Professional Development Unit Application

Form DPS-A Professional Development Unit Application District-WIDE PDU

Course Title : ___Hands-on Kits for Implementing Common Core in the Classroom______Dates: September - May ______September to December 2015______School/Department Name: ___Collaboration between DPS & RAFT Framework Alignment and Expectations PDU Leader Name:______TBD______x LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Positive Classroom Culture and Climate Effective Classroom Management x INSTRUCTION

X High-Impact Instructional Moves

X Masterful Content Knowledge

x PROFESSIONALISM X Essential Knowledge of Students & Use of Data X Effective Classroom Management

X Effective Collaboration & Engagement

X Thoughtful Reflection, Learning & Development

X Masterful Teacher Leadership

Focus of Study and Rationale: State why this work is important to participants, your school, department or team and the District.

DPS’s Denver Plan 2020 aligns academic goals with the Colorado Academic Standards to prepare students for postsecondary life. Academic standards focus on development of skills vital to student success: collaboration, communication and problem-solving. The standards challenge students to move beyond memorization to think critically, developing a deeper understanding of the most important skills for each grade level. Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) provides students opportunities for developing authentic 21st century skills through utilizing hands-on activity kits that are focused on Colorado Academic Standards and employing students’ experiential learning. The hands-on experiential activity kits provide each student in the classroom an active learning opportunity to develop skills to master Colorado Academic Standard. The focus of this PDU is to measure student learning academic standards when incorporating RAFT hands-on activities that are aligned to DPS/Colorado Academic Standards.

Hypothesis:

If we effectively learn how to incorporate hands-on activity kits that are data based, aligned with DPS Academic Standards then we can provide improved instructional strategies that are experiential and reinforce academic standards to enhance each student’s learning _.

Course Objectives: Focus of Study and Rationale State, in measurable terms, what participants will be expected to accomplish, complete, develop, implement or analyze by successfully completing this PDU. Is there an explanation of collaboration with colleagues and others? Explain what data will be collected to show baseline and growth of students and/or teachers (pre/post student assessments, District/State tests, lesson plans, rubrics, self-reflections, etc.). 1. Each PDU participant will determine the key academic standards appropriate for their grade level classroom through utilizing the DPS Standards Toolkit, analyzing the assigned articles and attending the activity kits PD session at RAFT.

2. Each participant will incorporate 5 RAFT Activity Kits that are appropriate for their classroom. Formative pre-assessment, post assessments will be created, administered, collected and analyzed to determine student learning.

3. Teachers will attend this PDU’s hybrid course collaborative meetings, online and face to face.

4. Teachers will reflect on the data collected, to differentiate instructional strategies and explore effectiveness and/or modifications with collaborative support.

5. Teachers will collect PDU artifacts, reflected research findings and any instructional strategies that were successful or those modified to better facilitate student learning.

Prerequisites - Teachers will participate in this school-wide professional development plan during the school year. Please state whether or not there are pre-requisites for this PDU (school staff only, ELA-S teachers, etc.). No prerequisites for participating in this PDU.

Course Description: description should address course content and/or topics covered (What is being studied?)

DPS’s Denver Plan 2020 aligns academic goals with the Colorado Academic Standards to prepare students for postsecondary life. Academic standards focus on development of skills vital to student success: collaboration, communication and problem-solving. The standards challenge students to move beyond memorization to think critically, developing a deeper understanding of the most important skills for each grade level. Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) provides students opportunities for developing authentic 21st century skills through utilizing hands-on activity kits that are focused on Colorado Academic Standards and employing students’ experiential learning. The hands-on experiential activity kits provide each student in the classroom an active learning opportunity to develop skills to master Colorado Academic Standard. The focus of this PDU is to measure student learning academic standards when incorporating RAFT hands-on activities that are aligned to DPS/Colorado Academic Standards.

Course Content: Outline main topics of study session-by-session providing sufficient information to present a complete overview of course content (topics covered during meeting dates, participant expectations, etc.) Summary of Meeting Dates and Activities to Complete for PDU Credit

Month Date Topic Activity Clock Framework hours Indicator

September 9/16 Pick 5 RAFT activities that align with PD at RAFT. Intro to RAFT activity the DPS Academic standards being kits. PDU expectations. covered in your classroom

MU923 ATTENDANCE Required

October 10/28 Register Register Register (Oct 31 fall PD reading assignments due. Online registration closes) meeting.

November 11/18 Collaborative Review On line Check-in /group review

December 12/2 Final Work Sample Preparation PD on steps for successfully completing PDUs. On Line.

December 12/10 Presentations/Final Work Group Peer Evaluation/Presentation Activity at RAFT facility. ATTENDANCE REQUIRED

Course Activities - describe kinds of activities provided that will enable participants to achieve objectives listed in Course Objectives above. List what assignments (i.e. reading, writing, attending, observing, implementing) participants will be expected to complete, as well as a demonstration of the application of the learning in the classroom or work setting. 1. Attend PD sessions 2. Creating Formative Assessments for each Activity Kit. 3. Read assigned articles and complete a Reflection Summary for each. 4. Administer formative pre-assessment, implement activity kit, and administer formative post-assessment. 5. Collect, track and analyze data in respect to Academic Standard, hands-on learning & Activity Kits. 6. Complete reflection activities (Prepare Final Work Sample—PDU Power Point Template).

Participation Requirements –  Attend at least _4__study groups.  If a study group is missed, the participant will do the reading, write a reflection, shadow or confer with a teammate implementing the strategy and plan a lesson.  If more than __2__ study group is missed then there will be no PDU credit. Study Component— What is the planned learning and how will you and your participants know they learned it? What methods of inquiry are being utilized (i.e. book study, District PD, learning labs, etc.)? What are the activities participants will take part in? 1. Attend the RAFT PD session. Participate in Online activities. 2. Complete Assigned Readings and submit Reflection/Summary sheets. 3. Visit, master DPS website on Standards including Standards Tool Kit.

DPS Standards Toolkit for Educators http://standardstoolkit.dpsk12.org/

RAFT website: http://www.raftcolorado.org/

Artifacts- How will learning be documented over time? Through Assigned Reading Summary Sheets, the caliber of Formative Assessments created, collaborative data groups, review of reflective responses, final work sample presentations

Demonstration Component- How will participants document the application of their learning? How will participants document on- going student learning? How will participants show multiple techniques used to apply strategies (collaboration, teaching strategies, lesson plans, etc.)? Creation of differentiated formative pre/post assessments appropriate for age and development of students in teacher’s classroom Data Collection Sheets Collaborative Data Groups Activity Kits combined with Idea Sheets

Artifacts- How will participants show the effects of new learning on student/teacher growth? Will there be data collection and analysis to provide next steps for learning and instruction?  Teachers will collect and analyze student data for each activity kit documented on data collection sheets (provided).  Participate in Data/Collaboration Groups.  Data Collection Sheets

Reflection Component- Are there planned activities for participants to receive feedback and respond to the feedback? Are there planned activities for participants to discuss implications for practice? What are the next steps as a result of this study?

Artifacts-  Completed Self-reflection power point template.  Activity Kits Data Collection Forms  Assigned Readings Reflection/Summary Sheets  Lesson Plans, Idea Sheets, Data Analysis worksheets, etc  Attend face to face and online collaboration group sessions.  Next steps will be a second PDU for Spring PDU.

Required texts, readings, and instructional resources – attach appropriate bibliography Electronic access will be provided.  DPS Standards Toolkit for Educators http://standardstoolkit.dpsk12.org/  25 Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classrooms by Judith Dodge, Scholastic, Inc (2009).  Bridging the Engagement Gap with Hands-On Teaching, RAFT February 2013.  The Effect of RAFT hands-on activities on Student Learning, Engagement &21st Century Skills by REA, San Francisco (2011).  Activity Kits Data Tracking Sheet  Assigned Reading Reflection Summary Sheets  RAFT Website: http://www.raftcolorado.org/

Participant Evaluation-  Each teacher will be assigned to a group of three teachers and will present the results & reflections of their  PDU Each PDU final work sample to a group of fellow PDU teachers using the PDU protocol.  Each teacher will submit their PDU final work sample for peer review

Participants will complete power point template description the impact on their instruction and student performance. Participants will include at least 3 artifacts and examples of teaching strategies and/or lesson plans implemented.

The reason for these artifacts is to provide teachers with the opportunity to access a variety of learning experiences as a result of this PDU and to synthesize these experiences, reflecting on how their learning has impacted their instruction.

Peer evaluation procedures will assess a pass/fail grade based on a provided PDU rubric.

Participant Criteria for Meeting Standard(s) - Final portfolios of artifacts documenting implementation of instructional strategies will be shared in small groups and assessed using the PDU rubric for completion of the course requirements.

Class Method—How the class will be taught: Online__ Blended Learning_X_ Traditional Contact __

Contact Hours—Include all days, dates, and times Class Location RAFT Facitlity Date(s) See calendar Site Day(s) Street Address: 3827 Steele St, Unit C Time(s) City, State, Zip Denver, CO 80205 Prerequisites Grading Open to DPS Pass/Fail Traditional Class size limit None