2008-2009 Student Success: Leadership Matters
Teaching and Learning Team Protocol
Theory of Action
“Grand dreams and granular practice”
All principals will spend 2-3 hours per day in classrooms actively monitoring and
supporting teaching and learning
Teaching and Learning Teams:
1. Make our mission operational and strategically and intentionally supported
2. Create and reinforce social practices to support schools and foster a culture of mutual trust and
professional growth
3. Support and monitor teaching and learning within a co-accountability model
Moving away from a perceived compliance & authoritative orientation culture to a
collaborative, co-accountable support to schools
District commitment to intensely focus on supporting academic initiatives at the school
level
District commitment to supporting teaching and learning in the schools proactively,
strategically and intentionally
Teaching and Learning Teams are:
Focused on improving teaching and learning around academic initiatives
Focused on providing coherent building support
Focused on CFC and curriculum implementation
Provide focused support to principals, coaches and teachers directly in the schools
Collaborative and supportive
Formative assessment driven, data-driven
Process focused
Student learning and student work focused
Recursive in nature
Co-accountable
Teaching and Learning Teams are not:
Compliance driven
Top-down
Evaluation driven
Authoritative oriented
2008 Office of Curriculum, Instruction, Professional Development & Office of School Management
2008-2009 Student Success: Leadership Matters
Teaching and Learning Team Protocol
Team Members:
Elementary Team K-8 Team Middle/ALA Team High School Team
Executive Director Barbara Rudiak Jeannine French Christiana Otuwa John Young
ELA Susan Sauer,
Naomi York-Abdullah Pam Guenther Janine Cody Heidi Tomasko
Jamie Kinzel
Math Robin Ittigson Beth Seymour Tamara Allen Mike Amick
Science Dana Morris Brian Corr
Special Education Mindy Moody, Kathy Wooddell, Noel Hustwit, Cheryl Kennedy,
Debra Gloster, Dottie Serzega, Kimberly Kutcher, Noel Hustwit,
Paulette Colonna Linda Zilka, Cindy McKenzie, Dealyn Allen,
Maxine Mosley Dealyn Allen Linda Zilka
Research, Muza Furin Chavonna Sheffield Michael Coupland Nelson Vasconcelos
Assessment
Reading First Nada Jordan Patty Falk Lisa Yonek High School Reform
Nancy Kodman
Pre-K Kim Russo Mary Moses TBD
Not assigned to Frances Doyle, Ellen Estomin, Jerri Lippert, Linda Lane, Paulette Poncelet, Carol Barone-
specific team Martin, Julia Stewart, Larry Hubbard, Tim McKay
Team Visitation Days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Mornings
Schedule of visitations to Principals by Mid-Late August
Experienced principals being formally evaluated full team visit once per month
Principals on Improvement Plan get one full team visit and additional Executive
Director visits per month at discretion of Executive Director
Novice Principals one full team visit plus additional Executive Director visits per
month at discretion of Executive Director
Directed Professional Growth Principals every other month visit with full team
2008 Office of Curriculum, Instruction, Professional Development & Office of School Management
2008-2009 Student Success: Leadership Matters
Teaching and Learning Team Protocol
Teaching and Learning Team School Visit Protocol: 3.5 hours to 4 hours
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays Mornings
Step 1 School Orientation Presented by Principal 30-45 minutes
Review achievement data (district formative & summative assessments, Read 180, EAP
data, SAT online data, Kaplan Achievement Planner data, and other relevant data
(misconduct, attendance, etc) as aligned to the getting results (school improvement
planning) with specific emphasis on sub-group data
What changes were made and why such as budget, staffing as aligned to data
“Looking back to Move Ahead”
Share school improvement strategies based on data analysis and professional
development focus for the month in context with the PD plan for the year aligned to the
cycle of professional development “Where are you going with what you know”
Classroom visit focus
Step 2: Actively Observing Effective Teaching and Learning 60 minutes
Classrooms are not visited more than once a year in larger schools under step 2
Follows similar protocol to learning walk with observation based on protocol, student work, student
conversation with limited hallway debriefing (larger debriefing occurs in step 4)
30 minutes Literacy Focus (1 classroom for 30 minutes or 2 classrooms for 15 minutes)
AND
30 minutes of Math Focus (1 classroom for 30 minutes or 2 classrooms for 15 minutes)
Classroom visitations occur in application phase of professional development cycle and
uses standard teaching and learning feedback tools
Principal and leadership team determines classroom visitation schedule in this step
Step 3: Independent Content and Program Observation 45 minutes
Content and program specialists spend this 45 minute period assessing various aspects related
to their specific content and program such as observing core curriculum implementation, Read 180
implementation, monitoring student interventions, Pre-K program, reading first program, etc. The
time is spent collecting and observing evidence of curriculum implementation, program
implementation, quality of student work products, effective teaching within the content
area/program, conferring with the curriculum coach, completing observations of coach teaching
using teaching and learning protocols, and employee improvement plan support with teacher(s) on
improvement plan(s). This support does not replace the observation and conference process
supportive of the employee improvement plan which should occur outside of the teaching and
learning team visit protocol.
Principal and Executive Director are conferring on a deep level around school data
(achievement, discipline, attendance, etc), utilization of coach, professional development plan,
professional development cycle and improvement practices through evidence observable in
classroom, student learning and student work products, student safety nets and student
interventions based on sub-group data including EAP/SES programs, grading guidelines,
professional learning community, reviewing of progress on teacher improvement plans.
2008 Office of Curriculum, Instruction, Professional Development & Office of School Management
2008-2009 Student Success: Leadership Matters
Teaching and Learning Team Protocol
Step 4: Team Sharing and Setting Next Steps 45-60 minutes
Each member of the team shares a five minute summary of the evidence of effective
teaching and learning observed AND questions for team for improving the quality of
instruction and student learning within specific strategy framework. (Must be handwritten
and provided to the principal).
20-30 minute discussion of possible next steps with team prioritizing suggestions for
improving the quality of instruction and student learning.
The teaching and learning teams work with the principal to identify 2-3 priority areas which
will serve as the school’s focus until the next visit.
The next visit will begin with a report from the principal as to the progress on the previously
identified priority areas.
2008 Office of Curriculum, Instruction, Professional Development & Office of School Management
2008-2009 Student Success: Leadership Matters
Teaching and Learning Team Protocol
2008 Office of Curriculum, Instruction, Professional Development & Office of School Management