what’s inside

What’s in the Kit?

• An Instructional DVD containing approximately 17 brief (5-14 minute) lessons on a research-based instructional practice tied to increased student achievement.
• 1 Facilitator’s Guide
• 25 Teacher Kits Each Containing:
  • 1 set of audio CD’s of the lessons
  • 1 Teacher Workbook
  • 1 How-To Guide
• 1 Administrator’s Kit with Monitoring Tools and Protocols

Everybody benefits!

Teacher Teams

A group of five to seven teachers – sharing the same grade-level, course, or subject area – form a team. They’ll work together on a specific instructional practice, combining an instructional video presentation with a facilitated discussion and a teacher activity such as goal setting, sharing of challenges and best practices, examination of student work, or co-planning. Meeting regularly, the teams will assess where they are; work through the videos and workbooks in a facilitated environment; implement new instructional strategies, examine student work, and share challenges and ideas with each other, providing strong peer support.
Each teacher on the team will get a Teacher Kit that includes:
• A Teacher Portfolio in which to set goals, develop an action plan, gather evidence, track progress, and reflect
• A How-to Guide that provides step-by-step instruction on a particular instructional practice
• A CD providing the audio version of all of the video lessons

Facilitators

Each team will have a facilitator. Facilitators are teachers themselves, or “teacher leaders,” or coaches. We provide a facilitator’s guide containing meeting agendas, scope and sequence, discussion questions, and teacher activities for each meeting. The guide contains tools and resources to help facilitators and team members plan, reflect on, and monitor their work as a series of sequential steps over the course of the semester or year. Additionally, facilitators will receive a copy of the Teacher Workbook and a How-to Guide.

Administrators

Administrators will receive an administrator’s kit to help them lead school-wide professional development, monitor teacher progress, provide additional support, and hold teachers accountable for applying what they are learning to their instructional practice. Each kit includes:
• An Administrator’s Monitoring Guide that outlines the entire monitoring process
• Walk-through instructions and capture sheets
• Informal Observation instructions and capture sheets
• The Instructional Leader’s Guide to Strategic Conversations with Teachers
• A flip chart with look-fors and ask-abouts

The Whole School

Once per month, facilitators from each teacher team – in addition to other key individuals (principal, AP, coaches, support staff, etc.) – come together to track the progress of the program as it relates to the achievement of school-wide instructional goals. These leadership teams use our Monitoring Tools to conduct periodic walkthroughs to make sure that the professional development is having a positive impact on teacher instructional practices in the classroom.