Translating the Common Core Standards into Practice

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are being adopted by most states in an attempt to create a streamlined, consistent focus for instruction, and they present a real opportunity for districts to refine the curriculum being taught in their schools. This opportunity will be squandered, however, if districts fail to adopt procedures that make it possible for educators to translate those standards into actual teaching practice.

The Intensive Learning Team process, described in Jim Knight’s Unmistakable Impact:  A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction, is one way in which teachers are active partners in developing teaching plans and formative assessments that get to the core of the Common Core.

Registration

• Registration form (Word)
• Registration form (pdf)

What Are Intensive Learning Teams?

ILTs are professional learning communities created so that teachers can come together to conduct a total makeover of a course. During these sessions, all of the teachers teaching one course (say 7th-grade mathematics) meet to (a) analyze the Common Core State Standards and determine what changes need to happen, (b) develop unit plans, guiding questions and learning maps that incorporate those changes, and (c) develop formative and summative assessments to monitor students’ mastery of the learning built around the Common Core. ILTs are like curriculum mapping on steroids; they are structured so that all teachers have a real voice in curriculum development. During ILTs, teachers are supported by instructional coaches, who make it easy for them to implement all the newly developed teaching practices.

Why Do Districts Use Intensive Learning Teams?

Bringing teachers together to rewrite curriculum or plan how to implement new instruction can be powerful professional learning. In the best cases, all teachers can tap into the collective wisdom of the group, and all teachers can benefit from learning from others who share their ideas. Such productive, collaborative learning will occur, however, only when sessions are carefully structured to ensure maximum learning and effective communication. When group learning is organized carelessly, valuable time can be wasted, and sessions can devolve into negative, unproductive conversations. For communities of teachers to work together effectively, they must be structured with care to ensure they are positive and productive. Intensive Learning Teams (ILTs) are designed to accomplish this goal.

What Will Participants at This Institute Learn?

This institute is designed to provide to participants all the knowledge and skills they need to conduct the Intensive Learning Team Process within their district. Sessions are designed to answer the following questions:

• How can I ensure that every teacher understands the Common Core State Standards?
• What is the ILT process?
• How do I conduct interviews to lay the groundwork for ILTs?
• How do I lead the other procedures within the ILT process?
• What are the partnership facilitation strategies and how can I use them to lead ILTs?
• What are dialogue structures and how can they be successfully employed during ILTs?
• How can teachers use the Content Planning teaching strategies from the Big Four to ground instruction in the Common Core?
• How can teachers use the Formative Assessment teaching strategies from the Big Four to ground instruction in the Common Core?