ImPACT Collaborative Teams

ImPACT Collaborative Teams are groups of teachers who meet regularly as a team to analyze current levels of achievement, set achievement goals, identify essential and valued student learning, develop common formative and summative assessments, share strategies, and research best practices. The expectation is that this collaborative effort will produce ongoing improvement in student achievement.

ImPACT teams working together can make better decisions, solve more complex problems, and do more to enhance creativity and build skills than individuals working alone.

Shared purpose, vision, values, goals

Educators in a collaborative team benefit from clarity regarding their shared purpose, a common understanding of the school they are trying to create, collective communities to help move the school in the desired direction, and specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound (SMART) goals to mark their progress.

Collaborative Teams Focused on Learning

Educators work together interdependently in collaborative teams to achieve common goals for which they are mutually accountable. The structure of the school is aligned to ensure teams are provided the time and support essential to adult learning.
“Collaboration is a systematic process in which we work together, interdependently, to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve our individual and collective results.” —adapted from Learning by Doing

Collective Inquiry Teams

ImPACT teams relentlessly question the status quo, seek new methods of teaching and learning, test the methods, and then reflect on the results. Building shared knowledge of both current reality and best practice is an essential part of each team’s decision-making process.

Action Orientation and Experimentation
Members of an ImPACT team constantly turn their learning and insights into action. They recognize the importance of engagement and experience in learning and in testing new ideas. They learn by doing.
Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Not content with the status quo, members of a team constantly seek better ways to achieve mutual goals and accomplish their fundamental purpose of learning for all. All teams engage in an ongoing cycle of:

Gathering evidence of current levels of student learning
Developing strategies and ideas to build on strengths and address weaknesses in that learning
Implementing the strategies and ideas
Analyzing the impact of the changes to discover what was effective and what was not
Applying the new knowledge in the next cycle of continuous improvement

Results Orientation

Educators in an ImPACT teams assess their efforts on the basis of tangible results. They are hungry for evidence of student learning and use that evidence to inform and improve their practice. The success of the team concept depends not on the merits of the concept itself, but on the most important element in the improvement of any school—the commitment and persistence of the educators within it.

—Richard DuFour Adapted from the work of Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, and Robert Eaker.

Focus on Learning •The fundamental purpose of the school is to ensure high levels of learning for all students. This focus on learning translates into four critical questions (see below) that drive the daily work of the school. In collaborative teams, educators demonstrate their commitment to helping all students learn by working collaboratively to address the four critical questions.
Build a Collaborative Culture • No school can help all students achieve at high levels if teachers work in isolation. • Schools improve when teachers are given the time and support to work together to clarify essential student learning, develop common assessments for learning, analyze evidence of student learning, and use that evidence to learn from one another.
Focus on Results • ImPACT team measure their effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions. • All programs, policies, and practices are continually assessed on the basis of their impact on student learning. • All staff members receive relevant and timely information on their effectiveness in achieving intended results.

In order to achieve the goal of increased student achievement, members of the ImPACT teams need to define and answer the following key questions:

The four questions should be at the heart of every ImPACT team discussion. In order to raise student achievement, ImPACT teams must be able to answer all four of these questions. To answer the four questions in a manageable way, the ImPACT team should begin with a small focus. For example, the team may decide it will improve student achievement on a particular benchmark or standard. At first this may seem like a small focus, but in reality there are still many parts that make up the benchmark or standard. Some break the standard or benchmark down even further. Is the team is interested in whether the students can use the vocabulary of the standard or benchmark? Are they looking to see if the students can apply critical thinking skills? By narrowing the focus, the ImPACT team will be able to manage its work and see student results faster.

The ImPACT team should first review the course unit plans for the priority standards and benchmarks. The discussion that occurs in the team regarding these standards will build shared knowledge and understanding of what the team wants all students to learn. As the team determines its focus, it is important to answer the focus question based on their area of greatest need.

Analyze Essential Learnings:

All teachers collaborate to create or review state standards and content/grade level essential learnings for current courses as well as vertically articulated courses.
All teachers in ImPACT team are teaching with essential learnings in mind and communicating learning targets to students.
All teachers demonstrate high level of commitment to the essential curriculum, to students, and to team members.

Determine Appropriate Pacing:

Teachers have established the essential learnings for each unit of instruction and are committed to instructing their students according to the essential learnings and to the team’s agreed-upon pacing guide.

Discuss and Share Instructional Strategies:

All teachers systematically share evidence-based effective instructional strategies and utilize newly learned strategies in their own classrooms.

The ImPACT team collectively creates and aligns common assessments to measure student progress toward meeting the team goal. Both formative and summative assessments should be used to measure progress toward the goal. The formative assessments inform the teacher of student progress as the learning is happening. The formative assessments also provide students with feedback about their progress toward the goal. The summative assessments give the teacher and students a summary of the student learning.

Create and Administer Assessments

Every teacher has collaborated within the team to develop a series of common, formative and summative assessments.
Teachers are assessing student learning on a consistent and equitable basis.
Every teacher administers common formative and common summative assessments.

Align Assessments

All assessments are entirely aligned with state standards and essential learnings.
All assessments administered are consistent in format and rigor with those used by other teachers in the ImPACT team.

Use Data to Evaluate Student
Performance and Inform Instruction

Teachers collaboratively create a common scoring system and consistently use it to measure proficiency.
Every teacher regularly uses results from common formative assessments to guide real-time instruction.
Teachers use results from common summative assessments, make decisions for future changes in content, instruction, and assessment.
Teachers assign grades to all summative assessments.

The PLC uses the results of the common assessments to determine which students need additional time and support in learning the essential skills. Collectively, the team develops a plan to support those students who are not making progress toward the goal.

Determine Appropriate Intervention and Differentiation:
The ImPaCT team has a highly coordinated, sequential system of interventions in place.
The ImPACT team identifies and makes plans for students to receive extra support even before they fail. Student achievement is monitored on a daily basis. Students who experience difficulty are required, rather than invited, to put in extra time and utilize extra support. If the current level of support is not sufficient, there is an increased amount of time and support provided.
All students are guaranteed access to this systematic intervention regardless of the teacher to whom they are assigned.
Teachers consistently differentiate curriculum components within each unit of study.

The ImPACT team will use results of the common assessments to determine which students need an extension of the learning. Just as the team provides additional time and support for those not learning the material, the team needs to engage the top students as well.

Determine Appropriate Enrichment and Differentiation:
The ImPaCT team has a highly coordinated, sequential system of enrichment in place.
The ImPACT team identifies and makes plans for students who have already mastered the learning.
All students are guaranteed access to this systematic enrichment regardless of the teacher to whom they are assigned.
Teachers consistently differentiate curriculum components within each unit of study.

Effective teams generally have a set of norms that govern individual behavior, facilitate the work of the group, and enable the group to accomplish its task. Abiding by norms is especially important for ImPACT teams for various reasons:

Norms help teams to be productive and effective.
Norms ensure that all members have the opportunity to contribute to the process.
Norms help to keep dialogue open and respectful, even when members disagree.

Rationale: SMART goals set the direction for educators to improve student achievement in a targeted area.
Definition: A SMART goal clarifies exactly what students should learn, the standard of learning expected and the measure used to determine if students have achieved the standard. Goals should focus on the results rather than the process or task.
A SMART goal is:

Strategic and Specific - Focuses on specific student learning. It answers the questions - Who will learn? and What will they improve?
Measurable - The success toward meeting the goal can be measured in student achievement. It answers the question - How will you know you have achieved the goal?
Attainable - The goal is set to be achieved in a specific amount of time, with increased teacher effectiveness. It should be a stretch from current achievement data. It answers the question - Is this realistic yet a stretch?
Results Oriented – The goal is measured on the basis of specific evidence.
Time-bound - The goal has a clearly defined time frame including a target date. It answers the question - When will the final assessment of the goal occur?

Many questions often arise as a data discussion begins, but one of the biggest is: What do we do
with it? In the ImPACT teams, data will serve two different purposes.

The first purpose is to define the greatest area of need for students on the team, which will give the team a focus for its work.
The second is to provide immediate feedback to inform real-time instruction and improve student learning.

As a ImPACT teams determines their greatest area of need, teams may consider: MCA results, MAP results,
ACT results and SAT results and other benchmark assessments. During the analysis of data, teams will use these assessments in different ways.
Using MCA data: The MCA is helpful in looking at the past as a department or team to highlight areas of strength and weakness. First, the PLC should look at overall performance to determine a trend. How has student achievement changed over the last 2-3 years? Is student achievement remaining steady? Is there an improvement in student achievement? Is there a decrease in achievement? Is the difference significant? The ImPACT team should then look at strand data to determine areas of strength or need. In which strands is student performance strongest? In which strands is student performance weakest? Are there any concerning trends within the individual strands? Are there areas of strength or need within the different demographic groups?
Using MAP data: The MAP test is a tool to gain information on the students currently enrolled. The data will unveil whole group needs as well as individual student areas of strength and weakness. First, the team should look at class performances as a team to determine greatest area of need. Then, the team should look at individual students to identify specific needs to increase student achievement. The ImPACT team should consider similar questions to those the team asked while analyzing MCA data.
Using ACT and SAT data: Analyzing results for the ACT and SAT are similar to that of the MCA. The ImPACT tea, should first look at overall performance and then focus on the subject scores. The team should follow the guidelines and questions listed above in the Using MCA data section.
Using other benchmark data: (see Using MAP data)

As an ImPACT team looks for quality assessment information that will inform real-time instruction, it will use common formative assessments that were created collaboratively by the team.

Common Formative Assessments

Using Common Formative Assessment Data: The data that can be gathered from a common formative assessment is dependent on how the assessment is designed. As ImPACT teams collaboratively create their assessments, it is important to know what skill(s)/learning targets each item is assessing. Once the team knows what skills the items are assessing, they can gather data on the specific skills/learning targets students are or are not learning. Some questions to consider while analyzing the results of a common formative assessment: What skills did the students do well on? With what skills did the students struggle? Is there a need for whole group intervention? If not, which specific students need intervention or enrichment?

Formative Assessments

Formative assessment are assessments for learning aligned to the essential learnings and are used by teachers and students during instruction. They provide feedback used to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes. Examples: exit cards, one minute quick writes, student interview, quick quizzes, homework that provides feedback, classroom observations, classroom questioning, or any other classroom activities that provide feedback to teachers and students about whether they have met a particular learning target, while they are still teaching/learning the content.

Strategies of Assessment for Learning

Assessment for learning should address three questions for the student. Each question may be addressed using specific strategies.

Where is the student going?

Strategy 1: Provide students with clear learning targets.
Strategy 2: Use examples of strong and weak work.

Where is the student now?
Strategy 3: Offer regular descriptive feedback.
Strategy 4: Teach students to self-asses and set goals.

How will the teacher help the student close the gap?
Strategy 5: Design lessons to focus on one learning target at a time.
Strategy 6: Teach students focused revision.
Strategy 7: Engage students in self-reflection, and let them keep track of their learning.

Summative Assessments

Summative Assessments are assessments of learning aligned to the essential learnings and designed to provide a measure to determine if learning goals have been met. Examples: teacher-created achievement tests, final exams, state tests.

Instruction

Authentic Literacy: Taken from the research of Mike Schmoker, he identifies strategic reading, writing, and communication as the most essential skills students need to have to be college and career ready.
Common Pacing: The pacing of a course taught by two or more teachers, staying on the same pace to establish an opportunity of growth for students by using common assessments, data analysis, and differentiation to meet the needs of ALL students.
Differentiation-Enrichment: Meeting the learning needs of students who have already learned a skill or concept by enriching their learning with higher level, more challenging content.
Differentiation-Intervention: Meeting the learning needs of students by modifying instruction and the student learning activities until it meets the needs of all learners.
Mastery Learning is an instructional strategy that makes use of feedback and corrective procedures to improve cognitive and achievement outcomes in learning. Students may need multiple opportunities to master the concepts/skills that are being taught.
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs.
(Tier 1: Core, Tier 2-Supplemental, Tier 3-Intensive) Also know as the Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS).
4C’s Curriculum-purposeful implementation into instruction and student activities involving the skills of creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.

Professional Development (Growth)

Shared Vision-a shared vision centered on three areas:

Destination-Where are we going?
Purpose-Why do we exist? What greater good do we serve?
Values-What principles guide our decisions and actions on our journey?

Collaboration-professionals working together to help more students achieve at high levels through a shared vision, goals, and values. Professionals are focused on instruction, essential student outcomes, and analysis to improve learning opportunities for all students.
Collaboration Lite-The fact that professionals collaborate will do nothing to improve a school. The collaboration must be meaningful in its intent to bring fidelity and integrity to a process for improving student learning.
Collective Commitments-professionals putting forth their shared values to honor and achieve a shared vision for the team as well as the school.
Growth Mindset-a belief system that centers on the most basic abilities of a person can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. The belief that students can learn more or become smarter if they work hard and persevere—facilitates the results that students may learn more, learn it more quickly, and view challenges and failures as opportunities to improve their learning and skills.
Collective Responsibility: Collective accountability is team governance (norms) and individual empowerment of each member of the team to do their part as well as hold each other accountable for the expected outcomes of the team.
Reciprocal Accountability: Teams will hold administration accountable for the necessary resources to ensure the development of a culture of successful collaboration.

Assessment

Results Orientation: The focus on learning, collaborative teams, collective inquiry, action, and continuous improvement must be assessed based on results, not intentions.
Evidence for Learning: The direct results of student work (through assessment) in relation to the essential learning outcomes expected.
Proficiency: Reaching a pre-determined level of competency on a skill, concept, or standard.
Common Formative Assessment: The most powerful tool for changing professional practice. A shared assessment across a content area/course that when used with common pacing, provides essential learning outcome results with the purpose of data analysis, and use for differentiation and improvement of student mastery.
Common Summative Assessment: An assessment at the end of a given unit, but is still used for data sharing among common course/content teachers to reflect on student learning essential outcomes and helping to determine the need to reteach or move on to the next unit of study.
Performance Assessment- In its simplest terms, a performance assessment is one which requires students to demonstrate that they have mastered specific skills and competencies by performing or producing something.

Checks for Understanding: Frequent and ongoing assessments during instruction to gauge student understanding of concepts, skills, and standards being taught.
Progress Monitoring is used to assess students' academic performance, to quantify a student rate of improvement or responsiveness to instruction, and to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction.

Curriculum

Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum is primarily a combination of two factors “opportunity to learn” and “time” (Marzano, 2000a).

Prioritized Standards: The standards most essential for all students based on endurance, leverage, and readiness.

Endurance-lasting beyond one grade or course, life concepts, skills
Leverage-crossover within content area or other content area, interdisciplinary connections
Readiness-concepts or skills students need to know for the next level of learning

Essential Question

Is open-ended; that is, it typically will not have a single, final, and correct answer.
Is thought-provoking and intellectually engaging, often sparking discussion and debate.
Calls for higher-order thinking, such as analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction. *It cannot be effectively answered by recall alone.
Points toward important, transferable ideas within (and sometimes across) disciplines.
Raises additional questions and sparks further inquiry.
Requires support and justification, not just an answer.
Recurs over time; that is, the question can and should be revisited again and again

Essential Vocabulary: Identification of the most basic and necessary vocabulary needed to develop knowledge and understanding of a concept, skill, or standard.
Implemented Curriculum: Refers to a set of objectives set at the beginning of any curricular plan . it established the goal ,the specific purposes, and the immediate objectives to be accomplished.
Intended Curriculum: Refers to the various learning activities or experiences or experiences of the learners in order to achieve the intended curriculum.
Learning Targets: Learning targets are short term goals or statements. Learning targets should clearly state what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of the lesson(s).
Rigor describes instruction, schoolwork, learning experiences, and educational expectations that are academically, intellectually, and personally challenging. Based on student learning abilities and rates, rigor must remain flexible to the individual student as well as to an entire classroom.
Unwrapping Standards: A process to make standards understandable by identifying the specific skills and concepts found in the standards that students must meet to demonstrate proficiency at an expected level.
Vertical Alignment: An exercise in evaluating curriculum across grade levels for the purpose of:

Focus on the essential curriculum across grade levels
Focus on student’s academic growth across grade levels
Vertical connectedness of standards across grade levels
Alignment of appropriate leveled assessments across grade levels
Data analysis across grade levels

Technology Integration

4C’s Curriculum: purposeful implementation into instruction and student activities through the use of technology involving the skills of creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.
SAMR: The SAMR model supports and enables teachers to design, develop, and infuse digital learning experiences that utilizes technology so teachers and students can apply technology use to higher skills and knowledge based levels.

Other
College and Career Readiness: A student who is college and career ready possesses the content knowledge, skills, and habits that one must have in order to be successful in either a postsecondary educational setting or within a training program, both of which should allow them to obtain a sustaining career. A student who is college and career ready also has the ability to identify careers that match their interests and has an understanding of the skills, credentials, and experiences required to succeed in those careers. Additionally, a student, who is college and career ready, should be qualified for, and successful at, entry-level college courses without needing remedial or developmental coursework.
Norms are the rules that the team agrees to follow as it conducts its work. The establishment and adherence to team norms helps build team discipline, trust between team members, and supports a safe environment.
Protocols: Documents that follow the various processes of collaborative work. Protocols are used to lead teams to the expected outcomes of that process.
SMART Goals: Goals provide purpose, challenge, and meaning. Specific, clear, and challenging goals lead to greater effort and achievement. SMART goals must be action and results based. Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Results-oriented, Time bound
Systematic Intervention System: A system-wide, defined approach to providing enrichment and intervention services to students who are identified as need that type of support.