GREENWICH BOARD OF EDUCATION GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS Greenwich, CT Board of Education Meeting Agenda Document Cover Sheet Meeting Date: June 15, 2017 Information Only __X___ Action Requested _____ Agenda Item Subject: E-001.23 Pilot Update: Library Learning Commons (LLC), STEMinar (WMS), Innovation Lab (GHS) Submitted by: Salvatore Corda, Ph.D, Superintendent of Schools Irene Parisi, Assistant Superintendent for CIPL Document Summary/Purpose and/or Recommended Action: The Pilot Update provides information on the implementation of pilot courses for Library Learning Commons (LLC) Western Middle School STEMinar and Innovation Lab (GHS) A revision has been made to the proposed timeline for implementation of the LLC Pilot. The initial pilot timeline called for: o the five pilot elementary schools would implement in school year 2016-17 o the remaining elementary schools and one pilot middle school in 2017-18 o the two other middle schools in 2018-19 o the high school in 2019-20 The revised timeline calls for: o the five pilot elementary schools will implement over a two-year period, 2016-18 o the remaining elementary schools and one pilot middle school in 2018-19 o the two other middle schools in 2019-20 o the high school in 2020-21 The revised timeline can be found on pages 12-13. For more Board of Education Meeting Information, Policies and Procedures, visit: http://www.boarddocs.com/ct/greenwich/Board.nsf/Public SUMMARY OF LIBRARY LEARNING COMMONS PILOT 2016-17 JUNE 5, 2017 In 2016, a Library Learning Commons pilot was approved by the Board of Education. Since the Coordinator of Library Services did not begin in her position until December 2017, parts of the pilot proposal now warrant review and revision. Progress has been made in many areas of the proposal, but not in all, as is evidenced in the following report. It is expected that, with the support of the district and the adoption of the Future-Ready Librarian Framework as part of the Future-Ready Schools Initiative, the Learning Commons model will continue to gain momentum and have a powerful impact on student learning. Successes: The following components of the Library Learning Pilot have been successful with staff and students ​ and should be continued: ● Flexible scheduling for the LMS in grades 3-5 so that collaboration and co-teaching can take place ● Makerspaces located in the K-5 Library Learning Commons so that all students have access to materials and equipment needed for innovative learning experiences ● Cost savings from shared resources and materials in a common makerspace. ● Flexible use of the K-5 Library Learning Commons for experiences that transcend traditional uses of libraries, such as the inclusion of a digital support center, recording and green screen studio, personalized learning spaces, and an area for 3D printing and design work. Considerations: The following components of the first year pilot were not fully realized because of the transition ​ to a new Program Coordinator in 2016-17, but need to occur in order for the Library Learning Commons model to continue to be successful as the pilot expands: ● Facility changes, and the costs associated with them, need be part of the Capital Improvement Plan ​ based on the 2016 approved Educational Specifications for each space. ● School Administrators need to schedule common planning time for the Library Media Specialist and ​ ​ classroom teachers in order to integrate full use of the space into curriculum and instruction. ● Professional development for Library Media Specialists needs to take place. The 2016 pilot proposal ​ included 18 hours of professional learning on Co-teaching, Collaborative Instruction, Coding, Computational Thinking and Design Thinking. Because of the mid-year transition to a new Coordinator, these were not planned and need to take place in 2017-19. ● Metrics must be developed that focus on the impact of innovative experiences on student learning. ​ ● If this model is intended to expand to the secondary schools (as was included in the original proposal) secondary principals must have training and be vocal in supporting the transition. ​ ​ Revised Timeline: The timeline will need to be shifted back by one year in order to meet the goals of the pilot. See ​ “Considerations” above to understand the reasons why the timeline needs to be shifted. See pp 9-11 for ​ timeline details. Policy E-001: Pilot Programs are defined as modifications of the Board’s approved curriculum utilizing different textbooks, instructional ​ ​ materials and/or instructional technology which are implemented across more than one classroom. At the Board’s discretion, Pilot Programs may be placed on the Board agenda for further discussion. ​ 1 THE GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS GREENWICH, CT OFFICE OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PILOT EVALUATION Pilot Title: Library Learning Commons Pilot Course Code (if applicable) School Level: PRE-K-12 Enrollment: 8,825 Introduction: In 2016, a Library Learning Commons pilot was approved by the Board of Education. Since the Coordinator of Library Services did not begin in her position until December 2017, parts of the pilot proposal now warrant review and revision. Progress has been made in many areas of the proposal, but not in all, as is evidenced in the following report. It is expected that, with the support of the district and the adoption of the Future-Ready Librarian Framework as part of the Future-Ready Schools Initiative, the Learning Commons model will continue to gain momentum and have a powerful impact on student learning. Materials (Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Equipment): Currently, five elementary schools are participating in the pilot and have changed the physical space of their Media Centers to align with the Learning Commons model. Cos Cob School: With funding from the building budget, proceeds from a book fair, support from the PTA, ​ and a grant from Greenwich Alliance for Education, the school was able make the following materials/equipment/furniture changes toward the Learning Commons pilot model: ● Furniture: ○ Versatile tables for individual or for working in groups of two or more, Policy E-001: Pilot Programs are defined as modifications of the Board’s approved curriculum utilizing different textbooks, instructional ​ ​ materials and/or instructional technology which are implemented across more than one classroom. At the Board’s discretion, Pilot Programs may be placed on the Board agenda for further discussion. ​ 2 ○ Flexible and varied seating ○ Tool bench ○ Lego wall ○ Storage units for “tinkering” materials ● Supplementary Materials and Equipment: ○ Two 3D printers ○ 19 Robots (8 Beebots, 8 Ozobots, 2 Meccanoid G, 15 buildable robots, 1 Lego Mindstorm EV3 ​ buildable robots,) ​ ​ ○ Building manipulatives (K’Nex, Legoes, or other) ○ 1 permanent green screen set-ups for student recording and movie production ○ Video recording equipment for student use(ipads, stands, and lighting) Glenville School: With funding from the PTA and a grant from the Greenwich Alliance for Education, the ​ school was able make the following equipment and materials changes toward the Learning Commons pilot model: ● Furniture: ○ Versatile tables for individual or for working in groups of two or more ○ Flexible and varied seating ○ Storage units for “tinkering” materials ● Supplementary Materials and Equipment: ○ Two 3D printers ○ One 3D Digitizer ○ Six Dash and Dot programmable robots ○ Building manipulatives (K’Nex, Legoes, or other) ○ One permanent and 2 portable green screen set-ups for student recording and movie production ○ Video recording equipment for student use (ipads, stands, and lighting) International School at Dundee: With funding from the PTA and the building budget, the school was able ​ make the following equipment and materials changes toward the Learning Commons pilot model: ● Furniture: ○ Versatile tables for individual or for working in groups of two or more ○ Flexible and varied seating ○ Tool bench ○ Storage units for “tinkering” materials ● Supplementary Materials and Equipment: ○ Two 3D printers ○ One 3D Digitizer ○ Six Dash and Dot programmable robots Policy E-001: Pilot Programs are defined as modifications of the Board’s approved curriculum utilizing different textbooks, instructional ​ ​ materials and/or instructional technology which are implemented across more than one classroom. At the Board’s discretion, Pilot Programs may be placed on the Board agenda for further discussion. ​ 3 ○ Building manipulatives (K’Nex, Legoes, or other) ○ Two portable green screen set-ups for student recording and movie production ○ Video recording equipment for student use (ipads, stands, and lighting) Julian Curtiss School: With funding from the PTA and a grant from the Greenwich Alliance for Education, the ​ school was able make the following equipment and materials changes toward the Learning Commons pilot model: ● Furniture: ○ Versatile tables for individual or for working in groups of two or more ○ Flexible and varied seating ○ Storage units for “tinkering” materials ● Supplementary Materials and Equipment: ○ One 3D printer ○ Six Dash and Dot programmable robots ○ Building manipulatives (K’Nex, Legoes, or other) ○ One permanent green screen set-up for student recording and movie production ○ Video recording equipment for student use (ipads, stands, and lighting) North Mianus School: With funding from the PTA and the building budget, the school was able make the ​ following equipment and materials changes toward the Learning Commons