Bethel systems analysis sample

Digital Learning
for All, NOW!
Systems Reflection and
Continuous Improvement Framework
Jonathan P. Costa, Sr.

© Corwin Press - 2011

Goals for
Learning
Teaching & Assessment
Instruction & Data

Leadership
Curriculum &
Focus
Resource
Communication Deployment

Professional Professional
Evaluation Support


A Framework for Scoring
Level Description

0- No Evidence The behavior or expected evidence is non-existent.

1- Beginning Some individual efforts or small groups at work, but no systemic evidence
or process in place to support the behavior described in the indicator.

A system of some kind is in place, but its implementation is uneven and
2- Emergent has yet to deliver meaningful changes in behavior or performance.

A system is in place and it is generally working. It is regularly creating
3- Proficient
evidence of meaningful changes in adult and student performance.

A system is in place and functioning effectively. There have been
4- Excellent meaningful changes in student and adult performance and there is
evidence that data is driving further improvements in the system.


Leadership
& Focus
The degree to which
leadership supports a
coherent movement
toward a digital vision
of instruction.


1.1 Vision and Focus
A compelling vision for the attainment of 21st century skills for all students in a digital, one-to-one environment has been
developed and implemented. This vision is focused on ensuring that all students have the most critical skills and
attributes needed for life, learning, and work beyond school. This focused vision is grounded on the values of
meaningful engagement, collaboration, inquiry and higher-order thinking for all members of the learning community.

0 1 2 3 4
No statement of vision Complete and descriptive
Unarticulated beliefs Concise and compelling
Disjointed or non-existent plans Interconnected and driving decisions
Technical, mechanical – purchasing and deployment Focused on learning
Dozens of skills to track Vital Few skills
Exclusive Inclusive – Skills 21 for all

Rationale and Supporting Evidence:

Areas of District Strength: Areas Where Growth is Needed:

If you rated yourself a 2 or lower:

◦ Immerse the staff in the literature related to digital learning and 21st century skills. Explore the realities of a digital
future and what adequate preparation for this environment looks like.
◦ With that background knowledge, retreat for the purpose of vision building, transition to one-to-one planning, or
some other process that will begin to forge a consensus on these critical issues.


1.4 Culture and Modeling
The culture of your district and schools support and celebrate authentic use of digital tools for learning across the
curriculum. These tools are used to advance both administrative and curricular applications. District, building, and
instructional leaders have a shared vision of a 21st century school system, are conversant regarding the opportunity
and challenge of one-to-one learning, and are consistently working toward realizing its potential.

0 1 2 3 4
No systematic applications Systemic technology applications
Innovation derided Innovation celebrated
Haphazard examples Comprehensive use in all areas
No vision or inconsistent articulation Vision clear and consistent
Leader’s modeling absent Thoughtful and abundant modeling by leaders
Do As I say, Not as I do Come join me

Rationale for Score:


If you rated 2 or lower:

◦ Look in the mirror – how have you modeled or not modeled these expectations?
◦ Initiate a Professional Learning Community process to explore the rationale for Digital Learning for All, NOW! that
is described in Chapter One. Have administrative leaders work through the book’s reflection questions.
◦ Encourage and motivate leaders to demonstrate their ability to live the digital learning vision of the district.


Goals for
Learning
The commitment you
have made to a small
and focused number of
essential skills and
learning outcomes.


2.1 Commitment to Rigor and Understanding
The culture of curriculum and supervision in your district supports a focus and value on deep learning, rigorous
application, and long-term retention of key concepts. Mastery of a few is more important than coverage of many.
There is an explicit understanding that all content is not created equally and curriculum design represents this value.

0 1 2 3 4
Coverage Retention and understanding
“Where are you?” “What are they learning?”
Value on how much is taught Value on how much is learned
No impact Drives decisions
Pacing Guides Shared Evidence of Attainment



◦ Practice prioritization and research the impact of the Vital Few.
◦ Explore the foundations of Understanding by Design.
◦ Identify the CRITICAL learning outcomes that the district wants to support in each of the curricular areas and focus
district curriculum and instructional resources on the successful teaching and learning of just those outcomes.


2.2 Articulation of 21st Century Skills
The district has articulated and/or committed to a focused set of 21st century skills that define what students (and adults)
should be able to do in a digital learning and work environment. Those standards have been articulated in such a way
that they are grounded in authentic contexts and are clearly everyone’s instructional responsibility.

0 1 2 3 4

No standards Clearly articulated evidence
No connection to classroom Standards drive decisions
More is more Focused and vital, True North 21
No review process Updated and reviewed frequently
Technology dependent Device neutral
Subject by subject Universal application




◦ Review the literature from NCREL, ISTE and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. What does it mean to be
prepared for life, learning and work in the 21st century?
◦ Explore what how different content topics are applied in authentic settings. What is the underlying skill set that
enable the effective use of this content outside of the classroom?


What is the Goal?
Communicate
Effectively

Independent & Adaptable
Collaborative & Creative
21st
Century
Skills
Information Higher-Order
Literacy Thinking

Personal
Responsibility


Teaching &
Instruction
The alignment of
instructional practice
with the articulated
goals for learning.


Preparing Students For a Knowledge Economy
Subject Area Everyone’s
Responsibilities Responsibility
Type of Content Content Skills 21st Cent. Skills
Knowledge (Declarative) (Procedural) (Contextual)
Facts Discrete Skills Applied Understandings
Desired

Type of Lecture, video, Classroom or textbook Complex projects,
films, assigned problems, experiments, real time explorations,
Instruction readings and discussions, practice and authentic and relevant
memory activities.
Required repetition. skill applications.

Recall & recognition Checklists,
Type of based quizzes, tests, analytic rubrics,
Holistic and,
analytic rubrics,
Assessment and activities. Multiple or other agreed upon or other agreed upon
choice, matching, etc. skill standards standards of rigor
Required (SAT/AP/Exams) (AP/CMT/CAPT/Exams) (Portfolios, Exhibitions, Etc)

Amount of Discrete units, Discrete units, Ongoing, systemic and
Time spiraled and spiraled and without a finite
predictable. predictable. or predictable end.
Required
Align Your Systems With Your Goals for Learning

Expanding Our Thinking
Think about the Information Diet http://www.informationdiet.com/

Ken Robinson – 11 minute video on changing the paradigm of education
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Along the same lines, this organization is dedicated to helping teachers reimagine what their classrooms could look like in a
digitally supported environment
http://newclassrooms.org/reimagine.html

Very interesting article about how the grass is greener on the other side of the fence – the Chinese chase greater creativity, we
chase better test scores
http://chronicle.com/article/US-Education-in-Chinese/130669/

This article from Lawrence Summers – Harvard President – about the changes – or lack of changes – needed at the university
level driven by technology and 21st century skills.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/education/edlife/the-21st-century-education.html?pagewanted=all

More evidence of the shifts in the undergraduate education market – this organization is dedicated to the idea that everyone
should have access to high quality higher education at low cost.
http://www.udacity.com/

A great article that is a bit of a mind-bender about where our current capacity to collect and analyze data might take schools in
the not-so-distant future
http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/01/what-does-your-school-know-about-you/

This organization is dedicated to reinventing teaching in light of the influence of digital learning and 21st century skills.
http://www.teachingquality.org/

3.1 Purposeful Alignment
Teaching practices are focused and aligned with the goals for learning. From awareness to deep understanding, instructional design is
purposefully directed to achieve the level of rigor, retention, and skill mastery called for in the curriculum and the teacher can articulate
how the strategies being employed are suited to obtain these outcomes.

0 1 2 3 4
Information delivery Progression of complexity
Lesson plan template Understanding by design
Activity as the focus Evidence as the focus
Point to point Connections between goals, activities and assessments
Focused on management Focused on outcomes
Time as constant Learning as constant




◦ Create discussion or work groups to explore the connections between goals for learning at various levels of
complexity and the strategies most suited for helping students obtain that knowledge.
◦ Explore the Understanding by Design framework or any other schema that seeks to connect strategies with evidence
of obtainment.


3.2 Higher-Order Engagement in Learning
Instructional practices support the movement toward meaningful, hands-on, student engagement in the learning
process. This engagement is designed to prepare the learner for the appropriate accessing, processing, and
communication of knowledge and skills in authentic settings. Digital learning makes it possible for learners to engage
in practices that encourage new ways of thinking, understanding, constructing and sharing knowledge.

0 1 2 3 4

Teacher centered Learner centered
Demonstration of teacher competency Demonstrations of student competency
High % of passive learning High % of active learning
No authenticity Rigorous authenticity
Application only Access, process, and communicate
Factual recall only Higher order thinking
The big test The big demonstration
Memory challenge Intellectual challenge




◦ Create discussion or work groups to explore the benefits, processes required, and tools needed to create active
learning environments.
◦ Build an effective professional development continuum to help professionals acquire the confidence
and skills required to create active learning environments.

3.3 Rigor, Relevance and Self Direction
The district is dedicated to rigorous standards of performance and allows students to take advantage of appropriate
opportunities to take ownership of learning that meets these standards as well as student needs and interests both
within and outside of the prescribed curriculum of the district.
0 1 2 3 4

Classroom centered, fractured focus Life centered and coherent
Superficial Deep understanding
Textbook based Authentic applications
Classroom environments Varied environments
Extrinsic motivations Intrinsic motivations
Busy work Intense and purposeful
Teacher to student Student to life




 Review assessments for appropriate levels of rigor and challenge.
 Review the instructional planning template in Chapter 5. How can assignment RAFTs help build a framework to
increase self-direction among learners in the existing curriculum?
 Identify criteria for allowing students to engage in self-directed learning opportunities both within and outside
of the formal curriculum.

Professional
Support
How the culture of
professional learning
will support the shift
to a truly digital
learning environment.


6.2 Multiple Pathways
The professional learning culture expects and celebrates the importance and role of self-directed learning for the
long-term health of the organization. Beyond the formal program, there is abundant evidence of professionals
exploring, learning and sharing their progress with peers. This self-directed dynamic helps power continuous
improvement and the establishment of a true learning organization.

0 1 2 3 4

Three days a year Just in time
Haphazard Integrated with goals
Always the audience Internal resources
That’s their job Learning is everyone’s responsibility
Not in the contract Whatever it takes
Why don’t they… Why don’t I…



◦ Examine how individualized personal learning is either recognized or supported within the professional learning
plan of the district.
◦ Determine how to best model, encourage, and reward the efforts of individuals to bring external expertise and
resources into the district.

Professional
Evaluation
How the evaluation
process of professional
staff reflects the most
critical elements of 21st
century learning
success.


7.1 Engagement and Rigor
The focus of the professional evaluation tools and process are grounded on the value of meaningful student
engagement in rigorous and relevant 21st century skill learning activities. Students working to employ these skills
is the ultimate goal of learning for life and work beyond school and should be the most important factor in
determining evaluative professional feedback for both teachers and administrators in the system.

0 1 2 3 4

No underlying rationale Coherent focus
Everything under the sun Vital few
Unclear definitions & standards Clearly articulated standards
Surprise! Predictable and known
Diffused Laser




◦ Reexamine the value of the Pareto Principle and the law of the Vital Few.
◦ Collaboratively define the indicators of effective meaningful engagement in higher-order 21st century skills.
◦ Work to create measures and observable evidence claims that support the presence of these items in an
instructional environment.

7.2 Student Performances
On the most fundamental level, student performance is impacted by the quality of instruction received and
instruction is impacted by the quality of leadership and support received. A valid professional evaluation model
must recognize these two realities and incorporate data and evidence of these factors as part of the process of
feedback, growth and accountability.
0 1 2 3 4

Adult action only Student performance included
Perception Data
Gotcha Growth
Teachers only Teachers and administrators
Paranoia Professional accountability




◦ Explore evaluation models that have successfully integrated student performance data as a consideration factor.
◦ Discuss and examine the connections between leadership, instruction and student performance. How are they
linked and what evidence can we collect to demonstrate those connections?


Bethel systems analysis sample

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