Changes in Instruction:  What will teachers do to ensure students learn and develop the learning behaviors identified in the first column?  (Be sure that the instructional practices you identify will address every student learning behavior and connect to the Rhode Island Beginning Teacher Standards.)  Include all Changes in Instruction from the School Improvement Action Plan Template that this activity/series will impact.

Identify strengths and weaknesses in literacy instruction across all content areas.

Understand how to create instructional opportunities that reflect an understanding of how children learn and develop critical thinking/literacy strategies.

Understand how to create learning experiences that reflect an understanding of central concepts, structures, and tools of inquiry of the discipline they teach.

Emphasize oral and written communication through instructional use of discussion, listening and responding to ideas of others, and group interaction.

Understand how to create and utilize formative assessment to adjust instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Professional Development (PD) in support of Changing Instruction: For each change in instructional practice, detail the PD that will support making those changes. Include:

1.        Describe the PD.

2.        Who will facilitate the PD?

3.        When the PD is scheduled to take place.

4.        How will the professional development implementation be monitored?

Collaboration and Support: For each major PD program, describe how teachers will be provided opportunities for ongoing collaboration and discussion regarding their PD and putting it into practice.

Resources, School and District: What school-wide and district supports and resources will be necessary to implement the PD? Indicate the source of funds for each program of PD. (e. g., Article 31, Title I, etc.).

Evaluating Results/Reporting to Families and Community:

1.        What evidence will the school use to draw conclusions about the impact and effectiveness of each major PD program? 

2.        Who will be responsible for organizing the evaluation? 

3.        When will the evaluation activities take place and when will they be completed?

 The social studies, science, and English departments will be given release days to work on the following:

• Development of essential questions to frame courses, units of study, lessons, and activities
• Integration of critical thinking/literacy strategies into content area instruction.
• Development of common assessments and tasks aligned to the reading, writing, and oral communication GLEs as well as content area GSEs.

1. The administrative staff and curriculum coordinators will co-facilitate the professional development.

2. January and March

3. Analysis of student work, Literacy Walks, and feedback from department meetings.

The social studies and science departments will use their monthly meetings to reinforce and follow-up on work begun during the embedded professional development days.

 Article 31 Funds-$9, 300.00

1.  Feedback reports from analysis of student work activities, mapping of instruction and assessment to the GLEs and GSEs showing two-way alignment, model units of study, revision of the curriculum around broader essential questions drawn from the GSEs, Literacy Walk Reports, NECAP results 2008.

2.   The administrative staff and the curriculum coordinators.

3.   May/June