, Ed.D.Senior Partner, Targeted
  Leadership Consultingacudeiro_at_targetedleadership.
  net
• Bonnie McGrath, Ed.D.Senior Executive, Targeted
  Leadership Consultingbmcgrath_at_targetedleadership.
  net

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Group Discussion Reflections on your own
district

• How does the Chula Vista Story prompt you to
  reflect on your own districts deep
  implementation and consistency of practice?

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Personal Reflection

• What would you share about the Chula Vista story
  with your Cabinet Members or Superintendent?