The document outlines the Future Ready framework that helps districts create a systematic approach for implementing personalized digital learning strategies to improve student outcomes. It emphasizes the importance of collaborative leadership, stakeholder input, and a comprehensive digital learning plan before investing in technology. Additionally, it provides guidance for assessing district readiness and setting actionable goals for a successful transition to digital learning environments.

1. Are you Future Ready?
• Provide an overview of the
Future Ready Process
• Share related resources and
assessment questions
• Share how this process aligns
with concurrent initiatives
• Discuss how this process
improves collaboration
amongst leadership
@danieldowns
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

2. Future Ready Framework:
Systematic Approach To
Implementation
http://futureready.org/
@danieldowns
• Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment
• Personalized Professional Learning
• Robust Infrastructure
• Budget and Resources
• Community Partnerships
• Data and Privacy
• Use of Space and Time
• Collaborative Leadership
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

3. Future Ready Schools® helps district leaders plan and implement
personalized, research-based digital learning strategies so all
students can achieve their full potential. We believe every student
deserves a rigorous, personalized learning environment filled with
caring adults and student agency. District leaders must recognize the
potential of digital tools and align necessary technologies with
instructional goals to support teaching and learning.
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

4. Digging Deeper
• An essential component to becoming Future
Ready, is making a systemic digital learning
plan before purchasing the next round of
technology.
• Upon completion, districts have created a
digital learning implementation plan, full of
research-based strategies, including
stakeholder input, local context, and district
team leadership responsibilities.
• The dashboard aligns research-based
strategies and practitioner-tested techniques
with each district’s specific needs, allowing
school district leaders to create systemic
action plans for student-centered,
personalized learning before purchasing
additional technology—ensuring a much
smoother implementation.
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

5. The Pledge (3,100 Superintendents)
• Fostering and Leading a Culture of Digital
Learning Within Our Schools.
• Helping Schools and Families Transition to
High-speed Connectivity.
• Empowering Educators through Professional
Learning Opportunities.
• Accelerating Progress Toward Universal
Access for All Students to Quality Devices.
• Providing Access to Quality Digital Content.
• Offering Digital Tools to Help Students And
Families #ReachHigher.
• Mentoring Other Districts and Helping Them
Transition to Digital Learning.
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

6. Interactive planning dashboard
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

7. Selecting A Team
• Internally identifies a "Future Ready
Project Manager" who will schedule
meetings, send reminders, assign
responsibilities, and move the planning
process along as the team leader.
• It is also recommended that each district
has one leadership team, possibly led by
the Superintendent, participating in
the action planning process.
• There is an opportunity to create
additional teams, or sub-groups, to gather
colleague and stakeholder perceptions
later in the planning process, during Step
3.
• Superintendent
• Assistant Superintendant
• Building Principals
• Tech Director/CIO
• Personalized Learing Director
• School Committee Member
• Curriculum Leaders
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

8. Self Assessment
• Convene your Future Ready Leadership Team
and work together to take the District Leadership
Self-Assessment.
• Ideally you will have one computer connected to a
projector so the team can read and discuss each
question before one person, presumably the
Future Ready Project Manager, submits the
answers online on behalf of the group,
representing the thoughts of the group. Some
districts elect to distribute copies of the self-
assessment prior to the meeting to allow team
members to think through the questions prior to
the team discussion.
• Completing the District Leadership Self-Assessment
typically takes teams between 2 and 2.5 hours
depending on the length of discussion regarding
each question.
“The District Leadership Self-
Assessment be completed by a
group that represents a cross-
section of the district. It is not
intended to be completed by a
single person, but to be
representative of many voices.”
Self Assessment
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

9. Gathering Input From Stakeholders
• Identifying who key stakeholders are, and
how your team will reach out to gather input
through the gear-by-gear assessments. Each
of the Gear Level Assessments (GLA) has a
unique set of questions that provides a
"deeper dive" into each content area; they
are not simply segmented sections of the
assessment taken in Step 2.
• The dashboard offers district teams the
ability to create groups of stakeholders that
will complete one or more gear assessment.
• Using these shorter and deeper assessments,
your district can clarify and fine-tune your
plan, with an opportunity to include
additional stakeholder groups in the planning
process.
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

10. Create Your Future Ready Action Plan
Either as one longer, retreat-like conversation, or
broken into several shorter planning sessions,
brainstorm and add specific goals that need to be
accomplished for your district’s vision to be realized.
In the Menu section, select "Begin Action Planning"
to begin setting goals. Then, utilize the “Evidence
Box” to guide your goal setting conversation by
highlighting your district’s readiness levels, as well as
the gaps and suggested strategies for your focus gear
area(s).
Each gear should include at least three goals to
support the vision, but could include an unlimited
number depending on the scope of each goal and
your district's approach to the Future Ready Action
Plan.
Districts should not try to complete all gear sections
simultaneously. Working on too many sections at
once, especially for districts with a limited staff, can
cause "information paralysis". We recommend that
district leadership teams begin this step by focusing
on one or two gear areas of their choosing.
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

11. Resources Through The Gears
• Reviewing The Gears & Resources to support
• http://dashboard.futurereadyschools.org/framework/framework-
overview
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

12. Address, Assign, Export, and Share!
Each gear manager should monitor the gear section
for which they were responsible in the "Assign Tasks"
section to ensure all of the desired goals and
strategies are included. This may include adding new
goals or strategies to address the stakeholder input
received in Step 3 in meaningful and substantive
ways.
Each gear manager should fill in the responsibilities,
timeline, expected budget, and any pertinent notes
for each goal before the plan is complete.
The Future Ready Project Manager should meet to
with each gear manager to review each gear-specific
section of the action plan.
As a team, review the action plan in its entirety to
identify inconsistencies, missing pieces, or necessary
alterations.
Sample Report
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

13. Characteristics of Future Ready Leadership: A
Research Synthesis
https://tech.ed.gov/files/2015/12/Characteristics-of-Future-Ready-
Leadership.pdf
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

14. @danieldowns http://futureready.org/

15. North Reading’s Takeaways
• Specificity of questions for leading our
administration around a topic and
supports discussion
• A comprehensive view for reviewing the
buying process for technology in a district
• Addresses Personalized learning from
district perspective
“I can think of a teacher where this
happens”
• Focus of questions around the gears
• Strengthens our strategic planning
process and aligns well with “Strategy in
Action” Outcomes and Inputs
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

16. Masstrax Surveys
http://www.masstrax.net
The TRAx by Metiri Group (TRAx) invites
TRAx schools to use the TRAx Digital
Learning tool to document their readiness
and implementation ratings for digital
learning.
Along the way, schools will use the Digital
Learning framework to assist in getting a
school ready for digital learning.
Stakeholders will gain insight into the
school’s digital learning readiness, its digital
learning implementation, and the gaps the
school currently has that must be closed if
they are to use technology efficiently and
effectively, in ways that increase their
students’ college and career readiness.
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

17. Sample Surveys & Analysis
Email Out:
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Our school is participating in a Digital Learning
Readiness Report. The TRAx Digital Learning
Readiness Report will be based on the
responses of individuals in six different roles
within the school community – High School
Students, Parent/Guardian, Teacher, School
Administrator, Information Technology
Coordinator, and Educational Technology
Coordinator.
Student participation in this optional and
anonymous survey is extremely important, but
if you wish for your child to "opt out" please
inform Daniel Downs, Coordinator Of Digital
Learning-North Reading Public Schools directly
at ddowns@nrpsk12.org by the close of school
on Friday 3/10/17.
• Sample Surveys
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

18. Additional Supports & Resources
• MassTrax Digital Learning
Surveys
• MAPLE
• #GoOpen Initiative
• National Ed Tech Plan
• Friday Institute Progress Rubric
• Future Ready Librarians
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/

19. Questions……..
@danieldowns http://futureready.org/